EX-1.1 2 d106686dex11.htm EX-1.1 EX-1.1

Exhibit 1.1

                     Shares

AQUANTIA CORP.

COMMON STOCK

PAR VALUE $0.00001 PER SHARE

 

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

[                    ], 2017


[                                 ], 2017

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

Barclays Capital Inc.

Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.

Needham & Company, LLC

Raymond James & Associates, Inc.

 

c/o   

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

1585 Broadway

New York, New York 10036

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Aquantia Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), proposes to issue and sell to the several Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (the “Underwriters”), for whom Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is acting as representative, severally propose to sell to the several Underwriters, an aggregate of [            ] shares of the common stock, par value $0.00001 per share, of the Company (the “Firm Shares”).

The Company also proposes to issue and sell to the several Underwriters not more than an additional [            ] shares of its common stock, par value $0.00001 per share (the “Additional Shares”), if and to the extent that Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC shall have determined to exercise, on behalf of the Underwriters, the right to purchase such shares of common stock granted to the Underwriters in Section 2 hereof. The Firm Shares and the Additional Shares are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Shares.” The shares of common stock, par value $0.00001 per share, of the Company to be outstanding after giving effect to the sales contemplated hereby are hereinafter referred to as the “Common Stock.”

The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement on Form S-1 (file no. 333-[            ]), including a prospectus, relating to the Shares. The registration statement as amended at the time it becomes effective, including the information (if any) deemed to be part of the registration statement at the time of effectiveness pursuant to Rule 430A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), is hereinafter referred to as the “Registration Statement”; the prospectus in the form first used to confirm sales of the Shares (or in the form first made available to the Underwriters by the Company to meet requests of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173 under the Securities Act) is hereinafter referred to as the “Prospectus.” If the Company has filed an abbreviated registration statement to register additional shares of Common Stock 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.


For purposes of this Agreement, “free writing prospectus” has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act, “Time of Sale Prospectus” means the preliminary prospectus contained in the Registration Statement at the time of its effectiveness together with the documents, pricing information and free writing prospectuses, if any, each as set forth in Schedule II hereto, and “broadly available road show” means a “bona fide electronic road show” as defined in Rule 433(h)(5) under the Securities Act that has been made available without restriction to any person. As used herein, the terms “Registration Statement,” “preliminary prospectus,” “Time of Sale Prospectus” and “Prospectus” shall include the documents, if any, incorporated by reference therein as of the date hereof.

1.     Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to and agrees with each of the Underwriters that:

(a)     The Registration Statement has become effective; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement is in effect, and no proceedings for such purpose are pending before or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened by the Commission.

(b)     (i) The Registration Statement, when it became effective, did not contain and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will not contain, as of the date of such amendment or supplement, any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, (ii) the Registration Statement and the Prospectus comply and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will comply, as of the date of such amendment or supplement, in all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, (iii) the Time of Sale Prospectus does not, and at the time of each sale of the Shares in connection with the offering when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers and at the Closing Date (as defined in Section 4), the Time of Sale Prospectus, as then amended or supplemented by the Company, if applicable, will not, as of the date of such amendment or supplement, 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, (iv) each broadly available road show, if any, when considered together with the Time of Sale Prospectus, does 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 and (v) the Prospectus, as of its date, does not contain and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will not contain, as of the date of any such amendment or supplement or as of the Closing Date, 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, except that the representations and warranties set forth in this paragraph do not apply to statements in or omissions from the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus made in reliance upon, and in conformity with, information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through you expressly for use therein (the “Underwriter Information”).

 

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(c)     The Company is not an “ineligible issuer” in connection with the offering pursuant to Rules 164, 405 and 433 under the Securities Act. Any free writing prospectus that the Company is required to file pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act has been, or will be, filed with the Commission in accordance with the requirements of the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. Each free writing prospectus that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act or that was prepared by or on behalf of or used or referred to by the Company complies or, if filed after the date of this Agreement, will comply as of the date of such filing in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. Except for the free writing prospectuses, if any, identified in Schedule II hereto, and electronic road shows, if any, each furnished to you before first use, the Company has not prepared, used or referred to, and will not, without your prior consent, prepare, use or refer to, any free writing prospectus.

