Underwriting Agreement
Exhibit 1.1
Execution Version
3,000,000 Shares of Class A Common Stock
March 7, 2024
X.X. Xxxxxx Securities LLC
As Representatives of the
several Underwriters listed
in Schedule 1 hereto
c/o X.X. Xxxxxx Securities LLC
000 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Certain stockholders named in Schedule 2 hereto (the “Selling Stockholders”, which includes the Selling Stockholders identified on Schedule 2 hereto as Specified Selling Stockholders (each, a “Specified Selling Stockholder”)) of MediaAlpha, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), propose to sell to the several underwriters listed in Schedule 1 hereto (the “Underwriters”), for whom you are acting as representative (the “Representatives”), an aggregate of 3,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Class A Common Stock”), of the Company (the “Underwritten Shares”) and, at the option of the Underwriters, up to an additional 450,000 shares of Class A Common Stock, of the Company (the “Option Shares”). The Underwritten Shares and the Option Shares are herein referred to as the “Shares”. The shares of Class A Common Stock of the Company to be outstanding after giving effect to the sale of the Shares, together with the shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Class B Common Stock”), of the Company are referred to herein as the “Stock”. To the extent there are no additional Underwriters listed on Schedule 1 other than you, the term Representatives as used herein shall mean you, as the Underwriter, and the term Underwriters shall mean the singular as the context requires.
The Company is a holding company and its sole material asset is the shares of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Guilford Holdings, Inc. (“GHI”), which in turn owns all of the Class A units of QL Holdings LLC (the “LLC”), and the Company operates and controls all of its businesses and affairs through GHI and the LLC. The Company, GHI and the LLC are collectively referred to herein as the “MediaAlpha Parties”, and individually as a “MediaAlpha Party”.
In connection with the offering contemplated by this underwriting agreement (this “Agreement”), the Class A Common Stock to be sold by each Selling Stockholder (i) is currently held directly by such Selling Stockholder or (ii) will be issued by the Company to such Selling Stockholder upon exchange (the “Exchange”) of Class B-1 units (the “Class B-1 Units”) of the LLC, held by such Selling Stockholder at a ratio of one Class B-1 Unit, together with one share of Class B Common Stock, for one share of Class A
Common Stock of the Company, pursuant to the terms of the Fourth Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of the LLC (the “LLC Agreement”) dated October 27, 2020, by and among the Company, the LLC and the other parties named therein and the terms of the Exchange Agreement (the “Exchange Agreement”) dated October 27, 2020, by and among the Company, the LLC, and the other parties named therein. The Class A Common Stock to be sold in the offering by the Selling Stockholders has been registered for resale pursuant to the Registration Statement (as defined below) in accordance with the terms of the Registration Rights Agreement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”) dated October 27, 2020, by and among the Company and the other parties named therein.
Each MediaAlpha Party and the Selling Stockholders, severally and not jointly and to the extent applicable, hereby confirm their agreement with the several Underwriters concerning the purchase and sale of the Shares, as follows:
1. Registration Statement. The Company has prepared and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (collectively, the “Securities Act”), a registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-261027), Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 on Form S-1 (converting the registration statement on Form S-3 to Form S-1) and Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 on Form S-3 (converting the registration statement of Form S-1 back to Form S-3), including a prospectus, relating to the Shares. Such registration statement, as amended at the time it became effective, including the amendments thereto, and including the information, if any, deemed pursuant to Rule 430A, 430B or 430C under the Securities Act to be part of the registration statement at the time of its effectiveness (“Rule 430 Information”), is referred to herein as the “Registration Statement”; and as used herein, the term “Preliminary Prospectus” means each prospectus included in such registration statement (and any amendments thereto) before effectiveness, any prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(a) under the Securities Act and the prospectus included in the Registration Statement at the time of its effectiveness that omits Rule 430 Information, and the term “Prospectus” means the prospectus in the form first used (or made available upon request of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173 under the Securities Act) in connection with confirmation of sales of the Shares. If the Company has filed an abbreviated registration statement pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act (the “Rule 462 Registration Statement”), then any reference herein to the term “Registration Statement” shall be deemed to include such Rule 462 Registration Statement. Any reference in this Agreement to the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the Securities Act, as of the effective date of the Registration Statement or the date of such Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be, and any reference to “amend”, “amendment” or “supplement” with respect to the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include any documents filed after such date under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (collectively, the “Exchange Act”) that are deemed to be incorporated by reference therein. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to such terms in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
At or prior to the Applicable Time (as defined below), the Company had prepared the following information (collectively with the pricing information set forth on Annex A hereto, the “Pricing Disclosure Package”): a Preliminary Prospectus dated March 7, 2024 and each “free-writing prospectus” (as defined pursuant to Rule 405 under the Securities Act) listed on Annex A hereto.
“Applicable Time” means 4:20 P.M., New York City time, on March 7, 2024.
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2. Purchase of the Shares. (a) Each of the Selling Stockholders agrees, severally and not jointly, to sell the Underwritten Shares to the several Underwriters as provided in this Agreement, and each Underwriter, on the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements set forth herein and subject to the conditions set forth herein, agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase at a price per share of $19.85 (the “Purchase Price”) from each of the Selling Stockholders the number of Underwritten Shares (to be adjusted by you so as to eliminate fractional shares) determined by multiplying the aggregate number of Underwritten Shares to be sold by each of the Selling Stockholders as set forth opposite their respective names in Schedule 2 hereto by a fraction, the numerator of which is the aggregate number of Underwritten Shares to be purchased by such Underwriter as set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule 1 hereto and the denominator of which is the aggregate number of Underwritten Shares to be purchased by all the Underwriters under Schedule 1.
In addition, each of the Selling Stockholders agrees, severally and not jointly, as and to the extent indicated in Schedule 2 hereto, to sell the Option Shares to the several Underwriters as provided in this Agreement, and the Underwriters, on the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements set forth herein and subject to the conditions set forth herein, shall have the option to purchase, severally and not jointly, from each Selling Stockholder the Option Shares at the Purchase Price less an amount per share equal to any dividends or distributions declared by the Company and payable on the Underwritten Shares but not payable on the Option Shares.
If any Option Shares are to be purchased, the number of Option Shares to be purchased by each Underwriter shall be the number of Option Shares which bears the same ratio to the aggregate number of Option Shares being purchased as the number of Underwritten Shares set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule 1 hereto (or such number increased as set forth in Section 12 hereof) bears to the aggregate number of Underwritten Shares being purchased from the Selling Stockholders by the several Underwriters, subject, however, to such adjustments to eliminate any fractional Shares as the Representatives in their sole discretion shall make. Any such election to purchase Option Shares shall be made in proportion to the maximum number of Option Shares to be sold by each Selling Stockholder as set forth in Schedule 2 hereto.
The Underwriters may exercise the option to purchase Option Shares at any time in whole, or from time to time in part, on or before the thirtieth day following the date of the Prospectus, by written notice from the Representatives to each of the Selling Stockholders who are not Specified Selling Stockholders. Such notice shall set forth the aggregate number of Option Shares as to which the option is being exercised and the date and time when the Option Shares are to be delivered and paid for, which may be the same date and time as the Closing Date (as hereinafter defined) but shall not be earlier than the Closing Date nor later than the tenth full business day (as hereinafter defined) after the date of such notice (unless such time and date are postponed in accordance with the provisions of Section 12 hereof). Any such notice shall be given at least two business days prior to the date and time of delivery specified therein.
(b) The Selling Stockholders understand that the Underwriters intend to make a public offering of the Shares, and initially to offer the Shares on the terms set forth in the Pricing Disclosure Package. The Selling Stockholders acknowledge and agree that the Underwriters may offer and sell Shares to or through any affiliate of an Underwriter.
(c) Payment for the Shares shall be made by wire transfer in immediately available funds to the accounts specified by the Selling Stockholders (or, with respect to the Specified Selling Stockholders, the Attorney-in-Fact on behalf of such Specified Selling Stockholders), to the Representatives in the case
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of the Underwritten Shares, at the offices of Xxxxx Xxxx & Xxxxxxxx LLP at 10:00 A.M. New York City time on March 12, 2024, or at such other time or place on the same or such other date, not later than the fifth business day thereafter, as the Representatives and the Selling Stockholders (or, with respect to the Specified Selling Stockholders, the Attorney-in-Fact) may agree upon in writing or, in the case of the Option Shares, on the date and at the time and place specified by the Representatives in the written notice of the Underwriters’ election to purchase such Option Shares. The time and date of such payment for the Underwritten Shares is referred to herein as the “Closing Date”, and the time and date for such payment for the Option Shares, if other than the Closing Date, is herein referred to as the “Additional Closing Date”.
Payment for the Shares to be purchased on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, shall be made against delivery to the Representatives for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters of the Shares to be purchased on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, with any transfer taxes payable in connection with the sale of such Shares duly paid by the Selling Stockholders. Delivery of the Shares shall be made through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) unless the Representatives shall otherwise instruct. The certificates for the Shares will be made available for inspection and packaging by the Representatives at the office of DTC or its designated custodian not later than 1:00 P.M., New York City time, on the business day prior to the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be.
(d) Each of the MediaAlpha Parties and each Selling Stockholder acknowledges and agrees that the Representatives and the other Underwriters are acting solely in the capacity of an arm’s length contractual counterparty to the MediaAlpha Parties and the Selling Stockholders with respect to the offering of Shares contemplated hereby (including in connection with determining the terms of the offering) and not as a financial advisor or a fiduciary to, or an agent of, the MediaAlpha Parties, the Selling Stockholders or any other person. Additionally, neither the Representatives nor any other Underwriter is advising the MediaAlpha Parties, the Selling Stockholders or any other person as to any legal, tax, investment, accounting or regulatory matters in any jurisdiction. The MediaAlpha Parties and the Selling Stockholders shall consult with their own advisors concerning such matters and each shall be responsible for making its own independent investigation and appraisal of the transactions contemplated hereby, and neither the Representatives nor any other Underwriter shall have any responsibility or liability to the MediaAlpha Parties or the Selling Stockholders with respect thereto. Any review by the Representatives and the other Underwriters of the MediaAlpha Parties, the transactions contemplated hereby or other matters relating to such transactions will be performed solely for the benefit of the Representatives and the other Underwriters and shall not be on behalf of the MediaAlpha Parties or the Selling Stockholders. Moreover, each Selling Stockholder acknowledges and agrees that, although the Representatives may be required or choose to provide the Selling Stockholders with certain Regulation Best Interest and Form CRS disclosures in connection with the offering, the Representatives and the other Underwriters are not making a recommendation to the Selling Stockholders to participate in the offering, enter into a “lock-up” agreement, or sell any Shares at the price determined in the offering, and nothing set forth in such disclosures is intended to suggest that the Representatives or any Underwriter is making such a recommendation.
3. Representations and Warranties of the MediaAlpha Parties. Each MediaAlpha Party, jointly and severally, represents and warrants to each Underwriter and the Selling Stockholders that:
(a) Preliminary Prospectus. No order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus has been issued by the Commission, and each Preliminary Prospectus included in the Pricing Disclosure Package, at the time of filing thereof, complied in all material
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respects with the Securities Act, and no Preliminary Prospectus, at the time of filing thereof, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the MediaAlpha Parties make no representation or warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in any Preliminary Prospectus, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 9(c) hereof.
(b) Pricing Disclosure Package. The Pricing Disclosure Package as of the Applicable Time did not, and as of the Closing Date and as of the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the MediaAlpha Parties make no representation or warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in such Pricing Disclosure Package, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 9(c) hereof. No statement of material fact included in the Prospectus has been omitted from the Pricing Disclosure Package and no statement of material fact included in the Pricing Disclosure Package that is required to be included in the Prospectus has been omitted therefrom.
(c) Issuer Free Writing Prospectus. Other than the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company (including its agents and representatives, other than the Underwriters in their capacity as such) has not prepared, made, used, authorized, approved or referred to and will not prepare, make, use, authorize, approve or refer to any “written communication” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) that constitutes an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy the Shares (each such communication by the Company or its agents and representatives (other than a communication referred to in clause (i) below) an “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus”) other than (i) any document not constituting a prospectus pursuant to Section 2(a)(10)(a) of the Securities Act or Rule 134 under the Securities Act, (ii) the documents listed on Annex A hereto, (iii) each electronic road show, and (iv) any other written communications approved in writing in advance by the Representatives. Each such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus complies in all material respects with the Securities Act, has been or will be (within the time period specified in Rule 433) filed in accordance with the Securities Act (to the extent required thereby) and does not conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the Pricing Disclosure Package, and, when taken together with the Preliminary Prospectus accompanying, or delivered prior to delivery of, such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, did not, and as of the Closing Date and as of the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the MediaAlpha Parties make no representation or warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in each such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or Preliminary Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or Preliminary Prospectus, it being understood and agreed that the only such
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information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 9(c) hereof.
