Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Registration No. 333-273757
PROSPECTUS
Pharvaris N.V.
(incorporated in the Netherlands)
6,951,340 Ordinary Shares Offered by Selling Securityholders
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This prospectus relates to the resale from time to time in one or more offerings by the selling stockholders identified herein or their permitted transferees (each, a “selling securityholder” and collectively, the “selling securityholders”) of up to 6,951,340 ordinary shares, par value €0.12 per share (“Ordinary Shares”) of Pharvaris N.V., a Dutch public limited liability company (naamloze vennootschap) (the “Company”). The Ordinary Shares offered for resale were acquired by the selling securityholders in a private placement pursuant to the Subscription Agreement, dated June 16, 2023 by and among the Company and the selling securityholders (the “Subscription Agreement”).
We are registering the securities described above for resale pursuant to the selling securityholders’ registration rights under the Subscription Agreement. Our registration of the securities covered by this prospectus does not mean that the selling securityholders will issue, offer or sell, as applicable, any of the securities. The selling securityholders may offer and sell the securities covered by this prospectus in a number of different ways and at varying prices. We provide more information about how the selling securityholders may sell the Ordinary Shares in the section entitled “Plan of Distribution.”
We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of Ordinary Shares by the selling securityholders pursuant to this prospectus. However, we will pay certain expenses associated with the registration of the securities covered by this prospectus, as described in the section entitled “Plan of Distribution.” The selling securityholders will bear all commissions and discounts, if any, attributable to their sales of the Ordinary Shares.
Our Ordinary Shares are listed on The Nasdaq Global Select Market (“Nasdaq”) under the symbol “PHVS.” On August 16, 2023, the last sale price of our Ordinary Shares as reported on Nasdaq was $20.10 per share.
We are an “emerging growth company” and a “foreign private issuer” as defined under the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and, as such, we have elected to comply with certain reduced public company reporting requirements for this prospectus and future filings. Please see “Pharvaris N.V.—Implications of Being an “Emerging Growth Company” and a Foreign Private Issuer”.
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Investing in our ordinary shares involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 8 of this prospectus and in the documents incorporated by reference herein.
Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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The date of this prospectus is August 16, 2023.
We have not, and the selling securityholders have not, authorized anyone to provide any information other than that contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any related prospectus supplement we provide to you. We have not, and the selling securityholders have not, authorized anyone to provide you with different or additional information. This prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell securities in any jurisdiction where such offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus. Unless otherwise noted or the context otherwise requires, references in this prospectus to “Pharvaris” “the Company,” “our company,” “we,” “us” or “our” refer to Pharvaris N.V. and its subsidiaries.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PROSPECTUS
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS
This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form F-3 that we filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) using a “shelf” registration process. By using a shelf registration statement, the selling securityholders may sell Ordinary Shares as described in this prospectus, from time to time, in one or more offerings. To the extent permitted by law, we may also file or authorize one or more prospectus supplements and/or free writing prospectuses to be provided to you that may contain material information relating to these offerings. The prospectus supplement and/or free writing prospectus may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. Any statement made in this prospectus will be modified or superseded by any inconsistent statement made in a prospectus supplement and/or free writing prospectus. If there is any inconsistency between the information in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, you should rely on the prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, as applicable. Before purchasing any securities, you should carefully read both this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement (and any applicable free writing prospectuses) together with all of the information incorporated by reference herein, as well as the additional information described under the headings “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation by Reference.” These documents contain important information that you should consider when making your investment decision.
Neither we, nor the selling securityholders, have authorized anyone to provide you with any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectuses prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. We and the selling securityholders take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. The selling securityholders will not make an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. This prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the securities described in this prospectus or an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy such securities in any circumstances in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement to this prospectus is accurate only as of the date on its respective cover, that the information appearing in any applicable free writing prospectus is accurate only as of the date of that free writing prospectus, and that any information incorporated by reference is accurate only as of the date of the document incorporated by reference, unless we indicate otherwise. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates. This prospectus incorporates by reference, and any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus may contain and incorporate by reference, market data and industry statistics and forecasts that are based on independent industry publications and other publicly available information. Although we believe these sources are reliable, the market and industry data and forecasts that may be included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or any applicable free writing prospectus may involve estimates, assumptions and other risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various factors, including those discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in this prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement and any applicable free writing prospectus, and under similar headings in other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We file annual reports on Form 20-F, reports on Form 6-K, and other information with the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports and other information about issuers like us who file electronically with the SEC. The address of the site is http://www.sec.gov. Copies of certain information filed by us with the SEC are also available on our website at http://www.pharvaris.com. Our website is not a part of this prospectus and is not incorporated by reference in this prospectus.
This prospectus is part of a registration statement we filed with the SEC. This prospectus omits some information contained in the registration statement in accordance with SEC rules and regulations. You should review the information and exhibits in the registration statement for further information on us and our consolidated subsidiaries and the securities we are offering. Statements in this prospectus concerning any document we filed as an exhibit to the registration statement or that we otherwise filed with the SEC are not intended to be comprehensive and are qualified by reference to these filings. You should review the complete document to evaluate these statements.
As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt under the Exchange Act from, among other things, the rules prescribing the furnishing and content of proxy statements, and our managing directors and supervisory directors and principal shareholders are exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act. In addition, we are not required under the Exchange Act to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as U.S. companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act.
PRESENTATION OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION
We report under International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”), as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (the “IASB”). None of the financial statements incorporated by reference herein were prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States. We present our consolidated financial statements in euros and in accordance with IFRS as issued by the IASB. We have made rounding adjustments to some of the figures included in this prospectus. Accordingly, numerical figures shown as totals in some tables may not be an arithmetic aggregation of the figures that preceded them.
Unless otherwise indicated, all references in this prospectus to “€,” “euro,” “EUR” or “cents” are to the currency introduced at the start of the third stage of the European Economic and Monetary Union pursuant to the treaty establishing the European Community, as amended. All references to “$,” “US$” or “U.S. dollars” are to the lawful currency of the United States.
TRADEMARKS
All trademarks, trade names and service marks appearing in this prospectus are the property of their respective owners. Solely for convenience, the trademarks and trade names in this prospectus are referred to without the symbols ® and ™, but such references should not be construed as any indication that their respective owners will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, their rights thereto. We do not intend to use or display other companies’ trademarks or trade names to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other companies.
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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus and the financial statements and other documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus contain forward-looking statements, including statements concerning our industry, our operations, our anticipated financial performance and financial condition, and our business plans and growth strategy and product development efforts. These statements constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Many of the forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “expect,” “should,” “plan,” “intend,” “estimate” and “potential,” among others. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates. These forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions by our management that, although we believe to be reasonable, are inherently uncertain and subject to a number of risks and uncertainties.
The following represent some, but not necessarily all, of the factors that could cause actual results to differ from historical results or those anticipated or predicted by our forward-looking statements:
•uncertainty in the outcome of our interactions with regulatory authorities, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”), with respect to the clinical hold on prophylactic PHA121, or deucrictibant, clinical trials in the U.S.;
•the expected timing, progress, or success of our clinical development programs, especially for PHVS416 and PHVS719, which are in mid-stage global clinical trials;
•risks arising from epidemic diseases, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which may adversely impact our business, nonclinical studies and clinical trials, the timing of regulatory approvals and the value of our ordinary shares;
•the expected timing and results of the rodent toxicology study and our ability to resolve any issues to the satisfaction of the FDA or any regulatory agency in a timely manner;
•the timing, costs and other limitations involved in obtaining regulatory approval for our product candidates PHVS416 and PHVS719 or any other product candidate that we may develop in the future;
•our ability to market, commercialize and achieve market acceptance for our product candidates PHVS416 and PHVS719 or any of our other product candidates that we may develop in the future, if approved;
•our ability to establish commercial capabilities or enter into agreements with third parties to market, sell and distribute our product candidates;
•our dependence on third parties to perform critical activities related to the research, nonclinical safety and toxicology studies, development and manufacturing of our product candidates;
•disruptions at the FDA and other government agencies;
•the expense, time and uncertainty involved in the development and consistent manufacturing and supply of our product candidates, some or all of which may never reach the regulatory approval stage;
•our ability to raise capital when needed and on acceptable terms;
•our ability to enter into any new licensing agreements or to maintain any licensing agreements with respect to our product candidates;
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•our reliance on collaboration partners and licensees, whose actions we cannot control;
•the willingness of private insurers and other payors to provide reimbursement for our products;
•regulatory developments in the United States, the European Union and other jurisdictions;
•the outcome and timing of price negotiations with governmental authorities;
•our ability to compete in the pharmaceutical industry and with competitive generic products;
•our ability to protect our intellectual property and know-how and operate our business without infringing the intellectual property rights or regulatory exclusivity of others;
•side effects or adverse events associated with the use of our product candidates;
•our ability to defend against costly and damaging liability claims resulting from the testing of our product candidates in the clinic or, if, approved, any commercial sales;
•the loss of any of our key personnel;
•our estimates of market sizes and anticipated uses of our product candidates;
•our estimates of future performance;
•our estimates regarding anticipated operating losses, future revenues, expenses, capital requirements and our needs for additional financing;
•our ability to comply with existing or future laws and regulations in a cost-efficient manner;
•our ability to manage negative consequences from changes in applicable laws and regulations, including tax laws;
•our ability to successfully remediate the material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting and to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting;
•our expectations regarding the time during which we will be an emerging growth company under the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”) or a foreign private issuer;
•changes and uncertainty in general market, political and economic conditions, including as a result of inflation and the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine; and
•other risk factors discussed herein under “Risk Factors” or incorporated herein by reference.
Our actual results or performance could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, any forward-looking statements relating to those matters. Accordingly, no assurances can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do, what impact they will have on our results of operations, cash flows or financial condition. It is not possible to predict or identify all such risks. There may be additional risks that we consider immaterial or which are unknown. Except as required by law, we are under no obligation, and expressly disclaim any obligation, to update, alter or otherwise revise any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
This summary highlights selected information contained elsewhere in this prospectus and in the documents we incorporate by reference. This summary does not contain all of the information you should consider before making an investment decision. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, especially the risks related to this offering discussed under “Risk Factors” beginning on page 8 of this prospectus, along with the other risk factors, our consolidated financial statements and notes to those consolidated financial statements and the other information incorporated by reference in this prospectus.
PHARVARIS N.V.
Our Business
We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative therapies for rare diseases with significant unmet need, initially focused on angioedema and other bradykinin-mediated diseases. Our first molecule, deucrictibant (PHA121, PHA-022121), is a novel, small-molecule bradykinin B2-receptor antagonist for the treatment of hereditary angioedema (“HAE”). Bradykinin-B2-receptor inhibition is a clinically validated mechanism for the treatment of HAE, as demonstrated by icatibant, which is a bradykinin B2-receptor antagonist approved in Europe in 2008 and in the United States in 2011 (as FIRAZYR). We designed deucrictibant to improve upon the therapeutic profile of existing therapies and, through oral delivery, to provide patients with quality of life and ease-of-administration that is superior to current standard-of-care HAE treatments, which are injectables. We believe deucrictibant has the potential to provide a safe, effective and easy-to-administer option for both acute and prophylactic treatments of HAE, in the form of our PHVS416 (deucrictibant immediate-release (IR)) on-demand rapid exposure product candidate, and for prophylaxis of HAE, in the form of our PHVS719 (deucrictibant extended-release (ER)) small daily dose extended-release product candidate. We believe that our product candidates may address a broader range of angioedema attacks than other available treatments since deucrictibant blocks the actual signal that leads to angioedema (the interaction of bradykinin (“BK”) with the bradykinin B2 receptor), rather than an upstream signal. By blocking the action of bradykinin, we can prevent its aberrant signaling regardless of the pathway that generates it.
In our completed Phase 1 trials to date, we have observed that deucrictibant was orally bioavailable and well tolerated at all doses studied, with approximately dose-proportional exposure. We also have successfully demonstrated proof-of-mechanism through a clinical pharmacodynamics (“PD”) assessment with the bradykinin challenge, which had been utilized as a validated surrogate assessment for dose selection in the icatibant development program.
We have demonstrated clinical efficacy and tolerability in a Phase 2 study (RAPIDe-1) treating attacks of HAE. The data allowed us to compare the projected therapeutic performance of deucrictibant with that of icatibant. However, we have not conducted a head-to-head comparison of icatibant to deucrictibant in a clinical study. We plan to efficiently progress deucrictibant through clinical development for on-demand and prophylactic use with our on-demand immediate-release product candidate, PHVS416, and prophylactic extended-release product candidate, PHVS719, respectively. We commenced our RAPIDe-1 Phase 2 clinical trial of PHVS416 in February 2021 and reported topline Phase 2 data for the acute treatment of patients with HAE attacks in December 2022. We also commenced the CHAPTER-1 Phase 2 clinical trial for prophylaxis in 2021 using twice-daily dosing of the PHVS416 soft capsules. Our primary objective with this trial is to assess the efficacy and safety profile of PHVS416 dose regimens for prophylactic treatments in HAE patients. We expect to have Phase 2 data from CHAPTER-1 by the end of 2023. In February 2022, we reported Phase 1 clinical data with PHVS719 demonstrating pharmacokinetics of the extended-release formulation and the potential for once-daily dosing. In healthy volunteers, a single dose of PHVS719 was well tolerated with an extended-release profile supporting once-daily dosing.
Corporate Information
The offices of Pharvaris N.V. are located at Emmy Noetherweg 2, 2333 BK Leiden, The Netherlands. Our telephone number is +31 (0)71 203 6410. Investors should contact us for any inquiries at the address and telephone number of our principal executive office. Our principal website is www.pharvaris.com. The information contained on our website is not a part of this prospectus.
Implications of Being an “Emerging Growth Company” and a Foreign Private Issuer
We qualify as an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act. An emerging growth company may take advantage of relief from certain reporting requirements and other burdens that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include an exception from compliance with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002, as amended.
We may take advantage of these provisions until such time that we cease to qualify as an emerging growth company. We would cease to qualify as an emerging growth company upon the earliest of: (i) the last day of the fiscal year (A) in which we had more than $1.235 billion in annual revenue, (B) we are deemed to be a “large accelerated filer” under the rules of the SEC, or (C) following the fifth anniversary of the date of the completion of our initial public offering (ii) the date on which we issue more than $1.0 billion of non-convertible debt over a three-year period. We may choose to take advantage of some but not all of these reduced reporting requirements. To the extent that we take advantage of these reduced reporting requirements, the information that we provide shareholders may be different than the information you might obtain from other public companies in which you hold equity interests.
We also report under the Exchange Act, as a non-U.S. company with foreign private issuer status. Even after we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, as long as we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act we will continue to be exempt from certain provisions of the Exchange Act that are applicable to U.S. domestic public companies, including, but not limited to:
•the rules under the Exchange Act requiring domestic filers to issue financial statements prepared under U.S. GAAP;
•the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act;
•the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their stock ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and
•the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the SEC of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q containing unaudited financial and other specific information, or current reports on Form 8-K, upon the occurrence of specified significant events.
