AGREEMENT
Exhibit 10.7
This Agreement (this “Agreement”) is entered into as of September 17, 2021 between 8i Acquisition 2 Corp., a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands (the “Company”), 8i Holdings 2 Pte Ltd (the “Sponsor”) and American Opportunities Growth Fund (Sub-Fund number T20VC0063L-SF001), a registered sub-fund of Azure Prime Fund VCC (UEN No. T20VC0063L) whose registered address is at 000 Xxxxxxx Xxxx, #00-000 Xxxxx Xxxxx, Xxxxxxxxx 000000 (“Purchaser”).
RECITALS
WHEREAS, the Company was incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (a “Business Combination”);
WHEREAS, the Company has confidentially submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) a draft registration statement on Form S-1 (the “Registration Statement”) for its initial public offering (“IPO”) of units (the “Public Units”), at a price of $10.00 per Public Unit, each Public Unit comprised of one ordinary share of no par value (“Common Stock”, and the shares of Common Stock included in the Public Units, the “Public Shares”), one redeemable warrant, where each whole warrant is initially exercisable to purchase one-half (1/2) share of Common Stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per whole share, subject to adjustment (the “Warrants”, and the Warrants included in the Public Units, the “Public Warrants”), and one right to receive one-tenth (1/10) of one ordinary share upon consummation of a Business Combination (the “Rights”, and the Rights included in the Public Units, the “Public Rights”);
WHEREAS, proceeds from the IPO and the sale of certain private placement securities will be deposited into a trust account for the benefit of the holders of the Public Shares (the “Trust Account”), as described in the Registration Statement;
WHEREAS, following the closing of the IPO (the “IPO Closing”), the Company will seek to identify and consummate a Business Combination; and
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises, representations, warranties and the mutual covenants contained in this Agreement, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt, sufficiency and adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. Non-Redemption.
(a) The Purchaser has indicated an interest in purchasing 400,000 of the Public Units to be sold in the IPO (the “Securities”).
(b) If the Purchaser acquires any Securities, the Purchaser agrees to not (i) sell the Securities prior to the closing of the Business Combination or redeem the Securities, or (ii) redeem any Public Shares acquired in the IPO as set forth in Section 1(a).
2. Representations and Warranties of the Purchaser. The Purchaser represents and warrants to the Company as follows, as of the date hereof:
(a) Organization and Power. The Purchaser is duly organized, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its formation and has all requisite power and authority to carry on its business as presently conducted and as proposed to be conducted.
(b) Authorization. The Purchaser has full power and authority to enter into this Agreement. This Agreement, when executed and delivered by the Purchaser, will constitute the valid and legally binding obligation of the Purchaser, enforceable against the Purchaser in accordance with its terms, except (i) as limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, fraudulent conveyance and any other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally or (ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief or other equitable remedies.
(c) Governmental Consents and Filings. No consent, approval, order or authorization of, or registration, qualification, designation, declaration or filing with, any federal, state or local governmental authority is required on the part of the Purchaser in connection with the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except for filings pursuant to applicable securities laws, rules or regulations.
(d) Compliance with Other Instruments. The execution, delivery and performance by the Purchaser of this Agreement and the consummation by the Purchaser of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement will not result in any violation or default (i) under any provisions of its organizational documents, (ii) under any instrument, judgment, order, writ or decree to which it is a party or by which it is bound, (iii) under any note, indenture or mortgage to which it is a party or by which it is bound, (iv) under any lease, agreement, contract or purchase order to which it is a party or by which it is bound or (v) under any provision of federal or state statute, rule or regulation applicable to the Purchaser, in each case (other than clause (i)), which would have a material adverse effect on the Purchaser’s ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(e) No Other Representations and Warranties; Non-Reliance. Except for the specific representations and warranties contained in this Section 2 and in any certificate or agreement delivered pursuant hereto, none of the Purchaser nor any person acting on behalf of the Purchaser nor any of the Purchaser’s affiliates (the “Purchaser Parties”) has made, makes or shall be deemed to make any other express or implied representation or warranty with respect to the Purchaser and this offering, and the Purchaser Parties disclaim any such representation or warranty. Except for the specific representations and warranties expressly made by the Company in Section 3 of this Agreement and in any certificate or agreement delivered pursuant hereto, the Purchaser Parties specifically disclaim that they are relying upon any other representations or warranties that may have been made by the Company, any person on behalf of the Company or any of the Company’s affiliates (collectively, the “Company Parties”) with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby.
