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As filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on March 31, 2023.

Registration No. 333-263923

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

POST-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO. 1

TO

FORM S-1

ON

FORM S-3

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

SURROZEN, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Delaware   2834   98-1556622

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(Primary Standard Industrial

Classification Code Number)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

171 Oyster Point Blvd, Suite 400

South San Francisco, CA 94080

(650) 489-9000

 

 

Craig Parker

President and Chief Executive Officer

Surrozen, Inc.

171 Oyster Point Blvd, Suite 400

South San Francisco, CA 94080

(650) 489-9000

 

 

Copy to:

John T. McKenna

Cooley LLP

3175 Hanover Street

Palo Alto, California 94304

(650) 843-5000

 

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after this Registration Statement is declared effective.

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, 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 post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) 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.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, 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 or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 

 

 


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EXPLANATORY NOTE

On March  29, 2022, Surrozen, Inc. filed a registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-263923), or the Registration Statement, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, to register under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the resale of up to 7,003,383 shares of our common stock by the selling securityholder identified in the prospectus forming a part of the Registration Statement. The Registration Statement was initially declared effective by the SEC on April 5, 2022.

This Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Form S-1 on Form S-3, or Post-Effective Amendment, is being filed to convert the Registration Statement into a registration statement on Form S-3 and contains an updated prospectus relating to the offer and resale of up to 7,003,383 shares of our common stock by the selling securityholder identified therein.

No additional securities are being registered under this Post-Effective Amendment. All applicable registration fees were paid at the time of the initial filing of the Registration Statement on March 29, 2022.


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The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. These securities may not be sold until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities nor does it seek an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

Subject to Completion, Dated March 31, 2023

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS

 

 

LOGO

Up to 7,003,383 Shares of Common Stock

 

 

This prospectus relates to the issuance by us of an aggregate of up to 7,003,383 shares of our common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, or the Common Stock, by Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC, or the Selling Securityholder. The shares included in this prospectus consist of shares of Common Stock that we have issued or that we may, in our discretion, elect to issue and sell to the Selling Securityholder, from time to time after the date of this prospectus, pursuant to a common stock purchase agreement we entered into with the Selling Securityholder on February 18, 2022, or the Purchase Agreement, in which the Selling Securityholder has committed to purchase from us, at our direction, up to $50,000,000 of our Common Stock, subject to terms and conditions specified in the Purchase Agreement. Concurrently with our execution of the Purchase Agreement on February 18, 2022, we issued 100,000 shares of Common Stock to the Selling Securityholder as consideration for its irrevocable commitment to purchase shares of our Common Stock at our election in our sole discretion, from time to time after the date of this prospectus, upon the terms and subject to the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in the Purchase Agreement. See the section titled “Committed Equity Financing” for a description of the Purchase Agreement and the section titled “Selling Securityholder” for additional information regarding the Selling Securityholder.

We are not selling any shares of Common Stock being offered by this prospectus and will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of such shares by the Selling Securityholder. However, we may receive up to $50,000,000 in aggregate gross proceeds from sales of our Common Stock to the Selling Securityholder that we may, in our discretion, elect to make, from time to time after the date of this prospectus, pursuant to the Purchase Agreement.

The Selling Securityholder may sell or otherwise dispose of the shares of Common Stock included in this prospectus in a number of different ways and at varying prices. See the section titled “Plan of Distribution” for more information about how the Selling Securityholder may sell or otherwise dispose of the Common Stock being offered in this prospectus. The Selling Securityholder is an “underwriter” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(11) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act.

The Common Stock is listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “SRZN”. On March 30, 2023, the last reported sales price of the Common Stock as reported on Nasdaq was $0.57 per share.

We are an “emerging growth company” as defined under U.S. federal securities laws and, as such, have elected to comply with reduced public company reporting requirements. This prospectus complies with the requirements that apply to an issuer that is an emerging growth company. We are incorporated in Delaware.

 

 

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should review carefully the risks and uncertainties described in the section titled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 8 of this prospectus, and under similar headings in any amendments or supplements to this prospectus and the documents incorporated herein by reference.

 

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities, or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

Prospectus dated                , 2023


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

     Page  

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

     ii  

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

     iii  

FREQUENTLY USED TERMS

     v  

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

     1  

THE OFFERING

     7  

RISK FACTORS

     8  

COMMITTED EQUITY FINANCING

     11  

USE OF PROCEEDS

     18  

SELLING SECURITYHOLDER

     19  

DESCRIPTION OF OUR SECURITIES

     21  

MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES

     31  

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

     36  

LEGAL MATTERS

     38  

EXPERTS

     38  

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

     38  

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE

     38  

 

 

You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus or any supplement to this prospectus, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Neither we nor the Selling Securityholder have authorized anyone to provide you with additional information or information different from that contained in this prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. The Selling Securityholder is offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, our securities only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The information contained in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any sale of our securities. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.

For investors outside of the United States: Neither we nor the Selling Securityholder have done anything that would permit this offering or possession or distribution of this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required, other than in the United States. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of our securities and the distribution of this prospectus outside the United States.

To the extent there is a conflict between the information contained in this prospectus, on the one hand, and the information contained in any document incorporated by reference filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission before the date of this prospectus, on the other hand, you should rely on the information in this prospectus. If any statement in a document incorporated by reference is inconsistent with a statement in another document incorporated by reference having a later date, the statement in the document having the later date modifies or supersedes the earlier statement.

 

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the SEC using the “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, the Selling Securityholder may, from time to time, sell the securities described in this prospectus. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale by such Selling Securityholder of the securities described in this prospectus.

Neither we nor the Selling Securityholder have authorized anyone to provide you with any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. Neither we nor the Selling Securityholder take responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. Neither we nor the Selling Securityholder will make an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

We may also provide a prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment to the registration statement to add information to, or update or change information contained in, this prospectus. You should read both this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment to the registration statement together with the additional information to which we refer you in the section titled “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference.”

On August 11, 2021, Legacy Surrozen, Surrozen and Merger Sub (see the section below titled “Frequently Used Terms” for the meaning of certain capitalized words) consummated the transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement. Prior to the Closing Date, Consonance (i) changed its jurisdiction of incorporation from Cayman Islands to the State of Delaware by deregistering as an exempted company in the Cayman Islands and domesticating and continuing as a corporation incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware, and (ii) changed its name from Consonance-HFW Acquisition Corp. to Surrozen, Inc., thereafter referred to as Surrozen. Pursuant to the terms of the Business Combination Agreement, a business combination of Legacy Surrozen and Surrozen was effected through the merger of Legacy Surrozen with and into Merger Sub, with Legacy Surrozen surviving as a wholly owned subsidiary of Surrozen.

Unless the context indicates otherwise, references in this prospectus to the “Company,” “Surrozen,” “we,” “us,” “our” and similar terms refer to Surrozen, Inc. (f/k/a Consonance-HFW Acquisition Corp.) and its consolidated subsidiaries (including Legacy Surrozen). References to “Consonance” refer to the predecessor company prior to the consummation of the Business Combination.

 

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Some of the statements contained in this prospectus constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to expectations, beliefs, projections, future plans and strategies, anticipated events or trends and similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. These forward-looking statements include statements about future financial and operating results of Surrozen; statements about the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations of Surrozen; and statements regarding future performance. In some cases, you can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of terminology such as “outlook,” “believes,” “expects,” “potential,” “continues,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “seeks,” “approximately,” “predicts,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” “anticipates” or the negative version of these words or other comparable words or phrases.

The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus reflect our current views about future events and are subject to numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and changes in circumstances that may cause its actual results to differ significantly from those expressed in any forward-looking statement. There are no guarantees that the transactions and events described will happen as described (or that they will happen at all). The following factors, among others, could cause actual results and future events to differ materially from those set forth or contemplated in the forward-looking statements:

 

   

the initiation, cost, timing, progress and results of research and development activities, preclinical or and clinical trials with respect to SZN-1326, SZN-043, SRZN-413 and potential future drug candidates;

 

   

our ability to develop and expand our drug discovery and development capabilities;

 

   

our ability to obtain the necessary capital to fund our operations while we conduct clinical trials, seek regulatory approval for our product candidates, and complete the product development process;

 

   

our ability to identify, develop and commercialize drug candidates;

 

   

the successful development and commercialization of products that compete with our product candidates or receive regulatory approval in advance of our product candidates;

 

   

changes in personnel and availability of qualified personnel;

 

   

our ability to manage growth and expand business operations effectively;

 

   

the effects of macroeconomic conditions, volatile market conditions, and global events, and the actions of U.S. and foreign governments to respond to these events;

 

   

whether the few stockholders who own a large number of shares of our common stock exercise their voting power in a manner that adversely affects the Company or our stockholders;

 

   

whether we are able to maintain the listing of our common stock on Nasdaq; and

 

   

the increasingly competitive environment in which Surrozen operates.

In addition, statements that “Surrozen believes” or “we believe” and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based upon information available to us as of the date of this prospectus, and while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and such statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements.

While forward-looking statements reflect our good faith beliefs, they are not guarantees of future performance. Except to the extent required by applicable law, we are under no obligation (and expressly disclaim any such obligation) to update or revise such forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. For a further discussion of these and other factors that could cause our future results,

 

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performance or transactions to differ significantly from those expressed in any forward-looking statement, please see the section titled “Risk Factors.” You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which are based only on information currently available to Surrozen (or to third parties making the forward-looking statements) as of the date of this prospectus.

 

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FREQUENTLY USED TERMS

“Business Combination” means the transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement, including, among other things, the Merger.

“Business Combination Agreement” the Business Combination Agreement, dated as of April 15, 2021, by and among Consonance, Merger Sub and Legacy Surrozen.

“Closing” means the closing of the Business Combination.

“Closing Date” means August 11, 2021, the date on which the Closing occurred.

“Consonance” means Consonance-HFW Acquisition Corp. (which was re-named “Surrozen, Inc.” in connection with the Domestication).

“Consonance IPO” means Consonance’s initial public offering, consummated on October 10, 2020.

“DGCL” means the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.

“Domestication” means the continuation of Consonance by way of domestication of Consonance into a Delaware corporation with the ordinary shares of Consonance becoming shares of common stock of the Delaware corporation under the applicable provisions of the Cayman Islands Companies Act (As Revised) and the DGCL.

“Legacy Surrozen” means Surrozen Operating, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and, unless the context otherwise requires, its consolidated subsidiaries.

“Merger” means the merger of Merger Sub with and into Legacy Surrozen, with Legacy Surrozen continuing as the surviving corporation.

“Merger Sub” means Perseverance Merger Sub Inc., a Delaware corporation and a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of Consonance.

“PIPE Financing” means that certain private placement in the aggregate amount of $120.2 million, consummated immediately prior to the consummation of the Business Combination, pursuant to those certain Subscription Agreements with Consonance, pursuant to which the subscribers purchased 12,020,000 shares of Common Stock at a purchase price of $10.00 per share.

“PIPE Warrants” means an aggregate of 4,006,657 warrants issued to the subscribers in the PIPE Financing.

“Private Placement Warrants” means the 144,666 warrants purchased by the Sponsor in connection with the Consonance IPO in a private placement transaction occurring simultaneously with the closing of the Consonance IPO.

“Public Warrants” means the 3,066,651 warrants included as a component of the Consonance units sold in the Consonance IPO, each of which is exercisable, at an exercise price of $11.50, for one share of Common Stock, in accordance with its terms.

“Sponsor” means Consonance Life Sciences, a Cayman Islands limited liability company.

“Surrozen” means Consonance after the Domestication.

“Warrants” means the PIPE Warrants, the Private Placement Warrants and the Public Warrants.

 

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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

This summary highlights selected information contained elsewhere in this prospectus or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, and does not contain all of the information that you should consider in making your investment decision. Before investing in our securities, you should carefully read this entire prospectus, including the risks of investing in our securities discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement, and under similar headings in the other documents that are incorporated by reference in this prospectus. You should also carefully read the information incorporated by reference into this prospectus, including our financial statements, and the exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

Our mission is to transform the treatment of serious disease by fully exploiting the Wnt pathway. We are discovering and developing biologic drug candidates to selectively modulate the Wnt pathway, a critical mediator of tissue repair, in a broad range of organs and tissues, for human diseases. Building upon the seminal work of our founders and scientific advisors who discovered the Wnt gene and key regulators of the Wnt pathway, we have made breakthrough discoveries that we believe will overcome previous limitations in harnessing the potential of Wnt biology. These breakthroughs enable us to rapidly and flexibly design tissue-targeted therapeutics that modulate Wnt signaling. As a result of our discoveries, we are pioneering the selective activation of Wnt signaling, designing and engineering Wnt pathway mimetics, and advancing tissue-selective Wnt candidates.

Our lead product candidates are multi-specific, antibody-based therapeutics that mimic the roles of naturally occurring Wnt or R-spondin proteins, which are involved in activation and enhancement of the Wnt pathway, respectively. Given Wnt signaling is essential in tissue maintenance and regeneration throughout the body, we have the potential to target a wide variety of severe diseases, including certain diseases that afflict the intestine, liver, retina, cornea, lung, kidney, cochlea, skin, pancreas and central nervous system. In each of these areas, we believe our approach has the potential to change the treatment paradigm for the disease and substantially impact patient outcomes.

Our strategy is to exploit the full potential of Wnt signaling by identifying disease states responsive to Wnt modulation, design tissue-selective therapeutics, and advance candidates into clinical development in targeted indications with high unmet need. Our unique approach and platform technologies have led to the discovery and advancement of two lead product candidates.

We initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial in the second quarter of 2022 for SZN-1326, our candidate in development for moderate to severe inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, with ulcerative colitis, or UC, as our first proposed indication. SZN-1326, a Fzd5 targeted bi-specific antibody, is our first development candidate designed using Surrozen’s SWAP technology and targets the Wnt-signaling pathway in the intestinal epithelium. In preclinical animal models of acute and chronic colitis, SZN-1326 has been shown to transiently activate Wnt signaling in the diseased intestine, stimulate intestinal epithelial regeneration, reduce inflammation and reduce disease activity. In November 2022, we announced that we voluntarily paused enrollment in the single ascending dose, or SAD, portion of our Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating SZN-1326 in healthy volunteers. Following the evaluation of the clinical data and further preclinical work, we will be re-initiating the Phase 1a clinical trial in healthy volunteers by mid-2023 based on the minimum anticipated biologically effective level (MABEL) and anticipate safety data by the end of 2023. We anticipate initiating a Phase 1b clinical trial in ulcerative colitis patients in 2024 and expect proof of concept data to be potentially available in the second half of 2024.

We initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial in the second quarter of 2022 for SZN-043, our candidate in development for severe alcoholic hepatitis, or AH. SZN-043, a hepatocyte-specific R-spondin mimetic bispecific fusion protein targeting ASGR1, is the first development candidate using Surrozen’s SWEETS technology

 

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which is designed to mimic the regenerative properties of the protein R-Spondin by enhancing Wnt signaling in a cell-targeted manner. In multiple preclinical animal models of liver injury and fibrosis, SZN-043 has been shown to selectively activate Wnt signaling in the liver, stimulate transient hepatocyte proliferation, improve liver function and reduce fibrosis. We completed enrollment in the second cohort of the SZN-043 Phase 1a single ascending dose clinical trial in 2022 in healthy volunteers. We opened enrollment for the Phase 1a clinical trial in chronic liver disease, enrolled the first patient in the first quarter of 2023 and expect data to be available in the second half of 2023. We anticipate initiating a Phase 1b clinical trial in patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis in 2024 and expect proof of concept data to be potentially available in the second half of 2024.

In the first quarter of 2022, we nominated SZN-413, a Fzd4 targeted bi-specific antibody, as a development candidate for the treatment of retinal vascular associated diseases. Fzd4 mediated Wnt signaling is known to play a critical role in retinal vascular integrity and function. Data generated in preclinical models of retinopathy demonstrated SZN-413 stimulated Wnt signaling and was able to induce normal retinal vessel regrowth while suppressing pathological vessel growth. In October 2022, we executed a Collaboration and Licensing Agreement, or CLA, with Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, or BI, to research, develop and commercialize Fzd4 bi-specific antibodies designed using our SWAP technology, including SZN-413. We anticipate the potential to identify the lead Fzd-4-targeted Wnt agonist product candidate by the end of 2023, which would trigger a $10.0 million milestone payment to us.

Surrozen’s principal executive office is located at 171 Oyster Point Blvd., Suite 400, South San Francisco, CA 94080, and its telephone number is (650) 489-9000. Surrozen’s corporate website address is www.surrozen.com. Surrozen’s website and the information contained on, or that can be accessed through, the website is not deemed to be incorporated by reference in, and is not considered part of, this prospectus.

Background

We were originally known as Consonance-HFW Acquisition Corp. On August 11, 2021, Consonance consummated the Business Combination with Legacy Surrozen pursuant to the Merger Agreement. A business combination of Legacy Surrozen and Consonance was effected through the merger of Legacy Surrozen with and into Merger Sub, with Legacy Surrozen surviving as a wholly owned subsidiary of Consonance. Prior to the Closing Date, Consonance (i) changed its jurisdiction of incorporation from Cayman Islands to the State of Delaware by deregistering as an exempted company in the Cayman Islands and domesticating and continuing as a corporation incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware, and (ii) changed its name from Consonance-HFW Acquisition Corp. to Surrozen, Inc.

Committed Equity Financing

On February 18, 2022, we entered into the Purchase Agreement and a registration rights agreement, or the Registration Rights Agreement, with Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC, or the Selling Securityholder or Lincoln Park. Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, we have the right to sell to Selling Securityholder up to $50 million of shares of our Common Stock, or the Total Commitment, subject to certain limitations and conditions set forth in the Purchase Agreement, from time to time during the term of the Purchase Agreement. Sales of Common Stock to Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement, and the timing of any such sales, are solely at our option, and we are under no obligation to sell any securities to Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement. In accordance with our obligations under the Registration Rights Agreement, on March 29, 2022, we filed a registration statement on Form S-1, or the Registration Statement, with the SEC to register under the Securities Act the resale by Selling Securityholder of up to 7,003,383 shares of Common Stock, consisting of 100,000 shares of Common Stock that we issued to Selling Securityholder in consideration of its commitment to purchase shares of Common Stock at our election under to the Purchase Agreement, and up to 6,903,383 shares

 

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of Common Stock that we may elect, in our sole discretion, to issue and sell to Selling Securityholder, from time to time from and after the Commencement Date (as defined below) under the Purchase Agreement. The Registration Statement was declared effective by the SEC on April 5, 2022. We have not sold any shares of our common stock to Lincoln Park since the Commencement Date. On March 31, 2023, we filed this post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement to convert the Registration Statement into a registration statement on Form S-3, which includes this prospectus relating to the offer and resale of up to 7,003,383 shares of our common stock by the Selling Securityholder.

From and after the initial satisfaction of the conditions to Selling Securityholder’s purchase obligations set forth in the Purchase Agreement, or the Commencement, which occurred on April 27, 2022, or the Commencement Date, we have the right, but not the obligation, from time to time at our sole discretion over the 36-month period beginning on the Commencement Date, to direct the Selling Securityholder to purchase up to a specified maximum amount of shares of Common Stock as set forth in the Purchase Agreement, each such purchase, a Regular Purchase, by a Purchase Notice on any trading day, each, a Regular Purchase Date, so long as the closing sale price of our Common Stock on the trading day to the applicable Regular Purchase Date is not less than $1.00 (subject to adjustment as set forth in the Purchase Agreement). On any Regular Purchase Date, subject to the terms and conditions of the Purchase Agreement, we may also have the right, but not the obligation, to direct the Selling Securityholder, by delivery to the Selling Securityholder of a Purchase Notice, each such notice, an Additional Purchase Notice, to purchase the applicable Accelerated Purchase Share Amount (as such term defined in the Purchase Agreement), each such purchase, an Accelerated Purchase.

The maximum number of shares of Common Stock that the Selling Securityholder is obligated to purchase in a Regular Purchase is up to 30,000 shares of our Common Stock, provided, however, that, (i) if the closing sale price of our Common Stock is not below $10.00 on the applicable Regular Purchase Date, the maximum number may be increased to up to 35,000 shares of our Common Stock, (ii) if the closing sale price of our Common Stock is not below $12.00 on the applicable purchase date, the maximum number may be increased to up to 40,000 shares of our Common Stock and (iii) the Selling Securityholder’s committed obligation under any single such purchase shall not exceed $3,500,000 of shares of our Common Stock, such limits, the Regular Purchase Share Limit. In an Accelerated Purchase, we may direct the Selling Securityholder to purchase the amount of shares of our Common Stock equal to the lesser of (a) 300% of the Regular Purchase Share Limit and (b) 30% of the total volume of shares of Common Stock traded on Nasdaq during the applicable period set forth in the Purchase Agreement; provided, however, we and the Selling Securityholder may mutually agree to set the share purchase limit of our shares of Common Stock to an amount no greater than 500,000 shares of our Common Stock, such limits, the Accelerated Purchase Share Amount.

The sales price of the shares of our Common Stock will be (i) in a Regular Purchase, the lower of (a) the lowest sale price of the Common Stock on the applicable purchase date, and (b) the arithmetic average of the three lowest closing sale prices during the ten consecutive trading days ending on the trading date immediately preceding such purchase date and (ii) in an Accelerated Purchase, ninety-six percent (96%) of the lower of (a) the closing sale price on the applicable purchase date and (b) the volume weighted average price (as calculated pursuant to the Purchase Agreement) on the applicable purchase date.

We generally control the timing and amount of any sales of Common Stock to Selling Securityholder. Actual sales of shares of our Common Stock to Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement will depend on a variety of factors to be determined by us from time to time, including, among other things, market conditions, the trading price of our Common Stock and determinations by us as to the appropriate sources of funding for our business and its operations.

Under the applicable Nasdaq rules, in no event may we issue to Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement more than 7,003,383 shares of Common Stock, which number of shares is equal to 19.99% of the shares of the Common Stock outstanding immediately prior to the execution of the Purchase Agreement, or the

 

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Exchange Cap, unless (i) we obtain stockholder approval to issue shares of Common Stock in excess of the Exchange Cap in accordance with applicable Nasdaq rules, or (ii) the average price per share paid by Selling Securityholder for all of the shares of Common Stock that we direct Selling Securityholder to purchase from us pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, if any, equals or exceeds $2.82 per share (representing the lower of the official closing price of our Common Stock on Nasdaq on the trading day immediately preceding the date of the Purchase Agreement and the average official closing price of our Common Stock on Nasdaq for the five consecutive trading days ending on the trading day immediately preceding the date of the Purchase Agreement, as adjusted pursuant to applicable Nasdaq rules). Moreover, we may not issue or sell any shares of Common Stock to Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement which, when aggregated with all other shares of Common Stock then beneficially owned by Selling Securityholder and its affiliates (as calculated pursuant to Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Rule 13d-3 promulgated thereunder), would result in Selling Securityholder beneficially owning more than 9.99% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock.

The net proceeds under the Purchase Agreement to us will depend on the frequency and prices at which we sell shares of our stock to Selling Securityholder. We expect that any proceeds received by us from such sales to Selling Securityholder will be used for working capital and general corporate purposes.

There are no restrictions on future financings, rights of first refusal, participation rights, penalties or liquidated damages in the Purchase Agreement or Registration Rights Agreement other than a prohibition on entering (with certain limited exceptions) into specified “Variable Rate Transactions” (as such term is defined in the Purchase Agreement) whereby we may issue or sell Common Stock or securities convertible into or exercisable for Common Stock at a future determined price. Selling Securityholder has agreed that none of Selling Securityholder, its officers, its sole member or any entity managed or controlled by Selling Securityholder or its sole member will engage in or effect, directly or indirectly, for its own account or for the account of any other of such persons or entities, any short sales of the Common Stock or hedging transaction that establishes a net short position in the Common Stock during the term of the Purchase Agreement.

The Purchase Agreement will automatically terminate on the earliest to occur of (i) the 36-month anniversary of the Commencement Date, (ii) the date on which the Company commences a voluntary bankruptcy case or any third party commences a bankruptcy proceeding against we, a custodian is appointed for we in a bankruptcy proceeding for all or substantially all of its property, or the Company makes a general assignment for the benefit of its creditors or (iii) the date on which the Selling Securityholder shall have purchased shares of our Common Stock under the Purchase Agreement for an aggregate gross purchase price equal to $50 million. We have the right to terminate the Purchase Agreement at any time after the Commencement Date for any reason or for no reason, without any liability whatsoever, upon notice to the Selling Securityholder.

We may not assign any rights or obligations under the Purchase Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement without the prior written consent of Selling Securityholder. The Selling Securityholder may not assign its rights or obligations under the Purchase Agreement and the Selling Securityholder may only assign its rights or obligations under the Registration Rights Agreement the Registration Rights Agreement with our written consent, other than certain affiliates of the Selling Securityholder as detailed in the Registration Rights Agreement.

As consideration for Selling Securityholder’s commitment to purchase shares of Common Stock at our direction upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Purchase Agreement, upon execution of the Purchase Agreement, we issued 100,000 shares of Common Stock to Selling Securityholder.

The Purchase Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement contain customary representations, warranties, conditions and indemnification obligations of the parties. The representations, warranties and

 

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covenants contained in such agreements were made only for purposes of such agreements and as of specific dates, were solely for the benefit of the parties to such agreements and may be subject to limitations agreed upon by the contracting parties.

We do not know what the purchase price for our Common Stock will be and therefore cannot be certain as to the number of shares we might issue to Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement after the Commencement Date. As of December 31, 2022, there were 30,088,333 shares of our Common Stock outstanding, of which 20,348,724 shares were held by non-affiliates. Although the Purchase Agreement provides that we may sell up to $50 million of our Common Stock to the Selling Securityholder, only 7,003,383 shares of our Common Stock are being registered for resale by the Selling Securityholder under this prospectus, which represents (i) the 100,000 Commitment Shares that we issued to Selling Securityholder on February 18, 2022 under the Purchase Agreement and (ii) up to 6,903,383 shares of Common Stock that may be issued to Selling Securityholder from and after the Commencement Date, if and when we elect to sell shares to Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement. Depending on the market prices of our Common Stock at the time we elect to issue and sell shares to Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement, we may need to register for resale under the Securities Act additional shares of our Common Stock in order to receive aggregate gross proceeds equal to the $50 million Total Commitment available to us under the Purchase Agreement. If all of the 7,003,383 shares offered by Selling Securityholder for resale under this prospectus were issued and outstanding as of the date hereof (without taking into account the 19.99% Exchange Cap limitation), such shares would represent approximately 23.28% of the total number of shares of our Common Stock outstanding and approximately 34.42% of the total number of outstanding shares held by non-affiliates, in each case as of December 31, 2022. If we elect to issue and sell more than the 7,003,383 shares offered under this prospectus to Selling Securityholder, which we have the right, but not the obligation, to do, we must first register for resale under the Securities Act any such additional shares, which could cause additional substantial dilution to our stockholders. The number of shares ultimately offered for resale by Selling Securityholder is dependent upon the number of shares we may elect to sell to Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement from and after the Commencement Date.

There are substantial risks to our stockholders as a result of the sale and issuance of Common Stock to Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement. These risks include substantial dilution, significant declines in our stock price and our inability to draw sufficient funds when needed. See the section titled “Risk Factors.” Issuances of our Common Stock in this offering will not affect the rights or privileges of our existing stockholders, except that the economic and voting interests of each of our existing stockholders will be diluted as a result of any such issuance. Although the number of shares of Common Stock that our existing stockholders own will not decrease, the shares owned by our existing stockholders will represent a smaller percentage of our total outstanding shares after any such issuance to Selling Securityholder.

Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company

We are an emerging growth company, as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, as amended, or JOBS Act, and therefore we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various public company reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies for as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in this prospectus, our periodic reports and our proxy statements and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and any golden parachute payments not previously approved. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (i) the last day of the fiscal year in which the market value of our Common Stock that is held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, (ii) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenue of $1.235 billion or

 

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more during such fiscal year (as indexed for inflation), (iii) the date on which we have issued more than $1 billion in non-convertible debt in the prior three-year period, (iv) December 31, 2025, or (v) the last day of the fiscal year in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer. Even after we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, we may still qualify as a “smaller reporting company,” which would allow us to take advantage of many of the same exemptions from disclosure requirements including reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in this prospectus and our periodic reports and proxy statements.

Corporate Information

Our principal executive offices are located at 171 Oyster Point Blvd, Suite 400, South San Francisco, California 94080 and our telephone number is (650) 489-9000. Our corporate website address is www.surrozen.com. Information contained on or accessible through our website is not a part of this prospectus, and the inclusion of our website address in this prospectus is an inactive textual reference only.