(d) Incorporated Documents. The documents incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Pricing Disclosure Package, when they were filed with the Commission conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Exchange Act, and none of such documents at the time of their respective filings contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and any further documents so filed and incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Pricing Disclosure Package, when such documents are filed with the Commission, will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Exchange Act and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(e) eXtensible Business Reporting Language. The interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement fairly presents the information called for in all material respects and has been prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto.
(f) Registration Statement and Prospectus. Each of the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto has been declared effective by the Commission. No order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued by the Commission, and no proceeding for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the Securities Act against the Company or related to the offering of the Shares has been initiated or, to the knowledge of the MediaAlpha Parties, threatened by the Commission; as of the applicable effective date of the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, the Registration Statement and any such post-effective amendment complied and will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act, and did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading; and as of the date of the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto and as of the Closing Date and as of the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, the Prospectus will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that none of the MediaAlpha Parties makes any representation or warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 9(c) hereof.
(g) Financial Statements. The financial statements (including the related notes thereto) of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, as applicable, and present fairly in all material respects the financial position of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries as of the dates indicated and the results of its operations and the changes in its cash flows for the periods specified; such financial statements have been prepared in
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conformity with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) in the United States applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods covered thereby, and any supporting schedules included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement present fairly the information required to be stated therein; and the other financial information included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus has been derived from the accounting records of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries and presents fairly in all material respects the information shown thereby; all disclosures included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus regarding “non-GAAP financial measures” (as such term is defined by the rules and regulations of the Commission) comply with Regulation G of the Exchange Act, and Item 10 of Regulation S-K of the Securities Act, to the extent applicable.
(h) No Material Adverse Change. Since the date of the most recent financial statements of the Company included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, (i) there has not been any change in the capital stock or outstanding equity, as applicable (other than the issuance of shares of Stock described in, the exchange, if any, of equity interests of the LLC described in, and the grant or settlement of options and awards under existing equity incentive plans described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus), any material change in short-term debt or long-term debt of the Company or its subsidiaries (other than borrowings, if any, under the Credit Agreement, dated as of September 23, 2020, by and among QuoteLab, LLC, the LLC, the lenders party thereto and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as Administrative Agent, as amended by that certain First Amendment, dated as of July 29, 2021, by and among Quotelab, LLC, the LLC, the lenders party thereto, the Issuing Bank party thereto and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as Administrative Agent (as further amended from time to time, the “Credit Agreement”), or any dividend or distribution of any kind declared, set aside for payment, paid or made by the MediaAlpha Parties on any class of capital stock or other equity interests, as applicable (other than distributions of proceeds from borrowings, if any, under the Credit Agreement and any tax distributions made by the Company or its subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business), or any material adverse change, or any development that would reasonably be expected to result in a material adverse change, in or affecting the business, properties, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity, members’ equity, results of operations or prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole; (ii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has entered into any transaction or agreement (whether or not in the ordinary course of business) that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or incurred any liability or obligation, direct or contingent, that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole; and (iii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has sustained any loss or interference with its business that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, and that is either from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor disturbance or dispute or any action, order or decree of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, except in each case as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(i) Organization and Good Standing. The Company and each of its subsidiaries have been duly organized and are validly existing and in good standing under the laws of their respective jurisdictions of organization (to the extent the concept of good standing or an equivalent concept is applicable in such jurisdictions), are duly qualified to do business and are in good standing in each jurisdiction in which their respective ownership or lease of property or the
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conduct of their respective businesses requires such qualification (to the extent the concept of good standing or an equivalent concept is applicable in such jurisdictions), and have all power and authority necessary to own or hold their respective properties and to conduct the businesses in which they are engaged, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing or have such power or authority would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the business, properties, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity, members’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or on the performance by the MediaAlpha Parties of their respective obligations under the Transaction Documents (as defined below) (a “Material Adverse Effect”). The MediaAlpha Parties do not own or control, directly or indirectly, any corporation, association or other entity other than the subsidiaries listed in Exhibit 21 to the Registration Statement.
(j) Capitalization. The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the heading “Capitalization”; all the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company (including the Shares to be sold by the Selling Stockholders) have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and non-assessable and are not subject to any pre-emptive or similar rights; except as described in or expressly contemplated by the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there are no outstanding rights (including, without limitation, pre-emptive rights), warrants or options to acquire, or instruments convertible into or exchangeable for, any shares of capital stock or other equity interest in the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or any contract, commitment, agreement, understanding or arrangement of any kind relating to the issuance of any capital stock or equity interest of the Company or any such subsidiary, any such convertible or exchangeable securities or any such rights, warrants or options; the capital stock of the Company conforms in all material respects to the descriptions thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; and, except as described in or expressly contemplated by the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, all of the outstanding shares of capital stock or other equity interests of each subsidiary owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable (and in the case of equity interests in any such subsidiary that is not a corporation, the Company or other holder of such equity interests has no obligation to make payments or contributions to such subsidiary or its creditors solely by reason of its ownership of such equity interests) and are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of any lien, charge, encumbrance, security interest, restriction on voting or transfer or any other claim of any third party.
(k) Due Authorization. Each MediaAlpha Party has full right, power and authority to execute and deliver, to the extent a party thereto, the Transaction Documents (as defined below) among the Company and certain stockholders party thereto, and to perform its obligations hereunder and thereunder; and all action required to be taken for the due and proper authorization, execution and delivery by it of each of the Transaction Documents to which it is a party and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby has been duly and validly taken.
(l) Underwriting Agreement. This Agreement has (or had at the time of execution) been duly authorized, executed and delivered by each MediaAlpha Party.
(m) The Exchange. The Shares to be issued pursuant to the Exchange to certain of the Selling Stockholders have been duly authorized by the Company and validly reserved for
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issuance, and at the time of delivery to the Underwriters, such Shares will be issued and delivered in accordance with the provisions of the Exchange Agreement and will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable and will conform to the description thereof in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; and the issuance of the Shares pursuant to the Exchange are not subject to any preemptive or similar rights.
(n) Other Transaction Documents. Each of the LLC Agreement, the Exchange Agreement, and the Registration Rights Agreement (together with this Agreement, the “Transaction Documents”), by and among the Company, the LLC and the other parties named therein, has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by each of the MediaAlpha Parties to the extent each is a party thereto and constitute valid and legally binding agreements of the MediaAlpha Parties, as applicable, enforceable against the MediaAlpha Parties, as applicable, in accordance with their terms, except as enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights generally or by equitable principles relating to enforceability.
(o) Descriptions of the Transaction Documents. Each Transaction Document conforms in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(p) No Violation or Default. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is (i) in violation of its charter or by-laws or similar organizational documents; (ii) in default, and no event has occurred that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute such a default, in the due performance or observance of any term, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any property or asset of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject; or (iii) in violation of any law or statute applicable to the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries, except, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above, for any such default or violation that would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(q) No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance by each MediaAlpha Party of each of the Transaction Documents to which it is a party, the issuance of the Shares pursuant to the Exchange by the Company and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents or the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus will not (i) conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, result in the termination, modification or acceleration of, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property, right or asset of the Company or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any property, right or asset of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject, (ii) result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or by-laws or similar organizational documents of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or (iii) result in the violation of any law or statute applicable to the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries, except, in the case of clauses (i) and (iii) above, for any such conflict, breach,
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violation, default, lien, charge or encumbrance that would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(r) No Consents Required. No consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority is required for the execution, delivery and performance by each MediaAlpha Party of any of the Transaction Documents to which it is a party, the issuance by the Company of the Shares pursuant to the Exchange and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, except for (i) the registration of the Shares under the Securities Act, (ii) such consents, approvals, authorizations, orders and registrations or qualifications as have already been obtained, made or waived or will be obtained prior to the Closing Date, (iii) as may be required by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”), NYSE and under applicable state securities laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Shares by the Underwriters or (iv) where the failure to obtain any such consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(s) Legal Proceedings. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there are no legal, governmental or regulatory investigations, actions, demands, claims, suits, arbitrations, inquiries or proceedings (“Actions”) pending to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is or, to the knowledge of the MediaAlpha Parties, may reasonably be expected to become a party or to which any property of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is or, to the knowledge of the MediaAlpha Parties, may reasonably be expected to become, the subject that, individually or in the aggregate, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; no such Actions are threatened or, to the knowledge of the MediaAlpha Parties, contemplated by any governmental or regulatory authority or threatened by others, except as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect; and (i) there are no material current or pending Actions that are required under the Securities Act to be described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus that are not so described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and (ii) there are no statutes, regulations or contracts or other documents that are required under the Securities Act to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement or described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus that are not so filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement or described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(t) Independent Accountants. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, who has audited certain financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries is an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company and its subsidiaries within the applicable rules and regulations adopted by the Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) and as required by the Securities Act.
(u) Title to Real and Personal Property. The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to, or have valid rights to lease or otherwise use, all items of real and personal property (other than Intellectual Property (as defined below), which is addressed exclusively in Section 3(w) below) that are material to the business of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, claims and defects and imperfections of title except those (i) that are described in the Registration
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Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, (ii) that do not materially interfere with the use made or currently proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or (iii) that would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(v) Intellectual Property. (i) The Company and its subsidiaries own or have the right to use all patents, patent applications, trademarks, service marks, trade names, trademark registrations, service mark registrations, domain names and other source indicators, copyrights and copyrightable works, know-how, trade secrets, systems, procedures, proprietary or confidential information and all other worldwide intellectual property, industrial property and proprietary rights (collectively, “Intellectual Property”) used in the conduct of their respective businesses as currently conducted, except where such failure to own or possess such rights would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect (the “Company Intellectual Property”); (ii) the Company and its subsidiaries’ conduct of their respective businesses does not infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate any Intellectual Property of any person, except as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect; (iii) the Company and its subsidiaries have not received or sent any written notice of any claim relating to the infringement, misappropriation or other violation of any Intellectual Property, in each case, which claim, if determined adversely to the Company or its subsidiaries, would reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect; (iv) to the knowledge of the MediaAlpha Parties, the material Intellectual Property of the Company and its subsidiaries is not being infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated by any person; (v) except as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect, all Company Intellectual Property owned by the Company or its subsidiaries or exclusively licensed to the Company or its subsidiaries, is subsisting, valid and enforceable; and (vi) the Company and its subsidiaries have used commercially reasonable efforts to protect their rights in confidential information and trade secrets and protect any confidential information provided to them by any other party, and all key employees and any other employees, consultants and contractors involved in the development of material Intellectual Property for the Company or its subsidiaries have signed confidentiality and invention assignment agreements that presently assign all of their right, title and interest in and to any such Intellectual Property to the Company or its applicable subsidiary.
(w) Software. Except as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect, (i) the Company and its subsidiaries use and have used software and other materials distributed under a “free,” “open source,” or similar licensing model (including but not limited to the MIT License, Apache License, GNU General Public License, GNU Lesser General Public License and GNU Affero General Public License) (“Open Source Software”) in compliance with all license terms applicable to such Open Source Software; and (ii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries use or distribute or have used or distributed any Open Source Software in any manner that, to the knowledge of the MediaAlpha Parties, requires or has required (1) the Company or its subsidiaries to permit reverse-engineering of any software code or other technology owned by the Company or its subsidiaries or (2) any software code or other technology owned by the Company or its subsidiaries to be disclosed or distributed in source code form, licensed for the purpose of making derivative works or redistributed at no charge. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries have deposited, or could be required to deposit, into escrow the source code of any of its software and no such source code has been released to any third party, or is entitled to be released to any third party, by any escrow agent.
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(x) No Undisclosed Relationships. No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the one hand, and the directors, officers, stockholders, customers, suppliers or other affiliates of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the other, that is required by the Securities Act to be described in each of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and that is not so described in such documents and in the Pricing Disclosure Package.
(y) Investment Company Act. Each MediaAlpha Party is not required to register as an “investment company” or an entity “controlled” by an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (collectively, the “Investment Company Act”).