(d)     The Company has been duly incorporated, is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware, has the corporate power and authority to own or lease its property and to conduct its business as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the conduct of its business or its ownership or leasing of property requires such qualification, except to the extent that the failure to be so qualified or be in good standing would not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), business, properties, management, results of operations, stockholders’ equity, financial position or prospects, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or on the performance of the Company of its obligations under this Agreement (a “Material Adverse Effect”).

(e)     Each subsidiary of the Company has been duly organized, is validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization (to the extent the concept of good standing or an equivalent concept is applicable under the laws of such jurisdiction), has the corporate or other organizational power and authority to own or lease its property and to conduct its business as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction (to the extent the concept of good standing or an equivalent concept is applicable under the laws of such jurisdiction) in which the conduct of its business or its ownership or leasing of property requires such qualification, except to the extent that the failure to be so qualified or be in good standing would not be reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; all of the issued shares of capital stock of each subsidiary of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable (to the extent such concepts are applicable in such jurisdiction) and are owned directly by the Company or a subsidiary of the Company, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims.

 

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(f)     This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.

(g)     As of immediately prior to the closing of the sale of the Firm Shares, the authorized capital stock of the Company will conform as to legal matters to the description thereof contained in each of the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.

(h)     The shares of Common Stock outstanding prior to the issuance of the Shares have been duly authorized and are validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

(i)     The Shares have been duly authorized and, when issued, delivered and paid for in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, and the issuance of such Shares will not be subject to any preemptive or similar rights that have not been validly waived.

(j)     The execution and delivery by the Company of, and the performance by the Company of its obligations under, this Agreement will not contravene any provision of (i) applicable law, (ii) the certificate of incorporation or bylaws of the Company, (iii) any agreement or other instrument binding upon the Company or any of its subsidiaries that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or (iv) any judgment, order or decree of any governmental body, agency or court having jurisdiction over the Company or any subsidiary, except in the cases of clauses (i) and (iii) as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, and no consent, approval, authorization or order of, or qualification with, any governmental body or agency is required for the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement, except such as have been previously obtained or as may be required by the rules and regulations of the Commission, the securities or Blue Sky laws of the various states or the rules and regulations of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares.

(k)     There has not occurred any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business or operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.

(l)     There are no legal or governmental proceedings pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or to which any of the properties of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject (i) other than proceedings accurately described in all material respects in the Time of Sale Prospectus and proceedings that would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or (ii) that are required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus and are not so described in all material respects; and there are no statutes, regulations, contracts or other documents that are required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement that are not described in all material respects or filed as required.

 

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(m)     Each preliminary prospectus filed as part of the Registration Statement as originally filed or as part of any amendment thereto, or filed pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act, complied when so filed in all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.

(n)     The Company is not, and after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Prospectus will not be, required to register as an “investment company” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

(o)     The Company and its subsidiaries (i) are in compliance with any and all applicable foreign, federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the protection of human health and safety, the environment or hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (“Environmental Laws”), (ii) have received all permits, licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses and (iii) are in compliance with all terms and conditions of any such permit, license or approval, except where such noncompliance with Environmental Laws, failure to receive required permits, licenses or other approvals or failure to comply with the terms and conditions of such permits, licenses or approvals would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(p)     There are no costs or liabilities associated with Environmental Laws (including, without limitation, any capital or operating expenditures required for clean-up, closure of properties or compliance with Environmental Laws or any permit, license or approval, any related constraints on operating activities and any potential liabilities to third parties) which would, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(q)     Except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, there are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person granting such person the right to require the Company to file a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to any securities of the Company or to require the Company to include such securities with the Shares registered pursuant to the Registration Statement. All such registration rights have been validly waived in connection with the issuance and sale of the Shares contemplated hereby.