Surrozen and Surrozen’s subsidiaries own or have rights to trademarks, trade names and service marks that they use in connection with the operation of their business. In addition, their names, logos and website names and addresses are their trademarks or service marks. Other trademarks, trade names and service marks appearing in this prospectus are the property of their respective owners. Solely for convenience, in some cases, the trademarks, trade names and service marks referred to in this prospectus are listed without the applicable ®, and SM symbols, but they will assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, their rights to these trademarks, trade names and service marks.

 

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THE OFFERING

Issuance of Common Stock

 

Shares of Common Stock offered by us

7,003,383 shares of Common Stock

 

Shares of Common Stock outstanding

30,088,333 shares as of December 31, 2022.

 

Shares of Common Stock outstanding after giving effect to the issuance of the shares registered hereunder

37,091,716 shares.

 

Use of proceeds

We will not receive any proceeds from the resale of shares of Common Stock included in this prospectus by the Selling Securityholder. However, we may receive up to $50 million in aggregate gross proceeds under the Purchase Agreement from sales of Common Stock that we may elect to make to the Selling Securityholder pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, if any, from time to time in our sole discretion, from and after the Commencement Date.

 

  We expect to use the net proceeds that we receive from sales of our Common Stock to the Selling Securityholder, if any, under the Purchase Agreement for working capital and general corporate purposes. See the section titled “Use of Proceeds.”

 

Risk factors

See the section titled “Risk Factors” and the other information included in this prospectus for a discussion of factors you should consider carefully before deciding to invest in our Common Stock.

 

Nasdaq Capital Market ticker symbol

“SRZN.”

The number of shares of Common Stock to be outstanding is based on 30,088,333 shares of Common Stock outstanding as of December 31, 2022 and excludes:

 

   

3,686,783 shares of Common Stock available for future issuance under the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan;

 

   

567,168 shares of Common Stock available for future issuance under the 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan;

 

   

3,896,371 shares of Common Stock that issuable upon the exercise of outstanding options;

 

   

0 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of Private Placement Warrants;

 

   

3,174,158 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of PIPE Warrants; and

 

   

2,733,320 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of Public Warrants.

For additional information concerning the offering, see “Plan of Distribution.”

 

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RISK FACTORS

Investing in our Common Stock involves a high degree of risk. Before you make a decision to buy our securities, in addition to the risks and uncertainties discussed above under “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” you should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below together with the risk factors incorporated by reference to our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K, and all other information contained or incorporated by reference into this prospectus, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Exchange Act, and the risk factors and other information contained in any applicable prospectus supplement before acquiring our Common Stock. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe to be immaterial may become material and adversely affect our business. The occurrence of any of these risks might cause you to lose all or part of your investment in the Common Stock.

Risks Related to the Offering

It is not possible to predict the actual number of shares we will sell under the Purchase Agreement to the Selling Securityholder, or the actual gross proceeds resulting from those sales. Further, we may not have access to the full amount available under the Purchase Agreement with the Selling Securityholder.

On February 18, 2022, we entered into the Purchase Agreement with the Selling Securityholder, pursuant to which, we have the right to sell to the Selling Securityholder up to $50 million of shares of our Common Stock, or the Total Commitment, subject to certain limitations and conditions set forth in the Purchase Agreement, from time to time during the term of the Purchase Agreement. The shares of our Common Stock that may be issued under the Purchase Agreement may be sold by us to the Selling Securityholder at our discretion from time to time over an approximately 36-month period commencing on the Commencement Date.

We generally have the right to control the timing and amount of any sales of our shares of Common Stock to the Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement. Sales of our Common Stock, if any, to the Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement will depend upon market conditions and other factors to be determined by us. We may ultimately decide to sell to the Selling Securityholder all, some or none of the shares of our Common Stock that may be available for us to sell to the Selling Securityholder pursuant to the Purchase Agreement.

Because the purchase price per share to be paid by the Selling Securityholder for the shares of Common Stock that we may elect to sell to the Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement, if any, will fluctuate based on the market prices of our Common Stock during the applicable period for each Regular Purchase or Accelerated Purchase made pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, if any, it is not possible for us to predict, as of the date of this prospectus and prior to any such sales, the number of shares of Common Stock that we will sell to the Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement, the purchase price per share that the Selling Securityholder will pay for shares purchased from us under the Purchase Agreement, or the aggregate gross proceeds that we will receive from those purchases by the Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement, if any.

Moreover, although the Purchase Agreement provides that we may sell up to an aggregate of $50 million of our Common Stock to the Selling Securityholder, only 7,003,383 shares of our Common Stock (100,000 of which represent the Commitment Shares we issued to the Selling Securityholder upon signing the Purchase Agreement as payment of a commitment fee for the Selling Securityholder’s obligation to purchase shares of our Common Stock under the Purchase Agreement) are being registered for resale under the registration statement that includes this prospectus. If after the Commencement Date we elect to sell to the Selling Securityholder all of the 6,903,383 shares of Common Stock being registered for resale under this prospectus that are available for sale by us to the Selling Securityholder in Regular Purchases and Accelerated Purchases under the Purchase Agreement, depending on the market prices of our Common Stock during the applicable period for each Purchase

 

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made pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, the actual gross proceeds from the sale of all such shares may be substantially less than the $50 million Total Commitment available to us under the Purchase Agreement, which could materially adversely affect our liquidity.

If it becomes necessary for us to issue and sell to the Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement more than the 7,003,383 shares being registered for resale under the registration statement that includes this prospectus in order to receive aggregate gross proceeds equal to the Total Commitment of $50 million under the Purchase Agreement, we must file with the SEC one or more additional registration statements to register under the Securities Act the resale by the Selling Securityholder of any such additional shares of our Common Stock we wish to sell from time to time under the Purchase Agreement, which the SEC must declare effective and we will need to obtain stockholder approval to issue shares of Common Stock in excess of 7,003,383 shares of Common Stock, or the Exchange Cap, under the Purchase Agreement in accordance with applicable Nasdaq rules, unless if at any time the Exchange Cap is reached and at all times thereafter the average price paid for all shares of Common Stock issued under the Purchase Agreement is equal to or greater than $2.82, in which case, under applicable Nasdaq rules, the Exchange Cap limitation will not apply to issuances and sales of Common Stock under the Purchase Agreement, in each case, before we may elect to sell any additional shares of our Common Stock to the Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement. Any issuance and sale by us under the Purchase Agreement of a substantial amount of shares of Common Stock in addition to the 7,003,383 shares of Common Stock being registered for resale by the Selling Securityholder under this prospectus could cause additional substantial dilution to our stockholders.

In addition, we are not required or permitted to issue any shares of Common Stock under the Purchase Agreement if such issuance would breach our obligations under the rules or regulations of Nasdaq. In addition, the Selling Securityholder will not be required to purchase any shares of our Common Stock if such sale would result in the Selling Securityholder’s beneficial ownership exceeding 9.99% of the then issued and outstanding Common Stock, or the Beneficial Ownership Limitation. Our inability to access a portion or the full amount available under the Purchase Agreement, in the absence of any other financing sources, could have a material adverse effect on our business.

The sale and issuance of our Common Stock to the Selling Securityholder will cause dilution to our existing stockholders, and the sale of the shares of Common Stock acquired by the Selling Securityholder, or the perception that such sales may occur, could cause the price of our Common Stock to fall.

The purchase price for the shares that we may sell to the Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement will fluctuate based on the price of our Common Stock. Depending on market liquidity at the time, sales of such shares may cause the trading price of our Common Stock to fall.

If and when we do sell shares to the Selling Securityholder, after the Selling Securityholder has acquired the shares, the Selling Securityholder may resell all, some, or none of those shares at any time or from time to time in its discretion. Therefore, sales to the Selling Securityholder by us could result in substantial dilution to the interests of other holders of our Common Stock. Additionally, the sale of a substantial number of shares of our Common Stock to the Selling Securityholder, or the anticipation of such sales, could make it more difficult for us to sell equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and at a price that we might otherwise wish to effect sales.

Investors who buy shares at different times will likely pay different prices.

Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, we will have discretion, subject to market demand, to vary the timing, prices, and numbers of shares sold to the Selling Securityholder. If and when we do elect to sell shares of our Common Stock to the Selling Securityholder pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, after the Selling Securityholder has acquired such shares, the Selling Securityholder may resell all, some or none of such shares at any time or from time to time in its discretion and at different prices. As a result, investors who purchase shares

 

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from the Selling Securityholder in this offering at different times will likely pay different prices for those shares, and so may experience different levels of dilution and in some cases substantial dilution and different outcomes in their investment results. Investors may experience a decline in the value of the shares they purchase from the Selling Securityholder in this offering as a result of future sales made by us to the Selling Securityholder at prices lower than the prices such investors paid for their shares in this offering. In addition, if we sell a substantial number of shares to the Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement, or if investors expect that we will do so, the actual sales of shares or the mere existence of our arrangement with the Selling Securityholder may make it more difficult for us to sell equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and at a price that we might otherwise wish to effect such sales.

Our management team will have broad discretion over the use of the net proceeds from our sale of shares of Common Stock to the Selling Securityholder, if any, and you may not agree with how we use the proceeds and the proceeds may not be invested successfully.

Our management team will have broad discretion as to the use of the net proceeds from our sale of shares of Common Stock to the Selling Securityholder, if any, and we could use such proceeds for purposes other than those contemplated at the time of Commencement. Accordingly, you will be relying on the judgment of our management team with regard to the use of those net proceeds, and you will not have the opportunity, as part of your investment decision, to assess whether the proceeds are being used appropriately. It is possible that, pending their use, we may invest those net proceeds in a way that does not yield a favorable, or any, return for us. The failure of our management team to use such funds effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

 

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COMMITTED EQUITY FINANCING

On February 18, 2022, we entered into the Purchase Agreement and a registration rights agreement, or the Registration Rights Agreement, with Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC, or the Selling Securityholder or Lincoln Park. Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, we have the right to sell to Selling Securityholder up to $50 million of shares of our Common Stock, or the Total Commitment, subject to certain limitations and conditions set forth in the Purchase Agreement, from time to time during the term of the Purchase Agreement. Sales of Common Stock to Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement, and the timing of any such sales, are solely at our option, and we are under no obligation to sell any securities to Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement. In accordance with our obligations under the Registration Rights Agreement, on March 29, 2022, we filed a registration statement on Form S-1, or the Registration Statement, with the SEC to register under the Securities Act the resale by Selling Securityholder of up to 7,003,383 shares of Common Stock, consisting of 100,000 shares of Common Stock that we issued to Selling Securityholder in consideration of its commitment to purchase shares of Common Stock at our election under to the Purchase Agreement, and up to 6,903,383 shares of Common Stock that we may elect, in our sole discretion, to issue and sell to Selling Securityholder, from time to time from and after the Commencement Date (as defined below) under the Purchase Agreement. The Registration Statement was declared effective by the SEC on April 5, 2022. We have not sold any shares of our common stock to Lincoln Park since the Commencement Date. On March 31, 2023, we filed this post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement to convert the Registration Statement into a registration statement on Form S-3, which includes this prospectus relating to the offer and resale of up to 7,003,383 shares of our common stock by the Selling Securityholder.

From and after the initial satisfaction of the conditions to Selling Securityholder’s purchase obligations set forth in the Purchase Agreement, or the Commencement, which occurred on April 27, 2022, or the Commencement Date, we have the right, but not the obligation, from time to time at our sole discretion over the 36-month period beginning on the Commencement Date, to direct the Selling Securityholder to purchase up to a specified maximum amount of shares of Common Stock as set forth in the Purchase Agreement, each such purchase, a Regular Purchase, by a Purchase Notice on any trading day, each, a Regular Purchase Date, so long as the closing sale price of our Common Stock on the trading day to the applicable Regular Purchase Date is not less than $1.00 (subject to adjustment as set forth in the Purchase Agreement). On any Regular Purchase Date, subject to the terms and conditions of the Purchase Agreement, we may also have the right, but not the obligation, to direct the Selling Securityholder, by delivery to the Selling Securityholder of a Purchase Notice, each such notice, an Additional Purchase Notice, to purchase the applicable Accelerated Purchase Share Amount (as such term defined in the Purchase Agreement), each such purchase, an Accelerated Purchase.

We generally control the timing and amount of any sales of Common Stock to the Selling Securityholder. Actual sales of shares of our Common Stock to the Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement will depend on a variety of factors to be determined by us from time to time, including, among other things, market conditions, the trading price of our Common Stock and determinations by us as to the appropriate sources of funding for our business and its operations.

Under the applicable Nasdaq rules, in no event may we issue to the Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement more than the Exchange Cap of 7,003,383 shares of Common Stock, which number of shares is equal to 19.99% of the shares of the Common Stock outstanding as of the date of the Purchase Agreement, unless (i) we obtain stockholder approval to issue shares of Common Stock in excess of the Exchange Cap in accordance with applicable Nasdaq rules or (ii) the average price per share paid by the Selling Securityholder for all of the shares of Common Stock that we direct the Selling Securityholder to purchase from us pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, if any, equals or exceeds $2.82 per share (representing the lower of the official closing price of our common stock on Nasdaq on the trading day immediately preceding the date of the Purchase Agreement or the average official closing price of our Common Stock on Nasdaq for the five consecutive trading days ending on the trading day immediately preceding the date of the Purchase Agreement, as adjusted pursuant to applicable Nasdaq rules). Moreover, we may not issue or sell any shares of Common

 

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Stock to the Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement which, when aggregated with all other shares of Common Stock then beneficially owned by the Selling Securityholder and its affiliates (as calculated pursuant to Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and Rule 13d-3 promulgated thereunder), would result in the Selling Securityholder beneficially owning shares of Common Stock in excess of the 9.99% Beneficial Ownership Limitation.

We may not assign any rights or obligations under the Purchase Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement without the prior written consent of Selling Securityholder. The Selling Securityholder may not assign its rights or obligations under the Purchase Agreement and the Selling Securityholder may only assign its rights or obligations under the Registration Rights Agreement the Registration Rights Agreement with our written consent, other than certain affiliates of the Selling Securityholder as detailed in the Registration Rights Agreement.

The net proceeds from sales, if any, under the Purchase Agreement, will depend on the frequency and prices at which we sell shares of Common Stock to the Selling Securityholder. To the extent we sell shares under the Purchase Agreement, we currently plan to use any proceeds therefrom for working capital and general corporate purposes.