We may take advantage of these exemptions until such time as we are no longer a foreign private issuer. We would cease to be a foreign private issuer at such time as (i) more than 50% of our outstanding voting securities are held by U.S. residents and (ii) any of the following three circumstances applies: (A) the majority of our executive officers or directors are U.S. citizens or residents, (B) more than 50% of our assets are located in the United States or (C) our business is administered principally in the United States.
Both foreign private issuers and emerging growth companies are also exempt from certain more stringent executive compensation disclosure rules. Thus, even if we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company but remain a foreign private issuer, we will continue to be exempt from the more stringent compensation disclosures required of companies that are not emerging growth companies and will continue to be permitted to follow our home country practice on such matters.
THE OFFERING
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Issuer | Pharvaris N.V. |
Ordinary Shares that may be offered and sold from time to time by the selling securityholders | 6,951,340 Ordinary Shares that were issued to the selling securityholders in a private placement pursuant to the Subscription Agreement. |
Use of proceeds | All of the Ordinary Shares offered by the selling securityholders pursuant to this prospectus will be sold by the selling securityholders for their respective accounts. We will not receive any of the proceeds from such sales. |
Risk Factors | You should read the “Risk Factors” section of this prospectus, as well as those risks and uncertainties identified in the documents incorporated by reference herein, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F, for a discussion of factors to consider carefully before deciding to purchase our Ordinary Shares. |
The Nasdaq Global Select Market Symbol | “PHVS.” |
RISK FACTORS
Investing in our securities involves risks. Before making a decision to invest in our securities, you should carefully consider the risks described under “Risk Factors” in the applicable prospectus supplement, as well as those risks and uncertainties identified in the documents incorporated by reference herein, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F, and in any updates to those risk factors in our reports on Form 6-K incorporated herein, together with all of the other information appearing or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement, before making an investment in our securities in light of your particular investment objectives and financial circumstances.
USE OF PROCEEDS
All of the Ordinary Shares offered by the selling securityholders pursuant to this prospectus will be sold by the selling securityholders for their respective accounts. We will not receive any of the proceeds from such sales. We will pay certain expenses associated with the registration of the securities covered by this prospectus, as described in the section “Plan of Distribution.” The selling securityholders will bear all commissions and discounts, if any, attributable to their sales of Ordinary Shares.
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SELLING SECURITYHOLDERS
This prospectus relates to the possible offer and sale from time to time of up to 6,951,340 Ordinary Shares. The selling securityholders acquired the Ordinary Shares pursuant to the Subscription Agreement.
The selling securityholders may from time to time offer and sell any or all of the Ordinary Shares set forth below pursuant to this prospectus. When we refer to the “selling securityholders” in this prospectus, we mean the entities listed in the tables below, and the permitted transferees of such entities who later come to hold any of the selling securityholders’ interest in our securities after the date of this prospectus in accordance with the terms of the Subscription Agreement.
The following table is prepared based on information provided to us by the selling securityholders. It sets forth the name and address of the selling securityholders, the aggregate number of Ordinary Shares that the selling securityholders may offer pursuant to this prospectus, and the beneficial ownership of the selling securityholders both before and after the offering. We have based percentage ownership in the following table on 40,856,824 of the Company’s Ordinary Shares outstanding as of August 1, 2023.
The entities listed below have beneficial ownership over their respective securities. The number of Ordinary Shares beneficially owned by each entity is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC, and the information is not necessarily indicative of beneficial ownership for any other purpose. Under such rules, beneficial ownership includes any Ordinary Shares over which the individual has sole or shared voting power or investment power as well as any Ordinary Shares that the individual has the right to acquire within 60 days of August 1, 2023 through the exercise of any option, warrant or other right. Except as otherwise indicated, and subject to applicable community property laws, the persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all Ordinary Shares held by that person.
We cannot advise you as to whether the selling securityholders will in fact sell any or all of such Ordinary Shares. In addition, the selling securityholders may sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of, at any time and from time to time, the Ordinary Shares in transactions exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act after the date of this prospectus, subject to applicable law.
Selling securityholder information for each additional selling securityholder, if any, will be set forth by prospectus supplement to the extent required prior to the time of any offer or sale of the selling securityholders’ securities pursuant to this prospectus. Any prospectus supplement may add, update, substitute, or change the information contained in this prospectus, including the identity of the selling securityholders and the number of Ordinary Shares registered on their behalf. The selling securityholders may sell all, some or none of such securities in this offering. See the section titled “Plan of Distribution.”
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Name of Selling Securityholder | Ordinary Shares Beneficially Owned Prior to the Offering | As a % of Ordinary Shares outstanding | Number of Ordinary Shares Being Offered (6) | Ordinary Shares Beneficially Owned After the Ordinary Shares are Sold (7) |
| | | | Shares | Percent |
General Atlantic PH B.V. (1) | 4,406,252 | 10.78% | 1,986,097 | 2,420,155 | 5.92 |
venBio Global Strategic Fund III, L.P. (2) | 4,264,672 | 10.44% | 1,986,097 | 2,278,575 | 5.58 |
Entities affiliated with Bain Capital Life Sciences Investors, LLC (3) | 4,868,784 | 11.92% | 1,688,183 | 3,180,601 | 7.78 |
Entities affiliated with Foresite Capital (4) | 3,777,592 | 9.25% | 496,524 | 3,281,068 | 8.03 |
Entities affiliated with Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners. (5) | 1,483,606 | 3.63% | 794,439 | 689,167 | 1.69 |
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(1) Represents 4,406,252 Ordinary Shares held by General Atlantic PH B.V. General Atlantic PH B.V. (“GA PH”), is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Atlantic Coöperatief U.A. (“GA Coop UA”). The members that share beneficial ownership of the shares held by GA PH through GA Coop UA are the following General Atlantic investment funds (the “GA Funds”): General Atlantic Partners (Bermuda) IV,
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L.P. (“GAP Bermuda IV”), General Atlantic Partners (Bermuda) EU, L.P. (“GAP Bermuda EU”), General Atlantic Partners (Lux) SCSp (“GAP Lux”), and General Atlantic Cooperatief, L.P. (“GA Coop LP”). The general partner of GAP Lux is General Atlantic GenPar, (Lux) SCSp (“GA GenPar Lux”), and the general partner of GA GenPar Lux is General Atlantic (Lux) S.à r.l. (“GA Lux”). The general partner of GAP Bermuda IV and GAP Bermuda EU and the sole shareholder of GA Lux is General Atlantic GenPar (Bermuda), L.P. (“GenPar Bermuda”). GAP (Bermuda) L.P. (“GAP (Bermuda)”) is the general partner of GenPar Bermuda and GA Coop LP. There are eleven members of the Management Committee of GAP (Bermuda) (the “GA Management Committee”). GAP (Bermuda), GenPar Bermuda, GA Lux, GA GenPar Lux, and the GA Funds, (collectively, the “GA Group”) are a “group” within the meaning of Rule 13d-5 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The address of GA Coop LP, GAP Bermuda IV, GAP Bermuda EU, GenPar Bermuda, and GAP (Bermuda) is Clarendon House, 2 Church Street, Hamilton HM 11, Bermuda. The address of GA Coop UA is Prinsengracht 769, 1017 JZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The address of GAP Lux, GA GenPar Lux and GA Lux is Luxembourg is 412F, Route d’Esch, L-1471 Luxembourg. Each of the members of the GA Management Committee disclaims ownership of the shares except to the extent that he has a pecuniary interest therein.
(2) Represents 4,264,672 Ordinary Shares held by venBio Global Strategic Fund III, L.P (the “Fund”). venBio Global Strategic GP III, L.P. (the “GP”), as the sole general partner of the Fund, may be deemed to indirectly beneficially own the shares held by the Fund. venBio Global Strategic GP III, Ltd, as the sole general partner of the GP, may be deemed to indirectly beneficially own the shares held by the Fund. Corey Goodman and Robert Adelman, as the directors of venBio Global Strategic GP III, Ltd, may be deemed to indirectly beneficially own the shares held by the Fund. The address of each of the Fund, the GP, Robert Adelman and Corey Goodman is c/o venBio Partners, LLC, 1700 Owens Street Suite 595 San Francisco, CA 94158.
(3) “Ordinary Shares Beneficially Owned Prior to the Offering” includes (i) 1,688,183 Ordinary Shares held by Bain Capital Life Sciences Opportunities III, LP (“BCLS Fund III Opportunities”), (ii) 2,885,266 Ordinary Shares held by Bain Capital Life Sciences Fund, L.P. (“BCLS Fund I”); and (iii) 295,335 Ordinary Shares held by BCIP Life Sciences Associates, LP (“BCIPLS” and, together with BCLS Fund I and BCLS Fund III Opportunities, the “Bain Capital Life Sciences Entities”). “Number of Ordinary Shares Being Offered” includes 1,688,183 Ordinary Shares held by BCLS Fund III Opportunities. Bain Capital Life Sciences Investors, LLC, (“BCLSI”) is the general partner of Bain Capital Life Sciences, LP, which is the general partner of BCLS Fund I. BCLSI is also the manager of Bain Capital Life Sciences III General Partner, LLC, which is the general partner of Bain Capital Life Sciences Fund III, L.P., which is the sole member of Bain Capital Life Sciences Opportunities III GP, LLC (“BCLS Fund III Opportunities GP”), which is the general partner of BCLS Fund III Opportunities. BCLSI governs the investment strategy and decision-making process with respect to investments held by BCIPLS. As a result, BCLSI, may be deemed to share voting and dispositive power with respect to the shares held by the Bain Capital Life Sciences Entities. The address of the Bain Capital Life Sciences Entities and BCLSI is c/o Bain Capital Life Sciences, LP 200 Clarendon Street, Boston, MA 02116.
(4) “Ordinary Shares Beneficially Owned Prior to the Offering” includes (i) 34,142 Ordinary Shares held by Foresite Capital Fund V, L.P. (“Fund V”) and (ii) 3,743,450 Ordinary Shares held by Foresite Capital Fund IV, L.P. (“Fund IV” and, together with Fund V, "Foresite"). “Number of Ordinary Shares Being Offered” includes 496,524 Ordinary Shares held by Fund IV. Foresite Capital Management V, LLC (“FCM V”) is the general partner of Fund V. Foresite Capital Management IV, LLC (“FCM IV”) is the general partner of Fund IV. FCM IV and FCM V may be deemed to have sole voting and dispositive power over these shares. James B. Tananbaum (“Dr. Tananbaum”) is the sole managing member of FCM V and FCM IV and may be deemed to have sole voting and dispositive power over these shares. Each of FCM V, FCM IV and Dr. Tananbaum disclaims (a) the existence of a “group” and (b) beneficial ownership of the shares held by Foresite for purposes of Section 16 of the Exchange Act or otherwise except to the extent of any pecuniary interest therein. The address of Foresite, FCM IV, FCM V and Dr. Tananbaum is 900 Larkspur Landing Circle, Suite 150 Larkspur, CA 94939.
(5) “Ordinary Shares Beneficially Owned Prior to the Offering” includes (i) 390,041 Ordinary Shares held by Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners III, L.P. (“VHCP III”), (ii) 39,017 Ordinary Shares held by VHCP Co-Investment Holdings III, LLC (“VHCP III Co”) and (iii) 1,054,548 Ordinary Shares held by Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners EG, L.P. (“VHCP EG”). “Number of Ordinary Shares Being Offered” includes 208,858 Ordinary Shares held by VCHP III, (ii) 20,894 Ordinary Shares held by VHCP III Co and (iii) 564,687 Ordinary Shares held by VHCP EG. VHCP Management III, LLC (“VHCPM”) is the sole general partner of VHCP III and the sole manager of VHCP III Co. VHCP Management EG, LLC (“VHCPM EG”) is the sole general partner of VHCP EG. Dr. Bong Koh and Nimish Shah are the voting members of VHCPM and VHCPM EG. The address of each of VHCP III, VHCP III Co, VHCP EG, VHCPM, VHCPM EG, Dr. Bong Koh and Nimish Shah is 7 Bryant Park, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10018.
(6) The number of Ordinary Shares in the column “Number of Ordinary Shares Being Offered” represents all of the Ordinary Shares that a selling securityholder may offer and sell from time to time under this prospectus.
(7) We do not know when or in what amounts a selling securityholder may offer shares for sale. The selling securityholders might not sell any or might sell all of the shares offered by this prospectus. Because the selling securityholders may offer all or some of the shares pursuant to this prospectus, and because there are currently no agreements, arrangements or understandings with respect to the sale of any of the shares, we cannot estimate the number of the shares that will be held by the selling securityholders after completion of the offering. However, for purposes of this table, we have assumed that, after completion of the offering, none of the shares covered by this prospectus will be held by the selling securityholders.
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MATERIAL UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX AND DUTCH TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The information presented under the caption “—Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations to U.S. Holders” below is a discussion of material U.S. federal income tax consequences to a U.S. Holder (as defined below) of owning and disposing of our ordinary shares. The information presented under the caption “—Material Dutch Tax Considerations” is a discussion of the material Dutch tax consequences of owning and disposing of our ordinary shares.
You should consult your tax adviser regarding the applicable tax consequences to you of investing in our ordinary shares under the laws of the United States (federal, state and local), the Netherlands, and any other applicable jurisdiction.
Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations to U.S. Holders
The following is a discussion of the material U.S. federal income tax consequences to the U.S. Holders, as defined below, of owning and disposing of our ordinary shares. It does not describe all tax consequences that may be relevant to a particular person’s decision to acquire or dispose of our ordinary shares. This discussion applies only to a U.S. Holder that holds our ordinary shares as capital assets within the meaning of Section 1221 of the United States Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and this discussion applies only to such ordinary shares. This discussion is general in nature and it does not describe all of the U.S. federal income tax consequences that may be relevant in light of the U.S. Holder’s particular circumstances, including the potential application of the Medicare contribution tax, estate or gift tax consequences, any tax consequences other than U.S. federal income tax consequences, and tax consequences applicable to U.S. Holders subject to special rules, such as:
•certain financial institutions;
•corporations that accumulate earnings to avoid U.S. federal income tax, or expatriated entities subject to Section 7874 of the Code;
•dealers or traders in securities who use a mark-to-market method of tax accounting;
•persons holding ordinary shares as part of a hedging transaction, straddle, wash sale, conversion transaction or other integrated transaction or persons entering into a constructive sale with respect to the ordinary shares;
•persons whose functional currency for U.S. federal income tax purposes is not the U.S. dollar;
•entities or arrangements classified as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes;
•“individual retirement accounts” or “Roth IRAs” or other tax-deferred accounts;
•any persons that acquire ordinary shares directly or indirectly in connection with the performance of services;
•persons who are subject to Section 451(b) of the Code;
•persons that own or are deemed to own ten percent or more of our shares (by vote or value);
•S corporations and any investors therein, regulated investment companies, real estate investment trusts, real estate mortgage investment conduits; or
•persons holding ordinary shares in connection with a trade or business conducted outside of the United States.
If an entity that is classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds ordinary shares, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a partner will generally depend on the status of the partner and the activities of the partner and the partnership. Partnerships holding ordinary shares and partners in such partnerships should consult their tax advisers as to the particular U.S. federal income tax consequences of owning and disposing of ordinary shares.