(r)     Neither the Company nor any officer, director, subsidiary, or controlled affiliates, nor to the Company’s knowledge, any agent, distributor, or representative of the Company or of any of its subsidiaries or controlled affiliates has any reason to believe that the Company or any of the foregoing persons or entities have taken any action in such capacity(ies) in violation of, or which may cause the Company or any of its subsidiaries to be in violation of, any applicable U.S. law governing imports into or exports from the United States in connection with the Company’s products, including without limitation: any executive orders or regulations issued with respect to the laws referred to in this Section 1(r), the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C.A. § 2278), the

 

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Export Administration Act (50 U.S.C. App. §§ 2401-2420), the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (22 C.F.R. § 120-130), the Export Administration Regulations (15 C.F.R. § 730 et seq.), the Customs Laws of the United States (19 U.S.C. § 1 et seq.), the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. § 1701-1706), any other export control regulations issued by the agencies listed in Part 730 of the Export Administration Regulations. There has never been a claim or charge made, investigation undertaken, violation found, or settlement of any enforcement action under any of the laws referred to in this Section 1(r) by any governmental entity with respect to matters arising under such laws against the Company, any of its subsidiaries, or to the Company’s knowledge, against the agents, distributors, or representative of any of the foregoing in connection with their relationship with the Company. The Company maintains a compliance program appropriate to promote and achieve compliance with the requirements of the aforementioned laws.

(s)     (i) None of the Company or its subsidiaries or controlled affiliates, or any director, officer, or employee thereof, or, to the Company’s knowledge, any agent or representative of the Company or of any of its subsidiaries or controlled affiliates, has taken or will take any action in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization or approval of the payment, giving or receipt of money, property, gifts or anything else of value, directly or indirectly, to any government official (including any officer or employee of a government or 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) (“Government Official”) in order to influence official action, or to any person in violation of any applicable anti-corruption laws; (ii) the Company and its subsidiaries and controlled affiliates have conducted their businesses in compliance with applicable anti-corruption laws and have instituted and maintained and will continue to maintain policies and procedures reasonably designed to promote and achieve compliance with such laws and with the representations and warranties contained herein; and (iii) neither the Company nor its subsidiaries will use, directly or indirectly, the proceeds of the offering in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization of the payment or giving of money, or anything else of value, to any person in violation of any applicable anti-corruption laws.

(t)     The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in material compliance with all applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including those of the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by Title III of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (the “USA PATRIOT Act”), and the applicable anti-money laundering statutes of jurisdictions where the Company and its subsidiaries conduct business, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental or regulatory 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 Company, threatened.

 

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(u)    (i) None of the Company or its subsidiaries, or any director, officer, or employee thereof, or, to the Company’s knowledge, any agent, controlled affiliate or representative of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, is an individual or entity (“Person”) that is, or is owned or controlled by one or more Persons that are:

(A)     the subject of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), the United Nations Security Council (“UNSC”), the European Union (“EU”), Her Majesty’s Treasury (“HMT”), or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), or

(B)     located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of Sanctions (including, without limitation, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria) (each, a “Sanctioned Country”).

(ii)     The Company will not, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of the offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other Person:

(A)     to fund or facilitate (1) any activities of or business with any Person that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject of Sanctions or (2) any activities of or business in any Sanctioned Country; or

(B)     in any other manner that will result in a violation of Sanctions by any Person (including any Person participating in the offering, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise).

(iii)     For the past 5 years, the Company and its subsidiaries have not knowingly engaged in, are not now knowingly engaged in, and will not engage in, any dealings or transactions with any Person, that at the time of the dealing or transactions is or was the subject of Sanctions or in any Sanctioned Country.

(v)     Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, (i) the Company and its subsidiaries have not incurred any material liability or obligation, direct or contingent, nor entered into any material transaction; (ii) the Company has not purchased any of its outstanding capital stock other than from its employees or other service providers in connection with the termination of their service, nor declared, paid or otherwise made any dividend or distribution of any kind on its capital stock other than ordinary and customary dividends; and (iii) there has not been any material change in the capital stock (other than the exercise of equity awards, the grant of equity awards, or the expiration, termination, cancellation, forfeiture,

 

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reacquisition or repurchase of equity awards outstanding as of such respective dates, in each case granted pursuant to the equity compensation plans described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and Prospectus), short-term debt or long-term debt of the Company and its subsidiaries, except in each case as described in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, respectively.