As consideration for the Selling Securityholder’s commitment to purchase shares of Common Stock at our direction upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Purchase Agreement, upon execution of the Purchase Agreement, we issued 100,000 Commitment Shares to the Selling Securityholder.

The Purchase Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement contain customary representations, warranties, conditions and indemnification obligations of the parties. The representations, warranties and covenants contained in such agreements were made only for purposes of such agreements and as of specific dates, were solely for the benefit of the parties to such agreements and may be subject to limitations agreed upon by the contracting parties.

Purchase of Common Stock Under the Purchase Agreement

Purchases

From and after the Commencement Date, we have the right, but not the obligation, from time to time at our sole discretion over the 36-month period commencing on the Commencement Date, to direct the Selling Securityholder to purchase up to a specified maximum amount of shares of Common Stock as set forth in the Purchase Agreement, each such purchase, a Regular Purchase, by a Purchase Notice on any trading day, each, a Regular Purchase Date, so long as the closing sale price of our Common Stock on the trading day to the applicable Regular Purchase Date is not less than $1.00 (subject to adjustment as set forth in the Purchase Agreement). On any Regular Purchase Date, subject to the terms and conditions of the Purchase Agreement, we may also have the right, but not the obligation, to direct the Selling Securityholder, by delivery to the Selling Securityholder of a Purchase Notice, each such notice, an Additional Purchase Notice to purchase the applicable Accelerated Purchase Share Amount (as such term defined in the Purchase Agreement), each such purchase, an Accelerated Purchase.

The maximum number of shares of Common Stock that the Selling Securityholder is obligated to purchase in a Regular Purchase is up to 30,000 shares of our Common Stock, provided, however, that, (i) if the closing sale price of our Common Stock is not below $10.00 on the applicable Regular Purchase Date, the maximum number may be increased to up to 35,000 shares of our Common Stock, (ii) if the closing sale price of our Common Stock is not below $12.00 on the applicable purchase date, the maximum number may be increased to up to 40,000 shares of our Common Stock and (iii) the Selling Securityholder’s committed obligation under any single such purchase shall not exceed $3,500,000 of shares of our Common Stock, such limits, the Regular Purchase Share Limit. In an Accelerated Purchase, we may direct the Selling Securityholder to purchase the

 

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amount of shares of our Common Stock equal to the lesser of (a) 300% of the Regular Purchase Share Limit and (b) 30% of the total volume of shares of Common Stock traded on Nasdaq during the applicable period set forth in the Purchase Agreement; provided, however, we and the Selling Securityholder may mutually agree to set the share purchase limit of our shares of Common Stock to an amount no greater than 500,000 shares of our Common Stock, such limits, the Accelerated Purchase Share Amount.

The sales price of the shares of our Common Stock will be (i) in a Regular Purchase, the lower of (a) the lowest sale price of the Common Stock on the applicable purchase date, and (b) the arithmetic average of the three lowest closing sale prices during the ten consecutive trading days ending on the trading date immediately preceding such purchase date and (ii) in an Accelerated Purchase, ninety-six percent (96%) of the lower of (a) the closing sale price on the applicable purchase date and (b) the volume weighted average price (as calculated pursuant to the Purchase Agreement) on the applicable purchase date.

In the case of a Regular Purchase and an Accelerated Purchase, the purchase price per share will be equitably adjusted for any reorganization, recapitalization, non-cash dividend, stock split, reverse stock split or other similar transaction occurring during the business days used to compute the purchase price.

Within one business day after the completion of each Accelerated Purchase, the Selling Securityholder will provide us with a written confirmation for such Accelerated Purchase setting forth the applicable amount of shares of our Common Stock to be purchased by and the applicable purchase price to be paid by the Selling Securityholder for such Accelerated.

Conditions to Commencement and Each Purchase

The Selling Securityholder’s obligation to accept Purchase Notices and Additional Purchase Notices that are timely delivered by us under the Purchase Agreement and to purchase shares of our Common Stock in Regular Purchases and Accelerated Purchases under the Purchase Agreement, are subject to the satisfaction on or prior to the Commencement Date of certain conditions, some of which are entirely outside of the Selling Securityholder’s control, include the following

 

   

our execution and delivery to the Selling Securityholder of the Purchase Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement, the scheduled and exhibits thereto, and each of the other agreements, documents, certificates and instruments entered into or furnished in connection with the transactions contemplated;

 

   

the receipt by the Selling Securityholder of the legal opinion and negative assurance as required under the Purchase Agreement;

 

   

our representations and warranties included in the Purchase Agreement are true and correct in all material respects;

 

   

our Board of Directors has adopted all applicable resolutions to authorize the Purchase Agreement and the transaction contemplated thereby;

 

   

we shall have reserved out of our authorized and unissued Common Stock, 6,903,383 shares;

 

   

our delivery of irrevocable instruction and notice of effectiveness of the Registration Statement to our transfer agent in respect of our Common Stock;

 

   

our delivery of a certificate evidencing our incorporation and good standing in the State of Delaware;

 

   

our delivery of a certified copy of our Certificate of Incorporation;

 

   

our delivery of a secretary’s certificate;

 

   

the registration statement that includes this prospectus (and any one or more additional registration statements filed with the SEC that include shares of Common Stock that may be issued and sold by the Company to the Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement) having been declared effective

 

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under the Securities Act by the SEC, and the Selling Securityholder being able to utilize this prospectus (and the prospectus included in any one or more additional registration statements filed with the SEC under the Registration Rights Agreement) to resell all of the shares of Common Stock included in this prospectus (and included in any such additional prospectuses);

 

   

no Event of Default (as such term is defined in the Purchase Agreement) has occurred or would reasonably be expected to arise;

 

   

the absence of any statute, regulation, order, decree, writ, ruling or injunction by any court or governmental authority of competent jurisdiction which prohibits the consummation of or that would materially modify or delay any of the transactions contemplated by the Purchase Agreement or the Registration Rights Agreement;

 

   

the absence of any action, suit or proceeding before any arbitrator or any court or governmental authority seeking to restrain, prevent or change the transactions contemplated by the Purchase Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement, or seeking material damages in connection with such transactions;

 

   

the Company shall have complied with all applicable federal, state and local governmental laws, rules, regulations and ordinances in connection with the execution, delivery and performance of the Purchase Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement.

Termination of the Purchase Agreement

Unless earlier terminated as provided in the Purchase Agreement, the Purchase Agreement will terminate automatically on the earliest to occur of:

 

   

the 36-month anniversary of the Commencement Date;

 

   

the date on which the Company commences a voluntary bankruptcy case or any third party commences a bankruptcy proceeding against the Company, a custodian is appointed for the Company in a bankruptcy proceeding for all or substantially all of its property, or the Company makes a general assignment for the benefit of its creditors; and

 

   

the date on which the Selling Securityholder shall have purchased shares of our Common Stock under the Purchase Agreement for an aggregate gross purchase price equal to $50 million;

We have the right to terminate the Purchase Agreement at any time after the Commencement Date for any reason or for no reason, without any liability whatsoever, upon notice to the Selling Securityholder.

No Short-Selling or Hedging by the Selling Securityholder

The Selling Securityholder has agreed that, during the term of the Purchase Agreement and prior to the date of the Purchase Agreement, the Selling Securityholder, its agents, representatives or affiliates has not and shall not enter in or effect, directly or indirectly, for its own account or for the account of any other of such persons or entities, any (i) “short sale” (as such term is defined in Rule 200 of Regulation SHO of the Exchange Act) of the Common Stock or (ii) hedging transaction, which establishes a net short position with respect to the Common Stock.

Prohibition on Variable Rate Transactions

Subject to specified exceptions included in the Purchase Agreement, we are limited in our ability to enter into specified “Variable Rate Transactions” (as such term is defined in the Purchase Agreement) during the earlier of (i) the term of the Purchase Agreement or (ii) the 12-month anniversary of the termination of the Purchase Agreement. Such transactions include, among others, our entry into any agreement for an “equity line

 

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of credit” (other than with the Selling Securityholder), whereby an investor is irrevocably bound to purchase securities over a period of time from us at a price based on the market price of our Common Stock at the time of each such purchase.

Effect of Sales of our Common Stock under the Purchase Agreement on our Stockholders

All shares of Common Stock that may be issued or sold by us to the Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement that are being registered under the Securities Act for resale by the Selling Securityholder in this offering are expected to be freely tradable. The shares of Common Stock being registered for resale in this offering may be issued and sold by us to the Selling Securityholder from time to time at our discretion over a period of up to 36 months commencing on the Commencement Date. The resale by the Selling Securityholder of a significant amount of shares registered for resale in this offering at any given time, or the perception that these sales may occur, could cause the market price of our Common Stock to decline and to be highly volatile. Sales of our Common Stock, if any, to the Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement will depend upon market conditions and other factors to be determined by us. We may ultimately decide to sell to the Selling Securityholder all, some or none of the shares of our Common Stock that may be available for us to sell to the Selling Securityholder pursuant to the Purchase Agreement.

If and when we do elect to sell shares of our Common Stock to the Selling Securityholder pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, after the Selling Securityholder has acquired such shares, the Selling Securityholder may resell all, some or none of such shares at any time or from time to time in its discretion and at different prices. As a result, investors who purchase shares from the Selling Securityholder in this offering at different times will likely pay different prices for those shares, and so may experience different levels of dilution and in some cases substantial dilution and different outcomes in their investment results. Investors may experience a decline in the value of the shares they purchase from the Selling Securityholder in this offering as a result of future sales made by us to the Selling Securityholder at prices lower than the prices such investors paid for their shares in this offering. In addition, if we sell a substantial number of shares to the Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement, or if investors expect that we will do so, the actual sales of shares or the mere existence of our arrangement with the Selling Securityholder may make it more difficult for us to sell equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and at a price that we might otherwise wish to effect such sales.

Because the purchase price per share to be paid by the Selling Securityholder for the shares of Common Stock that we may elect to sell to the Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement, if any, will fluctuate based on the market prices of our Common Stock during the applicable period for each Regular Purchase or Accelerated Purchase made pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, if any, as of the date of this prospectus it is not possible for us to predict the number of shares of Common Stock that we will sell to the Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement, the actual purchase price per share to be paid by the Selling Securityholder for those shares, or the actual gross proceeds to be raised by us from those sales, if any. As of December 31, 2022, there were 30,088,333 shares of our Common Stock outstanding, of which 20,348,724 shares were held by non-affiliates. If all of the 7,003,383 shares offered for resale by the Selling Securityholder under this prospectus were issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2022, such shares would represent approximately 23.28% of the total number of shares of our Common Stock outstanding and approximately 34.42% of the total number of outstanding shares held by non-affiliates, in each case as of December 31, 2022.

Although the Purchase Agreement provides that we may, in our discretion, from time to time during the term of the Purchase Agreement, direct the Selling Securityholder to purchase shares of our Common Stock from us in one or more Regular Purchase or Accelerated Purchase under the Purchase Agreement, for a maximum aggregate purchase price of up to $50 million, only 7,003,383 shares of Common Stock (100,000 of which represent the Commitment Shares we issued to the Selling Securityholder upon signing the Purchase Agreement as payment of a commitment fee for the Selling Securityholder’s obligation to purchase shares of our Common Stock under the Purchase Agreement) are being registered for resale under the registration statement that includes this prospectus. Assuming all 6,903,383 shares (excluding the 100,000 Commitment Shares) were sold to the Selling Securityholder at the per share price of $2.82 (which represents the lower of the official closing

 

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price of our common stock on Nasdaq on February 17, 2022, the trading day immediately preceding the date of the Purchase Agreement, or the average official closing price of our common stock on Nasdaq for the five consecutive trading days ending on February 17, 2022, the trading day immediately preceding the date of the Purchase Agreement) such number of shares would be insufficient to enable us to receive aggregate gross proceeds from the sale of such shares to the Selling Securityholder equal to the Selling Securityholder’s $50 million total aggregate purchase commitment under the Purchase Agreement. However, because the market prices of our Common Stock may fluctuate from time to time after the date of this prospectus and, as a result, the actual purchase prices to be paid by the Selling Securityholder for shares of our Common Stock that we direct it to purchase under the Purchase Agreement, if any, also may fluctuate because they will be based on such fluctuating market prices of our Common Stock, it is possible that we may need to issue and sell more than the number of shares being registered for resale under this prospectus to the Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement in order to receive aggregate gross proceeds equal to the Selling Securityholder’s $50 million total aggregate purchase commitment under the Purchase Agreement.

If it becomes necessary for us to issue and sell to the Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement more shares than are being registered for resale under this prospectus in order to receive aggregate gross proceeds equal to $50 million under the Purchase Agreement, we must first (i) obtain stockholder approval to issue shares of Common Stock in excess of the Exchange Cap under the Purchase Agreement in accordance with applicable Nasdaq rules and (ii) file with the SEC one or more additional registration statements to register under the Securities Act the resale by the Selling Securityholder of any such additional shares of our Common Stock we wish to sell from time to time under the Purchase Agreement, which the SEC must declare effective, in each case before we may elect to sell any additional shares of our Common Stock to the Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement. The number of shares of our Common Stock ultimately offered for sale by the Selling Securityholder is dependent upon the number of shares of Common Stock, if any, we ultimately sell to the Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement.

The issuance of our Common Stock to the Selling Securityholder pursuant to the Purchase Agreement will not affect the rights or privileges of our existing stockholders, except that the economic and voting interests of each of our existing stockholders will be diluted. Although the number of shares of our Common Stock that our existing stockholders own will not decrease, the shares of our Common Stock owned by our existing stockholders will represent a smaller percentage of our total outstanding shares of our Common Stock after any such issuance.