This discussion is based on the Code, administrative pronouncements, judicial decisions, final, temporary and proposed Treasury regulations, and the income tax treaty between the Netherlands and the United States (the “Treaty”) all as of the date hereof, any of which is subject to change or differing interpretations, possibly with retroactive effect, so as to result in U.S. federal income tax consequences different from those discussed below. We have not sought, and do not expect to seek, any ruling from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the “Service”) with
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respect to the statements made and the conclusions reached in the following summary, and there can be no assurance that the Service or a court would agree with our statements and conclusions or that a court would not sustain any challenge by the Service in the event of litigation.
A “U.S. Holder” is a holder who, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is a beneficial owner of ordinary shares, who is eligible for the benefits of the Treaty and who is:
•an individual who is a citizen or resident in the US;
•a corporation, or other entity taxable as a corporation for U.S federal income tax purposes, created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state therein or the District of Columbia;
•an estate, the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or
•a trust if either (1) a court within the U.S. is able to exercise primary jurisdiction over the administration of the trust and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust, or (2) the trust has a valid election in effect under applicable Treasury Regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.
THIS SUMMARY IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY, AND IS NOT INTENDED TO BE, AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED TO BE, LEGAL OR TAX ADVICE TO ANY PARTICULAR HOLDER. INVESTORS ARE URGED TO CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISERS WITH REGARD TO THE APPLICATION OF THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX LAWS, AS WELL AS THE APPLICATION OF U.S. NON-INCOME TAX LAWS AND THE LAWS OF ANY STATE, LOCAL OR NON-U.S. JURISDICTION, IN LIGHT OF THEIR PARTICULAR SITUATION.
Taxation of Distributions
We do not expect to make distributions on our ordinary shares in the near future. In the event that we do make distributions of cash or other property, subject to the passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”) rules described below, distributions paid on our ordinary shares will generally be treated as dividends to the extent paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles). Because we do not maintain calculations of our earnings and profits under U.S. federal income tax principles, we expect that distributions generally will be reported to U.S. Holders as dividends. If and for so long as our ordinary shares are listed on the Nasdaq or another established securities market in the United States or if and for so long as we are eligible for benefits under the Treaty, dividends paid to certain non-corporate U.S. Holders may be eligible for taxation as “qualified dividend income” if we are not treated as a PFIC with respect to the U.S. Holder and were not treated as a PFIC with respect to the U.S. Holder in the preceding taxable year, and if certain other requirements are met. Therefore, subject to applicable limitations, dividends paid to certain non-corporate U.S. Holders may be taxable at rates not in excess of the long-term capital gain rate applicable to such U.S. Holders. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisers regarding the availability of the reduced tax rate on dividends in their particular circumstances. The amount of a dividend will include any amounts withheld by us in respect of Dutch income taxes. Subject to the PFIC rules described below, the amount of the dividend will be treated as foreign-source dividend income to U.S. Holders and will generally not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction generally available to U.S. corporations under the Code.
Subject to the PFIC rules described below, dividends will be included in a U.S. Holder’s income on the date of the U.S. Holder’s receipt of the dividend. The amount of any dividend income paid in euros will be the U.S. dollar amount calculated by reference to the exchange rate in effect on the date of actual or constructive receipt, regardless of whether the payment is in fact converted into U.S. dollars at that time. If the dividend is converted into U.S. dollars on the date of receipt, a U.S. Holder should not be required to recognize foreign currency gain or loss in respect of the dividend income. A U.S. Holder may have foreign currency gain or loss if the dividend is converted into U.S. dollars after the date of receipt.
Subject to applicable limitations, some of which vary depending upon the U.S. Holder’s particular circumstances, Dutch income taxes withheld from dividends on our ordinary shares at a rate not exceeding the rate provided by the Treaty will be creditable against the U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability. Dutch taxes withheld in excess of the rate applicable under the Treaty will not be eligible for credit against a U.S. Holder’s U.S.
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federal income tax liability. The rules governing foreign tax credits are complex, and U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisers regarding the creditability of foreign taxes in their particular circumstances. In lieu of claiming a foreign tax credit, U.S. Holders may, at their election, deduct foreign taxes, including any Dutch income tax, in computing their taxable income, subject to generally applicable limitations under U.S. law. An election to deduct foreign taxes instead of claiming foreign tax credits applies to all foreign taxes paid or accrued in the taxable year.
Sale or Other Disposition of Ordinary Shares
Subject to the PFIC rules described below, gain or loss realized on the sale or other disposition of ordinary shares will be capital gain or loss, and will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder held the ordinary shares for more than one year. The amount of the gain or loss will equal the difference between the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the ordinary shares disposed of and the amount realized on the disposition, in each case as determined in U.S. dollars. This gain or loss will generally be U.S.-source gain or loss for foreign tax credit purposes. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to various limitations.
Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules
Under the Code, we will be a PFIC for any taxable year in which, after the application of certain “look- through” rules with respect to subsidiaries, either (i) 75% or more of our gross income consists of “passive income,” or (ii) 50% or more of the average quarterly value of our assets consist of assets that produce, or are held for the production of, “passive income.” For purposes of the above calculations, we will be treated as if we hold our proportionate share of the assets of, and receive directly our proportionate share of the income of, any other corporation in which we directly or indirectly own at least 25%, by value, of the shares of such corporation. Passive income generally includes dividends, interest, rents, certain non-active royalties and capital gains. Based on the nature of our business, our financial statements, and our expectations about the nature and amount of our income, assets and activities we do not believe we were a PFIC in 2022 and we do not expect to be a PFIC for our current taxable year or in the foreseeable future. In addition, we may, directly or indirectly, hold equity interests in other PFICs, or Lower-tier PFICs. Whether we or any of our subsidiaries will be a PFIC in 2023 or any future year is a factual determination that must be made annually at the close of each taxable year, and, thus, is subject to significant uncertainty, because among other things, a determination of whether a company is a PFIC must be made annually after the end of each taxable year and will depend on the composition of our income and assets and the market value of our assets from time to time. Therefore, we cannot assure you that we will not be a PFIC for the current or any future taxable year. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that we will not be a PFIC in 2023 or any future taxable year. If we are a PFIC for any year during which a U.S. Holder holds or is deemed to hold ordinary shares, we generally would continue to be treated as a PFIC with respect to that U.S. Holder for all succeeding years during which the U.S. Holder holds or is deemed to hold ordinary shares, even if we ceased to meet the threshold requirements for PFIC status, unless under certain circumstances the U.S. Holder makes a valid deemed sale or deemed dividend election under the applicable Treasury regulations with respect to its ordinary shares.
Under certain attribution rules, assuming we are a PFIC, U.S. Holders will be deemed to own their proportionate shares of any Lower-tier PFICs and will be subject to U.S. federal income tax according to the rules described in the following paragraphs on (i) certain distributions by a Lower-tier PFIC and (ii) a disposition of shares of a Lower-tier PFIC, in each case as if the U.S. Holder held such shares directly, even if the U.S. Holder has not received the proceeds of those distributions or dispositions.
Generally, if we were a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder held or is deemed to have held ordinary shares, gain recognized by a U.S. Holder on a sale or other disposition (including certain pledges) of such ordinary shares, or an indirect disposition of shares of a Lower-tier PFIC, would be allocated ratably over the U.S. Holder’s holding period for such ordinary shares. The amounts allocated to the taxable year of the sale or other disposition and to any year before we became a PFIC would be taxed as ordinary income. The amount allocated to each other taxable year would be subject to tax at the highest rate in effect for individuals or corporations, as appropriate, for that taxable year, and an interest charge would be imposed on the amount allocated to that taxable year. Further, to the extent that any distribution received by a U.S. Holder with respect to its ordinary shares (or a distribution by a Lower-tier PFIC to its shareholder that is deemed to be received by a U.S. Holder) exceeds 125% of the average of the annual distributions on the ordinary shares received during the preceding three years or the
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U.S. Holder’s holding period, whichever is shorter, that distribution would be subject to taxation in the same manner as gain, described immediately above.
A U.S. Holder can avoid certain of the adverse rules described above by making a mark-to-market election with respect to its ordinary shares, provided that the ordinary shares are “marketable.” Ordinary shares will be marketable if they are “regularly traded” on a “qualified exchange” or other market within the meaning of applicable Treasury regulations. If a U.S. Holder makes the mark-to-market election, it generally will recognize as ordinary income any excess of the fair market value of the ordinary shares at the end of each taxable year over their adjusted tax basis, and will recognize an ordinary loss in respect of any excess of the adjusted tax basis of the ordinary shares over their fair market value at the end of the taxable year (but only to the extent of the net amount of income previously included as a result of the mark-to-market election). If a U.S. Holder makes the election, the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the ordinary shares will be adjusted to reflect the income or loss amounts recognized. Any gain recognized on the sale or other disposition of ordinary shares, as applicable, in a year when we are a PFIC will be treated as ordinary income and any loss will be treated as an ordinary loss (but only to the extent of the net amount of income previously included as a result of the mark-to-market election). A mark-to-market election generally cannot be made for equity interests in any Lower-tier PFIC unless shares of such Lower-tier PFIC are themselves “marketable.” As a result, if a U.S. Holder makes a mark-to-market election with respect to our ordinary shares, the U.S. Holder would nevertheless be subject to the PFIC rules described above with respect to its indirect interest in any Lower-tier PFIC unless the U.S. Holder makes a qualifying electing fund election (“QEF Election”) with respect to such Lower-tier PFIC, as discussed below. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisers regarding the availability and advisability of making a mark-to-market election in their particular circumstances.
In addition, in order to avoid the application of the foregoing rules, a United States person that owns stock in a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes may make a QEF Election with respect to such PFIC, and each PFIC in which the PFIC holds equity interests, if the PFIC provides the information necessary for such election to be made. In order to make such an election, a United States person would be required to make the QEF Election for each PFIC by attaching a separate properly completed IRS Form 8621 for each PFIC to the United States person’s timely filed U.S. federal income tax return generally for the first taxable year that the entity is treated as a PFIC with respect to the United States person. A U.S. Holder generally may make a separate election to defer payment of taxes on the undistributed income inclusion under the QEF rules, but if deferred, any such taxes are subject to an interest charge. If a United States person makes a QEF Election with respect to a PFIC, the United States person will be currently taxable on its pro rata share of the PFIC’s ordinary earnings and net capital gain (at ordinary income and capital gain rates, respectively) for each taxable year that the entity is classified as a PFIC and will not be required to include such amounts in income when actually distributed by the PFIC. There is no assurance that we will provide information necessary for U.S. Holders to make QEF Elections. If a U.S. Holder makes a QEF Election with respect to us, any distributions paid by us out of our earnings and profits that were previously included in the U.S. Holder’s income under the QEF Election will not be taxable to the U.S. Holder. A U.S. Holder will increase its tax basis in its ordinary shares by an amount equal to any income included under the QEF Election and will decrease its tax basis by any amount distributed, if any, on the ordinary shares that is not included in its income. In addition, a U.S. Holder will recognize capital gain or loss on the disposition of ordinary shares in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized and its adjusted tax basis in our ordinary shares. U.S. Holders should note that if they make QEF Elections with respect to us and Lower-tier PFICs, if any, they may be required to pay U.S. federal income tax with respect to their ordinary shares for any taxable year significantly in excess of any cash distributions, if any, received on the ordinary shares, as applicable, for such taxable year. If we determine that any of our subsidiaries is a Lower-tier PFIC for any taxable year, there is no assurance that we will provide information necessary for U.S. Holders to make a QEF Election with respect to such Lower-tier PFIC. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisers regarding making QEF Elections in their particular circumstances.
In addition, if we were a PFIC or, with respect to a particular U.S. Holder, were treated as a PFIC for the taxable year in which we paid a dividend or for the prior taxable year, the preferential dividend rates discussed above with respect to dividends paid to certain non-corporate U.S. Holders would not apply.
If a U.S. Holder owns ordinary shares during any year in which we are a PFIC, the U.S. Holder generally must file annual reports, containing such information as the U.S. Treasury may require on IRS Form 8621 (or any successor form) with respect to us, generally with the U.S. Holder’s federal income tax return for that year, unless otherwise specified in the instructions with respect to such form.
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U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisers concerning our potential PFIC status and the potential application of the PFIC rules. The U.S. federal income tax rules relating to PFICs are very complex. U.S. Holders are strongly urged to consult their tax advisers with respect to the impact of PFIC status on the purchase, ownership and disposition of our ordinary shares, as applicable, the consequences to them of an investment in a PFIC (and any Lower-tier PFICs), any elections available with respect to the ordinary shares and the IRS information reporting obligations with respect to the purchase, ownership and disposition of ordinary shares of a PFIC.
Information Reporting With respect to Foreign Financial Assets
Payments of dividends and sales proceeds that are made within the United States or through certain U.S.- related financial intermediaries generally are subject to information reporting, and may be subject to backup withholding, unless (i) the U.S. Holder is a corporation or other exempt recipient or (ii) in the case of backup withholding, the U.S. Holder provides a correct taxpayer identification number and certifies that it is not subject to backup withholding.
The amount of any backup withholding from a payment to a U.S. Holder will be allowed as a credit against the U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability and may entitle it to a refund, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding
Certain U.S. Holders who are individuals and certain entities may be required to report information relating to an interest in our ordinary shares, subject to certain exceptions (including an exception for ordinary shares held in accounts maintained by certain U.S. financial institutions). U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisers regarding whether or not they are obligated to report information relating to their ownership and disposition of ordinary shares.
Material Dutch Tax Considerations
Scope of Discussion
This section only outlines certain material Dutch tax consequences of the acquisition, holding and disposal of our ordinary shares. This section does not purport to describe all possible tax considerations or consequences that may be relevant to a holder or prospective holder of our ordinary shares and does not purport to deal with the tax consequences applicable to all categories of investors, some of which (such as trusts or similar arrangements) may be subject to special rules. In view of its general nature, this section should be treated with corresponding caution.
This section is based on the tax laws of the Netherlands, published regulations thereunder and published authoritative case law, all as in effect on the date hereof, including, for the avoidance of doubt, the tax rates applicable on the date hereof, and all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect. Any such change may invalidate the contents of this section, which will not be updated to reflect such change. Where this section refers to “the Netherlands” or “Dutch” it refers only to the part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands located in Europe.
THIS SECTION IS INTENDED AS GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY AND IS NOT DUTCH TAX ADVICE OR A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF ALL DUTCH TAX CONSEQUENCES RELATING TO THE ACQUISITION, HOLDING AND DISPOSAL OF OUR ORDINARY SHARES. HOLDERS OR PROSPECTIVE HOLDERS OF OUR ORDINARY SHARES SHOULD CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX ADVISERS REGARDING THE DUTCH TAX CONSEQUENCES RELATING TO THE ACQUISITION, HOLDING AND DISPOSAL OF THE ORDINARY SHARES IN LIGHT OF THEIR PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES.