(z) Taxes. The Company and its subsidiaries have paid all federal, state, local and foreign taxes and filed all income tax returns required to be paid or filed through the date hereof, except where the failure to file or pay would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect or except as currently being contested in good faith and for which reserves required by U.S. GAAP have been created in the applicable financial statements; and, except as otherwise disclosed in each of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there is no tax deficiency that has been, or would reasonably be expected to be, asserted against the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their respective properties or assets which would reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(aa) Licenses and Permits. The Company and its subsidiaries possess all licenses, sub-licenses, certificates, permits and other authorizations issued by, and have made all declarations and filings with, the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory authorities having jurisdiction over the Company and its subsidiaries that are necessary for the ownership or lease of their respective properties or the conduct of their respective businesses as described in each of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, except where the failure to possess or make the same would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect; and except as described in each of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received notice of any revocation or modification of any such license, sub-license, certificate, permit or authorization or has any reason to believe that any such license, sub-license, certificate, permit or authorization will not be renewed in the ordinary course, except where such revocation or modification would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(bb) No Labor Disputes. No labor disturbance by or dispute with employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries exists or, to the knowledge of the MediaAlpha Parties, is contemplated or threatened, and no MediaAlpha Party is aware of any existing or imminent labor disturbance by, or dispute with, the employees of the Company’s or its subsidiaries’ principal suppliers, contractors or customers, except as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of cancellation or termination with respect to any collective bargaining agreement to which it is a party, except as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect.
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(cc) Certain Environmental Matters. (i) The Company and its subsidiaries (x) are in compliance with all, and have not violated any, applicable federal, state, local and foreign laws (including common law), rules, regulations, requirements, decisions, judgments, decrees, orders and other legally enforceable requirements relating to pollution or the protection of human health or safety, the environment or natural resources or the generation, storage, handling or disposal of hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (collectively, “Environmental Laws”); (y) have received and are in compliance with all, and have not violated any, permits, licenses, certificates or other authorizations or approvals required of them under any Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses; and (z) have not received notice of any actual or potential liability or obligation of the Company or any of its subsidiaries under or relating to, or any actual or potential violation of, any Environmental Laws, including for the investigation or remediation of any disposal or release of hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants, and have no knowledge of any event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in any such notice; (ii) there are no costs or liabilities associated with Environmental Laws of or relating to the Company or its subsidiaries, except in the case of each of (i) and (ii) above, for any such matter as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect; and (iii) except as described in each of the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, (x) there is no proceeding that is pending, or that is known to be contemplated, against the Company or any of its subsidiaries under any Environmental Laws in which a governmental entity is also a party, other than such proceeding regarding which it is reasonably believed no monetary sanctions of $300,000 or more will be imposed, (y) the Company and its subsidiaries are not aware of any facts or issues regarding compliance with Environmental Laws, or liabilities or other obligations under Environmental Laws or concerning hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants, that could reasonably be expected to have a material effect on the capital expenditures, earnings or competitive position of the Company and its subsidiaries, and (z) none of the Company or any of its subsidiaries anticipates material capital expenditures relating to any Environmental Laws.
(dd) Compliance with ERISA. (i) Each employee benefit plan, within the meaning of Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), for which the Company or any member of its “Controlled Group” (defined as any entity, whether or not incorporated, that is under common control with the Company within the meaning of Section 4001(a)(14) of ERISA or any entity that would be regarded as a single employer with the Company under Section 414(b), (c), (m) or (o) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”)), has any liability (each, a “Plan”) has been maintained in compliance with its terms and the requirements of any applicable statutes, orders, rules and regulations, including but not limited to ERISA and the Code; (ii) no prohibited transaction, within the meaning of Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code, has occurred with respect to any Plan, excluding transactions effected pursuant to a statutory or administrative exemption; (iii) for each Plan that is subject to the funding rules of Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA, no Plan has failed (whether or not waived), or is reasonably expected to fail, to satisfy the minimum funding standards (within the meaning of Section 302 of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code) applicable to such Plan; (iv) no Plan is, or is reasonably expected to be, in “at risk status” (within the meaning of Section 303(i) of ERISA) and no Plan that is a “multiemployer plan” within the meaning of Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA is in “endangered status” or “critical status” (within the meaning of Sections 304 and 305 of ERISA) (v) the fair market value of the assets of each Plan exceeds the present value of all benefits accrued under such Plan (determined based on those assumptions used to fund such Plan); (vi) no “reportable event” (within the meaning of Section 4043(c) of ERISA and the regulations promulgated thereunder) has occurred or is reasonably expected to
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occur; (vii) each Plan that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified, and nothing has occurred, whether by action or by failure to act, which would reasonably be expected to cause the loss of such qualification; (viii) none of the Company or any member of the Controlled Group has incurred, nor reasonably expects to incur, any liability under Title IV of ERISA (other than contributions to the Plan or premiums to the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation, in the ordinary course and without default) in respect of a Plan (including a “multiemployer plan” within the meaning of Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA); and (ix) none of the following events has occurred or is reasonably likely to occur: (A) a material increase in the aggregate amount of contributions required to be made to all Plans by the Company or its Controlled Group affiliates in the current fiscal year of the Company and its Controlled Group affiliates compared to the amount of such contributions made in the Company’s and its Controlled Group affiliates’ most recently completed fiscal year; or (B) a material increase in the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ “accumulated post-retirement benefit obligations” (within the meaning of Accounting Standards Codification Topic 715-60) compared to the amount of such obligations in the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ most recently completed fiscal year, except in each case with respect to the events or conditions set forth in (i) through (ix) hereof, as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(ee) Disclosure Controls. The Company and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis maintain an effective system of “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) of the Exchange Act) that complies with the requirements of the Exchange Act and that has been designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, including controls and procedures designed to ensure that such information is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. The Company and its subsidiaries have carried out evaluations of the effectiveness of their disclosure controls and procedures as required by Rule 13a-15 of the Exchange Act.
(ff) Accounting Controls. The Company and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis maintain a system of “internal control over financial reporting” (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the Exchange Act) that comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act and has been designed by, or under the supervision of, the Company’s principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP. The Company and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis maintain internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences and (v) interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Pricing Disclosure Package fairly presents the information called for in all material respects and is prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there are no material weaknesses in the internal controls of the Company and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis. The auditors of the Company and the Audit Committee of the Board of
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Directors of the Company have been advised of: (i) all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal controls over financial reporting which have adversely affected or are reasonably likely to adversely affect the ability of the Company and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and (ii) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in such internal controls over financial reporting.
(gg) Insurance. The Company and its subsidiaries have insurance covering their respective properties, operations, personnel and businesses, including business interruption insurance, which insurance is in amounts and insures against such losses and risks as each MediaAlpha Party believes in good faith are adequate to protect the Company and its subsidiaries and their business, taken as a whole; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has (i) received notice from any insurer or agent of such insurer that material capital improvements or other material expenditures are required or necessary to be made in order to continue such insurance or (ii) any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage at reasonable cost from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business.
(hh) Cybersecurity; Data Protection. (i) To the knowledge of the MediaAlpha Parties, the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ information technology assets and equipment, computers, systems, networks, hardware, software, websites, applications, and databases (collectively, “IT Systems”) are adequate for, and operate and perform in all material respects as required in connection with the operation of the business of the Company and its subsidiaries as currently conducted, free and clear of all material bugs, errors, defects, Trojan horses, time bombs, malware and other corruptants designed to damage or corrupt the IT Systems; (ii) the Company and its subsidiaries have implemented and currently implement and have maintained and currently maintain commercially reasonable controls, policies, procedures, and safeguards to maintain and protect the integrity, continuous operation and security of all IT Systems and data (including all personal, personally identifiable, sensitive, confidential or regulated data (“Personal Data”)) used in connection with their businesses, and there have been no breaches, violations, outages or unauthorized uses of or accesses to same, except for those that have been remedied without material cost or liability or the duty to notify any other person, nor any incidents under internal review or investigations relating to the same; and (iii) the Company and its subsidiaries are presently in material compliance with all applicable laws or statutes and all judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority and internal policies relating to the privacy and security of IT Systems and Personal Data and to the protection of such IT Systems and Personal Data from unauthorized use, access, misappropriation or modification, except as would not, in the case of each of clause (i), (ii) and (iii), reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(ii) No Unlawful Payments. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries, nor any director or officer of the Company or any of its subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the MediaAlpha Parties, any employee, agent, affiliate or other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries has (i) used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense relating to political activity; (ii) made or taken an act in furtherance of an offer, promise or authorization of any direct or indirect unlawful payment or benefit to any foreign or domestic government official or employee, including of any government-owned or controlled entity or of a public international organization, or any person acting in an official capacity for or on behalf of any of the foregoing, or any
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political party or party official or candidate for political office; (iii) violated or is in violation of any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, or any applicable law or regulation implementing the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, or committed an offence under the Bribery Act 2010 of the United Kingdom or any other applicable anti-bribery or anti-corruption law; or (iv) made, offered, agreed, requested or taken an act in furtherance of any unlawful bribe or other unlawful benefit, including, without limitation, any rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful or improper payment or benefit. The Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, have instituted, maintain and enforce, and will continue to maintain and enforce policies and procedures designed to promote and ensure compliance with all applicable anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws.
(jj) Compliance with Anti-Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including those of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the applicable money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions where the Company or any of its subsidiaries conducts business, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Anti-Money Laundering Laws”), and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Anti-Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the MediaAlpha Parties, threatened.
(kk) No Conflicts with Sanctions Laws. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries, directors or officers, or, to the knowledge of the MediaAlpha Parties, any employee, agent, affiliate or other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is currently the subject or the target of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. government (including, without limitation, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“OFAC”) or the U.S. Department of State and including, without limitation, the designation as a “specially designated national” or “blocked person”), the United Nations Security Council (“UNSC”), the European Union, His Majesty’s Treasury (“HMT”) or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), nor is the Company or any of its subsidiaries located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject or target of Sanctions, including, without limitation, the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, so-called Luhansk People’s Republic, the non-government-controlled areas of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson or any other Covered Region of Ukraine identified pursuant to Executive Order 14065, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria (each, a “Sanctioned Country”); and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering of the Shares hereunder, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity (i) to fund or facilitate any activities of or business with any person that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject or target of Sanctions, (ii) to fund or facilitate any activities of or business in any Sanctioned Country or (iii) in any other manner that will result in a violation by any person (including any person participating in the transaction, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise) of Sanctions. For the past five years, the Company and its subsidiaries have not knowingly engaged in and are not now knowingly engaged in any dealings or transactions with any person that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject or the target of Sanctions or with any Sanctioned Country.
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(ll) No Restrictions on Subsidiaries. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, no subsidiary of the Company is currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, under any agreement or other instrument to which it is a party or is subject, from paying any dividends to the Company, from making any other distribution on such subsidiary’s capital stock or similar ownership interest, from repaying to the Company any loans or advances to such subsidiary from the Company or from transferring any of such subsidiary’s properties or assets to the Company or any other subsidiary of the Company.
(mm) No Broker’s Fees. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is a party to any contract, agreement or understanding with any person (other than this Agreement and other than fees payable to Solebury Capital LLC or its affiliates in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement) that would give rise to a valid claim against the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any Underwriter for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or like payment in connection with the offering and sale of the Shares.
(nn) No Registration Rights. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and except as exercised in connection with this offering or otherwise waived, no person has the right to require the Company or any of its subsidiaries to register any securities for sale under the Securities Act by reason of the filing of the Registration Statement with the Commission or, to the knowledge of the MediaAlpha Parties, the sale of the Shares to be sold by the Selling Stockholders hereunder.
(oo) No Stabilization. None of the MediaAlpha Parties have taken, directly or indirectly, without giving effect to the activities by the Underwriters, any action designed to or that would reasonably be expected to cause or result in any stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Shares.
(pp) Forward-Looking Statements. No forward-looking statement (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act) included or incorporated by reference in any of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus has been made or reaffirmed without a reasonable basis or has been disclosed other than in good faith.
(qq) Statistical and Market Data. Nothing has come to the attention of any MediaAlpha Party that has caused such MediaAlpha Party to believe that the statistical and market-related data included or incorporated by reference in each of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus is not based on or derived from sources that are reliable and accurate in all material respects.
(rr) Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act. To the extent applicable to the Company on the date hereof, there is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or any of the Company’s directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply with any provision of the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act of 2002, as amended and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith (the “Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act”), including Section 402 related to loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to certifications.
(ss) Status under the Securities Act. At the time of filing the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, at the earliest time thereafter that the Company or any offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) under the
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Securities Act) of the Shares and at the date hereof, the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer,” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
(tt) No Ratings. There are (and prior to the Closing Date, will be) no debt securities, convertible securities or preferred stock issued or guaranteed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries that are rated by a “nationally recognized statistical rating organization”, as such term is defined in Section 3(a)(62) under the Exchange Act.
(uu) Legality. The legality, validity, enforceability or admissibility into evidence of any of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Prospectus, this Agreement or the Shares in any jurisdiction in which the Company is organized or does business is not dependent upon such document being submitted into, filed or recorded with any court or other authority in any such jurisdiction on or before the date hereof or that any tax, imposition or charge be paid in any such jurisdiction on or in respect of any such document.