The following table sets forth the amount of gross proceeds we would receive from the Selling Securityholder from our sale of shares of Common Stock to the Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement at varying purchase prices:

 

Assumed Average

Purchase Price Per Share

    Number of Registered
Shares to be Issued if
Full Purchase(1)
     Percentage of
Outstanding Shares
After Giving Effect to
the Issuance to  the
Selling Securityholder(2)
    Gross Proceeds from
the Sale of Shares to
the Selling
Securityholder Under
the Purchase
Agreement
 
$ 1.00       6,903,383        19.99   $ 6,903,383  
$ 2.00       6,903,383        19.99   $ 13,806,766  
$ 2.82 (3)      6,903,383        19.99   $ 19,743,676  
$ 4.00       12,500,000        35.68   $ 50,000,000  
$ 8.00       6,250,000        17.84   $ 50,000,000  

 

(1)

Does not include the 100,000 Commitment Shares that we issued to the Selling Securityholder as consideration for its commitment to purchase shares of Common Stock under the Agreement. The number of shares of Common Stock offered by this prospectus may not cover all the shares we ultimately sell to the Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement, depending on the purchase price per share. We have included in this column only those shares being offered for resale by the Selling Securityholder under this

 

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  prospectus (excluding the 100,000 Commitment Shares), without regard for the Beneficial Ownership Limitation. The assumed average purchase prices are solely for illustration and are not intended to be estimates or predictions of future stock performance.
(2)

The denominator is based on 35,034,431 shares of our Common Stock outstanding as of December 31, 2021 (which includes the 100,000 Commitment Shares we issued to the Selling Securityholder on February 18, 2022), adjusted to include the issuance of the number of shares set forth in the second column that we would have sold to the Selling Securityholder, assuming the average purchase price in the first column. The numerator is based on the number of shares of Common Stock set forth in the second column plus the 100,000 Commitment Shares.

(3)

The closing sale price of our Common Stock on Nasdaq on February 17, 2022.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

This prospectus relates to shares of our Common Stock that may be offered and sold from time to time by the Selling Securityholder. All of the Common Stock offered by the Selling Securityholder pursuant to this prospectus will be sold by the Selling Securityholder for its own account. We will not receive any of the proceeds from these sales. We may receive up to $50 million aggregate gross proceeds under the Purchase Agreement from any sales we make to the Selling Securityholder pursuant to the Purchase Agreement. The net proceeds from sales, if any, under the Purchase Agreement, will depend on the frequency and prices at which we sell shares of Common Stock to the Selling Securityholder after the date of this prospectus. See the section titled “Plan of Distribution” elsewhere in this prospectus for more information.

We expect to use any proceeds that we receive under the Purchase Agreement for working capital and general corporate purposes, including to fund potential future investments and acquisitions of companies that we believe are complementary to our business and consistent with our growth strategy. As of the date of this prospectus, we cannot specify with certainty all of the particular uses, and the respective amounts we may allocate to those uses, for any net proceeds we receive. Accordingly, we will retain broad discretion over the use of these proceeds. Pending our use of the net proceeds as described above, we intend to invest the net proceeds pursuant to the Purchase Agreement in interest-bearing, investment-grade instruments.

 

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SELLING SECURITYHOLDER

This prospectus relates to the offer and sale by Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC of up to 7,003,383 shares of Common Stock that have been and may be issued by us to Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC under the Purchase Agreement. For additional information regarding the shares of Common Stock included in this prospectus, see the section titled “Committed Equity Financing” above. We are registering the shares of Common Stock included in this prospectus pursuant to the provisions of the Registration Rights Agreement we entered into with the Selling Securityholder on February 18, 2022 in order to permit the Selling Securityholder to offer the shares included in this prospectus for resale from time to time. Except for the transactions contemplated by the Purchase Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement and as set forth in the section titled “Plan of Distribution” in this prospectus, Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC has not had any material relationship with us within the past three years.

The table below presents information regarding the Selling Securityholder and the shares of Common Stock that may be resold by the Selling Securityholder from time to time under this prospectus. This table is prepared based on information supplied to us by the Selling Securityholder, and reflects holdings as of December 31, 2022. The number of shares in the column “Maximum Number of Shares of Common Stock to be Offered Pursuant to this Prospectus” represents all of the shares of Common Stock being offered for resale by the Selling Securityholder under this prospectus. The Selling Securityholder may sell some, all or none of the shares being offered for resale in this offering. We do not know how long the Selling Securityholder will hold the shares before selling them, and we are not aware of any existing arrangements between the Selling Securityholder and any other stockholder, broker, dealer, underwriter or agent relating to the sale or distribution of the shares of our Common Stock being offered for resale by this prospectus.

Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with Rule 13d-3(d) promulgated by the SEC under the Exchange Act, and includes shares of Common Stock with respect to which the Selling Securityholder has sole or shared voting and investment power. The percentage of shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by the Selling Securityholder prior to the offering shown in the table below is based on an aggregate of 30,088,333 shares of our Common Stock outstanding on December 31, 2022. Because the purchase price to be paid by the Selling Securityholder for shares of Common Stock, if any, that we may elect to sell to the Selling Securityholder from time to time under the Purchase Agreement will be determined on the applicable dates for such purchases, the actual number of shares of Common Stock that we may sell to the Selling Securityholder under the Purchase Agreement may be fewer than the number of shares being offered for resale under this prospectus. The fourth column assumes the resale by the Selling Securityholder of all of the shares of Common Stock being offered for resale pursuant to this prospectus.

 

Name of Selling Securityholder

   Number of Shares of
Common Stock Owned
Prior to Offering
     Maximum Number of
Shares of Common
Stock to be Offered
Pursuant to  this
Prospectus
     Number of Shares of
Common Stock Owned
After Offering
 
     Number(1)      Percent(2)      Number(3)      Percent(2)  

Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC(4)

     100,000        *        7,003,383        0        —    

 

*

Represents beneficial ownership of less than 1% of the outstanding shares of our Common Stock.

(1)

Represents the 100,000 shares of Common Stock we issued to Lincoln Park Capital Fund on February 18, 2022 as Commitment Shares in consideration for entering into the Purchase Agreement with us. In accordance with Rule 13d-3(d) under the Exchange Act, we have excluded from the number of shares beneficially owned prior to the offering all of the shares that Lincoln Park Capital, LLC may be required to purchase under the Purchase Agreement, because the issuance of such shares is solely at our discretion and is subject to conditions contained in the Purchase Agreement, the satisfaction of which are entirely outside of Lincoln Park Capital Fund’s control, including the registration statement that includes this prospectus becoming and remaining effective. Also, the Purchase Agreement prohibits us from issuing and selling any shares of our Common Stock to Lincoln Park Capital Fund to the extent such shares, when aggregated with all other shares of our Common Stock then beneficially owned by Lincoln Park Capital Fund, would cause

 

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  Lincoln Park Capital Fund’s beneficial ownership of our Common Stock to exceed the 9.99% Beneficial Ownership Limitation. The Purchase Agreement also prohibits us from issuing or selling shares of our Common Stock under the Purchase Agreement in excess of the 19.99% Exchange Cap, unless we obtain stockholder approval to do so, or unless the average price per share paid by Lincoln Park Capital Fund for all shares of Common Stock purchased by Lincoln Park Capital Fund under the Purchase Agreement equals or exceeds $2.82 per share, in which case the Exchange Cap limitation would no longer apply under applicable Nasdaq rules. Neither the Beneficial Ownership Limitation nor the Exchange Cap (to the extent applicable under Nasdaq rules) may be amended or waived under the Purchase Agreement.
(2)

Applicable percentage ownership is based on 30,088,333 shares of our Common Stock outstanding as of December 31, 2022.

(3)

Assumes the sale of all shares being offered pursuant to this prospectus.

(4)

Josh Scheinfeld and Jonathan Cope, the Managing Members of Lincoln Park Capital, LLC, are deemed to be beneficial owners of all of the shares of Common Stock owned by Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC. Messrs. Cope and Scheinfeld have shared voting and investment power over the shares being offered under the prospectus in connection with the transactions contemplated under the Purchase Agreement. Lincoln Park Capital, LLC is not a licensed broker dealer or an affiliate of a licensed broker dealer.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF OUR SECURITIES

The following is a summary of the rights of our securities. This summary is qualified by reference to the complete text of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.

Authorized and Outstanding Stock

Our authorized capital stock consists of:

 

   

500,000,000 shares of Common Stock, $0.0001 par value per share; and

 

   

10,000,000 shares of undesignated Preferred Stock, $0.0001 par value per share.

As of December 31, 2022, there were 30,088,333 shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding.

Voting Rights

Holders of our Common Stock are entitled to one vote per share on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders.

Dividend Rights

Subject to preferences that may apply to any shares of Preferred Stock outstanding at the time, the holders of our Common Stock are entitled to receive dividends out of funds legally available if our board of directors, in its discretion, determines to issue dividends and then only at the times and in the amounts that our board of directors may determine.

No Preemptive or Similar Rights

Our Common Stock will not be entitled to preemptive rights, and are not subject to conversion, redemption or sinking fund provisions.

Right to Receive Liquidation Distributions

If we become subject to a liquidation, dissolution or winding-up, the assets legally available for distribution to the stockholders would be distributable ratably among the holders of our Common Stock and any participating Preferred Stock outstanding at that time, subject to prior satisfaction of all outstanding debt and liabilities and the preferential rights of and the payment of liquidation preferences, if any, on any outstanding shares of Preferred Stock.

Fully Paid and Non-Assessable

All of the outstanding shares of our Common Stock are fully paid and non-assessable.

Preferred Stock

Our board of directors is authorized, subject to limitations prescribed by Delaware law, to issue Preferred Stock in one or more series, to establish from time to time the number of shares to be included in each series, and to fix the designation, vesting, powers, preferences, and rights of the shares of each series and any of its qualifications, limitations, or restrictions, in each case without further vote or action by the stockholders. Our board of directors can also increase or decrease the number of shares of any series of Preferred Stock, but not below the number of shares of that series then outstanding, without any further vote or action by the stockholders.

 

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Our board of directors may authorize the issuance of Preferred Stock with voting or conversion rights that could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of our Common Stock. The issuance of Preferred Stock, while providing flexibility in connection with possible acquisitions and other corporate purposes, could, among other things, have the effect of delaying, deferring, or preventing a change in control of the Company and may adversely affect the market price of our Common Stock and the voting and other rights of the holders of our Common Stock. There are no current plans to issue any shares of Preferred Stock.

Warrants

Public Warrants

Each whole Public Warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one share of our common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, provided that we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the common stock issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available (or we permit holders to exercise their Public Warrants on a cashless basis) and such shares are registered, qualified or exempt from registration under the securities, or blue sky, laws of the state of residence of the holder. Pursuant to that certain warrant agreement, dated as of November 18, 2020, by and between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, or the Continental Warrant Agreement, a Public Warrant holder may exercise its Public Warrants only for a whole number of common stock. This means only a whole Public Warrant may be exercised at a given time by a Public Warrant holder. No fractional Public Warrants will be issued upon separation of the shares and only whole Public Warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least three shares, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole Public Warrant. The Public Warrants will expire on August 12, 2026 at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.

We will not be obligated to deliver any common stock pursuant to the exercise of a Public Warrant and will have no obligation to settle such Public Warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the common stock underlying the Public Warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to our satisfying our obligations described below with respect to registration, or a valid exemption from registration is available. No Public Warrant will be exercisable and we will not be obligated to issue a common stock upon exercise of a Public Warrant unless the common stock issuable upon such Public Warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the Public Warrants. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to a Public Warrant, the holder of such Public Warrant will not be entitled to exercise such Public Warrant and such Public Warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any Public Warrant. In the event that a registration statement is not effective for the exercised Public Warrants, the purchaser of a share containing such Public Warrant will have paid the full purchase price for the share solely for the common stock underlying such unit.

We will use our commercially reasonable efforts to maintain the effectiveness of a registration statement covering the common stock issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants and a current prospectus relating to those common stock until the Public Warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the Continental Warrant Agreement; provided that if our common stock are at the time of any exercise of a Public Warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of Public Warrants who exercise their Public Warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so appoint, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement.

Redemption of Public Warrants for cash when the price per Common Stock equals or exceeds $18.00. Once the Public Warrants become exercisable, we may call the Public Warrants for redemption (except as described herein with respect to the private placement Public Warrants):

 

   

in whole and not in part;

 

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at a price of $0.01 per Public Warrant;

 

   

upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each Public Warrant holder; and

 

   

if, and only if, the closing price of the Common Stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which notice of the redemption is given to the Public Warrant holders, or the Reference Value.

We will not redeem the Public Warrants as described above unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the common stock issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares is available throughout the 30-day redemption period. If and when the Public Warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the Public Warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise the Public Warrants.

We have established the last of the redemption criteria discussed above to prevent a redemption call unless there is at the time of the call a significant premium to the Public Warrant exercise price. If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption of the Public Warrants, each Public Warrant holder will be entitled to exercise his, her or its Public Warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of our common stock may fall below the $18.00 redemption trigger price (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) as well as the $11.50 (for whole shares) Public Warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.

Redemption of Public Warrants for Common Stock when the price per Common Stock equals or exceeds $10.00. Once the Public Warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding Public Warrants:

 

   

in whole and not in part;

 

   

at $0.10 per Public Warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption; provided that during such 30 day period holders will be able to exercise their Public Warrants on a cashless basis prior to redemption and receive that number of shares determined by reference to the table below, based on the redemption date and the “fair market value” of our Common Stock (as defined below) except as otherwise described below; provided, further, that if the Public Warrants are not exercised on a cashless basis or otherwise during such 30 day period, we shall redeem such Public Warrants for $0.10 per share;

 

   

if, and only if, the Reference Value (as defined above under “Redemption of Public Warrants for Cash When the Price per Common Stock Equals or Exceeds $18.00”) equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted for share subdivisions, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) on the trading day before we send the notice of redemption to the Public Warrant holders; and

 

   

if the Reference Value is less than $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share subdivisions, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like), the private placement Public Warrants must

also be concurrently called for redemption on the same terms as the outstanding Public Warrants, as described above.

The numbers in the table below represent the number of common stock that a Public Warrant holder will receive upon exercise in connection with a redemption by us pursuant to this redemption feature, based on the “fair market value” of our common stock on the corresponding redemption date (assuming holders elect to exercise their Public Warrants and such Public Warrants are not redeemed for $0.10 per Public Warrant), determined based on volume-weighted average price of our common stock as reported during the 10 trading days immediately following the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of Public Warrants, and

 

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the number of months that the corresponding redemption date precedes the expiration date of the Public Warrants, each as set forth in the table below. We will provide our Public Warrant holders with the final fair market value no later than one business day after the 10-trading day period described above ends.

The share prices set forth in the column headings of the table below will be adjusted as of any date on which the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a Public Warrant or the exercise price of the Public Warrant is adjusted as set forth under the heading “—Anti-dilution Adjustments” below. If the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a Public Warrant is adjusted, the adjusted share prices in the column headings will equal the share prices immediately prior to such adjustment, multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the exercise price of the Public Warrant after such adjustment and the denominator of which is the price of the Public Warrant immediately prior to such adjustment. In such an event, the number of shares in the table below shall be adjusted by multiplying such share amounts by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of shares deliverable upon exercise of a Public Warrant immediately prior to such adjustment and the denominator of which is the number of shares deliverable upon exercise of a Public Warrant as so adjusted.