Please note that this section does not describe the Dutch tax consequences for:
(i)a holder of our ordinary shares if such holder has a substantial interest (aanmerkelijk belang) or deemed substantial interest (fictief aanmerkelijk belang) in us under the Dutch Income Tax Act 2001 (Wet inkomstenbelasting 2001). Generally, a holder of securities in a company is considered
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to hold a substantial interest in such company, if such holder alone or, in the case of an individual together with such holder’s partner for Dutch income tax purposes, or any relatives by blood or marriage in the direct line (including foster children), directly or indirectly, holds (i) an interest of 5% or more of the total issued and outstanding capital of that company or of 5% or more of the issued and outstanding capital of a certain class of shares of that company; or (ii) rights to acquire, directly or indirectly, such interest, or (iii) certain profit sharing rights in that company that relate to 5% or more of the company’s annual profits or to 5% or more of the company’s liquidation proceeds. A deemed substantial interest may arise if a substantial interest (or part thereof) in a company has been disposed of, or is deemed to have been disposed of, on a non-recognition basis;
(ii)a holder of our ordinary shares, if the ordinary shares held by such holder qualify or qualified as a participation (deelneming) for purposes of the Dutch Corporate Income Tax Act 1969 (Wet op de vennootschapsbelasting 1969). Generally, a holder’s shareholding of 5% or more in a company’s nominal paid-up share capital qualifies as a participation. A holder may also have a participation if such holder does not have a shareholding of 5% or more but a related entity (statutorily defined term) has a participation or if the company in which the shares are held is a related entity (statutorily defined term);
(iii)a holder of our ordinary shares which is or who is entitled to the dividend withholding tax exemption (inhoudingsvrijstelling) with respect to any income (opbrengst) derived from the ordinary shares (as defined in Article 4 of the Dutch Dividend Withholding Tax Act 1965 (Wet op de dividendbelasting). Generally, a holder of our ordinary shares may be entitled or required to apply, subject to certain other requirements, the dividend withholding tax exemption if it is an entity and holds an interest of 5% or more in our nominal paid-up shares capital;
(iv)pension funds, investment institutions (fiscale beleggingsinstellingen), tax exempt investment institutions (vrijgestelde beleggingsinstellingen) (each as defined in the Dutch Corporate Income Tax Act 1969) and other entities that are, in whole or in part, not subject to or exempt from Dutch corporate income tax, entities that have a function comparable to an investment institution or tax exempt investment institution, as well as entities that are exempt from corporate income tax in their country of residence, such country of residence being another state of the European Union, Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland or any other state with which the Netherlands has agreed to exchange information in line with international standards; and
(v)holder of our ordinary shares if such holder is an individual for whom the ordinary shares or any benefit derived from the ordinary shares are a remuneration or deemed to be a remuneration for (employment) activities performed by such holder or certain individuals related to such holders (as defined in the Dutch Income Tax Act 2001).
Dividend Withholding Tax
General
Dividends distributed by us generally are subject to Dutch dividend withholding tax at a rate of 15%. Generally, we are responsible for the withholding of such dividend withholding tax at source; the Dutch dividend withholding tax is for the account of the holder of our ordinary shares.
The expression “dividends distributed” includes, among other things:
•distributions in cash or in kind, deemed and constructive distributions and repayments of paid-in capital not recognized for Dutch dividend withholding tax purposes;
•liquidation proceeds, proceeds of redemption of our ordinary shares, or proceeds of the repurchase of ordinary shares (other than as temporary portfolio investment; tijdelijke belegging) by us or one of our
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subsidiaries or other affiliated entities, in each case to the extent such proceeds exceed the average paid-in capital of those ordinary shares as recognized for Dutch dividend withholding tax purposes;
•an amount equal to the par value of our ordinary shares issued or an increase of the par value of ordinary shares, to the extent that it does not appear that a contribution, recognized for Dutch dividend withholding tax purposes, has been made or will be made; and
•partial repayment of the paid-in capital, recognized for Dutch dividend withholding tax purposes, if and to the extent that we have net profits (zuivere winst), unless (i) the general meeting has resolved in advance to make such repayment and (ii) the par value of the ordinary shares concerned has been reduced by an equal amount by way of an amendment of the Articles of Association. The term “net profits” includes anticipated profits that have yet to be realized.
Corporate legal entities that are resident or deemed to be resident of the Netherlands for Dutch corporate income tax purposes (“Dutch Resident Entities”) generally are entitled to an exemption from, or a credit for, any Dutch dividend withholding tax against their Dutch corporate income tax liability. The credit in any given year is, however, limited to the amount of Dutch corporate income tax payable in respect of the relevant year with an indefinite carry forward of any excess amount. Individuals who are resident or deemed to be resident of the Netherlands for Dutch personal income tax purposes (“Dutch Resident Individuals”) generally are entitled to a credit for any Dutch dividend withholding tax against their Dutch personal income tax liability and to a refund of any residual Dutch dividend withholding tax. The above generally also applies to holders of our ordinary shares that are neither resident nor deemed to be resident of the Netherlands (“Non-Resident Holders”) if the ordinary shares are attributable to a Dutch permanent establishment of such Non-Resident Holder.
A holder of our ordinary shares resident of a country other than the Netherlands may, depending on such holder’s specific circumstances, be entitled to exemptions from, reductions of, or full or partial refunds of, Dutch dividend withholding tax under Dutch national tax legislation, EU law, or treaties for the avoidance of double taxation in effect between the Netherlands and such other country.
Dividend stripping
According to Dutch domestic anti-dividend stripping rules, no credit against Dutch tax, exemption from, reduction, or refund of Dutch dividend withholding tax will be granted if the recipient of the dividends we paid is not considered the beneficial owner (uiteindelijk gerechtigde; as described in the Dutch Dividend Withholding Tax Act 1965) of those dividends. This legislation generally targets situations in which a shareholder retains its economic interest in shares but reduces the withholding tax costs on dividends by a transaction with another party. It is not required for these rules to apply that the recipient of the dividends is aware that a dividend stripping transaction took place. The Dutch State Secretary of Finance takes the position that the definition of beneficial ownership introduced by this legislation will also be applied in the context of a double taxation convention.
Conditional withholding tax on dividends (as of January 1, 2024)
As of January 1, 2024, a Dutch conditional withholding tax will be imposed on dividends distributed by us to entities related (gelieerd) to us (within the meaning of the Dutch Withholding Tax Act 2021; Wet bronbelasting 2021), if such related entity:
i.is considered to be resident (gevestigd) in a jurisdiction that is listed in the yearly updated Dutch Regulation on low-taxing states and non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes (Regeling laagbelastende staten en niet-coöperatieve rechtsgebieden voor belastingdoeleinden) (a “Listed Jurisdiction”); or
ii.has a permanent establishment located in a Listed Jurisdiction to which the ordinary shares are attributable; or
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iii.holds the ordinary shares with the main purpose or one of the main purposes of avoiding taxation for another person or entity and there is an artificial arrangement or transaction or a series of artificial arrangements or transactions; or
iv.is not considered to be the beneficial owner of the ordinary shares in its jurisdiction of residence because such jurisdiction treats another entity as the beneficial owner of the ordinary shares (a hybrid mismatch); or
v.is not resident in any jurisdiction (also a hybrid mismatch); or
vi.is a reverse hybrid (within the meaning of Article 2(12) of the Dutch Corporate Income Tax Act 1969), if and to the extent (x) there is a participant in the reverse hybrid which is related (gelieerd) to the reverse hybrid, (y) the jurisdiction of residence of such participant treats the reverse hybrid as transparent for tax purposes and (z) such participant would have been subject to the Dutch conditional withholding tax in respect of dividends distributed by us without the interposition of the reverse hybrid, all within the meaning of the Dutch Withholding Tax Act 2021.
The Dutch conditional withholding tax on dividends will be imposed at the highest Dutch corporate income tax rate in effect at the time of the distribution (currently 25.8%). The Dutch conditional withholding tax on dividends will be reduced, but not below zero, by any regular Dutch dividend withholding tax withheld in respect of the same dividend distribution. As such, based on the currently applicable rates, the overall effective tax rate of withholding the regular Dutch dividend withholding tax (as described above) and the Dutch conditional withholding tax on dividends will not exceed the highest corporate income tax rate in effect at the time of the distribution (currently 25.8%).
Taxes on Income and Capital Gains
Dutch Resident Entities
Generally, if the holder of ordinary shares is a Dutch Resident Entity, any income derived or deemed to be derived from the ordinary shares or any capital gains realized on the disposal or deemed disposal of the ordinary shares is subject to Dutch corporate income tax at a rate of 19% with respect to taxable profits up to €200,000 and 25.8% with respect to taxable profits in excess of that amount (rates and brackets for 2023).
Dutch Resident Individuals
If the holder of our ordinary shares is a Dutch Resident Individual, any income derived or deemed to be derived from the ordinary shares or any capital gains realized on the disposal or deemed disposal of the ordinary shares is subject to Dutch personal income tax at the progressive rates (with a maximum of 49.50% in 2023), if:
i.the ordinary shares are attributable to an enterprise from which the holder of ordinary shares derives a share of the profit, whether as an entrepreneur (ondernemer) or as a person who has a co-entitlement to the net worth (medegerechtigd tot het vermogen) of such enterprise without being a shareholder (as defined in the Dutch Income Tax Act 2001); or
ii.the holder of ordinary shares is considered to perform activities with respect to the ordinary shares that go beyond ordinary asset management (normaal, actief vermogensbeheer) or otherwise derives benefits from the ordinary shares that are taxable as benefits from miscellaneous activities (resultaat uit overige werkzaamheden).
Taxation of savings and investments
If the above-mentioned conditions (i) and (ii) do not apply to the Dutch Resident Individual, the ordinary shares will be subject to an annual Dutch income tax under the regime for savings and investments (inkomen uit sparen en beleggen). Taxation only occurs insofar the Dutch Resident Individual’s net investment assets for the year
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exceed a statutory threshold (heffingvrij vermogen). The net investment assets for the year are the fair market value of the investment assets less the fair market value of the liabilities on January 1 of the relevant calendar year (reference date; peildatum). Actual income or capital gains realized in respect of the ordinary shares are as such not subject to Dutch income tax.
The Dutch Resident Individual’s assets and liabilities taxed under this regime, including the ordinary shares, are allocated over the following three categories: (a) bank savings (banktegoeden), (b) other investments (overige bezittingen), including the ordinary shares, and (c) liabilities (schulden). The taxable benefit for the year (voordeel uit sparen en beleggen) is equal to the product of (x) the total deemed return divided by the sum of bank savings, other investments and liabilities and (b) the sum of bank savings, other investments and liabilities minus the statutory threshold, and is taxed at a flat rate of 32% (rate for 2023).
The deemed return applicable to other investments, including the ordinary shares, is set at 6.17% for the calendar year 2023. Transactions in the three-month period before and after 1 January of the relevant calendar year implemented to arbitrate between the deemed return percentages applicable to bank savings, other investments and liabilities will for this purpose be ignored if the holder of the ordinary shares cannot sufficiently demonstrate that such transactions are implemented for other than tax reasons.
Non-residents of the Netherlands
A holder of our ordinary shares that is neither a Dutch Resident Entity nor a Dutch Resident Individual will not be subject to Dutch income tax in respect of income derived or deemed to be derived from our ordinary shares or in respect of capital gains realized on the disposal or deemed disposal of the ordinary shares, provided that:
i.such holder does not have interest in an enterprise or deemed enterprise (as defined in the Dutch Income Tax Act 2001 and the Dutch Corporate Income Tax Act 1969) which, in whole or in part, is either effectively managed in the Netherlands or carried on through a permanent establishment, a deemed permanent establishment or a permanent representative in the Netherlands and to which enterprise or part of an enterprise the ordinary shares are attributable; and
ii.in the event the holder is an individual, such holder does not carry out any activities in the Netherlands with respect to the ordinary shares that go beyond ordinary asset management and does not derive benefits from the ordinary shares that are taxable as benefits from miscellaneous activities in the Netherlands.
Gift and Inheritance Taxes
Residents of the Netherlands
Gift or inheritance taxes will arise in the Netherlands with respect to a transfer of ordinary shares by way of a gift by, or on the death of, a holder of such ordinary shares who is resident or deemed resident of the Netherlands at the time of the gift or the holder’s death.
Non-residents of the Netherlands
No gift or inheritance taxes will arise in the Netherlands with respect to a transfer of our ordinary shares by way of gift by, or on the death of, a holder of our ordinary shares who is neither resident nor deemed to be resident of the Netherlands, unless:
i.in the case of a gift of our ordinary shares by an individual who at the date of the gift was neither resident nor deemed to be resident of the Netherlands, such individual dies within 180 days after the date of the gift, while being resident or deemed to be resident of the Netherlands;
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ii.in the case of a gift of our ordinary shares made under a condition precedent, the holder of ordinary shares is resident or deemed to be resident of the Netherlands at the time the condition is fulfilled; or
iii.the transfer is otherwise construed as a gift or inheritance made by, or on behalf of, a person who, at the time of the gift or death, is or is deemed to be resident of the Netherlands.
For purposes of Dutch gift and inheritance taxes, amongst others, a person that holds the Dutch nationality will be deemed to be resident of the Netherlands if such person has been resident in the Netherlands at any time during the ten years preceding the date of the gift or such person’s death. Additionally, for purposes of Dutch gift tax, amongst others, a person not holding the Dutch nationality will be deemed to be resident of the Netherlands if such person has been resident in the Netherlands at any time during the twelve months preceding the date of the gift. Applicable tax treaties may override deemed residency.
Value Added Tax (VAT)
No Dutch value added tax will be payable by a holder of our ordinary shares in respect of any payment in consideration for the holding or disposal of our ordinary shares.
Other Taxes and Duties
No Dutch documentation taxes (commonly referred to as stamp duties) will be payable by a holder of our ordinary shares in respect of any payment in consideration for the holding or disposal of our ordinary shares.
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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
This prospectus relates to the offer and sale from time to time by the selling securityholders or their permitted transferees of an aggregate of up to 6,951,340 Ordinary Shares pursuant to the Subscription Agreement. This prospectus also covers any additional securities that may become issuable by reason of share splits, share dividends or other similar transactions. All of the Ordinary Shares offered by the selling securityholders pursuant to this prospectus will be sold by the selling securityholders for their respective accounts. The aggregate proceeds to the selling securityholders from the sale of the Ordinary Shares offered by them will be the purchase price less discounts or commissions, if any. We will not receive any of the proceeds from such sales.
The selling securityholders will pay any discounts and commissions and expenses incurred by the selling securityholders for brokerage, accounting, tax or legal services or any other expenses incurred by the selling securityholders in disposing of the securities. Except as provided otherwise in the Subscription Agreement, we will bear all other costs, fees and expenses incurred in effecting the registration of the securities covered by this prospectus, including, without limitation, all registration and filing fees, Nasdaq listing fees and fees and expenses of our counsel and our independent registered public accountants.
The securities beneficially owned by the selling securityholders covered by this prospectus may be offered and sold from time to time by the selling securityholders. The selling securityholders may also transfer their Ordinary Shares in accordance with the provisions of the Subscription Agreement, in which case such transferees or other successors in interest will be the selling beneficial owners for purposes of this prospectus and may sell the Ordinary Shares from time to time under this prospectus after we have filed an update to this prospectus under Rule 424(b) or other applicable provision of the Securities Act amending the list of selling securityholders to include the permitted transferee or other successors in interest as a “selling security stockholder” under this prospectus. The term “selling securityholders” includes the permitted transferees or other successors in interest selling securities received after the date of this prospectus from the selling securityholders as a gift, pledge, partnership distribution or other transfer. The selling securityholders will act independently of us in making decisions with respect to the timing, manner and size of each sale. Such sales may be made on one or more exchanges or in the over-the-counter market or otherwise, at prices and under terms then prevailing or at prices related to our then current market price or in negotiated transactions. The selling securityholders reserve the right to accept and, together with their agents, to reject, any proposed purchase of securities to be made directly or through agents. The selling securityholders and any of their permitted transferees may sell their securities offered by this prospectus on any stock exchange, market or trading facility on which the securities are traded or in private transactions.