(w)     The Company has no debt securities or preferred stock that are rated by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” (as such term is defined by the Commission for purposes of Rule 436(g)(2) under the Securities Act).

(x)     The Company and its subsidiaries do not own any real property. The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all personal property owned by them that is material to the business of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and defects except such as are described in the Time of Sale Prospectus or such as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its subsidiaries; and any real property and buildings held under lease by the Company and its subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with such exceptions as are not material and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property and buildings by the Company and its subsidiaries, in each case except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus.

(y)     The Company and its subsidiaries own or possess, or can acquire on reasonable terms, all material patents, patent rights, licenses, inventions, copyrights, know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures), trademarks, service marks and trade names and all goodwill associated with the use of the same, including the right to sue for past, present and future infringement, misappropriation or dilution of the same, currently employed by them in connection with the business now operated by them, (the “Company Intellectual Property”). Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (i) there are no third parties who have established rights to any Company Intellectual property, except for the retained rights of the owners of the Company Intellectual Property that is licensed to the Company, (ii) there is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others (a) challenging the Company’s rights or any of its subsidiaries’ rights in or to any Company Intellectual Property and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is aware of any facts that could form a reasonable basis for any such actions, suits, proceedings or claims, (iii) there is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others that the Company or any of its subsidiaries infringes or misappropriates any intellectual property or other proprietary rights of others and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is aware of any facts that could form a reasonable basis for any such action, suit, proceeding or claim, and (iv) none of the Company Intellectual Property has been obtained or is being used by the Company or its subsidiaries in violation of any contractual obligation binding on the Company or any of its subsidiaries in violation of the rights of any persons.

 

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(z)     No material labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries exists, except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus, or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent; and the Company is not aware of any existing, threatened or imminent labor disturbance by the employees of any of its principal suppliers, manufacturers or contractors that would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(aa)     The Company and each of its subsidiaries are insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are, in the reasonable judgment of the Company, prudent and customary in the businesses in which they are engaged; neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has been refused any insurance coverage sought or applied for; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has 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 from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business at a cost that would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus.

(bb)     The Company and its subsidiaries possess all certificates, authorizations and permits issued by the appropriate federal, state or foreign regulatory authorities necessary to conduct their respective businesses except where the failure to obtain such certificates, authorizations or permits would not, individually or in the aggregate, be reasonably likely to have a Material Adverse Effect, and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such certificate, authorization or permit which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would have a Material Adverse Effect, except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus.

(cc)     The Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, maintain a system of 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 U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (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. Except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus, since the end of the Company’s most recent audited fiscal year, there has been (A) no material weakness in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated) and (B) no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

(dd)     The consolidated financial statements of the Company filed with the Commission as a part of the Registration Statement and included in the Time of Sale

 

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Prospectus and the Prospectus present fairly in all material respects the consolidated financial position of the Company and its subsidiaries as of the dates indicated and the results of its operations and cash flows for the periods specified. Such consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. GAAP applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved.

(ee)     Deloitte & Touche LLP is the Company’s independent public accounting firm within the meaning of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

(ff)     The Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures that comply with the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”); such disclosure controls and procedures have been designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company and its subsidiaries is made known to the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer by others within those entities; and such disclosure controls and procedures are effective.

(gg)     Except as described in the Registration Statement or Time of Sale Prospectus, the Company has not sold, issued or distributed any shares of Common Stock during the six-month period preceding the date hereof, including any sales pursuant to Rule 144A under, or Regulation D or S of, the Securities Act, other than shares issued pursuant to employee benefit plans, equity incentive plans or other employee compensation plans or pursuant to outstanding options, rights or warrants.

(hh)     The Company and each of its subsidiaries have filed all federal, state, local and foreign tax returns required to be filed through the date of this Agreement or have requested extensions thereof (except where the failure to file would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect) and have paid all taxes required to be paid thereon (except for cases in which the failure to pay would not reasonably be expected 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 financial statements of the Company), and no tax deficiency has been determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries which has had (nor does the Company nor any of its subsidiaries have any notice or knowledge of any tax deficiency which could reasonably be expected to be determined adversely to the Company or its subsidiaries and which could reasonably be expected to have) a Material Adverse Effect.