 

Redemption date (period to expiration of
Public Warrants)
   Fair market value of Common Stock  
   $10.00      $11.00      $12.00      $13.00      $14.00      $15.00      $16.00      $17.00      $18.00  

60 months

     0.261        0.281        0.297        0.311        0.324        0.337        0.348        0.358        0.361  

57 months

     0.257        0.277        0.294        0.310        0.324        0.337        0.348        0.358        0.361  

54 months

     0.252        0.272        0.291        0.307        0.322        0.335        0.347        0.357        0.361  

51 months

     0.246        0.268        0.287        0.304        0.320        0.333        0.346        0.357        0.361  

48 months

     0.241        0.263        0.283        0.301        0.317        0.332        0.344        0.356        0.361  

45 months

     0.235        0.258        0.279        0.298        0.315        0.330        0.343        0.356        0.361  

42 months

     0.228        0.252        0.274        0.294        0.312        0.328        0.342        0.355        0.361  

39 months

     0.221        0.246        0.269        0.290        0.309        0.325        0.340        0.354        0.361  

36 months

     0.213        0.239        0.263        0.285        0.305        0.323        0.339        0.353        0.361  

33 months

     0.205        0.232        0.257        0.280        0.301        0.320        0.337        0.352        0.361  

30 months

     0.196        0.224        0.250        0.274        0.297        0.316        0.335        0.351        0.361  

27 months

     0.185        0.214        0.242        0.268        0.291        0.313        0.332        0.350        0.361  

24 months

     0.173        0.204        0.233        0.260        0.285        0.308        0.329        0.348        0.361  

21 months

     0.161        0.193        0.223        0.252        0.279        0.304        0.326        0.347        0.361  

18 months

     0.146        0.179        0.211        0.242        0.271        0.298        0.322        0.345        0.361  

15 months

     0.130        0.164        0.197        0.230        0.262        0.291        0.317        0.342        0.361  

12 months

     0.111        0.146        0.181        0.216        0.250        0.282        0.312        0.339        0.361  

9 months

     0.090        0.125        0.162        0.199        0.237        0.272        0.305        0.336        0.361  

6 months

     0.065        0.099        0.137        0.178        0.219        0.259        0.296        0.331        0.361  

3 months

     0.034        0.065        0.104        0.150        0.197        0.243        0.286        0.326        0.361  

0 months

     —          —          0.042        0.115        0.179        0.233        0.281        0.323        0.361  

The exact fair market value and redemption date may not be set forth in the table above, in which case, if the fair market value is between two values in the table or the redemption date is between two redemption dates in the table, the number of common stock to be issued for each Public Warrant exercised will be determined by a straight-line interpolation between the number of shares set forth for the higher and lower fair market values and the earlier and later redemption dates, as applicable, based on a 365 or 366-day year, as applicable. For example, if the volume-weighted average price of our common stock as reported during the 10 trading days immediately following the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of the Public Warrants is $11.00 per share, and at such time there are 57 months until the expiration of the Public Warrants, holders may choose to, in connection with this redemption feature, exercise their Public Warrants for 0.277 common stock for each whole Public Warrant. For an example where the exact fair market value and redemption date are not as set forth in the table above, if the volume-weighted average price of our common stock as reported during the 10 trading days immediately following the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of the Public Warrants is $13.50 per share, and at such time there are 38 months until the expiration of the Public Warrants, holders may

 

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choose to, in connection with this redemption feature, exercise their Public Warrants for 0.298 common stock for each whole Public Warrant. In no event will the Public Warrants be exercisable in connection with this redemption feature for more than 0.361 common stock per Public Warrant (subject to adjustment).

This redemption feature is structured to allow for all of the outstanding Public Warrants to be redeemed when our common stock are trading at or above $10.00 per share, which may be at a time when the trading price of our common stock is below the exercise price of the Public Warrants. We have established this redemption feature to provide us with the flexibility to redeem the Public Warrants without the Public Warrants having to reach the $18.00 per share threshold set forth above under “— Redemption of Public Warrants for cash when the price per Common Stock equals or exceeds $18.00.” Holders choosing to exercise their Public Warrants in connection with a redemption pursuant to this feature will, in effect, receive a number of shares for their Public Warrants based on an option pricing model with a fixed volatility input as of the date of any applicable prospectus. This redemption right provides us with an additional mechanism by which to redeem all of the outstanding Public Warrants, and therefore have certainty as to our capital structure as the Public Warrants would no longer be outstanding and would have been exercised or redeemed. We will be required to pay the applicable redemption price to Public Warrant holders if we choose to exercise this redemption right and it will allow us to quickly proceed with a redemption of the Public Warrants if we determine it is in our best interest to do so. As such, we would redeem the Public Warrants in this manner when we believe it is in our best interest to update our capital structure to remove the Public Warrants and pay the redemption price to the Public Warrant holders.

As stated above, we can redeem the Public Warrants when our common stock are trading at a price starting at $10.00, which is below the exercise price of $11.50, because it will provide certainty with respect to our capital structure and cash position while providing Public Warrant holders with the opportunity to exercise their Public Warrants on a cashless basis for the applicable number of shares. If we choose to redeem the Public Warrants when our common stock are trading at a price below the exercise price of the Public Warrants, this could result in the Public Warrant holders receiving fewer common stock than they would have received if they had chosen to wait to exercise their Public Warrants for common stock if and when such common stock were trading at a price higher than the exercise price of $11.50.

No fractional common stock will be issued upon exercise and only whole Public Warrants will trade. If, upon exercise, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will round down to the nearest whole number of the number of common stock to be issued to the holder.

A holder of a Public Warrant may notify us in writing in the event it elects to be subject to a requirement that such holder will not have the right to exercise such Public Warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), to the Public Warrant agent’s actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 4.9% or 9.8% (as specified by the holder) of our common stock issued and outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise.

Anti-dilution adjustments. If the number of outstanding common stock is increased by a capitalization or share dividend payable in common stock, or by a sub-divisions of ordinary shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such capitalization or share dividend, sub-divisions or similar event, the number of common stock issuable on exercise of each Public Warrant will be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding ordinary shares. A rights offering made to all or substantially all holders of ordinary shares entitling holders to purchase common stock at a price less than the “historical fair market value” (as defined below) will be deemed a share dividend of a number of common stock equal to the product of (i) the number of common stock actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for common stock) and (ii) one minus the quotient of (x) the price per common stock paid in such rights offering and (y) the historical fair market value. For these purposes, (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for common stock, in determining the price payable for common stock, there will be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (ii) “historical fair market value” means the

 

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volume-weighted average price of common stock as reported during the 10 trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which our common stock trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights.

If the number of outstanding common stock is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse share sub-division or reclassification of common stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse share sub-division, reclassification or similar event, the number of common stock issuable on exercise of each Public Warrant will be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding common stock.

Whenever the number of common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the Public Warrants is adjusted, as described above, the Public Warrant exercise price will be adjusted by multiplying the Public Warrant exercise price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which will be the number of common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the Public Warrants immediately prior to such adjustment and (y) the denominator of which will be the number of common stock so purchasable immediately thereafter.

In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding common stock (other than those described above or that solely affects the par value of such common stock), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of us with or into another corporation (other than a consolidation or merger in which we are the continuing corporation and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of our issued and outstanding common stock), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of us as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which we are dissolved, the holders of the Public Warrants will thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the Public Warrants and in lieu of our common stock immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of common stock or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the Public Warrants would have received if such holder had exercised their Public Warrants immediately prior to such event. If less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of common stock in such a transaction is payable in the form of common stock in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the registered holder of the Public Warrant properly exercises the Public Warrant within thirty days following public disclosure of such transaction, the Public Warrant exercise price will be reduced as specified in the Continental Warrant Agreement based on the Black-Scholes value (as defined in the Continental Warrant Agreement) of the Public Warrant. The purpose of such exercise price reduction is to provide additional value to holders of the Public Warrants when an extraordinary transaction occurs during the exercise period of the Public Warrants pursuant to which the holders of the Public Warrants otherwise do not receive the full potential value of the Public Warrants.

The Public Warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The Continental Warrant Agreement provides that the terms of the Public Warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision or correct any mistake, including to conform the provisions of the Continental Warrant Agreement to the description of the terms of the Public Warrants and the Continental Warrant Agreement set forth herein, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding Public Warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders. You should review a copy of the Continental Warrant Agreement, which is filed as an exhibit to the report to which this exhibit is attached, for a complete description of the terms and conditions applicable to the Public Warrants.

The Public Warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of ordinary shares and any voting rights until they exercise their Public Warrants and receive common stock. After the issuance of common stock upon exercise of the Public Warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by shareholders.

 

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We have agreed that, subject to applicable law, any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the Continental Warrant Agreement will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, and we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction will be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. This provision applies to claims under the Securities Act but does not apply to claims under the Exchange Act or any claim for which the federal district courts of the U.S. of America are the sole and exclusive forum.

Private Placement Warrants

The Private Placement Warrants (including the common stock issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants) will not be redeemable so long as they are held by Consonance Life Sciences, a Cayman Islands limited liability company, or the Sponsor, or its permitted transferees. The Sponsor, or its permitted transferees, has the option to exercise the Private Placement Warrants on a cashless basis. If the Private Placement Warrants are held by holders other than our Sponsor or its permitted transferees, the Private Placement Warrants will be redeemable by us in all redemption scenarios and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the Public Warrants. Any amendment to the terms of the Private Placement Warrants or any provision of the Continental Warrant Agreement with respect to the Private Placement Warrants will require a vote of holders of at least 50% of the number of the then outstanding Private Placement Warrants.

If holders of the Private Placement Warrants elect to exercise them on a cashless basis, they would pay the exercise price by surrendering his, her or its warrants for that number of common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “historical fair market value” (defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the historical fair market value. The “historical fair market value” will mean the average reported closing price of the common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of warrant exercise is sent to the warrant agent. The reason that we have agreed that these warrants will be exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by the Sponsor and permitted transferees is because, as they remained affiliated with us, their ability to sell our securities in the open market is limited. We expect to have policies in place that restrict insiders from selling our securities except during specific periods of time. Even during such periods of time when insiders will be permitted to sell our securities, an insider cannot trade in our securities if he or she is in possession of material non-public information. Accordingly, unlike public shareholders who could exercise their warrants and sell the common stock received upon such exercise freely in the open market in order to recoup the cost of such exercise, the insiders could be significantly restricted from selling such securities. As a result, we believe that allowing the holders to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis is appropriate.

PIPE Warrants

The PIPE Warrants (including the common stock issuable upon exercise of the PIPE Warrants) are the same in all respects as the Public Warrants as described above under “Public Warrants,” except that the PIPE Warrants were not redeemable prior to August 11, 2022. The PIPE Warrants will be issued pursuant to that certain amended and restated warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us, dated as of March 31, 2023. A copy of such warrant agreement is filed as an exhibit to our Annual Report on Form 10-K to which this exhibit is attached.

Anti-Takeover Provisions of Delaware Law and Our Charter Documents

Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law

We are subject to Section 203 of the DGCL, which generally prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in any business combination with any interested stockholder for a period of three years after the date that such stockholder became an interested stockholder, with the following exceptions:

 

   

before such date, the board of directors of the corporation approved either the business combination or the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;

 

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upon completion of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction began, excluding for purposes of determining the voting stock outstanding, but not the outstanding voting stock owned by the interested stockholder, those shares owned (1) by persons who are directors and also officers and (2) employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer; or

 

   

on or after such date, the business combination is approved by the board of directors and authorized at an annual or special meeting of the stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the interested stockholder.

In general, Section 203 defines a “business combination” to include the following:

 

   

any merger or consolidation involving the corporation and the interested stockholder;

 

   

any sale, transfer, pledge or other disposition of 10% or more of the assets of the corporation involving the interested stockholder;

 

   

subject to certain exceptions, any transaction that results in the issuance or transfer by the corporation of any stock of the corporation to the interested stockholder;

 

   

any transaction involving the corporation that has the effect of increasing the proportionate share of the stock or any class or series of the corporation beneficially owned by the interested stockholder; or

 

   

the receipt by the interested stockholder of the benefit of any loans, advances, guarantees, pledges or other financial benefits by or through the corporation.

In general, Section 203 defines an “interested stockholder” as an entity or person who, together with the person’s affiliates and associates, beneficially owns or within three years prior to the time of determination of interested stockholder status did own, 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation.

A Delaware corporation may “opt out” of these provisions with an express provision in its original certificate of incorporation or an express provision in its amended and restated certificate of incorporation or amended and restated bylaws resulting from a stockholders’ amendment approved by at least a majority of the outstanding voting shares. We have not opted out of these provisions. As a result, mergers or other takeover or change in control attempts of us may be discouraged or prevented.

Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws

Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws include a number of provisions that could deter hostile takeovers or delay or prevent changes in control of our management team, including the following:

 

   

Board of Directors Vacancies. The Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws authorize only the board of directors to fill vacant and newly created directorships, unless the board of directors determines by resolution that such vacancies or newly created directorships be filled by the stockholders, or as otherwise provided by law. In addition, the number of directors constituting our board of directors is permitted to be set only by a resolution adopted by the board of directors. These provisions prevent a stockholder from increasing the size of the board of directors and then gaining control of the board of directors by filling the resulting vacancies with its own nominees. This makes it more difficult to change the composition of our board of directors but promotes continuity of management.

 

   

Classified Board. The Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws provide that the board of directors is divided into three classes of directors for a period of time following August 11, 2021. Beginning at the 2026 annual meeting of stockholders, all directors will be elected to one-year terms and the board of directors will cease to be classified. The existence of a classified board of directors could discourage a

 

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third-party from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control of our company as it is more difficult and time consuming for stockholders to replace a majority of the directors on a classified board of directors.

 

   

Directors Removed Only for Cause. The Certificate of Incorporation provides that stockholders may remove directors only for cause while the board of directors remains classified. Beginning at the 2026 annual meeting of stockholders, directors may be removed with or without cause by the stockholders.