Subject to the limitations set forth in the Subscription Agreement, the selling securityholders may use any one or more of the following methods when selling the securities offered by this prospectus:
•purchases by a broker-dealer as principal and resale by such broker-dealer for its own account pursuant to this prospectus;
•block trades in which the broker-dealer will attempt to sell the shares as agent, but may position and
resell a portion of the block as principal to facilitate the transaction;
•ordinary brokerage transactions and transactions in which the broker solicits purchasers;
•an over-the-counter distribution in accordance with the rules of Nasdaq;
•through trading plans entered into by a selling securityholder pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act that are in place at the time of an offering pursuant to this prospectus;
•short sales effected after the date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part is declared effective by the SEC;
•delayed delivery arrangement;
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•to or through broker-dealers;
•at prices prevailing at the time of sale or at prices related to such prevailing market prices, including sales made directly on a national securities exchange or sales made through a market maker other than on an exchange or other similar offerings through sales agents;
•in privately negotiated transactions;
•in options transactions; or
•through a combination of any of the above methods of sale.
There can be no assurance that the selling securityholders will sell all or any of the securities offered by this prospectus. In addition, the selling securityholders may also sell securities under Rule 144 under the Securities Act, if available, or in other transactions exempt from registration, rather than under this prospectus. The selling securityholders have the sole and absolute discretion not to accept any purchase offer or make any sale of securities if they deem the purchase price to be unsatisfactory at any particular time.
The selling securityholders may also transfer the securities in other circumstances, including in connection with distributions to members, partners, stockholders or other equityholders of the selling securityholders, in which case the permitted transferees or other successors-in-interest will be the selling beneficial owners for purposes of this prospectus. Upon being notified by the selling securityholders that a permitted transferee or other successor-in-interest intends to sell our securities, we will, to the extent required, promptly file a supplement to this prospectus to name specifically such person as a selling securityholder.
The selling securityholders may enter into hedging transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions. In connection with such transactions, broker-dealers or other financial institutions may engage in short sales of the securities in the course of hedging the positions they assume with selling securityholders. The selling securityholders may also sell the securities short and redeliver the securities to close out such short positions. The selling securityholders may also enter into option or other transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions which require the delivery to such broker-dealer or other financial institution of securities offered by this prospectus, which securities such broker-dealer or other financial institution may resell pursuant to this prospectus (as supplemented or amended to reflect such transaction). The selling securityholders may also pledge securities to a broker-dealer or other financial institution, and, upon a default, such broker-dealer or other financial institution, may effect sales of the pledged securities pursuant to this prospectus (as supplemented or amended to reflect such transaction).
To the extent required, our Ordinary Shares to be sold, the respective purchase prices and public offering prices, the names of any agent, dealer or underwriter, and any applicable discounts, commissions, concessions or other compensation with respect to a particular offer will be set forth in an accompanying prospectus supplement or, if appropriate, a post-effective amendment to the registration statement that includes this prospectus.
In order to facilitate the offering of the securities, any agents involved in the offering of such securities may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of our securities. Specifically, the agents, as the case may be, may overallot in connection with the offering, creating a short position in our securities for their own account. In addition, to cover overallotments or to stabilize the price of our securities, the agents may bid for, and purchase, such securities in the open market. The agents are not required to engage in these activities, and may end any of these activities at any time.
The selling securityholders may solicit offers to purchase the securities directly from, and they may sell such securities directly to, institutional investors or others. In this case, no agents would be involved. The terms of any of those sales, including the terms of any bidding or auction process, if utilized, will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
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We cannot give any assurance as to the liquidity of the trading market for our securities. Our Ordinary Shares are listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “PHVS.”
The selling securityholder may be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act with respect to the shares it is offering for resale.
In effecting sales, broker-dealers or agents engaged by the selling securityholders may arrange for other broker-dealers to participate. Broker-dealers or agents may receive commissions, discounts or concessions from the selling securityholders in amounts to be negotiated immediately prior to the sale.
We have agreed to indemnify the selling securityholders against certain liabilities, including certain liabilities under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or other federal or state law. We may enter into agreements to indemnify dealers and agents against civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments they may be required to make in respect thereof and to reimburse those persons for certain expenses.
We have agreed with the selling securityholders pursuant to the Subscription Agreement to use commercially reasonable efforts to keep the registration statement of which this prospectus constitutes a part effective until the earlier of the following: (i) the date on which the Ordinary Shares subscribed for by the selling securityholders pursuant to the Subscription Agreement may be resold without volume or manner of sale limitations, and without the requirement that the Company be current in its public reporting, in each case pursuant to Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act, (ii) the date on which all Ordinary Shares subscribed for by the selling securityholders pursuant to the Subscription Agreement have actually been sold and (iii) the date which is three (3) years after this registration statement is declared effective.
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DESCRIPTION OF SHARE CAPITAL
This section of the registration statement includes a description of the material terms of Pharvaris’ articles of association and of applicable Dutch law. The following description is intended as a summary only and does not constitute legal advice regarding those matters and should not be regarded as such. The description is qualified in its entirety by reference to the complete text of Pharvaris’ articles of association, which are included as an exhibit to this registration statement. We urge you to read the full text of Pharvaris’ articles of association.
Description of Ordinary Shares of the Registrant
As of the date of this prospectus, we have only one class of securities registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; our registered ordinary shares.
We are registered with the Trade Register of the Chamber of Commerce (Kamer van Koophandel) under number 64239411. Our corporate seat is in Leiden, the Netherlands, and our registered office is also in Leiden, the Netherlands.
The following description of our ordinary shares is a summary and does not purport to be complete. It is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to our Articles of Association, which are incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-8 filed with the SEC on February 9, 2021.
A. Ordinary Shares
Our ordinary shares and preferred shares shall be in registered form (op naam). We may issue share certificates (aandeelbewijzen) for registered shares in such form as may be approved by our Board. Our authorized share capital amounts to €14,100,000, divided into 58,750,000 ordinary shares, each with a nominal value of €0.12, and 58,750,000 preferred shares, each with a nominal value of €0.12.
Under Dutch law, our authorized share capital is the maximum capital that we may issue without amending our Articles of Association.
The following summarizes the main rights of holders of our ordinary shares:
I. each holder of ordinary shares is entitled to one vote per share on all matters to be voted on by shareholders generally, including the appointment of directors;
II. there are no cumulative voting rights;
III. the holders of our ordinary shares are entitled to dividends and other distributions as may be declared from time to time by us out of funds legally available for that purpose, if any, following payment of the preferred dividend if any preferred shares are or have been outstanding (to the extent holders or former holders of preferred shares are entitled to such distribution under our Articles of Association);
IV. upon our liquidation or dissolution, the holders of ordinary shares will be entitled to share ratably in the distribution of all of our assets remaining available for distribution after satisfaction of all our liabilities, following payment of the preferred dividend if any preferred shares are or have been outstanding (to the extent holders or former holders of preferred shares are entitled to such distribution under our Articles of Association); and
V. the holders of ordinary shares have preemptive rights in case of share issuances or the grant of rights to subscribe for shares, except if such rights are limited or excluded by the corporate body
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authorized to do so and except in such cases as provided by Dutch law and our Articles of Association.
B. Amendment to our Articles of Association
An amendment to our Articles of Association would require a resolution of the general meeting upon proposal by the Board.
C. Limitations on the Rights to Own Ordinary Shares
Our ordinary shares may be issued to individuals, corporations, trusts, estates of deceased individuals, partnerships and unincorporated associations of persons. Our Articles of Association contain no limitation on the rights to own our ordinary shares and no limitation on the rights of nonresidents of the Netherlands or foreign shareholders to hold or exercise voting rights. Our preferred shares shall only be issued to the protective foundation, if and when incorporated.
D. Limitation on Liability and Indemnification Matters
Under Dutch law, directors may be held liable for damages in the event of improper or negligent performance of their duties. They may be held jointly and severally liable for damages to the Company and to third parties for infringement of the Articles of Association or of certain provisions of Dutch law. In certain circumstances, they may also incur additional specific civil and criminal liabilities. Subject to certain exceptions, our Articles of Association provide for indemnification of our current and former directors (and other current and former officers and employees as designated by our Board). No indemnification under our Articles of Association shall be given to an indemnified person:
•if a competent court or arbitral tribunal has established, without having (or no longer having) the possibility for appeal, that the acts or omissions of such indemnified person that led to the financial losses, damages, expenses, suit, claim, action or legal proceedings as described above are of an unlawful nature (including acts or omissions which are considered to constitute malice, gross negligence, intentional recklessness and/or serious culpability attributable to such indemnified person);
•to the extent that his or her financial losses, damages and expenses are covered under insurance and the relevant insurer has settled, or has provided reimbursement for, these financial losses, damages and expenses (or has irrevocably undertaken to do so);
•in relation to proceedings brought by such indemnified person against the Company, except for proceedings brought to enforce indemnification to which he or she is entitled pursuant to our Articles of Association, pursuant to an agreement between such indemnified person and the Company which has been approved by the Board or pursuant to insurance taken out by the Company for the benefit of such indemnified person; or
•for any financial losses, damages or expenses incurred in connection with a settlement of any proceedings effected without the Company’s prior consent.
Under our Articles of Association, our Board may stipulate additional terms, conditions and restrictions in relation to the indemnification described above.
E. Shareholders’ Meetings and Consents
General Meeting
General meetings may be held in Amsterdam, Arnhem, Assen, The Hague, Haarlem, s-Hertogenbosch, Groningen, Leeuwarden, Lelystad, Leiden, Maastricht, Middelburg, Rotterdam, Schiphol (Haarlemmermeer), Utrecht or Zwolle, all in the Netherlands. The annual general meeting must be held within six months of the end of
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each financial year. Additional extraordinary general meetings may also be held, whenever considered appropriate by the Board, and shall be held within three months after our Board has considered it to be likely that our shareholders’ equity (eigen vermogen) has decreased to an amount equal to or lower than half of our paid-up and called-up share capital, in order to discuss the measures to be taken if so required.
Pursuant to Dutch law, one or more shareholders or others with meeting rights under Dutch law who jointly represent at least one-tenth of our issued share capital may request us to convene a general meeting, setting out in detail the matters to be discussed. If our Board has not taken the steps necessary to ensure that such meeting can be held within six weeks after the request, the proponent(s) may, on their application, be authorized by the competent Dutch court in preliminary relief proceedings to convene a general meeting. The court shall disallow the application if it does not appear that the proponent(s) have previously requested our Board to convene a general meeting and our Board has not taken the necessary steps so that the general meeting could be held within six weeks after the request. The application shall also be disallowed if the proponent(s) has/have not demonstrated to have a reasonable interest in the convening of the general meeting.
General meetings must be convened by an announcement published in a Dutch daily newspaper with national distribution. The notice must state the agenda, the time and place of the meeting, the record date (if any), the procedure for participating in the general meeting by proxy, as well as other information as required by Dutch law. The notice must be given at least 15 calendar days prior to the day of the meeting. The agenda for the annual general meeting shall include, among other things, the adoption of the statutory annual accounts, appropriation of our profits and proposals relating to the composition of the Board, including the filling of any vacancies in the Board. In addition, the agenda shall include such items as have been included therein by the Board.
The agenda shall also include such items requested by one or more shareholders, or others with meeting rights under Dutch law, representing at least 3% of our issued share capital. These requests must be made in writing or by electronic means and received by the Board at least 60 days before the day of the meeting. No resolutions shall be adopted on items other than those that have been included in the agenda.
In accordance with the Dutch Corporate Governance Code, or the DCGC, and our Articles of Association, shareholders having the right to put item on the agenda under the rules described above, shall exercise such right only after consulting the Board in that respect. If one or more shareholders intend to request that an item be put on the agenda that may result in a change in the Company’s strategy (for example, the removal of directors), the Board must be given the opportunity to invoke a reasonable period to respond to such intention. Such period shall not exceed 180 days (or such other period as may be stipulated for such purpose by Dutch law and/or the DCGC from time to time). If invoked, the Board must use such response period for further deliberation and constructive consultation, in any event with the shareholders concerned, and must explore alternatives. At the end of the response time, the Board must report on this consultation and the exploration of alternatives to the general meeting. The response period may be invoked only once for any given general meeting and shall not apply: (a) in respect of a matter for which either a response period or a statutory cooling-off period (as discussed below) has been previously invoked; or (b) in situations where a shareholder holds at least 75% of the Company’s issued share capital as a consequence of a successful public bid. The response period may also be invoked in response to shareholders or others with meeting rights under Dutch law requesting that a general meeting be convened, as described above.
In addition, our Board can invoke a cooling-off period of up to 250 days when shareholders, using their right to have items added to the agenda for a general meeting or their right to request a general meeting, propose an agenda item for our general meeting to dismiss, suspend or appoint one or more directors (or to amend any provision in the Articles of Association dealing with those matters) or when a public offer for our company is made or announced without our support, provided, in each case, that our Board believes that such proposal or offer materially conflicts with the interests of our company and its business. During a cooling-off period, our general meeting cannot dismiss, suspend or appoint directors (or amend the provisions in the Articles of Association dealing with those matters) except at the proposal of our Board.
During a cooling-off period, our Board must gather all relevant information necessary for a careful decision-making process and at least consult with shareholders representing 3% or more of our issued share capital at the time the cooling-off period was invoked, as well as with our Dutch works council (if we or, under certain circumstances, any of our subsidiaries would have one). Formal statements expressed by these stakeholders during
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such consultations must be published on our website to the extent these stakeholders have approved that publication. Ultimately one week following the last day of the cooling-off period, our Board must publish a report in respect of its policy and conduct of affairs during the cooling-off period on our website. This report must remain available at our office for inspection by shareholders and others with meeting rights under Dutch law and must be tabled for discussion at the next general meeting. Shareholders representing at least 3% of our issued share capital may request the Enterprise Chamber for early termination of the cooling-off period. The Enterprise Chamber must rule in favor of the request if the shareholders can demonstrate that:
•our Board, in light of the circumstances at hand when the cooling-off period was invoked, could not reasonably have concluded that the relevant proposal or hostile offer constituted a material conflict with the interests of our company and its business;
•our Board cannot reasonably believe that a continuation of the cooling-off period would contribute to careful policy-making; or
•other defensive measures, having the same purpose, nature and scope as the cooling-off period, have been activated during the cooling-off period and have not since been terminated or suspended within a reasonable period at the relevant shareholders’ request (i.e., no ‘stacking’ of defensive measures).