(ii)     From the time of initial confidential submission of the Registration Statement to the Commission (or, if earlier, the first date on which the Company engaged directly or through any person authorized to act on its behalf in any Testing-the-Waters Communication) through the date hereof, the Company has been and is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act (an “Emerging Growth Company”). “Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any oral or written communication with potential investors undertaken in reliance on Section 5(d) of the Securities Act.

 

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(jj)     The Company (i) has not alone engaged in any Testing-the-Waters Communication other than Testing-the-Waters Communications with the consent of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC with entities that are qualified institutional buyers within the meaning of Rule 144A under the Securities Act or institutions that are accredited investors within the meaning of Rule 501 under the Securities Act and (ii) has not authorized anyone other than Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC to engage in Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company reconfirms that Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC has been authorized to act on its behalf in undertaking Testing-the-Waters Communications, if any. The Company has not distributed any Written Testing-the-Waters Communications other than those listed on Schedule III hereto. “Written Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any Testing-the-Waters Communication that is a written communication within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act.

(kk)     As of the time of each sale of the Shares in connection with the offering when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers, none of (A) the Time of Sale Prospectus, (B) any free writing prospectus, when considered together with the Time of Sale Prospectus, and (C) any individual Written Testing-the-Waters Communication, when considered together with the Time of Sale Prospectus, included, includes or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or will 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.

(ll)     Nothing has come to the attention of the Company that has caused the Company to believe that the statistical and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus is not based on or derived from sources that are reliable and accurate in all material respects.

(mm)     The Shares have been approved for listing, subject to official notice of issuance and evidence of satisfactory distribution, on the New York Stock Exchange.

(nn)     Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, there are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person that would give rise to a valid claim against the Company or any Underwriter for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or other like payment in connection with the offering of the Shares contemplated hereby.

2.     Agreements to Sell and Purchase. The Company hereby agrees to sell to the several Underwriters, and each Underwriter, upon the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained, but subject to the conditions hereinafter stated, agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company the respective numbers of Firm Shares set forth in Schedule I hereto opposite its name (the “Purchase Price”).

On the basis of the representations and warranties contained in this Agreement, and subject to its terms and conditions, the Company agrees to sell to the Underwriters the Additional Shares, and the Underwriters shall have the right to purchase, severally and not jointly, up to [                        ] Additional Shares at the Purchase Price,

 

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provided, however, that the amount paid by the Underwriters for any Additional Shares shall be reduced by an amount per share equal to any dividends declared by the Company and payable on the Firm Shares but not payable on such Additional Shares. You may exercise this right on behalf of the Underwriters in whole or from time to time in part by giving written notice not later than 30 days after the date of this Agreement. Any exercise notice shall specify the number of Additional Shares to be purchased by the Underwriters and the date on which such shares are to be purchased. Each purchase date must be at least one business day after the written notice is given and may not be earlier than the closing date for the Firm Shares nor later than ten business days after the date of such notice. Additional Shares may be purchased as provided in Section 4 hereof solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments made in connection with the offering of the Firm Shares. On each day, if any, that Additional Shares are to be purchased (an “Option Closing Date”), each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase the number of Additional Shares (subject to such adjustments to eliminate fractional shares as you may determine) that bears the same proportion to the total number of Additional Shares to be purchased on such Option Closing Date as the number of Firm Shares set forth in Schedule I hereto opposite the name of such Underwriter bears to the total number of Firm Shares.

3.     Terms of Public Offering. The Company is advised by you that the Underwriters propose to make a public offering of their respective portions of the Shares as soon after the Registration Statement and this Agreement have become effective as in your judgment is advisable. The Company is further advised by you that the Shares are to be offered to the public initially at $[            ] a share (the “Public Offering Price”) and to certain dealers selected by you at a price that represents a concession not in excess of $[            ] a share under the Public Offering Price, and that any Underwriter may allow, and such dealers may reallow, a concession, not in excess of $[            ] a share, to any Underwriter or to certain other dealers.