3. Representations, Warranties and Covenants of the Company. The Company represents, warrants and covenants to the Purchaser as follows:
(a) Organization and Corporate Power. The Company is incorporated and validly existing and in good standing as a corporation under the laws of Delaware and has all requisite corporate power and authority to carry on its business as presently conducted and as proposed to be conducted.
(b) Capitalization. The authorized share capital of the Company consists, as of the date hereof:
(i) unlimited shares of Common Stock, 1,437,500 of which are issued and outstanding and held by the Sponsor. All of the outstanding shares of Common Stock have been duly authorized, are fully paid and nonassessable and were issued in compliance with all applicable federal and state securities laws.
(c) Authorization. All corporate action required to be taken by the Company’s Board of Directors and stockholders in order to authorize the Company to enter into this Agreement, and to issue the Securities, has been taken on or prior to the date hereof. All action on the part of the stockholders, directors and officers of the Company necessary for the execution and delivery of this Agreement, the performance of all obligations of the Company under this Agreement, and the issuance and delivery of the Securities has been taken on or prior to the date hereof. This Agreement, when executed and delivered by the Company, shall constitute the valid and legally binding obligation of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms except (i) as limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, fraudulent conveyance, or other laws of general application relating to or affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights generally or (ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief, or other equitable remedies.
(d) Valid Issuance of Securities.
(i) The Securities, when issued, sold and delivered in accordance with the terms and for the consideration set forth in this Agreement, will be validly issued and fully paid, as applicable, and free of all preemptive or similar rights, taxes, liens, encumbrances and charges with respect to the issue thereof and restrictions on transfer other than restrictions on transfer specified under this Agreement, applicable state and federal securities laws and liens or encumbrances created by or imposed by the Purchaser. Assuming the accuracy of the representations of the Purchaser in this Agreement and subject to the filings described in Section 3(e) below, the Securities will be issued in compliance with all applicable federal and state securities laws, rules and regulations.
(ii) No “bad actor” disqualifying event described in Rule 506(d)(1)(i)-(viii) of the Securities Act (a “Disqualification Event”) is applicable to the Company or, to the Company’s knowledge, any Company Covered Person (as defined below), except for a Disqualification Event as to which Rule 506(d)(2)(ii–iv) or (d)(3), is applicable. “Company Covered Person” means, with respect to the Company as an “issuer” for purposes of Rule 506 promulgated under the Securities Act, any Person listed in the first paragraph of Rule 506(d)(1).
(e) IPO.
(i) The Company has provided to the Purchaser, and will at all times prior to the consummation of the IPO promptly provide to the Purchaser, copies of all correspondence sent by the Company to, or received by the Company from, the SEC.
(ii) The offers and sales of securities in the IPO will be made pursuant to an effective Registration Statement and otherwise in compliance with the Securities Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder and applicable state securities laws, rules and regulations.
(f) Governmental Consents and Filings. Assuming the accuracy of the representations made by the Purchaser in this Agreement, no consent, approval, order or authorization of, or registration, qualification, designation, declaration or filing with, any federal, state or local governmental authority is required on the part of the Company in connection with the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except for filings pursuant to Regulation D of the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, if any.
(g) Compliance with Other Instruments. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement will not result in any violation or default (i) under any provisions of the certificate of incorporation, bylaws or other governing documents of the Company, (ii) under any instrument, judgment, order, writ or decree to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound, (iii) under any note, indenture or mortgage to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound, (iv) under any lease, agreement, contract or purchase order to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound or (v) under any provision of federal or state statute, rule or regulation applicable to the Company, in each case (other than clause (i)) which would have a material adverse effect on the Company or its ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(h) Operations. As of the date hereof, the Company has not conducted, and prior to the IPO Closing the Company will not conduct, any operations other than organizational activities and activities in connection with offerings of the Securities.
(i) Foreign Corrupt Practices. Neither the Company, nor any director, officer, agent, employee or other Person acting on behalf of the Company has, in the course of its actions for, or on behalf of, the Company (i) used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expenses relating to political activity; (ii) made any direct or indirect unlawful payment to any foreign or domestic government official or employee from corporate funds; (iii) violated or is in violation of any provision of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended; or (iv) made any unlawful bribe, rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment to any foreign or domestic government official or employee.