The general meeting is presided over by the chair of the Board. If no chair has been elected or if he or she is not present at the meeting, the general meeting shall be presided over by the vice-Chair. If no vice-Chair has been elected or if he or she is not present at the meeting, the general meeting shall be presided over by the chief executive officer. If no chief executive officer has been elected or if he or she is not present at the meeting, the general meeting shall be presided over by another director present at the meeting. If no director is present at the meeting, the general meeting shall be presided over by any other person appointed by the general meeting. In each case, the person who should chair the general meeting pursuant to the rules described above may appoint another person to chair the general meeting instead. Directors may always attend a general meeting. In these meetings, they have an advisory vote. The chair of the meeting may decide at his or her discretion to admit other persons to the meeting.
All shareholders and others with meeting rights under Dutch law are authorized to attend the general meeting, to address the meeting and, in so far as they have such right, to vote pro rata to his or her shareholding. Shareholders may exercise these rights, if they are the holders of shares on the record date, if any, as required by Dutch law, which is currently the 28th day before the day of the general meeting. Under our Articles of Association, shareholders and others with meeting rights under Dutch law must notify us in writing or by electronic means of their identity and intention to attend the general meeting. This notice must be received by us ultimately on the seventh day prior to the general meeting, unless indicated otherwise when such meeting is convened.
Quorum and voting requirements
Each ordinary share and each preferred share, if any are outstanding, confers the right on the holder to cast one vote at the general meeting. Shareholders may vote by proxy. No votes may be cast at a general meeting on shares held by us or our subsidiaries or on shares for which we or our subsidiaries hold depository receipts. Nonetheless, the holders of a right of usufruct (vruchtgebruik) and the holders of a right of pledge (pandrecht) in respect of shares held by us or our subsidiaries in our share capital are not excluded from the right to vote on such shares, if the right of usufruct (vruchtgebruik) or the right of pledge (pandrecht) was granted prior to the time such shares were acquired by us or any of our subsidiaries. Neither we nor any of our subsidiaries may cast votes in respect of a share on which we or such subsidiary holds a right of usufruct (vruchtgebruik) or a right of pledge (pandrecht). Shares which are not entitled to voting rights pursuant to the preceding sentences will not be taken into account for the purpose of determining the number of shareholders that vote and that are present or represented, or the amount of the share capital that is provided or that is represented at a general meeting.
Decisions of the general meeting are taken by a simple majority of votes cast, except where Dutch law or our Articles of Association provide for a qualified majority or unanimity.
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F. Board
Appointment of directors
Under our Articles of Association, the directors are appointed by the general meeting upon binding nomination by our Board, on a recommendation of our nomination and corporate governance committee. However, the general meeting may at all times overrule the binding nomination by a resolution adopted by at least a two-thirds majority of the votes cast, provided such majority represents more than half of the issued share capital. If the general meeting overrules the binding nomination, the Board shall make a new nomination.
At a general meeting, a resolution to appoint a director can only be passed in respect of candidates whose names are stated for that purpose in the agenda of that general meeting or in the explanatory notes thereto. Upon the appointment of a person as a director, the general meeting shall determine whether that person is appointed as executive director or as non-executive director.
Duties and liabilities of directors
Under Dutch law, the Board as a collective is responsible for our management, strategy, policy and operations. The executive directors manage our day-to-day business and operations and implement our strategy. The non-executive directors supervise the performance of the duties of our directors, our policy and our general course of affairs.
Subject to certain limitations under Dutch law, the directors may divide their tasks among themselves in or pursuant to the internal rules applicable to the Board. Each director has a statutory duty to act in the corporate interest of the Company and its business. Under Dutch law, the corporate interest extends to the interests of all corporate stakeholders, such as shareholders, creditors, employees, customers and suppliers. The duty to act in the corporate interest of the Company also applies in the event of a proposed sale or break-up of the Company, provided that the circumstances generally dictate how such duty is to be applied and how the respective interests of various groups of stakeholders should be weighed. Any resolution of the Board regarding a material change in our identity or character requires approval of the general meeting.
G. Dividends and Other Distributions
Amount available for distribution
We may only make distributions, whether of profits or from our reserves, to our shareholders to the extent our shareholders’ equity (eigen vermogen) exceeds the sum of the paid-up and called-up share capital plus any reserves required by Dutch law or by our Articles of Association. Under our Articles of Association, if any preferred shares are or have been outstanding, the preferred dividend is first paid out of the profit, if available for distribution, to the holders or former holders, as applicable, of those preferred shares to the extent they are entitled to such distribution under our Articles of Association. Our Board may decide that all or part of our remaining profits are carried to reserves. After such reservation, any remaining profit will be at the disposal of the general meeting at the proposal of our Board for distribution on our ordinary shares, subject to the applicable restrictions of Dutch law.
We only make a distribution of dividends to our shareholders after the adoption of our annual accounts demonstrating that such distribution is legally permitted. The Board is permitted, subject to certain requirements, to declare interim dividends without the approval of the general meeting.
Dividends and other distributions shall be made payable not later than the date determined by the Board. Claims to dividends and other distributions not made within five years from the date that such dividends or distributions became payable, will lapse and any such amounts will be considered to have been forfeited to us (verjaring).
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Exchange controls
Under Dutch law, there are no exchange controls applicable to the transfer to persons outside of the Netherlands of dividends or other distributions with respect to, or of the proceeds from the sale of, shares of a Dutch company, subject to applicable restrictions under sanctions and measures, including those concerning export control, pursuant to European Union regulations, the Sanctions Act 1977 (Sanctiewet 1977) or other legislation, applicable anti-boycott regulations, applicable anti-money-laundering regulations and similar rules and provided that, under certain circumstances, payments of such dividends or other distributions must be reported to the Dutch Central Bank at their request for statistical purposes. There are no special restrictions in the Articles of Association or Dutch law that limit the right of shareholders who are not citizens or residents of the Netherlands to hold or vote shares.
Squeeze-out procedures
A shareholder who alone or together with group companies holds at least 95% of our issued share capital for his or her own account may initiate proceedings against the other shareholders jointly for the transfer of their shares to such shareholder. The proceedings are held before the Enterprise Chamber, and can be instituted by means of a writ of summons served upon each of the other shareholders in accordance with the provisions of the Dutch Code of Civil Procedure (Wetboek van Burgerlijke Rechtsvordering). The Enterprise Chamber may grant the claim for squeeze-out in relation to the other shareholders and will determine the price to be paid for the shares, if necessary after appointment of one or three experts who will offer an opinion to the Enterprise Chamber on the value to be paid for the shares of the other shareholders. Once the order to transfer becomes final before the Enterprise Chamber, the person acquiring the shares shall give written notice of the date and place of payment and the price to the holders of the shares to be acquired whose addresses are known to him. Unless the addresses of all of them are known to the acquiring person, such person is required to publish the same in a daily newspaper with a national circulation.
H. Dissolution and Liquidation
Under our Articles of Association, we may be dissolved by a resolution of the general meeting, subject to a proposal of the Board. In the event of a dissolution, the liquidation shall be effected by the Board, unless the general meeting decides otherwise. During liquidation, the provisions of our Articles of Association will remain in force as far as possible. To the extent that any assets remain after payment of our liabilities, if any preferred shares are or have been outstanding, a liquidation distribution equal to the preferred dividend is first paid out to the holders or former holders of those preferred shares (to the extent they are entitled to such distribution under our Articles of Association). Thereafter, any remaining assets shall be distributed to the holders of ordinary shares in proportion to their ordinary shares.
I. Exclusive Forum
Our Articles of Association provide that the U.S. federal district courts shall be the sole and exclusive forum for any claim asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. 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. This choice of forum provision may limit a shareholder’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 increase the costs associated with such lawsuits, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and employees. Alternatively, if a court were to find these provisions of our Articles of Association inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our business and financial condition. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in our share capital shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the choice of forum provisions of our Articles of Association described above.
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J. Comparison of Dutch Corporate Law and U.S. Corporate Law
The following comparison between Dutch corporate law, which applies to us, and Delaware corporation law, the law under which many publicly listed corporations in the United States are incorporated, discusses additional matters not otherwise described in this prospectus. Although we believe this summary is materially accurate, the summary is subject to Dutch law, including Book 2 of the Dutch Civil Code and the DCGC and Delaware corporation law, including the Delaware General Corporation Law.
Dutch Corporate Governance Code
As a listed Dutch public company with limited liability (naamloze vennootschap), we are subject to the DCGC. The DCGC contains principles and best practice provisions on corporate governance that regulate relations between the board of directors and the general meeting and matters in respect of financial reporting, auditors, disclosure, compliance and enforcement standards. The DCGC is based on a “comply or explain” principle. Accordingly, companies must disclose in their statutory annual reports whether they comply with the provisions of the DCGC. If a company subject to the DCGC does not comply with those provisions, that company would be required to give the reasons for such non-compliance. We do not comply with all best practice provisions of the DCGC. As of the date of this prospectus, our main deviations from the DCGC are summarized below, but we cannot exclude the possibility of deviating from additional provisions of the DCGC after the date of this prospectus, including in order to follow market practice or governance practices in the United States.
Under our Articles of Association, directors are to be appointed on the basis of a binding nomination prepared by the Board. This means that the nominee will be appointed to the Board, unless the general meeting removes the binding nature of the nomination (in which case a new nomination will be prepared for a subsequent general meeting). Our Articles of Association provide that the general meeting can only pass such resolution by at least a two-thirds majority of the votes cast, representing more than half of the issued share capital. However, the DCGC recommends that the general meeting can pass such a resolution by simple majority, representing no more than one-third of the issued share capital.
Under the Articles of Association, directors can only be dismissed by the general meeting by simple majority, provided that the Board proposes the dismissal. In other cases, the general meeting can only pass such resolution by a two-thirds majority representing more than half of the issued share capital. The DCGC recommends that the general meeting can pass a resolution to dismiss a director by simple majority, representing no more than one-third of the issued share capital.
The DCGC recommends against providing equity awards as part of the compensation of a non-executive director. However, consistent with U.S. market practice, we have granted equity awards to our non-executive directors.
Our equity incentive plan allows us to set the terms and conditions of equity awards granted thereunder. Under our equity incentive plan, we may grant ordinary shares that are not subject to a lock-up period of at least five years after the date of grant, and we may grant options without restricting the exercisability of those options during the first three years after the date of grant. In those cases, this would cause additional deviations from the DCGC.
Corporate Governance
Duties of Directors
The Netherlands. We have a one-tier board structure consisting of one or more executive directors and one or more non-executive directors. Under Dutch law, the board of directors as a collective is responsible for our management, strategy, policy and operations. The executive directors manage our day-to-day business and operations and implement our strategy. The non-executive directors supervise the performance of the duties of our directors, our policy and our general course of affairs. Subject to certain limitations under Dutch law, the directors may divide their tasks among themselves in or pursuant to the internal rules applicable to the board of directors. Each director has a statutory duty to act in the corporate interest of the Company and its business. Under Dutch law,
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the corporate interest extends to the interests of all corporate stakeholders, such as shareholders, creditors, employees, customers and suppliers. The duty to act in the corporate interest of the Company also applies in the event of a proposed sale or break-up of the Company, provided that the circumstances generally dictate how such duty is to be applied and how the respective interests of various groups of stakeholders should be weighed. Any resolution of the board of directors regarding a material change in our identity or character requires approval of the general meeting.
Delaware. The board of directors bears the ultimate responsibility for managing the business and affairs of a corporation. In discharging this function, directors of a Delaware corporation owe fiduciary duties of care and loyalty to the corporation and to its stockholders. Delaware courts have decided that the directors of a Delaware corporation are required to exercise informed business judgment in the performance of their duties. Informed business judgment means that the directors have informed themselves of all material information reasonably available to them. The duty of loyalty may be summarized as the duty to act in good faith, not out of self-interest, and in a manner that the director reasonably believes to be in the best interests of the stockholders. Under certain circumstances (such as defensive actions in response to a change of control), Delaware courts may also impose more rigorous standards of conduct upon directors of a Delaware corporation.
Director terms
The Netherlands. The DCGC provides the following best practice recommendations on the terms for directors’ service:
•Executive directors should be appointed for a maximum period of four years, without limiting the number of consecutive terms executive directors may serve.
•Non-executive directors should be appointed for two consecutive periods of no more than four years. Thereafter, non-executive directors may be reappointed for a maximum of two consecutive periods of no more than two years, provided that in the event of reappointment after an eight-year term of office the reasons for such reappointment should be disclosed in the Company’s statutory annual Board report.
The general meeting shall at all times be entitled to suspend or dismiss a director. Under our Articles of Association, the general meeting may only adopt a resolution to suspend or dismiss such director by at least a two-thirds majority of the votes cast, provided such majority represents more than half of the issued share capital, unless the resolution is passed at the proposal of the board of directors, in which case a simple majority of the votes cast is sufficient. If a director is suspended and the general meeting does not resolve to dismiss him or her within three months from the date of such suspension, the suspension shall lapse.
Delaware. The Delaware General Corporation Law generally provides for a one-year term for directors, but permits directorships to be divided into up to three classes with up to three-year terms, with the years for each class expiring in different years, if permitted by the certificate of incorporation, an initial bylaw or a bylaw adopted by the stockholders. A director elected to serve a term on a “classified” board may not be removed by stockholders without cause. There is no limit in the number of terms a director may serve.
Director vacancies
The Netherlands. Our Board can temporarily fill vacancies in its midst caused by temporary absence or incapacity of directors without requiring a shareholder vote. If all of our directors are absent or incapacitated, our management shall be attributed to the person who most recently ceased to hold office as the chair of our Board. If such former chair would be unwilling or unable to accept that position, our management would be attributed to the person who most recently ceased to hold office as our chief executive officer. If such former chief executive officer would also be unwilling or unable to accept that position, our management would be attributed to one or more persons whom the general meeting would designate for that purpose. The person(s) charged with our management in this manner, may designate one or more persons to be charged with our management instead of, or together with, such person(s).
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Under Dutch law, directors are appointed and reappointed by the general meeting, on a recommendation of our nomination and corporate governance committee. Under our Articles of Association, directors are appointed by the general meeting upon the binding nomination by our Board. However, the general meeting may at all times overrule the binding nomination by a resolution adopted by at least a two-thirds majority of the votes cast, provided such majority represents more than half of the issued share capital. If the general meeting overrules the binding nomination, the Board shall make a new nomination.
Delaware. The Delaware General Corporation Law provides that vacancies and newly created directorships may be filled by a majority of the directors then in office (even though less than a quorum) unless (i) otherwise provided in the certificate of incorporation or bylaws of the corporation or (ii) the certificate of incorporation directs that a particular class of stock is to elect such director, in which case any other directors elected by such class, or a sole remaining director elected by such class, will fill such vacancy.
Conflict-of-interest transactions
The Netherlands. Under Dutch law and our Articles of Association, our directors shall not take part in any discussion or decision-making that involves a subject or transaction in relation to which he or she has a direct or indirect personal conflict of interest with us. Such a conflict of interest would generally arise if the director concerned is unable to serve our interests and the business connected with it with the required level of integrity and objectivity due to the existence of the conflicting personal interest. Our Articles of Association provide that if as a result of conflicts of interests no resolution of the Board can be adopted, the resolution may nonetheless be adopted by the Board as if none of the directors had a conflict of interest. In that latter case, each director is entitled to participate in the discussion and decision-making process and to cast a vote.