4. Representations and Warranties of the Selling Stockholders. Each of the Selling Stockholders, severally and not jointly, represents and warrants to each Underwriter and each MediaAlpha Party that:
(a) Required Consents; Authority. (i) In the case of a Selling Stockholder other than a Specified Selling Stockholder, (A) all consents, approvals, authorizations and orders necessary for the execution and delivery by such Selling Stockholder of this Agreement, and for the sale and delivery of the Shares to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder, have been obtained, except for (x) such consents, approvals, authorizations and orders as have already been obtained, made or waived or will be obtained prior to the Closing Date, (y) such consents, approvals, authorizations and orders as may be required by FINRA, NYSE and under applicable state securities laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Shares by the Underwriters or (z) where the failure to obtain any such consent, approval, authorization or order would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect; (B) such Selling Stockholder has full right, power and authority to enter into this Agreement and to sell, assign, transfer and deliver the Shares to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder; and (C) this Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by such Selling Stockholder.
(ii) In the case of a Specified Selling Stockholder, (A) all consents, approvals, authorizations and orders necessary for the execution and delivery by such Specified Selling Stockholder of this Agreement, the Power of Attorney (the “Power of Attorney”) and the Custody Agreement (the “Custody Agreement”), and for the sale and delivery of the Shares to be sold by such Specified Selling Stockholder hereunder, have been obtained, except for (x) such consents, approvals, authorizations and orders as have already been obtained, made or waived or will be obtained prior to the Closing Date, (y) such consents, approvals, authorizations and orders as may be required by FINRA, NYSE and under applicable state securities laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Shares by the Underwriters or (z) where the failure to obtain any such consent, approval, authorization or order would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect on such Specified Selling Stockholder's ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by, and perform its obligations under, this Agreement; (B) such Specified Selling Stockholder has full right, power and authority to enter into this Agreement, the Power of Attorney and the Custody Agreement and to sell, assign, transfer and deliver the Shares to be sold by such Specified Selling Stockholder hereunder; and
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(C) this Agreement, the Power of Attorney and the Custody Agreement have each been duly executed and delivered by such Specified Selling Stockholder.
(b) No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance by such Selling Stockholder of this Agreement and, in the case of a Specified Selling Stockholder, the Power of Attorney and the Custody Agreement, the sale of the Shares to be sold by such Selling Stockholder and the consummation by such Selling Stockholder of the transactions contemplated herein or therein will not (i) conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, result in the termination, modification or acceleration of, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property, right or asset of such Selling Stockholder pursuant to, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which such Selling Stockholder is a party or by which such Selling Stockholder is bound or to which any of the property, right or asset of such Selling Stockholder is subject, (ii) result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or by-laws or similar organizational documents of such Selling Stockholder or (iii) result in the violation of any law or statute applicable to such Selling Stockholder or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory agency having jurisdiction over such Selling Stockholder, except, in the case of clauses (i) and (iii) above, for any such conflict, breach, violation, default, lien, charge or encumbrance that would not reasonably be expected to prevent or impede such Selling Stockholder’s ability to perform its obligations under this Agreement in any material respect.
(c) Title to Shares. After giving effect to the Exchange, if applicable, such Selling Stockholder has and will have, immediately prior to the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, good and valid title to the Shares to be sold at the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, by such Selling Stockholder, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or adverse claims; and, upon delivery of the Shares and payment therefor pursuant hereto, good and valid title to such Shares, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or adverse claims, will pass to the several Underwriters.
(d) No Stabilization. Such Selling Stockholder has not taken and will not take, directly or indirectly, without giving effect to the activities by the Underwriters, any action designed to or that would reasonably be expected to cause or result in any stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Shares.
(e) Pricing Disclosure Package. The Pricing Disclosure Package, at the Applicable Time did not, and as of the Closing Date and as of the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that such Selling Stockholder’s representations and warranties under this Section 4(e) are limited solely to the information relating to such Selling Stockholder furnished to the Company in writing by such Selling Stockholder expressly for use in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by such Selling Stockholder consists of (i) the name of such Selling Stockholder, (ii) the number of shares of Class A Common Stock owned by such Selling Stockholder prior to the completion of this offering, (iii) the information set forth in the applicable footnote relating to such Selling Stockholder under the beneficial ownership table and (iv) the number of Shares to be offered by such Selling Stockholder, in each case as set forth in the section entitled “Principal and
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selling stockholders” in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (the “Selling Stockholder Information”)
(f) Issuer Free Writing Prospectus. Other than the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, such Selling Stockholder (including its agents and representatives, other than the Underwriters in their capacity as such) has not prepared, made, used, authorized, approved or referred to and will not prepare, make, use, authorize, approve or refer to any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, other than (i) any document not constituting a prospectus pursuant to Section 2(a)(10)(a) of the Securities Act or Rule 134 under the Securities Act or (ii) the documents listed on Annex A, each electronic road show and any other written communications approved in writing in advance by the Company and the Representatives.
(g) Registration Statement and Prospectus. As of the applicable effective date of the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, the Registration Statement and any such post-effective amendment complied and will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act, and did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading; and as of the date of the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto and as of the Closing Date and as of the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, the Prospectus will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that such Selling Stockholder’s representations and warranties under this Section 4(g) are limited solely to the Selling Stockholder Information.
(h) Material Information. As of the date hereof, as of the Closing Date and as of the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, the sale of the Shares by such Selling Stockholder is not and will not be prompted by any material information concerning the Company which is not set forth in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus.
(i) No Unlawful Payments. Neither such Selling Stockholder nor any of its subsidiaries, nor any director or officer of such Selling Stockholder or any of its subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of such Selling Stockholder, any employee, agent, affiliate or other person associated with or acting on behalf of such Selling Stockholder or any of its subsidiaries has (i) used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense relating to political activity; (ii) made or taken an act in furtherance of an offer, promise or authorization of any direct or indirect unlawful payment or benefit to any foreign or domestic government official or employee, including of any government-owned or controlled entity or of a public international organization, or any person acting in an official capacity for or on behalf of any of the foregoing, or any political party or party official or candidate for political office; (iii) violated or is in violation of any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, or any applicable law or regulation implementing the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, or committed an offence under the Bribery Act 2010 of the United Kingdom or any other applicable anti-bribery or anti-corruption law; or (iv) made, offered, agreed, requested or taken an act in furtherance of any unlawful bribe or other unlawful benefit, including, without limitation, any rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful or improper payment or benefit. Such Selling Stockholder and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, have instituted, maintain and enforce, and will
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continue to maintain and enforce policies and procedures designed to promote and ensure compliance with all applicable anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws.
(j) Compliance with Anti-Money Laundering Laws. The operations of such Selling Stockholder and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including those of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the applicable money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions where such Selling Stockholder or any of its subsidiaries conducts business, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Anti-Money Laundering Laws”), and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving such Selling Stockholder or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Anti-Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of such Selling Stockholder, threatened.
(k) No Conflicts with Sanctions Laws. Neither such Selling Stockholder nor any of its subsidiaries, directors or officers, nor, to the knowledge of such Selling Stockholder, any employee, agent, affiliate or other person associated with or acting on behalf of such Selling Stockholder or any of its subsidiaries is currently the subject or the target of any Sanctions, nor is such Selling Stockholder, any of its subsidiaries located, organized or resident in a Sanctioned Country; and such Selling Stockholder will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering of the Shares hereunder, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity (i) to fund or facilitate any activities of or business with any person that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject or target of Sanctions, (ii) to fund or facilitate any activities of or business in any Sanctioned Country or (iii) in any other manner that will result in a violation by any person (including any person participating in the transaction, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise) of Sanctions. For the past five years, such Selling Stockholder and its subsidiaries have not knowingly engaged in, and are not now knowingly engaged in any dealings or transactions with any person that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject or the target of Sanctions or with any Sanctioned Country.
(l) Organization and Good Standing. To the extent applicable, such Selling Stockholder has been duly organized and is validly existing and in good standing under the laws of its respective jurisdictions of organization.
(m) Delivery of Shares. Such Selling Stockholder specifically agrees that the obligations of such Selling Stockholder hereunder shall not be terminated by operation of law, whether by the death or incapacity of any individual Selling Stockholder, or, in the case of an estate or trust, by the death or incapacity of any executor or trustee or the termination of such estate or trust, or in the case of a partnership, corporation or similar organization, by the dissolution of such partnership, corporation or organization, or by the occurrence of any other event. If any individual Selling Stockholder or any such executor or trustee should die or become incapacitated, or if any such estate or trust should be terminated, or if any such partnership, corporation or similar organization should be dissolved, or if any other such event should occur, before the delivery of the Shares hereunder, such Shares shall be delivered by or on behalf of such Selling Stockholder in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement.
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(n) Specified Selling Stockholders. All of the Shares to be sold by such Specified Selling Stockholder hereunder have been placed or shall be placed in custody prior to the Closing Date under a Custody Agreement relating to such Shares, in the form heretofore furnished to you, duly executed and delivered by such Specified Selling Stockholder to the Transfer Agent, as custodian (the “Custodian”), and such Specified Selling Stockholder has duly executed and delivered a Power of Attorney, in the form heretofore furnished to you, appointing the person or persons specified therein as Attorneys-in-Fact with authority to execute and deliver this Agreement on behalf of such Specified Selling Stockholder, to determine the purchase price to be paid by the Underwriters to the Specified Selling Stockholder as provided herein, and to authorize the delivery of the Shares to be sold by such Specified Selling Stockholder hereunder and the Custody Agreement. Such Specified Selling Stockholder agrees that the Shares held or to be held in custody for such Specified Selling Stockholder under the Custody Agreement are subject to the interests of the Underwriters hereunder, and that the arrangements made by such Specified Selling Stockholder for such custody, and the appointment by such Specified Selling Stockholder of the Attorneys-in-Fact by the Power of Attorney, are to that extent irrevocable.
5. Further Agreements of the Company. The Company covenants and agrees with each Underwriter that:
(a) Required Filings. The Company will file the final Prospectus with the Commission within the time periods specified by Rule 424(b) and Rule 430A, 430B or 430C under the Securities Act, will file any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to the extent required by Rule 433 under the Securities Act; and the Company will file promptly all reports and any definitive proxy or information statements required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act subsequent to the date of the Prospectus and for so long as the delivery of a prospectus is required in connection with the offering or sale of the Shares; and the Company will furnish copies of the Prospectus and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (to the extent not previously delivered) to the Underwriters in New York City prior to 10:00 A.M., New York City time, on the business day next succeeding the date of this Agreement in such quantities as the Representatives may reasonably request.
(b) Delivery of Copies. The Company will deliver, without charge, (i) to the Representatives, two signed copies of the Registration Statement as originally filed and each amendment thereto, in each case including all exhibits and consents filed therewith and documents incorporated by reference therein, upon the request of the Representatives; and (ii) to each Underwriter (A) a conformed copy of the Registration Statement as originally filed and each amendment thereto (without exhibits) upon the request of such Underwriter and (B) during the Prospectus Delivery Period (as defined below), as many copies of the Prospectus (including all amendments and supplements thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus) as the Representatives may reasonably request. As used herein, the term “Prospectus Delivery Period” means such period of time after the first date of the public offering of the Shares as in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters a prospectus relating to the Shares is required by law to be delivered (or required to be delivered but for Rule 172 under the Securities Act) in connection with sales of the Shares by any Underwriter or dealer.
(c) Amendments or Supplements, Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses. Before making, preparing, using, authorizing, approving, referring to or filing any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, and before filing any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement, the Pricing
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Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, the Company will furnish to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters a copy of the proposed Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, amendment or supplement for review and will not make, prepare, use, authorize, approve, refer to or file any such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or file any such proposed amendment or supplement to which the Representatives reasonably object in a timely manner.
(d) Notice to the Representatives. The Company will advise the Representatives promptly, and confirm such advice in writing, (i) when the Registration Statement has become effective; (ii) when any amendment to the Registration Statement has been filed or becomes effective; (iii) when any supplement to the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any amendment to the Prospectus has been filed or distributed; (iv) of any request by the Commission for any amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus or the receipt of any comments from the Commission relating to the Registration Statement or any other request by the Commission for any additional information; (v) of the issuance by the Commission or any other governmental or regulatory authority of any order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus, any of the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the Securities Act; (vi) of the occurrence of any event or development within the Prospectus Delivery Period as a result of which the Prospectus, any of the Pricing Disclosure Package or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Prospectus, the Pricing Disclosure Package or any such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading; and (vii) of the receipt by the Company of any notice with respect to any suspension of the qualification of the Shares for offer and sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose; and the Company will use its reasonable best efforts to prevent the issuance of any such order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus, any of the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or suspending any such qualification of the Shares and, if any such order is issued, will obtain as soon as possible the withdrawal thereof.