(j) Compliance with Anti-Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements and all other applicable U.S. and non-U.S. anti-money laundering laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, those of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the USA Patriot Act of 2001 and the applicable money laundering statutes of all applicable jurisdictions, 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 with respect to the Anti-Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.
(k) Absence of Litigation. There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation before or by any court, public board, government agency, self-regulatory organization or body pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened against or affecting the Company or any of the Company’s officers or directors, whether of a civil or criminal nature or otherwise, in their capacities as such.
(l) No General Solicitation. Neither the Company, nor any of its officers, managers, employees, agents or members has either directly or indirectly, including, through a broker or finder (i) engaged in any general solicitation or (ii) published any advertisement in connection with the offer and sale of the Securities.
(m) Non-Public Information. The Company represents and warrants that none of the information conveyed to the Purchaser in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement will constitute material non-public information of the Company upon the effectiveness of the Registration Statement.
(n) No Other Representations and Warranties; Non-Reliance. Except for the specific representations and warranties contained in this Section 3 and in any certificate or agreement delivered pursuant hereto, none of the Company Parties has made, makes or shall be deemed to make any other express or implied representation or warranty with respect to the Company or the offering of Securities hereunder, and the Company Parties disclaim any such representation or warranty. Except for the specific representations and warranties expressly made by the Purchaser in Section 2 of this Agreement and in any certificate or agreement delivered pursuant hereto, the Company Parties specifically disclaim that they are relying upon any other representations or warranties that may have been made by the Purchaser Parties.
4. Additional Agreements and Acknowledgements of the Purchaser.
(a) Trust Account.
(i) The Purchaser hereby acknowledges that it is aware that the Company will establish the Trust Account for the benefit of its public stockholders upon the IPO Closing. The Purchaser hereby agrees that it has no right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account, or any other asset of the Company as a result of any liquidation of the Company, except for redemption and liquidation rights, if any, the Purchaser may have in respect of any Public Shares held by it.
(ii) The Purchaser hereby agrees that it shall have no right of set-off or any right, title, interest or claim of any kind (“Claim”) to, or to any monies in, the Trust Account, and hereby irrevocably waives any Claim to, or to any monies in, the Trust Account that it may have now or in the future, except for redemption and liquidation rights, if any, the Purchaser may have in respect of any Public Shares held by it. In the event the Purchaser has any Claim against the Company under this Agreement, the Purchaser shall pursue such Claim solely against the Company and its assets outside the Trust Account and not against the property or any monies in the Trust Account, except for redemption and liquidation rights, if any, the Purchaser may have in respect of any Public Shares held by it.
(b) No Short Sales. The Purchaser hereby agrees that neither it, nor any person or entity acting on its behalf, will engage in any Short Sales with respect to Securities of the Company prior to the closing of the Business Combination. For purposes of this Section 4(b), “Short Sales” shall include, without limitation, all “short sales” as defined in Rule 200 promulgated under Regulation SHO under the Exchange Act, and all types of direct and indirect stock pledges (other than pledges in the ordinary course of business as part of prime brokerage arrangements), forward sale contracts, options, puts, calls, swaps and similar arrangements (including on a total return basis).
(c) Use of Purchaser’s Name. Neither the Company nor the Sponsor will, without the prior written consent of the Purchaser in each instance, use in advertising, publicity or otherwise the name of the Purchaser or any of its affiliates, or any director, officer or employee of the Purchaser, nor any trade name, trademark, trade device, service xxxx, symbol or any abbreviation, contraction or simulation thereof owned by the Purchaser or its affiliates or any information relating to the business or operations of the Purchaser or its affiliates (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any investment vehicles, funds or accounts managed thereby). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company may disclose (i) Purchaser’s name and information concerning the Purchaser (A) to the extent required by law, regulation or regulatory request, including in the Registration Statement or (B) to the Company’s lawyers, independent accountants and to other advisors and service providers who reasonably require Purchaser’s information in connection with the provision of services to the Company, are advised of the confidential nature of such information and are obligated to keep such information confidential, and (ii) Purchaser’s name and the terms of this Agreement to the other Subscribing Parties. The Company and the Sponsor agree to provide to the Purchaser for Purchaser’s review any disclosure in any registration statement, proxy statement or other document in advance of the submission, filing or disclosure of such document in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement with respect to the Purchaser or any of its affiliates, and will not make any such submission, filing or disclosure without including any revisions reasonably requested in writing by the Purchaser or to the extent the Purchaser has a good faith objection to such submission, filing or disclosure.