The DCGC provides the following best practice recommendations in relation to conflicts of interests in respect of directors:
•A director should report any conflict of interest or potential conflict of interest in a transaction that is of material significance to the company and/or to such person to the chairperson of the board of directors without delay and should provide all relevant information in that regard, including the relevant information pertaining to his or her spouse, registered partner or other life companion, foster child and relatives by blood or marriage up to the second degree. If the chairperson of the board of directors has a conflict of interest or potential conflict of interest, he or she should report this to the vice-chairperson of the board of directors without delay;
•the board of directors should decide, outside the presence of the director concerned, whether there is a conflict of interest;
•transactions in which there are conflicts of interest with directors should be agreed on terms that are customary in the market; and
•decisions to enter into transactions in which there are conflicts of interest with directors that are of material significance to the Company and/or to the relevant directors should require the approval of the Board. Such transactions should be published in our statutory annual report, together with a description of the conflict of interest and a declaration that the relevant best practice provisions of the DCGC have been complied with.
Delaware. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law transactions involving a Delaware corporation and an interested director of that corporation would not be voidable if:
•the material facts as to the director’s relationship or interest are disclosed or known to the board of directors and the board in good faith authorizes the transaction by the affirmative vote of a majority of the disinterested directors;
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•the material facts are disclosed or known as to the director’s relationship or interest and the transaction is specifically approved in good faith by vote of the majority of shares entitled to vote thereon; or
•the transaction is fair to the corporation at the time it is authorized by the board of directors, a committee of the board of directors or the stockholders.
Proxy voting by directors
The Netherlands. An absent director may issue a proxy for a specific board meeting but only to another director in writing or by electronic means.
Delaware. A director of a Delaware corporation may not issue a proxy representing the director’s voting rights as a director.
Shareholders Rights
Voting Rights
The Netherlands. In accordance with Dutch law and our Articles of Association, each issued ordinary share and each issued preferred share, if any are outstanding, confers the right to cast one vote at the general meeting. No votes may be cast at a general meeting on shares held by us or our subsidiaries or on shares for which we or our subsidiaries hold depository receipts. Nonetheless, the holders of a right of usufruct (vruchtgebruik) and the holders of a right of pledge (pandrecht) in respect of shares held by us or our subsidiaries in our share capital are not excluded from the right to vote on such shares, if the right of usufruct (vruchtgebruik) or the right of pledge (pandrecht) was granted prior to the time such shares were acquired by us or any of our subsidiaries. Neither we nor any of our subsidiaries may cast votes in respect of a share on which we or such subsidiary holds a right of usufruct (vruchtgebruik) or a right of pledge (pandrecht). Shares which are not entitled to voting rights pursuant to the preceding sentences will not be taken into account for the purpose of determining the number of shareholders that vote and that are present or represented, or the amount of the share capital that is provided or that is represented at a general meeting.
In accordance with our Articles of Association, for each general meeting, the Board may determine that a record date will be applied in order to establish which shareholders are entitled to attend and vote at the general meeting. Such record date shall be the 28th day prior to the day of the general meeting. The record date and the manner in which shareholders can register and exercise their rights will be set out in the notice of the meeting which must be published in a Dutch daily newspaper with national distribution at least 15 days prior to the meeting (and such notice may therefore be published after the record date for such meeting). Under our Articles of Association, shareholders and others with meeting rights under Dutch law must notify us in writing or by electronic means of their identity and intention to attend the general meeting. This notice must be received by us ultimately on the seventh day prior to the general meeting, unless indicated otherwise when such meeting is convened.
Delaware. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, each stockholder is entitled to one vote per share of stock, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. In addition, the certificate of incorporation may provide for cumulative voting at all elections of directors of the corporation, or at elections held under specified circumstances. Either the certificate of incorporation or the bylaws may specify the number of shares and/or the amount of other securities that must be represented at a meeting in order to constitute a quorum, but in no event will a quorum consist of less than one-third of the shares entitled to vote at a meeting.
Stockholders as of the record date for the meeting are entitled to vote at the meeting, and the board of directors may fix a record date that is no more than 60 nor less than 10 days before the date of the meeting, and if no record date is set then the record date is the close of business on the day next preceding the day on which notice is given, or if notice is waived then the record date is the close of business on the day next preceding the day on which the meeting is held. The determination of the stockholders of record entitled to notice or to vote at a meeting of stockholders shall apply to any adjournment of the meeting, but the board of directors may fix a new record date for the adjourned meeting.
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Shareholder proposals
The Netherlands. Pursuant to our Articles of Association, extraordinary general meetings will be held whenever required under Dutch law or whenever our Board deems such to be appropriate or necessary. Pursuant to Dutch law, one or more shareholders or others with meeting rights under Dutch law who jointly represent at least one-tenth of our issued share capital may request us to convene a general meeting, setting out in detail the matters to be discussed. If our Board has not taken the steps necessary to ensure that such meeting can be held within six weeks after the request, the proponent(s) may, on their application, be authorized by the competent Dutch court in preliminary relief proceedings to convene a general meeting. The court shall disallow the application if it does not appear that the proponent(s) has/have previously requested our Board to convene a general meeting and our Board has not taken the necessary steps so that the general meeting could be held within six weeks after the request. The application shall also be disallowed if the proponent(s) has/have not demonstrated to have a reasonable interest in the convening of the general meeting.
Also, the agenda for a general meeting shall include such items requested by one or more shareholders, and others with meeting rights under Dutch law, representing at least 3% of our issued share capital, except where the Articles of Association state a lower percentage. Our Articles of Association do not state such lower percentage. These requests must be made in writing or by electronic means and received by the Board at least 60 days before the day of the meeting. No resolutions shall be adopted on items other than those that have been included in the agenda.
In accordance with the DCGC, and our Articles of Association, shareholders having the right to put item on the agenda under the rules described above, shall exercise such right only after consulting the Board in that respect. If one or more shareholders intend to request that an item be put on the agenda that may result in a change in the Company’s strategy (for example, the removal of directors), the Board must be given the opportunity to invoke a reasonable period to respond to such intention. Such period shall not exceed 180 days (or such other period as may be stipulated for such purpose by Dutch law and/or the DCGC from time to time). If invoked, the Board must use such response period for further deliberation and constructive consultation, in any event with the shareholders concerned, and must explore alternatives. At the end of the response time, the Board must report on this consultation and the exploration of alternatives to the general meeting. The response period may be invoked only once for any given general meeting and shall not apply: (a) in respect of a matter for which either a response period has been previously invoked; or (b) in situations where a shareholder holds at least 75% of the Company’s issued share capital as a consequence of a successful public bid. The response period may also be invoked in response to shareholders or others with meeting rights under Dutch law requesting that a general meeting be convened, as described above.
In addition, our Board can invoke a cooling-off period of up to 250 days when shareholders, using their right to have items added to the agenda for a general meeting or their right to request a general meeting, propose an agenda item for our general meeting to dismiss, suspend or appoint one or more directors (or to amend any provision in the Articles of Association dealing with those matters) or when a public offer for our company is made or announced without our support, provided, in each case, that our Board believes that such proposal or offer materially conflicts with the interests of our company and its business. During a cooling-off period, our general meeting cannot dismiss, suspend or appoint directors (or amend the provisions in the Articles of Association dealing with those matters) except at the proposal of our Board.
During a cooling-off period, our Board must gather all relevant information necessary for a careful decision-making process and at least consult with shareholders representing 3% or more of our issued share capital at the time the cooling-off period was invoked, as well as with our Dutch works council (if we or, under certain circumstances, any of our subsidiaries would have one). Formal statements expressed by these stakeholders during such consultations must be published on our website to the extent these stakeholders have approved that publication. Ultimately one week following the last day of the cooling-off period, our Board must publish a report in respect of its policy and conduct of affairs during the cooling-off period on our website. This report must remain available at our office for inspection by shareholders and others with meeting rights under Dutch law and must be tabled for discussion at the next general meeting. Shareholders representing at least 3% of our issued share capital may request the Enterprise Chamber for early termination of the cooling-off period. The Enterprise Chamber must rule in favor of the request if the shareholders can demonstrate that:
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•our Board, in light of the circumstances at hand when the cooling-off period was invoked, could not reasonably have concluded that the relevant proposal or hostile offer constituted a material conflict with the interests of our company and its business;
•our Board cannot reasonably believe that a continuation of the cooling-off period would contribute to careful policy-making; or
•other defensive measures, having the same purpose, nature and scope as the cooling-off period, have been activated during the cooling-off period and have not since been terminated or suspended within a reasonable period at the relevant shareholders’ request (i.e., no ‘stacking’ of defensive measures).
Delaware. Delaware law does not specifically grant stockholders the right to bring business before an annual or special meeting. Delaware law provides that stockholders have the right to put any proposal before the annual meeting of stockholders, so long as it complies with the notice provisions in the corporation’s governing documents. In addition, if a Delaware corporation is subject to the SEC’s proxy rules, a stockholder who satisfies certain specified criteria with respect to the amount and length of ownership of the corporation’s securities, such stockholder may be eligible to have its proposal included in the corporation’s proxy statement for consideration by all of the corporation’s shareholders.
Action by written consent
The Netherlands. Under Dutch law, shareholders’ resolutions may be adopted in writing without holding a meeting of shareholders, provided that (i) the Articles of Association allow such action by written consent, (ii) the Company has not issued bearer shares or, with its cooperation, depository receipts for shares in its capital, and (iii) the resolution is adopted unanimously by all shareholders that are entitled to vote. Although our Articles of Association allow for shareholders’ resolutions to be adopted in writing, the requirement of unanimity renders the adoption of shareholder resolutions without holding a meeting not feasible for us as a publicly traded Company.
Delaware. Although permitted by Delaware law, publicly listed companies do not typically permit stockholders of a corporation to take action by written consent.
Appraisal rights
The Netherlands. Subject to certain exceptions, Dutch law does not recognize the concept of appraisal or dissenters’ rights. However, Dutch law does provide for squeeze-out procedures as described under “—G. Dividends and Other Distributions—Squeeze-out procedures.” Also, Dutch law provides for cash exit rights in certain situations for dissenting shareholders of a company organized under Dutch law entering into certain types of mergers. In those situations, a dissenting shareholder may file a claim with the Dutch company for compensation. Such compensation shall then be determined by one or more independent experts. The shares of such shareholder that are subject to such claim will cease to exist as of the moment of entry into effect of the merger.
Delaware. The Delaware General Corporation Law provides for stockholder appraisal rights, or the right to demand payment in cash of the judicially determined fair value of the stockholder’s shares, in connection with certain mergers and consolidations.
Shareholder suits
The Netherlands. In the event a third-party is liable to a Dutch company, only the Company itself can bring a civil action against that party. The individual shareholders do not have the right to bring an action on behalf of the Company. Only in the event that the cause for the liability of a third-party to the Company also constitutes a tortious act directly against a shareholder does that shareholder have an individual right of action against such third-party in its own name. Dutch law provides for the possibility to initiate such actions collectively, in which a foundation or an association can act as a class representative and has standing to commence proceedings and claim damages if certain criteria are met. The court will first determine if those criteria are met. If so, the case will go forward as a class action on the merits after a period allowing class members to opt out from the case has lapsed. All members of the
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class who are residents of the Netherlands and who did not opt-out will be bound to the outcome of the case. Residents of other countries must actively opt in in order to be able to benefit from the class action. The defendant is not required to file defenses on the merits prior to the merits phase having commenced. It is possible for the parties to reach a settlement during the merits phase. Such a settlement can be approved by the court, which approval will then bind the members of the class, subject to a second opt-out. This new regime applies to claims brought after January 1, 2020 and which relate to certain events that occurred prior to that date. For other matters, the old Dutch class actions regime will apply. Under the old regime, no monetary damages can be sought. Also, a judgment rendered under the old regime will not always bind all individual class members. Even though Dutch law does not provide for derivative suits, directors and officers can still be subject to liability under U.S. securities laws.
Our Articles of Association provide that the sole and exclusive forum for any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, shall be the U.S. federal district courts.
Delaware. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a stockholder may bring a derivative action on behalf of the corporation to enforce the rights of the corporation. An individual also may commence a class action suit on behalf of himself and other similarly situated stockholders where the requirements for maintaining a class action under Delaware law have been met. A person may institute and maintain such a suit only if that person was a stockholder at the time of the transaction which is the subject of the suit. In addition, under Delaware case law, the plaintiff normally must be a stockholder at the time of the transaction that is the subject of the suit and throughout the duration of the derivative suit. Delaware law also requires that the derivative plaintiff make a demand on the directors of the corporation to assert the corporate claim before the suit may be prosecuted by the derivative plaintiff in court, unless such a demand would be futile.
Repurchase of shares
The Netherlands. Under Dutch law, when issuing shares, a public company with limited liability such as ours may not subscribe for newly issued shares in its own capital. Such company may, however, subject to certain restrictions of Dutch law and its Articles of Association, acquire shares in its own capital. A listed public company with limited liability such as ours may acquire fully paid shares in its own capital at any time for no valuable consideration. Furthermore, subject to certain provisions of Dutch law and its Articles of Association, such company may repurchase fully paid shares in its own capital if (i) the company’s shareholders’ equity (eigen vermogen) less the payment required to make the acquisition does not fall below the sum of paid-up and called-up share capital plus any reserves required by Dutch law or its Articles of Association and (ii) the aggregate nominal value of shares of the company which the company acquires, holds or on which the company holds a pledge (pandrecht) or which are held by a subsidiary of the company, would not exceed 50% of its then current issued share capital. Such company may only acquire its own shares if its general meeting has granted the board of directors the authority to effect such acquisitions.
An acquisition by us of ordinary shares for a consideration must be authorized by our general meeting. Such authorization may be granted for a maximum period of 18 months and must specify the number of ordinary shares that may be acquired, the manner in which ordinary shares may be acquired and the price limits within which ordinary shares may be acquired. The actual acquisition may only be effected pursuant to a resolution of our Board. On June 23, 2023, our general meeting adopted a resolution pursuant to which our Board is authorized, for a period of 18 months following June 23, 2023 to cause the repurchase of ordinary shares (or depositary receipts for ordinary shares) by us of up to 10% of our issued share capital, for a price per share not exceeding 110% of the average market price of our ordinary shares on Nasdaq (such average market price being the average of the closing prices on each of the five consecutive trading days preceding the date the acquisition is agreed upon by us). These shares may be used to deliver shares underlying awards granted pursuant to our equity-based compensation plans. No authorization of the general meeting is required if ordinary shares are acquired by us with the intention of transferring such ordinary shares to our employees under an applicable employee stock purchase plan.
Delaware. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation may generally purchase or redeem its own shares unless the capital of the corporation is impaired or the purchase or redemption would cause an impairment of the capital of the corporation. A Delaware corporation may, however, purchase or redeem out of capital any of its own shares which are entitled upon any distribution of its assets to a preference over another class
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or series of its stock, or if no shares entitled to such a preference are outstanding, any of its own shares, if such shares will be retired upon acquisition and the capital of the corporation will be reduced in accordance with specified limitations.