4.     Payment and Delivery. Payment for the Firm Shares shall be made to the Company in Federal or other funds immediately available in New York City against delivery of such Firm Shares for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters at 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on [            ], 2017, or at such other time on the same or such other date, not later than [            ], 2017, as shall be designated in writing by you. The time and date of such payment are hereinafter referred to as the “Closing Date.” The Closing Date and each Option Closing Date are each sometimes referred to herein as an “Applicable Closing Date.”

Payment for any Additional Shares shall be made to the Company in Federal or other funds immediately available in New York City against delivery of such Additional Shares for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters at 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the date specified in the corresponding notice described in Section 2 or at such other time on the same or on such other date, in any event not later than [            ], 2017, as shall be designated in writing by you.

 

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The Firm Shares and Additional Shares shall be registered in such names and in such denominations as you shall request in writing not later than one full business day prior to the Closing Date or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be. The Firm Shares and Additional Shares shall be delivered to you on the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters. The Purchase Price payable by the Underwriters shall be reduced by (i) any transfer taxes paid by, or on behalf of, the Underwriters in connection with the transfer of the Shares to the Underwriters duly paid and (ii) any withholding required by law.

5.     Conditions to the Underwriters’ Obligations. The obligations of the Company to sell the Shares to the Underwriters and the several obligations of the Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Shares on each Applicable Closing Date are subject to the condition that the Registration Statement shall have become effective not later than 4:30 p.m. (New York City time) on the date hereof.

The several obligations of the Underwriters are subject to the following further conditions:

(a)     Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to each Applicable Closing Date, there shall not have occurred any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business or operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, from that set forth in the Time of Sale Prospectus that, in your judgment, is material and adverse and that makes it, in your judgment, impracticable to market the Shares on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Time of Sale Prospectus.

(b)     The Underwriters shall have received on each Applicable Closing Date a certificate, dated such Applicable Closing Date and signed by an executive officer on behalf of the Company, to the effect set forth in Section 5(a) above and to the effect that the representations and warranties of the Company contained in this Agreement are true and correct as of such Applicable Closing Date and that the Company has complied with all of the agreements and satisfied all of the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder on or before such Applicable Closing Date.

The officer signing and delivering such certificate may rely upon his or her knowledge as to proceedings threatened.

(c) The Underwriters shall have received on each Applicable Closing Date an opinion of Cooley LLP, outside counsel for the Company, dated such Applicable Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters.

(d) The Underwriters shall have received on each Applicable Closing Date an opinion of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, dated such Applicable Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters.

 

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With respect to Section 5(c) and 5(d) above, Cooley LLP and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP may state that their opinions and beliefs are based upon their participation in the preparation of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto and review and discussion of the contents thereof, but are without independent check or verification, except as specified.

(e)     The Underwriters shall have received, on the date hereof and on each Applicable Closing Date, a letter dated the date hereof or such Applicable Closing Date, as the case may be, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters, from Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent public accountants, containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus; provided that the letter delivered on each Applicable Closing Date shall use a “cut-off date” not earlier than three business days prior to such Applicable Closing Date.

(f)     The “lock-up” agreements, each substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto, between you and certain stockholders, officers and directors of the Company relating to sales and certain other dispositions of shares of Common Stock or certain other securities, delivered to you on or before the date hereof, shall be in full force and effect on each Applicable Closing Date.

(g)     The several obligations of the Underwriters to purchase Additional Shares hereunder are subject to the delivery to you on the applicable Option Closing Date of such documents as you may reasonably request with respect to the good standing of the Company, the due authorization and issuance of the Additional Shares to be sold on such Option Closing Date and other matters related to the issuance of such Additional Shares.

(h)     [The chief financial officer of the Company shall have delivered to the Underwriters on each Applicable Closing Date a certificate in a form reasonably acceptable to Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC.]1

6.     Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants with each Underwriter as follows:

(a)     To furnish to you, without charge, five signed copies of the Registration Statement (including exhibits thereto) and for delivery to each other Underwriter a conformed copy of the Registration Statement (without exhibits thereto) and to furnish to you in New York City, without charge, prior to 10:00 a.m. New York City time on the business day next succeeding the date of this Agreement and during the period mentioned in Section 6(e) or 6(f) below, as many copies of the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus and any supplements and amendments thereto or to the Registration Statement as you may reasonably request; provided that, with respect to the Prospectus, the Company will not be required to incur weekend printing charges in connection with such delivery.

