Aqua Bounty Tech Inc - Filing of Form 10 with the Securities and Exchange Commission and Conditional Equity Subscription from Intrexon
("AquaBounty" or the "Company")
Filing of Form 10 with the
and conditional equity subscription from Intrexon
Registration Statement
Further to the Company's announcement of
To help AquaBounty satisfy the initial listing requirements for listing its Common Shares on the NASDAQ exchange in
Equity Subscription
The Company executed a share purchase agreement ("Share Purchase Agreement") with Intrexon today for the issuance and sale of 72,632,190 Common Shares (subject to adjustment to give effect to any share dividend, share split, combination, or other similar recapitalization, the "Subscription Shares") raising
Debt Conversion and Share Distribution
In conjunction with the filing of the New Registration Statement and the Fundraising, Intrexon plans to convert the
Intrexon has also expressed its intention to distribute a portion of its holdings of Common Shares of AquaBounty (the "Distribution Shares") via a share dividend to its shareholders. This distribution is intended to help AquaBounty satisfy certain listing requirements on NASDAQ for publicly held shares. The exact number of Distribution Shares will depend upon the number of Conversion Shares issued.
Background
As stated in the Company's interim results announcement of
Following advice from its advisors, it was determined that the Company's near-term need for funds and the legal and regulatory constraints associated with a public offering of securities to its shareholders made it impractical and costly to open the Fundraising to all existing shareholders.
Strategy
Management is evaluating several paths to revenue generation that follow different timelines, including production of AquAdvantageâ fish at the Company's existing farm in
Related party transaction
Two Directors of the Company,
As Intrexon is a "substantial shareholder" of the Company, its participation in the Fundraising constitutes a "related party transaction" under the AIM Rules. The Independent Directors determined, having consulted with the Company's nominated adviser,
Admission
The Subscription Shares and Conversion Shares would be issued subject to Admission, and Intrexon can terminate the Subscription Agreement prior to completion under certain conditions. The Subscription Shares and Conversion Shares would be credited as fully paid and would rank pari passu in all respects with the existing Common Shares.
Intrexon currently holds 99,114,668 Common Shares (representing 62.92% of the outstanding Common Shares) and has agreed with the Company to subscribe for all 72,632,190 Subscription Shares in the Fundraising. Following completion of the Fundraising and the issue of the Subscription Shares and the Conversion Shares, Intrexon would have an interest in approximately 78% of the Company's enlarged share capital before distribution of the Distribution Shares. The Fundraising is expected to follow the distribution of the Distribution Shares such that Intrexon's holding never reaches this level. Intrexon intends to distribute a number of Distribution Shares sufficient to allow the Company to satisfy the NASDAQ listing requirements while maintaining an ownership level above 50% of the Company's enlarged share capital. Based on our expectations, following Admission of the Subscription Shares and Conversion Shares, and the distribution of the Distribution Shares, Intrexon would hold at least 133.7 million Common Shares in the Company, representing greater than 50% of the enlarged issued share capital. Application will be made for Admission of the Subscription Shares and Conversion Shares to trading on AIM, and it is expected that Admission would occur on or around
Existing shareholders that have not participated in the Fundraising will suffer a dilution following this issue of the Subscription Shares and the Convertible Shares of approximately 41%.
Reverse Share Split
In order to satisfy the NASDAQ listing requirements related to pricing of its Common Shares, the Company plans to effect a reverse share split of its Common Shares effective at the time the New Registration Statement is declared effective by the
The Company expects that, following Admission of the Subscription Shares and Conversion Shares, the Company's issued share capital will be approximately 266.9 million Common Shares. The Company does not hold any Common Shares in treasury. These figures are before the impact of any reverse split, and the Company will provide further details on its expected capital structure at the time it posts the related circular to its shareholders.
Safe Harbour Statement
Some of the statements made in this press release are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon the Company's current expectations and projections about future events and generally relate to the Company's plans, objectives, and expectations for the development of the business, including the occurrence and timing of the Fundraising, the conversion of outstanding amounts under the Company's convertible loan, the Admission of the Subscription Shares and Conversion Shares, and the listing of Common Shares on NASDAQ, as well as the length of time the Fundraising will allow the Company to operate. Although management believes that the plans and objectives reflected in or suggested by these forward-looking statements are reasonable, all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and actual future results may be materially different from the plans, objectives, and expectations expressed in this press release.
This announcement contains inside information.
Enquiries:
AquaBounty |
|
David Frank, Chief Financial Officer |
+1 978 648 6048 |
|
|
Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited |
|
Stewart Wallace |
+44 20 7710 7600 |
|
|
Luther Pendragon |
|
Harry Chathli, Claire Norbury |
+44 20 7618 9100 |
This information is provided by RNS