(e) Stock Exchange Listing. The Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to effect and maintain the listing of the Common Stock, Warrants and Rights on The Nasdaq Capital Market (or another national securities exchange) until the third anniversary of the Business Combination Closing.
5. General Provisions.
(a) Notices. All notices and other communications given or made pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed effectively given upon the earlier of actual receipt, or (i) personal delivery to the party to be notified, (ii) when sent, if sent by electronic mail or facsimile (if any) during normal business hours of the recipient, and if not sent during normal business hours, then on the recipient’s next Business Day, (iii) five (5) Business Days after having been sent by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, or (iv) one (1) Business Day after deposit with a nationally recognized overnight courier, freight prepaid, specifying next Business Day delivery, with written verification of receipt. All communications sent to the Company shall be sent to: 8i Acquisition 2 Corp., Attention: Xxxxxxx Xxx, Email: Xxxxxxx.xxx@0xxxxx.xxx, with a copy to Loeb & Loeb LLP, 000 Xxxx Xxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000, Attention: Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Email: xxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx.
All communications to the Purchaser shall be sent to the Purchaser’s address as set forth on the signature page hereto, or to such email address, facsimile number (if any) or address as subsequently modified by written notice given in accordance with this Section 5(a).
(b) No Finder’s Fees. Each party represents that it neither is nor will be obligated for any finder’s fee or commission in connection with this transaction. The Purchaser agrees to indemnify and to hold harmless the Company from any liability for any commission or compensation in the nature of a finder’s or broker’s fee arising out of this transaction (and the costs and expenses of defending against such liability or asserted liability) for which the Purchaser or any of its officers, employees or representatives are responsible. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Purchaser from any liability for any commission or compensation in the nature of a finder’s or broker’s fee arising out of this transaction (and the costs and expenses of defending against such liability or asserted liability) for which the Company or any of its officers, employees or representatives is responsible.
(c) Survival of Representations and Warranties. All of the representations and warranties contained herein shall survive the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(d) Entire Agreement. This Agreement, together with any other documents, instruments and writings that are delivered pursuant hereto or referenced herein, constitutes the entire agreement and understanding of the parties hereto in respect of its subject matter and supersedes all prior understandings, agreements, or representations by or among the parties hereto, written or oral, to the extent they relate in any way to the subject matter hereof or the transactions contemplated hereby.
(e) Successors. All of the terms, agreements, covenants, representations, warranties, and conditions of this Agreement are binding upon, and inure to the benefit of and are enforceable by, the parties hereto and their respective successors. Nothing in this Agreement, express or implied, is intended to confer upon any party other than the parties hereto or their respective successors and assigns any rights, remedies, obligations or liabilities under or by reason of this Agreement, except as expressly provided in this Agreement.
(f) Assignments. Except as otherwise specifically provided herein, no party hereto may assign either this Agreement or any of its rights, interests, or obligations hereunder without the prior written approval of the other party.
(g) Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which will be deemed an original but all of which together will constitute one and the same instrument.
(h) Headings. The section headings contained in this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and will not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.
(i) Governing Law. This Agreement, the entire relationship of the parties hereto, and any litigation between the parties (whether grounded in contract, tort, statute, law or equity) shall be governed by, construed in accordance with, and interpreted pursuant to the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to its choice of laws principles.
(j) Jurisdiction. The parties hereby irrevocably and unconditionally (i) submit to the jurisdiction of the state courts of New York and the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York for the purpose of any suit, action or other proceeding arising out of or based upon this Agreement, (ii) agree not to commence any suit, action or other proceeding arising out of or based upon this Agreement except in state courts of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (iii) waive, and agree not to assert, by way of motion, as a defense, or otherwise, in any such suit, action or proceeding, any claim that it is not subject personally to the jurisdiction of the above-named courts, that its property is exempt or immune from attachment or execution, that the suit, action or proceeding is brought in an inconvenient forum, that the venue of the suit, action or proceeding is improper or that this Agreement or the subject matter hereof may not be enforced in or by such court.
(k) WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. THE PARTIES HERETO HEREBY WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL IN CONNECTION WITH ANY LITIGATION PURSUANT TO THIS AGREEMENT AND THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.