 

   

Supermajority Requirements for Amendments of The Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws. The Certificate of Incorporation further provides that the affirmative vote of holders of at least two-thirds of the voting power of all of the then outstanding shares of voting stock will be required to amend certain provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation, including provisions relating to the classified board, the size of the board, removal of directors, special meetings, the liability of directors and indemnification. The affirmative vote of holders of at least two-thirds of the voting power of all of the then outstanding shares of voting stock will be required to amend or repeal the Bylaws, although the Bylaws may be amended by a simple majority vote of our board of directors.

 

   

Stockholder Action; Special Meeting of Stockholders. The Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws provide that special meetings of stockholders may be called only by a majority of the total number of authorized directors (whether or not there exist any vacancies in previously authorized directorships at the time any such resolution is presented to the board of directors for adoption), the chairperson of the board of directors, or any chief executive officer, thus prohibiting a stockholder from calling a special meeting. The Certificate of Incorporation provides that the stockholders may not take action by written consent, but may only take action at annual or special meetings of stockholders. As a result, holders of capital stock would not be able to amend the Bylaws or remove directors without holding a meeting of stockholders called in accordance with the Bylaws. These provisions might delay the ability of stockholders to force consideration of a proposal or for stockholders to take any action, including the removal of directors.

 

   

Notice Requirements for Stockholder Proposals and Director Nominations. The Bylaws provide advance notice procedures for stockholders seeking to bring business before the annual meeting of stockholders or to nominate candidates for election as directors at the annual meeting of stockholders. The Bylaws also specify certain requirements regarding the form and content of a stockholder’s notice. These provisions might preclude stockholders from bringing matters before the annual meeting of stockholders or from making nominations for directors at the annual meeting of stockholders if the proper procedures are not followed. We expect that these provisions might also discourage or deter a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquirer’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of our Company.

 

   

No Cumulative Voting. The DGCL provides that stockholders are not entitled to the right to cumulate votes in the election of directors unless a corporation’s certificate of incorporation provides otherwise.

 

   

Issuance of Undesignated Preferred Stock. Our board of directors will have the authority, without further action by the stockholders, to issue up to 10,000,000 shares of undesignated Preferred Stock with rights and preferences, including voting rights, designated from time to time by our board of directors. The existence of authorized but unissued shares of Preferred Stock will enable our board of directors to render more difficult or to discourage an attempt to obtain control of our company by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest, or other means.

Choice of Forum

The Certificate of Incorporation and the Bylaws provide that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for the following types of actions or proceedings under Delaware statutory or common law: (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; (ii) any action or proceeding asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our current or former directors, officers, or other

 

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employees to us or our stockholders; (iii) any action or proceeding asserting a claim against us or any of our current or former directors, officers, or other employees, arising out of or pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, the Certificate of Incorporation or the Bylaws; (iv) any action or proceeding to interpret, apply, enforce, or determine the validity of the Certificate of Incorporation or the Bylaws; (v) any action or proceeding as to which the DGCL confers jurisdiction to the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware; and (vi) any action asserting a claim against us or any of our directors, officers, or other employees governed by the internal affairs doctrine, in all cases to the fullest extent permitted by law and subject to the court’s having personal jurisdiction over the indispensable parties named as defendants. These provisions would not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act. Furthermore, Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all such Securities Act actions. Accordingly, both state and federal courts have jurisdiction to entertain such claims. To prevent having to litigate claims in multiple jurisdictions and the threat of inconsistent or contrary rulings by different courts, among other considerations, the Certificate of Incorporation and the Bylaws further provide that the federal district courts of the United States of America will be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. While the Delaware courts have determined that such choice of forum provisions are facially valid, a stockholder may nevertheless seek to bring a claim in a venue other than those designated in the exclusive forum provisions. In such instance, we would expect to vigorously assert the validity and enforceability of the exclusive forum provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation and the Bylaws.

These exclusive forum provisions may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers, or other employees and may discourage these types of lawsuits. Furthermore, the enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation or bylaws has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that a court could find these types of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable. If a court were to find either exclusive forum provision contained in the Certificate of Incorporation or the Bylaws to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur further significant additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, all of which could seriously harm our business.

Corporate Opportunity Doctrine

The DGCL permits corporations to adopt provisions renouncing any interest or expectancy in certain opportunities that are presented to the corporation or its officers, directors or stockholders. The Certificate of Incorporation, to the extent permitted by the DGCL, renounces any interest or expectancy that we have in, or right to be offered an opportunity to participate in, specified business opportunities that are from time to time presented to a member of our board of directors who is not our employee, or any partner, member, director, stockholder, employee or agent of such member, other than one of our employees. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Certificate of Incorporation does not renounce our interest in any business opportunity that is expressly offered to a director solely in their capacity as a director.

Exchange Listing

Our common stock and Public Warrants are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbols “SRZN” and “SRZNW,” respectively. The applicable prospectus supplement will contain information, where applicable, as to any other listing, if any, on the Nasdaq Capital Market or any securities market or other exchange of the preferred stock covered by such prospectus supplement.

Transfer Agent

The transfer agent for our securities is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. The transfer agent’s address is One State Street Plaza, 30th Floor New York, New York 10004.

 

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MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES

The following discussion is a summary of material U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to the ownership and disposition of our Common Stock. All prospective holders of our Common Stock should consult their tax advisors with respect to the U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of our Common Stock.

This discussion is not a complete analysis of all potential U.S. federal income tax consequences relating to the purchase, ownership and disposition of our Common Stock. This summary is based upon current provisions of the Code, existing U.S. Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder, published administrative pronouncements and rulings of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS, and judicial decisions, all as in effect as of the date of this prospectus. These authorities are subject to change and differing interpretation, possibly with retroactive effect. Any change or differing interpretation could alter the tax consequences to holders described in this discussion. There can be no assurance that a court or the IRS will not challenge one or more of the tax consequences described herein, and we have not obtained, nor do we intend to obtain, a ruling with respect to the U.S. federal income tax consequences to a holder of the ownership or disposition of our Common Stock.

We assume in this discussion that a holder holds our Common Stock as a “capital asset” within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Code (generally, property held for investment). This discussion does not address all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may be relevant to a particular holder in light of that holder’s individual circumstances, nor does it address the special tax accounting rules under Section 451(b) of the Code, any alternative minimum tax, Medicare contribution tax on net investment income, estate or gift tax consequences, or any aspects of U.S. state, local or non-U.S. taxes or any non-income U.S. federal tax laws. This discussion also does not address consequences relevant to holders subject to special tax rules, such as holders that own, or are deemed to own, more than 5% of our capital stock (except to the extent specifically set forth below), corporations that accumulate earnings to avoid U.S. federal income tax, tax-exempt organizations, governmental organizations, banks, financial institutions, investment funds, insurance companies, brokers, dealers or traders in securities, commodities or currencies, regulated investment companies or real estate investment trusts, persons that have a “functional currency” other than the U.S. dollar, tax- qualified retirement plans, holders who hold or receive our Common Stock pursuant to the exercise of employee stock options or otherwise as compensation, holders holding our Common Stock as part of a hedge, straddle or other risk reduction strategy, conversion transaction or other integrated investment, holders deemed to sell our Common Stock under the constructive sale provisions of the Code, passive foreign investment companies, controlled foreign corporations, and certain former U.S. citizens or long-term residents. This discussion also does not address the tax treatment of securities other than our Common Stock, including warrants to purchase shares of our Common Stock.

In addition, this discussion does not address the tax treatment of partnerships (or entities or arrangements that are treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes) or persons that hold our Common Stock through such partnerships. If a partnership, including any entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, holds our Common Stock, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a partner in such partnership will generally depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Such partners and partnerships should consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of the purchase, ownership and disposition of our Common Stock.

For purposes of this discussion, a “U.S. Holder” means a beneficial owner of our Common Stock (other than a partnership or an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

 

   

an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States;

 

   

a corporation, or an entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, created or organized in the United States or under the laws of the United States or of any state thereof or the District of Columbia;

 

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an estate, the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income tax regardless of its source; or

 

   

a trust if (a) a U.S. court can exercise primary supervision over the trust’s administration and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all of the trust’s substantial decisions or (b) the trust has a valid election in effect under applicable U.S. Treasury Regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.

For purposes of this discussion, a “non-U.S. Holder” is a beneficial owner of our Common Stock that is neither a U.S. Holder nor a partnership or an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Tax Considerations Applicable to U.S. Holders

Taxation of Distributions

If we pay distributions or make constructive distributions (other than certain distributions of our stock or rights to acquire our stock) to U.S. Holders of shares of our Common Stock, such distributions generally will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent paid from our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits will constitute a return of capital that will be applied against and reduce (but not below zero) the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in our Common Stock. Any remaining excess will be treated as gain realized on the sale or other disposition of the Common Stock and will be treated as described under “— Tax Considerations Applicable to U.S. Holders — Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock” below.

Dividends we pay to a U.S. Holder that is a taxable corporation will generally qualify for the dividends received deduction if the requisite holding period is satisfied. With certain exceptions (including dividends treated as investment income for purposes of investment interest deduction limitations), and provided certain holding period requirements are met, dividends we pay to a non-corporate U.S. Holder will generally constitute “qualified dividends” that will be subject to tax at long-term capital gains rates. If the holding period requirements are not satisfied, a corporation may not be able to qualify for the dividends received deduction and would have taxable income equal to the entire dividend amount, and non-corporate holders may be subject to tax on such dividend at ordinary income tax rates instead of the preferential rates that apply to qualified dividend income.

Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock

A U.S. Holder generally will recognize gain or loss on the sale, taxable exchange or other taxable disposition of our Common Stock. Any such gain or loss will be capital gain or loss, and will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Common Stock so disposed of exceeds one year. The amount of gain or loss recognized will generally be equal to the difference between (1) the sum of the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received in such disposition and (2) the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Common Stock so disposed of. A U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Common Stock will generally equal the U.S. Holder’s acquisition cost for such Common Stock, less any prior distributions treated as a return of capital. Long-term capital gains recognized by non-corporate U.S. Holders are generally eligible for reduced rates of tax. If the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Common Stock so disposed of is one year or less, any gain on a sale or other taxable disposition of the shares would be subject to short-term capital gain treatment and would be taxed at ordinary income tax rates. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

In general, information reporting requirements may apply to dividends paid to a U.S. Holder and to the proceeds of the sale or other disposition of our shares of Common Stock, unless the U.S. Holder is an exempt recipient.

 

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Backup withholding may apply to such payments if the U.S. Holder fails to provide a taxpayer identification number (or furnishes an incorrect taxpayer identification number) or a certification of exempt status, or has been notified by the IRS that it is subject to backup withholding (and such notification has not been withdrawn).

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules will be allowed as a credit against a U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability and may entitle such holder to a refund, provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS. Taxpayers should consult their tax advisors regarding their qualification for an exemption from backup withholding and the procedures for obtaining such an exemption.

Tax Considerations Applicable to Non-U.S. Holders

Taxation of Distributions

In general, any distributions (including constructive distributions) we make to a non-U.S. Holder of shares on our Common Stock, to the extent paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles), will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, provided such dividends are not effectively connected with the non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States, generally will be subject to withholding at a rate of 30%, unless such non-U.S. Holder is eligible for a reduced rate of withholding tax under an applicable income tax treaty and provides proper certification of its eligibility for such reduced rate (usually on an IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E, as applicable). In the case of any constructive dividend, it is possible that this tax would be withheld from any amount owed to a non-U.S. Holder by the applicable withholding agent, including cash distributions on, or sale proceeds from, other property subsequently paid or credited to such holder. Any distribution not constituting a dividend will be treated first as reducing (but not below zero) the non-U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its shares of our Common Stock and, to the extent such distribution exceeds the non-U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis, as gain realized from the sale or other disposition of the Common Stock, which will be treated as described under “ Tax Considerations Applicable to Non-U.S. Holders — Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock” below. In addition, if we determine that we are likely to be classified as a “United States real property holding corporation” (see “Tax Considerations Applicable to Non-U.S. Holders —Gain on Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock” below), we will withhold 15% of any distribution that exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits.

Dividends we pay to a non-U.S. Holder that are effectively connected with such non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (or if a tax treaty applies are attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the non-U.S. Holder) will generally not be subject to U.S. withholding tax, provided such non-U.S. Holder complies with certain certification and disclosure requirements (generally by providing an IRS Form W-8ECI). Instead, such dividends generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax, net of certain deductions, at the same individual or corporate rates applicable to U.S. Holders. If the non-U.S. Holder is a corporation, dividends that are effectively connected income may also be subject to a “branch profits tax” at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty).

Gain on Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock

A non-U.S. Holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax in respect of gain recognized on a sale, taxable exchange or other taxable disposition of our Common Stock, unless:

 

   

the gain is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business by the non-U.S. Holder within the United States (and, if an applicable tax treaty so requires, is attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the non-U.S. Holder);

 

   

the non-U.S. Holder is an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of disposition and certain other conditions are met; or

 

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we are or have been a “United States real property holding corporation” for U.S. federal income tax purposes at any time during the shorter of the five-year period ending on the date of disposition or the period that the non-U.S. Holder held our Common Stock and, in the case where shares of our Common Stock are regularly traded on an established securities market, the non-U.S. Holder has owned, directly or constructively, more than 5% of our Common Stock at any time within the shorter of the five-year period preceding the disposition or such Non-U.S. Holder’s holding period for the shares of our Common Stock. There can be no assurance that our Common Stock will be treated as regularly traded or not regularly traded on an established securities market for this purpose.

Gain described in the first bullet point above will be subject to tax at generally applicable U.S. federal income tax rates as if the non-U.S. Holder were a U.S. resident. Any gains described in the first bullet point above of a non-U.S. Holder that is a foreign corporation may also be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” at a 30% rate (or lower applicable treaty rate). Gain described in the second bullet point above will generally be subject to a flat 30% U.S. federal income tax. Non-U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding possible eligibility for benefits under income tax treaties.

If the third bullet point above applies to a non-U.S. Holder and applicable exceptions are not available, gain recognized by such holder on the sale, exchange or other disposition of our Common Stock will be subject to tax at generally applicable U.S. federal income tax rates. In addition, a buyer of our Common Stock from such holder may be required to withhold U.S. income tax at a rate of 15% of the amount realized upon such disposition. We will be classified as a United States real property holding corporation if the fair market value of our “United States real property interests” equals or exceeds 50% of the sum of the fair market value of our worldwide real property interests plus our other assets used or held for use in a trade or business, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes. We do not believe we currently are or will become a United States real property holding corporation, however there can be no assurance in this regard. Non-U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the application of these rules.

Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act

Provisions of the Code and Treasury Regulations and administrative guidance promulgated thereunder commonly referred as the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA, generally impose withholding at a rate of 30% in certain circumstances on dividends (including constructive dividends) in respect of our Common Stock which are held by or through certain foreign financial institutions (including investment funds), unless any such institution (1) enters into, and complies with, an agreement with the IRS to report, on an annual basis, information with respect to interests in, and accounts maintained by, the institution that are owned by certain U.S. persons and by certain non-U.S. entities that are wholly or partially owned by U.S. persons and to withhold on certain payments, or (2) if required under an intergovernmental agreement between the United States and an applicable foreign country, reports such information to its local tax authority, which will exchange such information with the U.S. authorities. An intergovernmental agreement between the United States and an applicable foreign country may modify these requirements. Accordingly, the entity through which our Common Stock are held will affect the determination of whether such withholding is required. Similarly, dividends in respect of our Common Stock held by an investor that is a non-financial non-U.S. entity that does not qualify under certain exceptions will generally be subject to withholding at a rate of 30%, unless such entity either (1) certifies to us or the applicable withholding agent that such entity does not have any “substantial United States owners” or (2) provides certain information regarding the entity’s “substantial United States owners,” which will in turn be provided to the U.S. Department of Treasury. Withholding under FATCA was scheduled to apply to payments of gross proceeds from the sale or other disposition of property that produces U.S.-source interest or dividends, however, the IRS released proposed regulations that, if finalized in their proposed form, would eliminate the obligation to withhold on such gross proceeds. Although these proposed Treasury Regulations are not final, taxpayers generally may rely on them until final Treasury Regulations are issued. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the possible implications of FATCA on their investment in our Common Stock.

 

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Information Reporting and Backup Withholding.

Information returns will be filed with the IRS in connection with payments of distributions and the proceeds from a sale or other disposition of our Common Stock. A non-U.S. Holder may have to comply with certification procedures to establish that it is not a United States person in order to avoid information reporting and backup withholding requirements. The certification procedures required to claim a reduced rate of withholding under a treaty generally will satisfy the certification requirements necessary to avoid the backup withholding as well. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. The amount of any backup withholding from a payment to a non-U.S. Holder will be allowed as a credit against such holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability and may entitle such holder to a refund, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.

 

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

The shares of Common Stock offered by this prospectus are being offered by the Selling Securityholder, Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC. The shares may be sold or distributed from time to time by the Selling Securityholder directly to one or more purchasers or through brokers, dealers, or underwriters who may act solely as agents at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to the prevailing market prices, at negotiated prices, or at fixed prices, which may be changed. The sale of the shares of our Common Stock offered by this prospectus could be effected in one or more of the following methods:

 

   

ordinary brokers’ transactions;

 

   

transactions involving cross or block trades;

 

   

through brokers, dealers or underwriters who may act solely as agents;

 

   

“at the market” into an existing market for our Common Stock;

 

   

in other ways not involving market makes or established business markets, including direct sales to purchasers or sales effected through agents;

 

   

in privately negotiated transactions; or

 

   

any combination of the foregoing.

In order to comply with the securities laws of certain states, if applicable, the shares may be sold only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. In addition, in certain states, the shares may not be sold unless they have been registered or qualified for sale in the state or an exemption from the state’s registration or qualification requirement is available and complied with.

Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC is an “underwriter” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(11) of the Securities Act.

Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC has informed us that it intends to use one or more registered broker-dealers (one of which is an affiliate of Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC) to effectuate all sales, if any, of our Common Stock that it may acquire from us pursuant to the Purchase Agreement. Such sales will be made at prices and at terms then prevailing or at prices related to the then current market price. Each such registered broker-dealer will be an underwriter within the meaning of Section 2(a)(11) of the Securities Act. Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC has informed us that each such broker-dealer (excluding any broker-dealer that is an affiliate of Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC), may receive commissions from Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC for executing such sales for Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC and, if so, such commissions will not exceed customary brokerage commissions.

Brokers, dealers, underwriters or agents participating in the distribution of the shares of our Common Stock offered by this prospectus may receive compensation in the form of commissions, discounts, or concessions from the purchasers, for whom the broker-dealers may act as agent, of the shares sold by the Selling Securityholder through this prospectus. The compensation paid to any such particular broker-dealer by any such purchasers of shares of our Common Stock sold by the Selling Securityholder may be less than or in excess of customary commissions. Neither we nor the Selling Securityholder can presently estimate the amount of compensation that any agent will receive from any purchasers of shares of our Common Stock sold by the Selling Securityholder.

We know of no existing arrangements between the Selling Securityholder or any other stockholder, broker, dealer, underwriter or agent relating to the sale or distribution of the shares of our Common Stock offered by this prospectus.

We may from time to time file with the SEC one or more supplements to this prospectus or amendments to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part to amend, supplement or update information

 

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contained in this prospectus, including, if and when required under the Securities Act, to disclose certain information relating to a particular sale of shares offered by this prospectus by the Selling Securityholder, including with respect to any compensation paid or payable by the Selling Securityholder to any brokers, dealers, underwriters or agents that participate in the distribution of such shares by the Selling Securityholder, and any other related information required to be disclosed under the Securities Act.

We will pay the expenses incident to the registration under the Securities Act of the offer and sale of the shares of our Common Stock covered by this prospectus by the Selling Securityholder.

 

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LEGAL MATTERS

The validity of the securities offered hereby will be passed upon for us by Cooley LLP.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements of Surrozen, Inc. incorporated by reference in Surrozen, Inc.’s Annual Report (Form 10-K) for the year ended December 31, 2022 have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon incorporated by reference therein, and incorporated herein by reference. Such consolidated financial statements are incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You can read our SEC filings, including the registration statement, over the internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

We also maintain a website at www.surrozen.com, at which you may access these materials free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. The information contained in, or that can be accessed through, our website is not part of, and is not incorporated into, this prospectus.

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” the information we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus and information we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information. Any statement contained in this prospectus or a previously filed document incorporated by reference will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus or a subsequently filed document incorporated by reference modifies or replaces that statement. The documents we are incorporating by reference as of their respective dates of filing are:

 

   

our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 filed with the SEC on March 31, 2023;

 

   

our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January  5, 2023 and March 23, 2023; and

 

   

the description of securities contained in Exhibit 4.7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 filed with the SEC on March 31, 2023, and any amendment or report filed with the SEC for the purpose of updating such description.

All documents we subsequently file pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, prior to the termination of this offering, including all such documents we may file with the SEC after the date of the initial registration statement and prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement, but excluding any information furnished to, rather than filed with, the SEC, will also be incorporated by reference into this prospectus and deemed to be part of this prospectus from the date of the filing of such reports and documents.

You may obtain any of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus from the SEC through the SEC’s website at the address provided above. You may also request a copy of any document incorporated by

 

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reference in this prospectus (excluding any exhibits to those documents, unless the exhibit is specifically incorporated by reference in this document) at no cost, by writing or telephoning us at the following address and phone number:

Surrozen, Inc.

171 Oyster Point Blvd, Suite 400

South San Francisco, CA 94080

(650) 489-9000

 

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7,003,383 Shares

Common Stock

 

 

LOGO

 

 

 

PROSPECTUS

                , 2023

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

 

Item 14.

Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.

The following table sets forth all costs and expenses, other than underwriting discounts and commissions, payable by us in connection with the sale of the securities being registered. All amounts shown are estimates except for the SEC registration fee.

 

     Amount  

SEC registration fee

   $ 2,130  

Accountants’ fees and expenses

     30,000  

Legal fees and expenses

     250,000  

Printing fees

     80,000  

Miscellaneous fees and expenses

     10,000  
  

 

 

 

Total expenses

   $ 372,130  
  

 

 

 

Discounts, concessions, commissions and similar selling expenses attributable to the sale of shares of Common Stock covered by this prospectus will be borne by the selling securityholders. We will pay all expenses (other than discounts, concessions, commissions and similar selling expenses) relating to the registration of the shares with the SEC, as estimated in the table above.

Item 15. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

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 actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with any threatened, pending or completed actions, suits or proceedings in which such person is made a party by reason of such person being or having been a director, officer, employee or agent of the Registrant. The DGCL provides that Section 145 is not exclusive of other rights to which those seeking indemnification may be entitled under any bylaws, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise. The Registrant’s Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws provide for indemnification by the Registrant of its directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL.

Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL permits a corporation to provide in its Certificate of Incorporation that a director of the corporation shall not be personally liable to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except for liability (1) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders, (2) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (3) for unlawful payments of dividends or unlawful stock repurchases redemptions or other distributions or (4) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. The Registrant’s Certificate of Incorporation provides for such limitation of liability to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL.

The Registrant has entered into indemnification agreements with each of its directors and executive officers to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided in our Certificate of Incorporation. Each indemnification agreement provides for indemnification and advancements by the Registrant of certain expenses and costs relating to claims, suits or proceedings arising from his or her service to the Registrant or, at our request, service to other entities, as officers or directors to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law. We believe that these provisions and agreements are necessary to attract qualified directors.

 

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The Registrant also maintains standard policies of insurance under which coverage is provided (1) to its directors and officers against loss arising from claims made by reason of breach of duty or other wrongful act, while acting in their capacity as directors and officers of the Registrant, and (2) to the Registrant with respect to payments which may be made by the Registrant to such officers and directors pursuant to any indemnification provision contained in the Registrant’s Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws or otherwise as a matter of law.

The Registration Rights Agreement we entered into on February 24, 2022, provides that Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC will indemnify, under certain circumstances, us, our directors, our officers who sign the registration statement and our controlling persons within the meaning of the Securities Act, against certain liabilities, including liabilities arising under the Securities Act.

 

Item 16.

Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.

(a) Exhibits. The exhibits listed below are filed as part of this registration statement

 

         Incorporated by Reference

Exhibit

Number

  

Description

 

Schedule/

Form

 

File No.

 

Exhibit

 

Filing Date

    2.1+    Business Combination Agreement, dated as of April 15, 2021, by and among CHFW, Perseverance Merger Sub Inc., and Surrozen, Inc.   8-K   001-39635   2.1   April 15, 2021
    3.1    Certificate of Incorporation of the Company.   8-K   001-39635   3.1   August 17, 2021
    3.2    Bylaws of the Company.   8-K   001-39635   3.2   August 17, 2021
    4.1    Specimen Warrant Certificate.   S-1/A   333-249394   4.3   October 13, 2020
    4.2    Warrant Agreement, dated as of November  18, 2020, by and between Consonance-HFW Acquisition Corp. and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company.   8-K   001-39635   4.1   November 25, 2020
    4.3    Specimen Unit Certificate   S-1   333-249394   4.1   October 9, 2020
    4.4    Specimen Ordinary Share Certificate   S-1/A   333-249394   4.2   October 13, 2020
    4.5    Certificate of Corporate Domestication of Consonance-HFW Acquisition Corp.   8-K   001-39635   4.5   August 17, 2021
    4.6    Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement, dated as of March 31, 2023, by and between Surrozen, Inc. and Continental Stock Transfer  & Trust Company.   10-K   001-39635   4.6   March 31, 2023
    4.7    Description of Securities.   10-K   001-39635   4.7   March 31, 2023
    5.1    Opinion of Cooley LLP.   S-1   333-263923   5.1   March 29, 2022
  10.1    Purchase Agreement by and between the Company and Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC, dated February 18, 2022.   8-K   001-39635   10.1   February 24, 2022
  10.2    Registration Rights Agreement by and between the Company and Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC, dated February 18, 2022.   8-K   001-39635   10.2   February 24, 2022
  23.1*    Consent of Ernst & Young LLP.        

 

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         Incorporated by Reference

Exhibit

Number

  

Description

 

Schedule/

Form

 

File No.

 

Exhibit

 

Filing Date

  23.2    Consent of Cooley LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1)   S-1   333-263923   5.1   March 29, 2022
  24.1    Power of Attorney (included on the signature page of Registration Statement S-1).   S-1   333-263923   24.1   March 29, 2022

 

*

Filed herewith.

+

Schedules and exhibits have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(b)(2) of Regulation S-K. The Company agrees to furnish supplementally a copy of any omitted schedule or exhibit to the SEC upon request.

(b) Financial Statement Schedules.

Schedules not listed above have been omitted because the information required to be set forth therein is not applicable or is shown in the financial statements or notes thereto.

 

Item 17.

Undertakings.

(a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes as follows:

 

  (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 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table 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 (i), (ii) and (iii) do not apply if the registration statement is on Form S-3 and 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.

 

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  (4)

That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act to any purchaser:

(i) Each prospectus filed by a 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 that 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 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 any liability 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 our 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) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the undersigned pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the undersigned 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 undersigned of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the undersigned 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 undersigned will, unless in the opinion of our 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 Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Company has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized in the City of South San Francisco, State of California, on this 31st day of March, 2023.

 

SURROZEN, INC.
By:

/s/ Craig Parker

Craig Parker
President and Chief Executive Officer

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-3 has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

Name

 

Title

 

Date

/s/ Craig Parker

Craig Parker

 

President and Chief Executive Officer and Director

(Principal Executive Officer)

  March 31, 2023

/s/ Charles Williams

Charles Williams

 

Chief Financial Officer

(Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)

  March 31, 2023

*

Tim Kutzkey, Ph.D.

  Chair of the Board of Directors   March 31, 2023

*

Anna Berkenblit, M.D.

  Director   March 31, 2023

*

Christopher Y. Chai

  Director   March 31, 2023

*

Mary Haak-Frendscho, Ph.D.

  Director   March 31, 2023

*

Mace Rothenberg, M.D.

  Director   March 31, 2023

*

Shao-Lee Lin, M.D., Ph.D.

  Director   March 31, 2023

*

David J. Woodhouse, Ph.D.

  Director   March 31, 2023

 

*By:   /s/ Craig Parker
  Craig Parker
  Attorney-in-Fact

 

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EX-23.1

Exhibit 23.1

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

We consent to the reference to our firm under the caption “Experts” in the Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement (Form S-1 No. 333-263923) and related Prospectus of Surrozen, Inc. to the offer and resale of up to 7,003,383 shares of common stock by Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC and to the incorporation by reference therein of our report dated March 31, 2023, with respect to the consolidated financial statements of Surrozen, Inc. included in its Annual Report (Form 10-K) for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

San Francisco, California

March 31, 2023