(e) Ongoing Compliance. (1) If during the Prospectus Delivery Period (i) any event or development shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading or (ii) it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with law, the Company will immediately notify the Underwriters thereof and forthwith prepare and, subject to paragraph (c) above, file with the Commission and furnish to the Underwriters and to such dealers as the Representatives may designate such amendments or supplements to the Prospectus (or any document to be filed with the Commission and incorporated by reference therein) as may be necessary so that the statements in the Prospectus as so amended or supplemented (or any document to be filed with the Commission and incorporated by reference therein) will not, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser, be misleading or so that the Prospectus will comply with law and (2) if at any time prior to the Closing Date (i) any event or development shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which the Pricing Disclosure Package as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a
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material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Pricing Disclosure Package is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading or (ii) it is necessary to amend or supplement the Pricing Disclosure Package to comply with law, the Company will immediately notify the Underwriters thereof and forthwith prepare and, subject to paragraph (c) above, file with the Commission (to the extent required) and furnish to the Underwriters and to such dealers as the Representatives may designate, such amendments or supplements to the Pricing Disclosure Package (or any document to be filed with the Commission and incorporated by reference therein) as may be necessary so that the statements in the Pricing Disclosure Package as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Pricing Disclosure Package is delivered to a purchaser, be misleading or so that the Pricing Disclosure Package will comply with law.
(f) Blue Sky Compliance. The Company will use reasonable best efforts, in cooperation with the Representatives, to qualify the Shares for offer and sale under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives shall reasonably request and will continue such qualifications in effect so long as required for distribution of the Shares; provided that the Company shall not be required to (i) qualify as a foreign corporation or other entity or as a dealer in securities in any such jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to so qualify, (ii) file any general consent to service of process in any such jurisdiction or (iii) subject itself to taxation in any such jurisdiction if it is not otherwise so subject as of the date of this Agreement.
(g) Earning Statement. The Company will make generally available to its security holders and the Representatives as soon as practicable an earning statement that satisfies the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and Rule 158 of the Commission promulgated thereunder covering a period of at least twelve months beginning with the first fiscal quarter of the Company occurring after the “effective date” (as defined in Rule 158) of the Registration Statement, provided that the Company will be deemed to have complied with such requirement by furnishing such earning statement on the Commission’s Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval system (or any successor system) (“XXXXX”).
(h) Clear Market. For a period of 45 days after the date of the Prospectus (the “Restricted Period”), the Company will not (i) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, or submit to, or file with, the Commission a registration statement under the Securities Act relating to, any shares of Stock, or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Stock, including limited liability company interests in the LLC convertible or exercisable or exchangeable for Stock, or publicly disclose the intention to undertake any of the foregoing, or (ii) enter into any swap or other agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Stock or any such other securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) above is to be settled by delivery of Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the Representatives.
The restrictions described above do not apply to (i) the Shares to be sold hereunder, (ii) Stock issued, transferred, redeemed or exchanged in connection with, or on substantially the same terms as, the Exchange Agreement, provided that the recipients of such Stock or units pursuant to this clause (ii) agree to be bound in writing by an agreement of the same duration and terms as provided in this section and provided, further, that no filing by any party (donor, donee, transferor
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or transferee) under the Exchange Act or other public announcement shall be required or shall be made voluntarily in connection with such transfer or distribution (other than a filing on a Form 5 made after the expiration of the Restricted Period referred to above), (iii) the issuance of shares of Stock or securities convertible into or exercisable for shares of Stock pursuant to the conversion or exchange of convertible or exchangeable securities or the exercise of warrants or options (including net exercise) or the settlement of RSUs (including net settlement), in each case outstanding on the date of this Agreement and described in the Prospectus; (iv) grants of stock options, stock awards, restricted stock, RSUs, or other equity awards and the issuance of shares of Stock or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of Stock (whether upon the exercise of stock options or otherwise) to the Company’s employees, officers, directors, advisors, or consultants pursuant to the terms of an equity compensation plan in effect as of the Closing Date and described in the Prospectus, provided that if such recipient has previously delivered a “lock-up” agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto, such stock options, stock awards, restricted stock, RSUs, or other equity awards or such shares of Stock or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of Stock will be subject to the terms of such lock-up; (v) the filing of any registration statement on Form S-8 relating to securities granted or to be granted pursuant to any plan in effect on the date of this Agreement (or shares of Class A common stock issued in exchange for such securities pursuant to the Exchange Agreement) and described in the Prospectus or any assumed benefit plan pursuant to an acquisition or similar strategic transaction; (vi) the issuance of up to 35,955 shares of Class B Common Stock to holders of Class B-1 units of the LLC, provided that no filing by any party under the Exchange Act or other public announcement shall be required or shall be made voluntarily in connection with such issuance prior to the expiration of the Restricted Period referred to above; (vii) the issuance of shares of Stock or other securities (including securities convertible into shares of Stock) in connection with the acquisition by the Company or any of its subsidiaries of the securities, businesses, properties or other assets of another person or entity or pursuant to any employee benefit plan assumed by the Company in connection with any such acquisition; or (viii) the issuance of shares of Stock or other securities (including securities convertible into shares of Stock) in connection with joint ventures, commercial relationships or other strategic transactions; provided that, in the case of clauses (vii) and (viii), the aggregate number of shares of Stock issued in all such acquisitions and transactions does not exceed 5% of the outstanding Stock of the Company following the offering of the Shares and any recipients of such Shares shall deliver a “lock-up” agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto.
(j) No Stabilization. Neither the Company nor its subsidiaries will take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that could reasonably be expected to cause or result in any stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Class A Common Stock.
(k) NYSE Listing. The Company will use its reasonable best efforts to list the Shares on NYSE, subject to official notice of issuance.
(l) Reports. For a period of two years from the date hereof, the Company will furnish to the Representatives, as soon as commercially reasonable after they are available, copies of all reports or other communications (financial or other) furnished to holders of the Shares, and copies of any reports and financial statements furnished to or filed with the Commission or any national securities exchange or automatic quotation system; provided the Company will be deemed to have furnished such reports and financial statements to the Representatives to the extent they are filed on XXXXX.
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(m) Record Retention. The Company will, pursuant to reasonable procedures developed in good faith, retain copies of each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is not filed with the Commission in accordance with Rule 433 under the Securities Act.
6. Further Agreements of the Selling Stockholders. Each of the Selling Stockholders, severally and not jointly, covenants and agrees with each Underwriter that:
(a) No Stabilization. Such Selling Stockholder will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that could reasonably be expected to cause or result in any stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Class A Common Stock.
(b) Tax Form. It will deliver to the Representatives prior to or at the Closing Date a properly completed and executed United States Treasury Department Form W-9 or W-8, as appropriate (or other applicable form or statement specified by the Treasury Department regulations in lieu thereof).
(d) Use of Proceeds. It will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering of the Shares hereunder, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to a subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity (i) to fund or facilitate any activities of or business with any person that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject of target of Sanctions, (ii) to fund or facilitate any activities of or business in any Sanctioned Country or (iii) in any other manner that will result in a violation by any person (including any person participating in the transaction, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise) of Sanctions.
7. Certain Agreements of the Underwriters. Each Underwriter hereby severally represents and agrees that:
(a) It has not used, authorized use of, referred to or participated in the planning for use of, and will not use, authorize use of, refer to or participate in the planning for use of, any “free writing prospectus”, as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act (which term includes use of any written information furnished to the Commission by the Company and not incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement and any press release issued by the Company) other than (i) a free writing prospectus that contains no “issuer information” (as defined in Rule 433(h)(2) under the Securities Act) that was not included (including through incorporation by reference) in the Preliminary Prospectus or a previously filed Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, (ii) any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus listed on Annex A hereto or prepared pursuant to Section 3(c) or Section 4(f) above (including any electronic road show), or (iii) any free writing prospectus prepared by such Underwriter and approved by the Company in advance in writing (each such free writing prospectus referred to in clauses (i) or (iii), an “Underwriter Free Writing Prospectus”).
(b) It has not and will not, without the prior written consent of the Company, use any free writing prospectus that contains the final terms of the Shares unless such terms have previously been included in a free writing prospectus filed with the Commission.
(c) It is not subject to any pending proceeding under Section 8A of the Securities Act with respect to the offering (and will promptly notify the Company and the Selling Stockholders if any such proceeding against it is initiated during the Prospectus Delivery Period).
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8. Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations. The obligation of each Underwriter to purchase the Underwritten Shares on the Closing Date or the Option Shares on the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, as provided herein is subject to the performance by the Company and each of the Selling Stockholders severally of their respective covenants and other obligations hereunder and to the following additional conditions:
(a) Registration Compliance; No Stop Order. No order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall be in effect, and no proceeding for such purpose or pursuant to Section 8A under the Securities Act shall be pending before or threatened by the Commission; the Prospectus and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus shall have been timely filed with the Commission under the Securities Act (in the case of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, to the extent required by Rule 433 under the Securities Act) and in accordance with Section 5(a) hereof; and all requests by the Commission for additional information shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of the Representatives.
(b) Representations and Warranties. The respective representations and warranties of each MediaAlpha Party and the Selling Stockholders contained herein shall be true and correct on the date hereof and on and as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be; and the statements of each MediaAlpha Party and its officers and each of the Selling Stockholders and, in the case of the Selling Stockholders other than Specified Selling Stockholders, their officers made in any certificates delivered pursuant to this Agreement shall be true and correct on and as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be.
(c) No Downgrade. Subsequent to the earlier of (A) the Applicable Time and (B) the execution and delivery of this Agreement, (i) no downgrading shall have occurred in the rating accorded any debt securities, convertible securities or preferred stock issued or guaranteed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization”, as such term is defined under Section 3(a)(62) under the Exchange Act and (ii) no such organization shall have publicly announced that it has under surveillance or review, or has changed its outlook with respect to, its rating of any such debt securities or preferred stock issued or guaranteed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries (other than an announcement with positive implications of a possible upgrading).
(d) No Material Adverse Change. No event or condition of a type described in Section 3(i) hereof shall have occurred or shall exist, which event or condition is not described in the Pricing Disclosure Package (excluding any amendment or supplement thereto) and the Prospectus (excluding any amendment or supplement thereto) and the effect of which in the judgment of the Representatives makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering, sale or delivery of the Shares on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, on the terms and in the manner contemplated by this Agreement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(e) Officer’s Certificate. The Representatives shall have received on and as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, (x) a certificate, which shall be delivered on behalf of the MediaAlpha Parties and not the signatories in their individual capacity, of a senior executive officer and one additional executive officer of each MediaAlpha Party who are reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives (i) confirming that such officers have carefully reviewed the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and, to the knowledge of such officers, the representations of such MediaAlpha Party set forth in
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Sections 3(b) and 3(d) hereof are true and correct, (ii) confirming that the other representations and warranties of each MediaAlpha Party in this Agreement are true and correct and that each MediaAlpha Party has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder at or prior to the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, and (iii) to the effect set forth in paragraphs (a), (c) and (d) above and (y) a certificate of each of the Selling Stockholders (which, with respect to a Specified Selling Stockholder, may be delivered by an Attorney-in-Fact), in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives, (A) confirming that the representations of such Selling Stockholder set forth in Sections 4(e), 4(f) and 4(g) hereof are true and correct and (B) confirming that the other representations and warranties of such Selling Stockholder in this agreement are true and correct and that such Selling Stockholder has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on their part to be performed or satisfied hereunder at or prior to such Closing Date.
(f) Comfort Letters and CFO Certificates. (i) On the date of this Agreement and on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP shall have furnished to the Representatives, at the request of the Company, letters, dated the respective dates of delivery thereof and addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives, containing statements and information of the type customarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained or incorporated by reference in each of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; provided, that the letter delivered on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, shall use a “cut-off” date no more than three business days prior to such Closing Date or such Additional Closing Date, as the case may be.
(ii) On the date of this Agreement and on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, the Company shall have furnished to the Representatives a certificate, dated the respective dates of delivery thereof and addressed to the Underwriters, of its chief financial officer with respect to certain financial data contained in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, providing “management comfort” with respect to such information, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives.
(g) Opinion and 10b-5 Statement of Counsel for the Company. Xxxxxxx, Swaine & Xxxxx LLP, counsel for the Company, shall have furnished to the Representatives, at the request of the Company, its written opinion and 10b-5 statement, dated the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, and addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives.
(h) Opinion of Counsel for the Selling Stockholders. Xxxxxxxx & Xxxxx LLP, counsel for Insignia Capital Partners, and Xxxxxxx, Swaine & Xxxxx LLP, counsel for the Specified Selling Stockholders, shall have furnished to the Representatives, at the request of such Selling Stockholder, its written opinion, dated the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, and addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives.