(l) Amendments. This Agreement may not be amended, modified or waived as to any particular provision, except with the prior written consent of the Company and the Purchaser.
(m) Severability. The provisions of this Agreement will be deemed severable and the invalidity or unenforceability of any provision will not affect the validity or enforceability of the other provisions hereof; provided that if any provision of this Agreement, as applied to any party hereto or to any circumstance, is adjudged by a governmental authority, arbitrator, or mediator not to be enforceable in accordance with its terms, the parties hereto agree that the governmental authority, arbitrator, or mediator making such determination will have the power to modify the provision in a manner consistent with its objectives such that it is enforceable, and/or to delete specific words or phrases, and in its reduced form, such provision will then be enforceable and will be enforced.
(n) Expenses. Each of the Company and the Purchaser will bear its own costs and expenses incurred in connection with the preparation, execution and performance of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, including all fees and expenses of agents, representatives, financial advisors, legal counsel and accountants. The Company shall be responsible for the fees of its transfer agent, stamp taxes and all of The Depository Trust Company’s fees associated with the issuance of the Securities and the securities issuable upon conversion or exercise of the Securities.
(o) Construction. The parties hereto have participated jointly in the negotiation and drafting of this Agreement. If an ambiguity or question of intent or interpretation arises, this Agreement will be construed as if drafted jointly by the parties hereto and no presumption or burden of proof will arise favoring or disfavoring any party hereto because of the authorship of any provision of this Agreement. Any reference to any federal, state, local, or foreign law will be deemed also to refer to law as amended and all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, unless the context requires otherwise. The words “include,” “includes,” and “including” will be deemed to be followed by “without limitation.” Pronouns in masculine, feminine, and neuter genders will be construed to include any other gender, and words in the singular form will be construed to include the plural and vice versa, unless the context otherwise requires. The words “this Agreement,” “herein,” “hereof,” “hereby,” “hereunder,” and words of similar import refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular subdivision unless expressly so limited. The parties hereto intend that each representation, warranty, and covenant contained herein will have independent significance. If any party hereto has breached any representation, warranty, or covenant contained herein in any respect, the fact that there exists another representation, warranty or covenant relating to the same subject matter (regardless of the relative levels of specificity) which such party hereto has not breached will not detract from or mitigate the fact that such party hereto is in breach of the first representation, warranty, or covenant.
(p) Waiver. No waiver by any party hereto of any default, misrepresentation, or breach of warranty or covenant hereunder, whether intentional or not, may be deemed to extend to any prior or subsequent default, misrepresentation, or breach of warranty or covenant hereunder or affect in any way any rights arising because of any prior or subsequent occurrence.
(q) Specific Performance. Each party hereto agrees that irreparable damage may occur in the event any provision of this Agreement was not performed by the other party hereto in accordance with the terms hereof and that the such party shall be entitled to seek specific performance of the terms hereof, in addition to any other remedy at law or equity.
(r) Confidentiality. Except as may be required by law, regulation or applicable stock exchange listing requirements (but subject in any case to the provisions of Section 4(c) hereof), unless and until the transactions contemplated hereby and the terms hereof are publicly announced or otherwise publicly disclosed by the Company, the parties hereto shall keep confidential and shall not publicly disclose the existence or terms of this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Purchaser shall be permitted to disclose any information to its affiliates and its and their respective directors, officers, employees, advisors, director or indirect owners, agents and representatives, in each case so long as such person or entity has been advised of the confidentiality obligations hereunder; provided that the Purchaser shall be liable for any breach of such confidentiality obligations by any such person or entity.
[Signature page follows]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have executed this Agreement to be effective as of the date first set forth above.
COMPANY: | ||
8i ACQUISITION 2 CORP. | ||
By: | ||
Name: | Tan Xxxx Xxxx | |
Title: | Chairman and CEO | |
SPONSOR: | ||
8I HOLDINGS 2 PTE LTD | ||
By: | ||
Name: | Tan Xxxx Xxxx | |
Title: | Director |
PURCHASER: | ||
AMERICAN OPPORTUNITIES GROWTH FUND | ||
By: | ||
Name: | Xxxxxxx Xxxx | |
Title: | Director |
Purchaser’s Address for Notices: |
000 Xxxxxxx Xxxx, #00-000 Xxxxx Xxxxx, Xxxxxxxxx 000000 |