Anti-Takeover provisions
The Netherlands. Under Dutch law, various protective measures are possible and permissible within the boundaries set by Dutch law and Dutch case law. We have adopted several provisions that may have the effect of making a takeover of our Company more difficult or less attractive, including:
•the authorization of a class of preferred shares that may be issued to a protective foundation pursuant to a call option to that effect;
•a provision that our directors may only be dismissed at the general meeting by a two-thirds majority of votes cast representing more than half of our issued share capital if such removal is not proposed by our Board;
•our directors being appointed on the basis of a binding nomination by our Board, which can only be overruled by the general meeting by a resolution adopted by at least a two-thirds majority of the votes cast, provided such majority represents more than half of the issued share capital (in which case the Board shall make a new nomination);
•a provision which allows the former chair of our Board or our former chief executive officer to be charged with our management if all of our directors are absent or incapacitated; and
•requirements that certain matters, including an amendment of our Articles of Association, may only be brought to our shareholders for a vote upon a proposal by our Board.
In addition, Dutch law allows for staggered multi-year terms of our directors, as a result of which only part of our directors may be subject to appointment or re-appointment in any one year.
In addition, our Board can invoke the ‘cooling-off period’ as described under “—E. Shareholders’ Meetings and Consents”
Delaware. In addition to other aspects of Delaware law governing fiduciary duties of directors during a potential takeover, the Delaware General Corporation Law also contains provisions that protect Delaware companies from hostile takeovers and from actions following the takeover by prohibiting some transactions once an acquirer has gained a significant holding in the corporation.
Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law prohibits “business combinations,” including mergers, sales and leases of assets, issuances of securities and similar transactions with an “interested stockholder” (which could include a shareholder that beneficially owns 15% or more of a corporation’s voting stock) for a period of three years following the time that such person becomes an interested stockholder, unless:
•prior to such time the board of directors of the corporation approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;
•after the completion of the transaction in which the person becomes an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder holds at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation not including shares owned by persons who are directors and officers of interested stockholders and shares owned by specified employee benefit plans; or
•after the person becomes an interested stockholder, the business combination is approved by the board of directors of the corporation and holders of at least 66.67% of the outstanding voting stock, excluding shares held by the interested stockholder.
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A Delaware corporation may elect not to be governed by Section 203 by a provision contained in the original certificate of incorporation of the corporation or an amendment to the original certificate of incorporation or to the bylaws of the Company, which amendment must be approved by a majority of the shares entitled to vote and may not be further amended by the board of directors of the corporation. In most cases, such an amendment is not effective until 12 months following its adoption.
Access to books and records
The Netherlands. The board of directors provides the general meeting, within a reasonable amount of time with all information that the shareholders require for the exercise of their powers, unless this would be contrary to an overriding interest of our Company. If the board of directors invokes such an overriding interest, it must give reasons.
Delaware. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, any stockholder may inspect for any proper purpose certain of the corporation’s books and records during the corporation’s usual hours of business.
Dismissal of Directors
The Netherlands. Under our Articles of Association, the general meeting shall at all times be entitled to suspend or dismiss a director. The general meeting may only adopt a resolution to suspend or dismiss a director by at least a two-thirds majority of the votes cast, if such majority represents more than half of the issued share capital, unless the proposal was made by the board of directors, in which latter case a simple majority is sufficient.
Delaware. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, any director or the entire board of directors may be removed, with or without cause, by the holders of a majority of the shares then entitled to vote at an election of directors, except (i) unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise, in the case of a corporation whose board is classified, stockholders may effect such removal only for cause, or (ii) in the case of a corporation having cumulative voting, if less than the entire board is to be removed, no director may be removed without cause if the votes cast against such director’s removal would be sufficient to elect such director if then cumulatively voted at an election of the entire board of directors, or, if there are classes of directors, at an election of the class of directors of which he is a part.
Issuance of Shares
The Netherlands. Under Dutch law, a company’s general meeting is the corporate body authorized to resolve on the issuance of shares and the granting of rights to subscribe for shares. The general meeting can delegate such authority to another corporate body of the company, such as the board of directors, for a period not exceeding five years; this authorization may only be extended from time to time for a maximum period of five years.
On February 1, 2021, our general meeting authorized our Board, for a period of five years following February 5, 2021, to issue shares or grant rights to subscribe for shares up to our authorized share capital from time to time. We may not subscribe for our own shares on issue.
Delaware. The issuance of shares requires the board of directors to adopt a resolution or resolutions, authorizing the issuance, pursuant to authority expressly vested in the board of directors by the provisions of the Company’s certificate of incorporation.
Pre-emptive rights
The Netherlands. Under Dutch law, in the event of an issuance of ordinary shares, each shareholder will have a pro rata preemptive right in proportion to the aggregate nominal value of the ordinary shares held by such holder (with the exception of ordinary shares to be issued to employees or ordinary shares issued against a contribution other than in cash or pursuant to the exercise of a previously acquired right to subscribe for shares). Under our Articles of Association, the preemptive rights in respect of newly issued ordinary shares may be restricted
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or excluded by a resolution of the general meeting upon proposal of the board of directors. Our preferred shares carry no preemptive rights.
The board of directors may restrict or exclude the preemptive rights in respect of newly issued ordinary shares if it has been designated as the authorized body to do so by the general meeting. Such designation can be granted for a period not exceeding five years. A resolution of the general meeting to restrict or exclude the preemptive rights or to designate the board of directors as the authorized body to do so requires a majority of not less than two-thirds of the votes cast, if less than one-half of our issued share capital is represented at the meeting.
On February 1, 2021, our general meeting authorized our Board, for a period of five years following February 5, 2021, to limit or exclude preemptive rights in relation to an issuance of shares or a grant of rights to subscribe for shares that the Board is authorized to resolve upon. See above under “—Issuance of Shares.”
Delaware. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, stockholders have no preemptive rights to subscribe for additional issues of stock or to any security convertible into such stock unless, and to the extent that, such rights are expressly provided for in the certificate of incorporation.
Dividends
The Netherlands. Dutch law provides that dividends may be distributed after adoption of the annual accounts by the general meeting from which it appears that such dividend distribution is allowed. Moreover, dividends may be distributed only to the extent the shareholders’ equity exceeds the amount of the paid-up and called-up issued share capital and the reserves that must be maintained under the law or the Articles of Association. Interim dividends may be declared as provided in the Articles of Association and may be distributed to the extent that the shareholders’ equity exceeds the amount of the paid-up and called-up issued share capital plus any reserves as described above as apparent from our financial statements. Under Dutch law, the Articles of Association may prescribe that the board of directors decide what portion of the profits are to be held as reserves.
Under the Articles of Association, first, if any preferred shares are or have been outstanding, a dividend is first paid out of the profit, if available for distribution, to the holders or former holders, as applicable, of those preferred shares to the extent they are entitled to such distribution under our Articles of Association. Any remaining profit is carried to the reserve as the board of directors determines. After reservation by the board of directors of any profit, the remaining profit will be at the disposal of the general meeting at the proposal of our Board for distribution on our ordinary shares, subject to the applicable restrictions of Dutch law. We only make a distribution of dividends to our shareholders after the adoption of our annual accounts demonstrating that such distribution is legally permitted. The board of directors is permitted, subject to certain requirements, to declare interim dividends without the approval of the general meeting.
Dividends and other distributions shall be made payable not later than the date determined by the board of directors. Claims to dividends and other distributions not made within five years from the date that such dividends or distributions became payable, will lapse and any such amounts will be considered to have been forfeited to us (verjaring).
Delaware. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, subject to any restrictions contained in the corporation’s certificate of incorporation, a Delaware corporation may pay dividends out of its surplus (the excess of net assets over capital), or in case there is no surplus, out of its net profits for the fiscal year in which the dividend is declared and/or the preceding fiscal year (provided that the amount of the capital of the corporation is not less than the aggregate amount of the capital represented by the issued and outstanding stock of all classes having a preference upon the distribution of assets). Dividends may be paid in the form of shares of the corporation’s capital stock, property or cash.
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Shareholder vote on Certain Reorganizations
The Netherlands. Under Dutch law, the general meeting must approve resolutions of the board of directors relating to a significant change in the identity or the character of the Company or the business of the Company, which includes:
•a transfer of the business or virtually the entire business to a third-party;
•the entry into or termination of a long-term cooperation of the Company or a subsidiary with another legal entity or Company or as a fully liable partner in a limited partnership or general partnership, if such cooperation or termination is of a far-reaching significance for the Company; and
•the acquisition or divestment by the Company or a subsidiary of a participating interest in the capital of a Company having a value of at least one-third of the amount of its assets according to its balance sheet and explanatory notes or, if the Company prepares a consolidated balance sheet, according to its consolidated balance sheet and explanatory notes in the last adopted annual accounts of the Company.
The absence of such approval shall result in the relevant resolution being null and void but shall not affect the powers of representation of the Board or of the executive directors.
Delaware. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, the vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of capital stock entitled to vote thereon generally is necessary to approve a merger or consolidation or the sale of all or substantially all of the assets of a corporation. The Delaware General Corporation Law permits a corporation to include in its certificate of incorporation a provision requiring for any corporate action the vote of a larger portion of the stock or of any class or series of stock than would otherwise be required.
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, no vote of the stockholders of a surviving corporation to a merger is needed, however, unless required by the certificate of incorporation, if (i) the agreement of merger does not amend in any respect the certificate of incorporation of the surviving corporation, (ii) the shares of stock of the surviving corporation are not changed in the merger, and (iii) the number of shares of common stock of the surviving corporation into which any other shares, securities or obligations to be issued in the merger may be converted does not exceed 20% of the surviving corporation’s common stock outstanding immediately prior to the effective date of the merger. In addition, stockholders may not be entitled to vote in certain mergers with other corporations that own 90% or more of the outstanding shares of each class of stock of such corporation, but the stockholders will be entitled to appraisal rights.
Compensation of Directors
The Netherlands. Under Dutch law and our Articles of Association, we must adopt a compensation policy for our Board. Such compensation policy shall be adopted by the general meeting upon the proposal of the board of directors. The board of directors determines the compensation of individual directors with due observance of the compensation policy. Our executive directors may not participate in the discussions or decision-making regarding the compensation of executive directors. A proposal by the board of directors with respect to compensation schemes in the form of shares or rights to shares is submitted by the board of directors to the general meeting for its approval. This proposal must set out at least the maximum number of shares or rights to subscribe for shares to be granted to the board of directors and the criteria for granting or amendment.
Delaware. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, the stockholders do not generally have the right to approve the compensation policy for directors or the senior management of the corporation, although certain aspects of executive compensation may be subject to stockholder vote due to the provisions of U.S. federal securities and tax law, as well as exchange requirements.
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ENFORCEMENT OF JUDGMENTS
We are organized and existing under the laws of the Netherlands and, as such, Dutch private international law governs the rights of our shareholders and the civil liability of our directors and executive officers are governed in certain respects by the laws of the Netherlands. The ability of our shareholders to bring an action against us or our directors and executive officers in certain countries other than the Netherlands may be limited under applicable law.
The majority of the members of the Board are resident of countries other than the United States. All or a substantial proportion of the assets of these individuals are located outside the United States. Our assets are predominantly located outside the United States. As a result, it may not be possible for shareholders to effect service of process within the United States upon us or our directors and executive officers or to enforce judgments against us or them in U.S. courts, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States. In addition, it is not clear whether a Dutch court would impose civil liability on us or any of our directors and executive officers in an original action based solely upon the federal securities laws of the United States brought in a court of competent jurisdiction in the Netherlands.
There is currently no treaty in effect between the United States and the Netherlands providing for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments, other than arbitration awards, in civil and commercial matters. It is noted that, as of the date of this prospectus, the Hague Convention on Choice of Court Agreements of June 30, 2005 has entered into force for the Netherlands, but has not entered into force for the United States. The Hague Convention of July 2, 2019 on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments in Civil or Commercial Matters has not entered into force for either the Netherlands or the United States. Accordingly, a judgment rendered by a court in the United States, whether or not predicated solely upon U.S. securities laws, would not automatically be recognized and enforced by the competent Dutch courts. However, if a person has obtained a judgment rendered by a court in the United States that is enforceable under the laws of the United States and files a claim with the competent Dutch court, the Dutch court will in principle give binding effect to that judgment if (i) the jurisdiction of the United States court was based on a ground of jurisdiction that is generally acceptable according to international standards, (ii) the judgment by the United States court was rendered in legal proceedings that comply with the Dutch standards of proper administration of justice including sufficient safeguards (behoorlijke rechtspleging), (iii) binding effect of such judgment is not contrary to Dutch public order (openbare orde) and (iv) the judgment by the United States court is not incompatible with a decision rendered between the same parties by a Dutch court, or with a previous decision rendered between the same parties by a foreign court in a dispute that concerns the same subject and is based on the same cause, provided that the previous decision qualifies for recognition in the Netherlands. However, even if such a United States judgment is given binding effect, a claim based on that judgment may still be rejected if that judgment is not or no longer formally enforceable.
Based on the lack of a treaty as described above, U.S. investors may not be able to enforce against us or our directors, representatives or certain experts named herein who are residents of the Netherlands or countries other than the United States any judgments obtained in U.S. courts in civil and commercial matters, including judgments under the U.S. federal securities laws.
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EXPENSES
The following table sets forth the expenses expected to be incurred by us in connection with the offering of securities registered under this registration statement. All amounts are estimated except for the SEC registration fee.
| | | |
| | | |
Expenses | | Amount |
SEC Registration Fee | | $ | 13,337 |
Printing and engraving expenses | | | 2,500 |
Legal Fees and expenses | | | 100,000 |
Accounting fees and expenses | | | 25,000 |
| | | |
Total | | $ | 140,837 |
| | | |
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LEGAL MATTERS
The validity of the Ordinary Shares and certain other matters of Dutch law will be passed upon for us by NautaDutilh N.V.
EXPERTS
The financial statements incorporated in this Prospectus by reference to the Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2022 have been so incorporated in reliance on the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers Accountants N.V., an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference information into this document. This means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be a part of this document, except for any information superseded by information that is included directly in this prospectus or incorporated by reference subsequent to the date of this prospectus.
We incorporate by reference the following documents or information that we have filed with the SEC:
•Our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 filed on April 5, 2023; •Our Forms 6-K filed on January 9, 2023 (Exhibit 99.1 only), February 14, 2023 (excluding Exhibit 99.1), March 8, 2023 (excluding Exhibit 99.1), May 8, 2023 (excluding Exhibit 99.1), June 20, 2023 (excluding Exhibits 99.1 and 99.2), June 26, 2023, June 27, 2023, July 3, 2023 and August 7, 2023; and •The description of our Ordinary Shares contained in our registration statement on Form 8-A filed with the SEC on February 4, 2021, as updated by the description of our Ordinary Shares filed as Exhibit 2.1 to our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022. All annual reports we file with the SEC pursuant to the Exchange Act on Form 20-F after the date of this prospectus and prior to termination or expiration of this registration statement shall be deemed incorporated by reference into this prospectus and to be part hereof from the date of filing of such documents. We may incorporate by reference any Form 6-K subsequently submitted to the SEC by identifying in such Form 6-K that it is being incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
Documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus are available from us without charge upon written or oral request, excluding any exhibits to those documents that are not specifically incorporated by reference into those documents. You can obtain documents incorporated by reference in this document by requesting them from us in writing at Emmy Noetherweg 2, 2333 BK Leiden, The Netherlands or via telephone at +31 (0)71 203 6410.
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