(i) Opinion and 10b-5 Statement of Counsel for the Underwriters. The Representatives shall have received on and as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, an opinion and 10b-5 statement, addressed to the Underwriters, of Xxxxx Xxxx
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& Xxxxxxxx LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, with respect to such matters as the Representatives may reasonably request, and such counsel shall have received such documents and information as they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters.
(j) No Legal Impediment to Sale. No action shall have been taken and no statute, rule, regulation or order shall have been enacted, adopted or issued by any federal, state or foreign governmental or regulatory authority that would, as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, prevent the sale of the Shares by such Selling Stockholder; and no injunction or order of any federal, state or foreign court shall have been issued that would, as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, prevent the sale of the Shares by such Selling Stockholder.
(k) Good Standing. The Representatives shall have received on and as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, satisfactory evidence of the good standing of each MediaAlpha Party and its subsidiaries in their respective jurisdictions of organization and their good standing in such other jurisdictions as the Representatives may reasonably request, in each case in writing or any standard form of telecommunication from the appropriate governmental authorities of such jurisdictions.
(l) NYSE Listing. The Shares to be delivered on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, shall have been approved for listing on NYSE, subject to official notice of issuance.
(m) Lock-up Agreements. The “lock-up” agreements, each substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto, between you and the stockholders, officers and directors of the MediaAlpha Parties listed on Schedule 3 hereto, relating to sales and certain other dispositions of shares of Stock or certain other securities, delivered to you on or before the date hereof, shall be full force and effect on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be.
(n) Additional Documents. On or prior to the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, the MediaAlpha Parties and the Selling Stockholders shall have furnished to the Representatives such further certificates and documents as the Representatives may reasonably request.
All opinions, letters, certificates and evidence mentioned above or elsewhere in this Agreement shall be deemed to be in compliance with the provisions hereof only if they are in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters.
9. Indemnification and Contribution.
(a) Indemnification of the Underwriters by the Company. The MediaAlpha Parties, jointly and severally, agree to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its affiliates, directors and officers, employees and each person, if any, who controls such Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, reasonable legal fees and other reasonable expenses incurred in connection with any suit, action or proceeding or any claim asserted, as such fees and expenses are incurred and documented), joint or several, that arise out of, or are based upon, (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, not misleading, or (ii) any untrue statement or alleged
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untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any “issuer information” filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act, any road show as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Securities Act (a “road show”) or any Pricing Disclosure Package (including any Pricing Disclosure Package that has subsequently been amended), or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, in each case except insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities arise out of, or are based upon, any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with any information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in paragraph (c) below.
(b) Indemnification of the Underwriters by the Selling Stockholders. Each of the Selling Stockholders, severally and not jointly, agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its affiliates, directors and officers, employees and each person, if any, who controls such Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act to the same extent as the indemnity set forth in paragraph (a) above, but only with respect to any such losses, claims, damages or liabilities that arise out of, or are based upon, any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission to state a material fact made in reliance upon and in conformity with any information furnished by such Selling Stockholder in writing to the Company relating to such Selling Stockholder expressly for use in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any road show or any Pricing Disclosure Package (including any Pricing Disclosure Package that has subsequently been amended), it being understood and agreed that for purposes of this Agreement, the only such information so furnished by such Selling Stockholder consists of the Selling Stockholder Information. The aggregate amount of such Selling Stockholder’s liability pursuant to this Section 9(b) and Section 9(e) shall not exceed the aggregate amount of proceeds received after underwriting commissions and discounts but before expenses by such Selling Stockholder from the sale of its Shares hereunder.
(c) Indemnification of the MediaAlpha Parties and the Selling Stockholders. Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless each MediaAlpha Party, the directors of the Company, the officers of the Company who signed the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act and each of the Selling Stockholders to the same extent as the indemnity set forth in paragraph (a) above, but only with respect to any losses, claims, damages or liabilities that arise out of, or are based upon, any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with any information relating to such Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any road show or any Pricing Disclosure Package (including any Pricing Disclosure Package that has subsequently been amended), it being understood and agreed upon that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the following information in the Prospectus furnished on behalf of each Underwriter: the terms of the offering by the Underwriters appearing in the second, third and fourth sentences of the fourth paragraph under the caption “Underwriting”, and the information contained in the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth paragraphs under the caption “Underwriting.”
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(d) Notice and Procedures. If any suit, action, proceeding (including any governmental or regulatory investigation), claim or demand shall be brought or asserted against any person in respect of which indemnification may be sought pursuant to the preceding paragraphs of this Section 9, such person (the “Indemnified Person”) shall promptly notify the person against whom such indemnification may be sought (the “Indemnifying Person”) in writing; provided that the failure to notify the Indemnifying Person shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have under the preceding paragraphs of this Section 9 except to the extent that it has been materially prejudiced (through the forfeiture of substantive rights or defenses) by such failure; and provided, further, that the failure to notify the Indemnifying Person shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have to an Indemnified Person otherwise than under the preceding paragraphs of this Section 9. If any such proceeding shall be brought or asserted against an Indemnified Person and it shall have notified the Indemnifying Person thereof, the Indemnifying Person shall retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Person (who shall not, without the consent of the Indemnified Person, be counsel to the Indemnifying Person) to represent the Indemnified Person and any others entitled to indemnification pursuant to this Section 9 that the Indemnifying Person may designate in such proceeding and shall pay the reasonably incurred fees and expenses in such proceeding and shall pay the reasonably incurred fees and expenses of such counsel related to such proceeding, as incurred and documented. In any such proceeding, any Indemnified Person shall have the right to retain its own counsel, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Indemnified Person unless (i) the Indemnifying Person and the Indemnified Person shall have mutually agreed to the contrary; (ii) the Indemnifying Person has failed within a reasonable time to retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Person; (iii) the Indemnified Person shall have reasonably concluded that there may be legal defenses available to it that are different from or in addition to those available to the Indemnifying Person; or (iv) the named parties in any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both the Indemnifying Person and the Indemnified Person and representation of both parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between them. It is understood and agreed that the Indemnifying Person shall not, in connection with any proceeding or related proceeding in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the reasonably incurred fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for all Indemnified Persons, and that all such reasonably incurred fees and expenses shall be paid or reimbursed as they are incurred and documented. Any such separate firm for any Underwriter, its affiliates, directors and officers and any control persons of such Underwriter shall be designated in writing by the Representatives and any such separate firm for the MediaAlpha Parties, the directors of the Company, the officers of the Company who signed the Registration Statement and any other control persons of the Company shall be designated in writing by the Company and any such separate firm for the Selling Stockholders shall be designated in writing by any one of them. The Indemnifying Person shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent, the Indemnifying Person agrees to indemnify each Indemnified Person from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an Indemnified Person shall have requested that an Indemnifying Person reimburse the Indemnified Person for reasonably incurred fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by this paragraph, the Indemnifying Person shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into in good faith more than 60 days after receipt by the Indemnifying Person of such request and more than 30 days after receipt of the proposed terms of such settlement and (ii) the Indemnifying Person shall not have reimbursed the Indemnified Person in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement, unless such amounts are being contested in good faith. No Indemnifying Person shall, without the written consent of the Indemnified Person, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which any Indemnified Person is or could have been a party and indemnification could have been sought hereunder by such Indemnified Person, unless such settlement (x) includes an unconditional release of such Indemnified Person, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to such Indemnified
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Person, from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such proceeding and (y) does not include any statement as to or any admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any Indemnified Person.
(e) Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in paragraphs (a), (b) or (c) above is unavailable to an Indemnified Person or insufficient in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to therein, then each Indemnifying Person under such paragraph, in lieu of indemnifying such Indemnified Person thereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such Indemnified Person as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the MediaAlpha Parties and the Selling Stockholders, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other, from the offering of the Shares or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) but also the relative fault of the MediaAlpha Parties and the Selling Stockholders, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other, in connection with the statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the MediaAlpha Parties and the Selling Stockholders, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other, shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the net proceeds (before deducting expenses) received by the Selling Stockholders from the sale of the Shares and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters in connection therewith, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate offering price of the Shares. The relative fault of the MediaAlpha Parties and the Selling Stockholders, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other, shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the MediaAlpha Parties and the Selling Stockholders or by the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.
(f) Limitation on Liability. The MediaAlpha Parties, the Selling Stockholders and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to paragraph (e) above were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Selling Stockholders or the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in paragraph (e) above. The amount paid or payable by an Indemnified Person as a result of the losses, claims, damages and liabilities referred to in paragraph (e) above shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth above, any reasonable legal or other expenses incurred and documented by such Indemnified Person in connection with any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs (e) and (f), in no event shall an Underwriter be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by such Underwriter with respect to the offering of the Shares exceeds the amount of any damages that such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. In no event shall the aggregate liability of a Selling Stockholders under Section 9(b) and Section 9(e) exceed the limit set forth in Section 9(b). No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters’ obligations to contribute pursuant to paragraphs (e) and (f) are several in proportion to their respective purchase obligations hereunder and not joint.
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(g) Non-Exclusive Remedies. The remedies provided for in this Section 9 are not exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available to any Indemnified Person at law or in equity.
10. Effectiveness of Agreement. This Agreement shall become effective as of the date first written above.
11. Termination. This Agreement may be terminated in the absolute discretion of the Representatives, by notice to the Company and the Selling Stockholders, if after the execution and delivery of this Agreement and on or prior to the Closing Date or, in the case of the Option Shares, prior to the Additional Closing Date (i) trading generally shall have been suspended or materially limited on or by any of NYSE or The Nasdaq Stock Market; (ii) trading of any securities issued or guaranteed by the Company shall have been suspended on any exchange or in any over-the-counter market; (iii) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities shall have been declared by federal or New York State authorities or a material disruption in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States; or (iv) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities or any change in financial markets or any calamity or crisis, either within or outside the United States, that, in the judgment of the Representatives, is material and adverse and makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering, sale or delivery of the Shares on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, on the terms and in the manner contemplated by this Agreement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
12. Defaulting Underwriter.
(a) If, on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, any Underwriter defaults on its obligation to purchase the Shares that it has agreed to purchase hereunder on such date, the non-defaulting Underwriters may in their discretion arrange for the purchase of such Shares by other persons satisfactory to the Company and the Selling Stockholders on the terms contained in this Agreement. If, within 36 hours after any such default by any Underwriter, the non-defaulting Underwriters do not arrange for the purchase of such Shares, then the Company and the Selling Stockholders shall be entitled to a further period of 36 hours within which to procure other persons satisfactory to the non-defaulting Underwriters to purchase such Shares on such terms. If other persons become obligated or agree to purchase the Shares of a defaulting Underwriter, either the non-defaulting Underwriters or the Company and the Selling Stockholders may postpone the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, for up to five full business days in order to effect any changes that in the opinion of counsel for the Company, counsel for the Selling Stockholders or counsel for the Underwriters may be necessary in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or in any other document or arrangement, and the Company agrees to promptly prepare any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus that effects any such changes. As used in this Agreement, the term “Underwriter” includes, for all purposes of this Agreement unless the context otherwise requires, any person not listed in Schedule 1 hereto that, pursuant to this Section 12, purchases Shares that a defaulting Underwriter agreed but failed to purchase.
(b) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by the non-defaulting Underwriters, the Company and the Selling Stockholders as provided in paragraph (a) above, the aggregate number of Shares that remain unpurchased on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, does not exceed one-eleventh of the aggregate number of Shares to be purchased on such date, then the Company and the Selling Stockholders shall have the right to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase the
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number of Shares that such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder on such date plus such Underwriter’s pro rata share (based on the number of Shares that such Underwriter agreed to purchase on such date) of the Shares of such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters for which such arrangements have not been made.
(c) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by the non-defaulting Underwriters, the Company and the Selling Stockholders as provided in paragraph (a) above, the aggregate number of Shares that remain unpurchased on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, exceeds one-eleventh of the aggregate amount of Shares to be purchased on such date, or if the Company and the Selling Stockholders shall not exercise the right described in paragraph (b) above, then this Agreement or, with respect to any Additional Closing Date, the obligation of the Underwriters to purchase Shares on the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, shall terminate without liability on the part of the non-defaulting Underwriters. Any termination of this Agreement pursuant to this Section 12 shall be without liability on the part of the MediaAlpha Parties, except that the MediaAlpha Parties, jointly and severally, and the Selling Stockholders will continue to be liable for the payment of expenses as set forth in Section 13 hereof and except that the provisions of Section 9 hereof shall not terminate and shall remain in effect.
(d) Nothing contained herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter of any liability it may have to the MediaAlpha Parties, the Selling Stockholders or any non-defaulting Underwriter for damages caused by its default.
13. Payment of Expenses.
(a) Whether or not the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, the MediaAlpha Parties, jointly and severally, will pay or cause to be paid all documented costs and expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder, including without limitation, (i) the costs incident to the authorization, issuance, sale, preparation and delivery of the Shares and any transfer taxes payable in that connection; (ii) the costs incident to the preparation, printing and filing under the Securities Act of the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (including all exhibits, amendments and supplements thereto) and the distribution thereof; (iii) the costs of reproducing and distributing each of the Transaction Documents; (iv) the fees and expenses of the Company’s counsel and independent accountants; (v) the reasonable fees and expenses incurred in connection with the registration or qualification and determination of eligibility for investment of the Shares under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives may designate with the prior approval of the Company (such approval not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed) and the preparation, printing and distribution of a Blue Sky Memorandum (including the related reasonable fees and expenses of counsel for the Underwriters) (such fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters pursuant to this clause (v) shall not exceed $5,000); (vi) the cost of preparing stock certificates; (vii) the costs and charges of any transfer agent and any registrar; (viii) all expenses incurred by the Company in connection with any “road show” presentation to potential investors, provided, however, that the Underwriters will pay all of the travel, lodging and other expenses of the Underwriters or any of their employees incurred by them in connection with the “road show”; and (ix) all expenses and application fees related to the listing of the Shares on NYSE. It is, however, understood that except as provided in this Section 13 or Section 9 hereof, the Underwriters shall pay all of their own costs and expenses, including, without limitation, the fees and disbursements of their counsel, any advertising expenses connected with any offers they make
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and all of the travel, lodging and other expenses of the Underwriters or any of their employees incurred by them in connection with the “road show”.
(b) If (i) this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 11 (other than as a result of a termination pursuant to clauses (i), (iii) or (iv) of Section 11), (ii) the Company or the Selling Stockholders for any reason fail to tender the Shares for delivery to the Underwriters (other than as a result of a termination pursuant to clauses (i), (iii) or (iv) of Section 11 or Section 12 or the default by one or more of the Underwriters in its or their respective obligations hereunder in which case, only such defaulting Underwriters shall not be entitled to reimbursement) or (iii) the Underwriters decline to purchase the Shares for any other reason permitted under this Agreement (other than the default by one or more of the Underwriters in its or their respective obligations hereunder, in which case only such defaulting Underwriters shall not be entitled to reimbursement), the MediaAlpha Parties agree, jointly and severally, agree to reimburse the Underwriters for all out-of-pocket costs and expenses (including the reasonable fees and expenses of their counsel) reasonably incurred and documented by the Underwriters in connection with this Agreement and the offering contemplated hereby.
14. Persons Entitled to Benefit of Agreement. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and the officers and directors and any controlling persons referred to herein and the affiliates of each Underwriter referred to in Section 9 hereof. Nothing in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any other person any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision contained herein. No purchaser of Shares from any Underwriter shall be deemed to be a successor merely by reason of such purchase.
15. Survival. The respective indemnities, rights of contribution, representations, warranties and agreements of the MediaAlpha Parties, the Selling Stockholders and the Underwriters contained in this Agreement or made by or on behalf of the MediaAlpha Parties, the Selling Stockholders or the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement or any certificate delivered pursuant hereto shall survive the delivery of and payment for the Shares and shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any termination of this Agreement or any investigation made by or on behalf of the MediaAlpha Parties, the Selling Stockholders or the Underwriters or the directors, officers, controlling persons or affiliates referred to in Section 9 hereof.
16. Certain Defined Terms. For purposes of this Agreement, (a) except where otherwise expressly provided, the term “affiliate” has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act; (b) the term “business day” means any day other than a day on which banks are permitted or required to be closed in New York City; and (c) the term “subsidiary” has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
17. Compliance with USA Patriot Act. In accordance with the requirements of the USA Patriot Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)), the Underwriters are required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies their respective clients, including the Company and the Selling Stockholders, which information may include the name and address of their respective clients, as well as other information that will allow the Underwriters to properly identify their respective clients.
18. Miscellaneous.
(a) Notices. All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if mailed or transmitted and confirmed by any standard form of telecommunication. Notices to the Underwriters shall be given to the Representatives at c/o X.X. Xxxxxx
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Securities LLC, 000 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000 (fax: (000) 000-0000); Attention: Equity Syndicate Desk. Notices to the Company shall be given to it at MediaAlpha, Inc., 000 Xxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 000, Xxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx 00000 (email: xxxxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xxx), Attention: General Counsel. Notices to Selling Stockholders other than the Specified Selling Stockholders shall be given to Insignia Capital Group, 0000 Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxx, Xxxxx 000, Xxxxxx Xxxxx, XX 00000 (email: xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx), Attention: Xxxx Xxxxxxx. Notices to the Specified Selling Stockholders shall be given to the Attorneys-in-Fact at MediaAlpha, Inc., 000 Xxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 000, Xxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx 00000 (email: xxxxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xxx), Attention: General Counsel.
(b) Governing Law. This Agreement and any claim, controversy or dispute arising under or related to this Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
(c) Submission to Jurisdiction. Each MediaAlpha Party and the Selling Stockholders hereby submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the U.S. federal and New York state courts in the Borough of Manhattan in The City of New York in any suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby. Each MediaAlpha Party and the Selling Stockholders waive any objection which it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any such suit or proceeding in such courts. Each MediaAlpha Party and the Selling Stockholders agree that final judgment in any such suit, action or proceeding brought in such court shall be conclusive and binding upon each MediaAlpha Party and the Selling Stockholders, as applicable, and may be enforced in any court to the jurisdiction of which each MediaAlpha Party and the Selling Stockholders, as applicable, is subject by a suit upon such judgment.
(f) Waiver of Jury Trial. Each of the parties hereto hereby waives any right to trial by jury in any suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement.
(g) Recognition of the U.S. Special Resolution Regimes.
(i) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer from such Underwriter of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
(ii) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity or a BHC Act Affiliate of such Underwriter becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under this Agreement that may be exercised against such Underwriter are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
As used in this Section 18(g):
“BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k).
“Covered Entity” means any of the following:
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(i) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b);
(ii) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or
(iii) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b).
“Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable.
“U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the Xxxx-Xxxxx Xxxx Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
(h) Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in counterparts (which may include counterparts delivered by any standard form of telecommunication), each of which shall be an original and all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Delivery of a signed counterpart of this Agreement by e-mail (including pdf or any electronic signature complying with the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, for example, xxx.xxxxxxxx.xxx) or facsimile transmission shall constitute valid and sufficient delivery thereof.
(i) Amendments or Waivers. No amendment or waiver of any provision of this Agreement, nor any consent or approval to any departure therefrom, shall in any event be effective unless the same shall be in writing and signed by the parties hereto.
(j) Headings. The headings herein are included for convenience of reference only and are not intended to be part of, or to affect the meaning or interpretation of, this Agreement.
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If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please indicate your acceptance of this Agreement by signing in the space provided below.
| Very truly yours, | ||||||||||||||
| MediaAlpha Parties: | ||||||||||||||
| MediaAlpha, Inc. | ||||||||||||||
| By: | /s/ Xxxxx Xx | |||||||||||||
| Name: Xxxxx Xx | ||||||||||||||
| Title: CEO | ||||||||||||||
| Guilford Holdings, Inc. | ||||||||||||||
| By: | /s/ Xxxxx Xx | |||||||||||||
| Name: Xxxxx Xx | ||||||||||||||
| Title: CEO | ||||||||||||||
| QL Holdings LLC | ||||||||||||||
| By: | /s/ Xxxxx Xx | |||||||||||||
| Name: Xxxxx Xx | ||||||||||||||
| Title: CEO | ||||||||||||||
[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]
| Selling Stockholders: | ||||||||||||||
| Insignia QL Holdings, LLC | ||||||||||||||
| By: | /s/ Xxxx XxXxxxxx | |||||||||||||
| Name: Xxxx XxXxxxxx | ||||||||||||||
| Title: Vice President and Treasurer | ||||||||||||||
| Insignia A QL Holdings, LLC | ||||||||||||||
| By: | /s/ Xxxx XxXxxxxx | |||||||||||||
| Name: Xxxx XxXxxxxx | ||||||||||||||
| Title: Vice President and Treasurer | ||||||||||||||
| By: | /s/ Xxxxx Xxxxxx | |||||||||||||
| Name: | Xxxxx Xxxxxx | |||||||||||||
[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]
Accepted: As of the date first written above
X.X. XXXXXX SECURITIES LLC
For themselves and on behalf of the
several Underwriters listed
in Schedule 1 hereto.
| X.X. XXXXXX SECURITIES LLC | ||||||||
| By: | /s/ Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx | |||||||
| Name: Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx | ||||||||
| Title: Vice President | ||||||||
[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]
Schedule 1
| Underwriter | Number of Underwritten Shares | Number of Option Shares | ||||||||||||
| X.X. Xxxxxx Securities LLC | 3,000,000 | 450,000 | ||||||||||||
Total | 3,000,000 | 450,000 | ||||||||||||
Sch. 1-1
Schedule 2
| Selling Stockholder | Number of Underwritten Shares | Number of Option Shares | ||||||||||||
| Insignia QL Holdings, LLC | 1,648,648 | 251,489 | ||||||||||||
| Insignia A QL Holdings, LLC | 1,301,352 | 198,511 | ||||||||||||
| Xxxxx Xxxxxx* | 50,000 | 0 | ||||||||||||
Total | 3,000,000 | 450,000 | ||||||||||||
*Selling Stockholders marked with an asterisk are Specified Selling Stockholders.
Sch. 2-1
Schedule 3
•Xxxxxx Xx
•Xxxxxx Xxxxx
•Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxx
•Xxxxxxx Xxxxx
•Xxxxxx (Xxxx) Xxxxx
•Xxxx Xxxxx
•Xxxxx Xxxxxxx
•Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx
•Xxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
•Xxxxx Xxxx
•Xxxxxxxx Xxxxx
•Insignia QL Holdings, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company
•Insignia A QL Holdings, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company
•White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd.
•XX Xxxxxx (Bermuda) Ltd.
•OBF Investments, LLC
•O.N.E. Holdings, LLC
Sch. 3-1
Annex A
a. Pricing Disclosure Package
None.
b. Pricing Information Provided Orally by Underwriters
Public offering price per share: As to each investor, the price paid by such investor.
Number of Underwritten Shares: 3,000,000
Number of Option Shares: 450,000
Annex A-1
Exhibit A
Form of Lock-Up Agreement
March 7, 2024
X.X. XXXXXX SECURITIES LLC
As Representatives of
the several Underwriters listed in
Schedule 1 to the Underwriting
Agreement referred to below
c/o X.X. Xxxxxx Securities LLC
000 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx
New York, NY 10179
Re: MediaAlpha, Inc. – Public Offering
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The undersigned understands that you, as Representatives of the several Underwriters, propose to enter into an underwriting agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) with MediaAlpha, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”) and the Selling Stockholders listed on Schedule 2 to the Underwriting Agreement, providing for the public offering (the “Public Offering”) by the several Underwriters named in Schedule 1 to the Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriters”), of Class A common stock of the Company (the “Securities”). Capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings set forth in the Underwriting Agreement.
In consideration of the Underwriters’ agreement to purchase and make the Public Offering of the Securities, and for other good and valuable consideration receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, the undersigned hereby agrees that, without the prior written consent of the Representatives on behalf of the Underwriters, the undersigned will not, and will not cause any direct or indirect affiliate to, during the period beginning on the date of this letter agreement (this “Letter Agreement”) and ending at the close of business 45 days after the date of the final prospectus (such period, the “Restricted Period”) relating to the Public Offering (the “Prospectus”), (1) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Class A Common Stock”) or Class B common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Class B Common Stock” and, together with the Class A Common Stock, the “Common Stock”) or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock (including without limitation, Common Stock or such other securities which may be deemed to be beneficially owned by the undersigned in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and securities which may be issued upon exercise of a stock option or warrant) (collectively
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with the Common Stock, the “Lock-Up Securities”), (2) enter into any hedging, swap or other agreement or transaction that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Lock-Up Securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of Lock-Up Securities, in cash or otherwise, (3) make any demand for, or exercise any right with respect to, the registration of any Lock-Up Securities or (4) publicly disclose the intention to do any of the foregoing. The undersigned acknowledges and agrees that the foregoing precludes the undersigned from engaging in any hedging or other transactions or arrangements (including, without limitation, any short sale or the purchase or sale of, or entry into, any put or call option, or combination thereof, forward, swap or any other derivative transaction or instrument, however described or defined) designed or intended, or which could reasonably be expected to lead to or result in, a sale or disposition or transfer (whether by the undersigned or any other person) of any economic consequences of ownership, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, of any Lock-Up Securities, whether any such transaction or arrangement (or instrument provided for thereunder) would be settled by delivery of Lock-Up Securities, in cash or otherwise. The undersigned further confirms that it has furnished the Representatives with the details of any transaction the undersigned, or any of its affiliates, is a party to as of the date hereof, which transaction would have been restricted by this Letter Agreement if it had been entered into by the undersigned during the Restricted Period.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the undersigned may:
(a) transfer the undersigned’s Lock-Up Securities:
(i) as a bona fide gift or gifts, or for bona fide estate planning purposes,
(ii) by will or intestacy,
(iii) to any immediate family of the undersigned or any trust for the direct or indirect benefit of the undersigned or the immediate family of the undersigned, or if the undersigned is a trust, to a trustor or beneficiary of the trust or to the estate of a beneficiary of such trust (for purposes of this Letter Agreement, “immediate family” shall mean any relationship by blood, current or former marriage, domestic partnership or adoption, not more remote than first cousin),
(iv) to a partnership, limited liability company or other entity of which the undersigned and the immediate family of the undersigned are the legal and beneficial owner of all of the outstanding equity securities or similar interests,
(v) to a nominee or custodian of a person or entity to whom a disposition or transfer would be permissible under clauses (i) through (iv) above,
(vi) if the undersigned is a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, trust or other business entity, (A) to another corporation, partnership, limited liability company, trust or other business entity that is an affiliate (as defined in Rule 405 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended) of the undersigned, or to any investment fund or other entity controlling, controlled by, managing or managed by or under common control with the undersigned or affiliates of the undersigned (including, for the avoidance of doubt, where the undersigned is a partnership, to its general partner or a successor partnership or fund, or any other funds managed by such partnership), or (B) as part of a distribution to members, partners or shareholders of the undersigned,
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(vii) by operation of law, such as pursuant to a qualified domestic order, divorce settlement, divorce decree or separation agreement,
(viii) to the Company from an employee of the Company upon death, disability or termination of employment, in each case, of such employee,
(ix) as part of a sale of the undersigned’s Lock-Up Securities acquired in open market transactions after the closing date for the Public Offering,
(x) to the Company in connection with the vesting, settlement, or exercise of restricted stock, restricted stock units, options, warrants or other rights to purchase shares of Common Stock (including, in each case, by way of “net” or “cashless” exercise), including for the payment of exercise price and tax and remittance payments due as a result of the vesting, settlement, or exercise of such restricted stock, restricted stock units, options, warrants or rights, provided that any such shares of Common Stock received upon such exercise, vesting or settlement shall be subject to the terms of this Letter Agreement, and provided further that any such restricted stock units, options, warrants or rights are held by the undersigned pursuant to an agreement or equity awards granted under a stock incentive plan or other equity award plan, each such agreement or plan which is described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus,
(xi) pursuant to a bona fide third-party tender offer, merger, consolidation or other similar transaction that is approved by the Board of Directors of the Company and made to all holders of the Company’s capital stock involving a Change of Control (as defined below) of the Company (for purposes hereof, “Change of Control” shall mean the transfer (whether by tender offer, merger, consolidation or other similar transaction), in one transaction or a series of related transactions, to a person or group of affiliated persons, of shares of capital stock if, after such transfer, such person or group of affiliated persons would hold at least a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Company (or the surviving entity)); provided that in the event that such tender offer, merger, consolidation or other similar transaction is not completed, the undersigned’s Lock-Up Securities shall remain subject to the provisions of this Letter Agreement,
(xii) as required by applicable law or pursuant to an order of a court or regulatory agency of competent jurisdiction,
(xiii) by pledging, hypothecating or otherwise granting a security interest in the Lock-Up Securities to one or more lending institutions as collateral or security for any bona fide loan, advance or extension of credit and transferring upon foreclosure upon such Lock-Up Securities (including subsequently transferring such Lock-Up Securities to such lender or collateral agent or other transferee in connection with the exercise of remedies under such loan or extension of credit), provided that the transferee or transferees agree(s) to be bound in writing by the restrictions set forth herein,
(xiv) in any exchange of Class B-1 units of QL Holdings LLC and a corresponding number of shares of the Company’s Class B Common Stock into or for shares of Class A Common Stock (or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Class A Common Stock) in a manner consistent with the provisions therefor set forth in the Prospectus; provided that, to the extent a public announcement or filing under the Exchange Act, if any, is required of or voluntarily made by or on behalf of the undersigned or the Company regarding the exchange, such announcement or filing shall include a statement to the effect that such exchange occurred pursuant to that certain Exchange Agreement entered
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into in connection with the Public Offering, and no transfer of the shares of Class A Common Stock or other securities received upon exchange may be made during the Restricted Period; or
[(xv) the proceeds of which are to be used to pay estimated tax liabilities in connection with the March 2024 scheduled vesting or settlement of restricted stock units; provided that any such restricted stock units subject to scheduled vesting or settlement are held or beneficially owned by the undersigned pursuant to an agreement, stock incentive plan or other equity award plan, and each such agreement or plan is described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus,]1
provided that (A) in the case of any transfer or distribution pursuant to clause (a)(i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi) and (vii), such transfer shall not involve a disposition for value and each donee, devisee, transferee or distributee shall execute and deliver to the Representatives a lock-up letter in the form of this Letter Agreement, (B) in the case of any transfer or distribution pursuant to clause (a)(i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi), (ix), (x) and [(xv)], no filing by any party (donor, donee, devisee, transferor, transferee, distributer or distributee) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or other public announcement shall be made voluntarily in connection with such transfer or distribution (other than a filing on a Form 5 made after the expiration of the Restricted Period referred to above), (C) in the case of any transfer or distribution pursuant to clause (a)(i), (iii), (iv), and (v), if the undersigned is required to file a report under the Exchange Act in connection with such transfer or distribution during the Restricted Period, the undersigned shall include a statement in such report to the effect that the transfer or distribution is not a disposition for value and relates to a bona fide gift or for bona fide estate planning purposes or a transfer or disposition to an immediate family member of the undersigned, any trust for the benefit of the undersigned or the immediate family of the undersigned, or if the undersigned is a trust, to a trustor or beneficiary of the trust or to the estate of a beneficiary of such trust, an entity of which the undersigned and the immediate family of the undersigned are the legal and beneficial owner of all of the outstanding equity securities or similar interests, or a nominee or custodian of an immediately family member or such entity, as applicable, (D) in the case of any transfer or distribution pursuant to clause (a)(ii), if the undersigned is required to file a report under the Exchange Act in connection with such transfer or distribution during the Restricted Period, the undersigned shall include a statement in such report to the effect that the transfer or distribution is not a disposition for value and relates to a transfer by will or intestacy, (E) in the case of any transfer or distribution pursuant to clause (a)(vi), if the undersigned is required to file a report under the Exchange Act in connection with such transfer or distribution during the Restricted Period, the undersigned shall include a statement in such report to the effect that the transfer or distribution is not a disposition for value and relates to a transfer to another corporation, partnership, limited liability company, trust or other business entity that is an affiliate of the undersigned, or to any investment fund or other entity controlling, controlled by, managing or managed by or under common control with the undersigned or affiliates of the undersigned or as part of a distribution to members, partners or shareholders of the undersigned, and (F) in the case of any transfer or distribution pursuant to clause (a)(vii), (viii) and (x) it shall be a condition to such transfer that no public filing, report or announcement shall be voluntarily made and if any filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act, or other public filing, report or announcement reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of shares of Common Stock in connection with such transfer or distribution shall be legally
1 NTD: To only be included in Yi/Nonko lockups.
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required during the Restricted Period, such filing, report or announcement shall clearly indicate in the footnotes thereto the nature and conditions of such transfer;
(b) exercise outstanding options, settle restricted stock units or other equity awards or exercise warrants pursuant to plans or agreements described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; provided that any Lock-Up Securities received upon such exercise, vesting or settlement shall be subject to the terms of this Letter Agreement;
(c) convert outstanding preferred stock, warrants to acquire preferred stock or convertible securities into shares of Common Stock or warrants to acquire shares of Common Stock; provided that any such shares of Common Stock or warrants received upon such conversion shall be subject to the terms of this Letter Agreement;
(d) establish trading plans pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act for the transfer of shares of Lock-Up Securities; provided that (1) such plans do not provide for the transfer of Lock-Up Securities during the Restricted Period and (2) no filing by any party under the Exchange Act or other public announcement shall be required or made voluntarily in connection with such trading plan (other than pursuant to Item 5 of Form 10-Q or Item 9B of Form 10-K); and
(e) sell the Securities to be sold by the undersigned pursuant to the terms of the Underwriting Agreement, including any reclassification, conversion or exchange in connection with such sale of Securities.
[In the event that any discretionary waiver or termination is granted to any “Significant Holder” (as defined below), other than the undersigned, relating to the lock-up restrictions set forth in this Letter Agreement for Lock-Up Securities, the same percentage of shares of Common Stock held by the undersigned shall be immediately and fully released on the same terms from any remaining lock-up restrictions set forth herein. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of this paragraph will not apply (1) if the release, waiver or amendment is effected solely to permit a transfer not involving a disposition for value, (2) if the transferee agrees in writing to be bound by the same terms described in this Letter Agreement to the extent and for the duration that such terms remain in effect at the time of transfer, (3) in the case of any secondary underwritten public offering of shares of Common Stock (including a secondary underwritten public offering with a primary component) (the “Follow-on Offering”), provided that the undersigned shall be offered the opportunity to participate on a pro rata basis in such Follow-on Offering and on pricing terms that are no less favorable than the terms of the Follow-on Offering, or (4) if the release, waiver or amendment is granted to any individual party by the Representatives in an amount, individually or in the aggregate, less than or equal to $2,500,000 in value of Common Stock. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Letter Agreement, if X.X. Xxxxxx Securities LLC on behalf of the Underwriters in its sole judgment determine that a record or beneficial owner of any securities that is a natural person should be granted an early release from a lock-up agreement due to circumstances of an emergency or hardship, then the undersigned shall not have any right to be granted an early release pursuant to the terms of this paragraph. The Representatives shall use commercially reasonable efforts to promptly notify the Company of each such release (provided, that the failure to provide such notice shall not give rise to any claim or liability against the Representatives or the Underwriters). The undersigned further acknowledges that the Representatives are under no obligation to inquire into whether, or to ensure that, the Company notifies the undersigned of the delivery by the Representatives of any such notice, which is a matter between the undersigned and the Company. For the purposes of the foregoing, a “Significant Holder” shall mean any person or entity that (together with any investment funds affiliated
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with such person or entity) beneficially owns 1% or more of the total outstanding shares of Common Stock.]2
In furtherance of the foregoing, the Company, and any duly appointed transfer agent for the registration or transfer of the securities described herein, are hereby authorized to decline to make any transfer of securities if such transfer would constitute a violation or breach of this Letter Agreement.
The undersigned hereby represents and warrants that the undersigned has full power and authority to enter into this Letter Agreement. All authority herein conferred or agreed to be conferred and any obligations of the undersigned shall be binding upon the successors, assigns, heirs or personal representatives of the undersigned.
The undersigned acknowledges and agrees that the Underwriters have not provided any recommendation or investment advice nor have the Underwriters solicited any action from the undersigned with respect to the Public Offering of the Securities and the undersigned has consulted their own legal, accounting, financial, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent deemed appropriate. The undersigned further acknowledges and agrees that, although the Representatives may be required or choose to provide certain Regulation Best Interest and Form CRS disclosures to you in connection with the Public Offering, the Representatives and the other Underwriters are not making a recommendation to you to participate in the Public Offering, enter into this Letter Agreement, or sell any Shares at the price determined in the Public Offering, and nothing set forth in such disclosures is intended to suggest that the Representatives or any Underwriter is making such a recommendation.
The undersigned understands that, if (i) prior to entering into the Underwriting Agreement, the Company notifies the Representatives in writing that the Company does not intend to proceed with the Public Offering, (ii) the Company files an application to withdraw the registration statement related to the Public Offering or deregisters the Shares, (iii) the Underwriting Agreement does not become effective by March 31, 2024, or if the Underwriting Agreement (other than the provisions thereof which survive termination) shall terminate or be terminated prior to payment for and delivery of the Common Stock to be sold thereunder, then this Letter Agreement shall immediately terminate and the undersigned shall be released from all obligations under this Letter Agreement. The undersigned understands that the Underwriters are entering into the Underwriting Agreement and proceeding with the Public Offering in reliance upon this Letter Agreement.
2 NTD: To be included in lockups of shareholders that hold less than 1% of the Common Stock.
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This Letter Agreement and any claim, controversy or dispute arising under or related to this Letter Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
| Very truly yours, | ||||||||
| [NAME OF STOCKHOLDER] | ||||||||
| By: | ||||||||
| Name: | ||||||||
| Title: | ||||||||
[Signature Page to Lock-Up Agreement]
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