 

1 Please note that a CFO certificate may be required pending the outcome of the comfort process.

 

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(b)     Before amending or supplementing the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, to furnish to you a copy of each such proposed amendment or supplement and not to file any such proposed amendment or supplement to which you reasonably object, and to file with the Commission within the applicable period specified in Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act any prospectus required to be filed pursuant to such Rule.

(c)     To furnish to you a copy of each proposed free writing prospectus to be prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company and not to use or refer to any proposed free writing prospectus to which you reasonably object.

(d)     Not to take any action that would result in an Underwriter or the Company being required to file with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act a free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of the Underwriter that the Underwriter otherwise would not have been required to file thereunder.

(e)     If the Time of Sale Prospectus is being used to solicit offers to buy the Shares at a time when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers and any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Time of Sale Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances, not misleading, or if any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which the Time of Sale Prospectus conflicts with the information contained in the Registration Statement then on file, or if, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters, it is necessary to amend or supplement the Time of Sale Prospectus to comply with applicable law, forthwith to prepare, file with the Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters and to any dealer upon request, either amendments or supplements to the Time of Sale Prospectus so that the statements in the Time of Sale Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances when the Time of Sale Prospectus is delivered to a prospective purchaser, be misleading or so that the Time of Sale Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will no longer conflict with the Registration Statement, or so that the Time of Sale Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with applicable law.

(f)     If, during such period after the first date of the public offering of the Shares as in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters the Prospectus (or in lieu thereof the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) of the Securities Act) is required by law to be delivered in connection with sales by an Underwriter or dealer, any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances when the Prospectus (or in lieu thereof the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) of the Securities Act) is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading, or if, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters, it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with

 

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applicable law, forthwith to prepare, file with the Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters and to the dealers (whose names and addresses you will furnish to the Company) to which Shares may have been sold by you on behalf of the Underwriters and to any other dealers upon request, either amendments or supplements to the Prospectus so that the statements in the Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances when the Prospectus (or in lieu thereof the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) of the Securities Act) is delivered to a purchaser, be misleading or so that the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with applicable law.

(g)     To endeavor to qualify the Shares for offer and sale under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions as you shall reasonably request; provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to file any general consent to service of process or to qualify as a foreign corporation or as a dealer in securities in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to subject itself to taxation in respect of doing business in any jurisdiction in which it is not otherwise so subject.

(h)     To make generally available to the Company’s security holders and to you as soon as practicable an earnings statement covering a period of at least twelve months beginning with the first fiscal quarter of the Company occurring after the date of this Agreement which shall satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. Any report, communication or financial statement furnished or filed with the Commission that is publicly available on the Commission’s EDGAR system shall be deemed to have been furnished to such security holders at the time furnished or filed with the Commission.

(i)     The Company will promptly notify Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC if the Company ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the later of (a) completion of the distribution of the Shares within the meaning of the Securities Act and (b) completion of the Restricted Period referred to below.

(j)     If at any time following the distribution of any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company will promptly notify Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication to eliminate or correct such untrue statement or omission.

(k)     The Company will on or before the effective date of the Registration Statement obtain D&O insurance coverage as is prudent and customary for a public company.

 

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(l)     The Company also covenants with each Underwriter that, without the prior written consent of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC on behalf of the Underwriters, it will not, during the period commencing on the date hereof and ending 180 days after the date of the Prospectus (the “Restricted Period”), (1) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, stock award, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or (2) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Common Stock, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise or (3) file any registration statement with the Commission relating to the offering of any shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock.

(a) The restrictions contained in the preceding paragraph shall not apply to (i) the Shares to be sold hereunder, (ii) the issuance by the Company of shares of Common Stock upon the exercise (including any net exercise or exercise by delivery of already owned shares of Common Stock) of an option or warrant or the vesting or settlement of restricted stock units or restricted stock awards or the conversion of a security outstanding on the date hereof, provided that such option, warrant, restricted stock unit, restricted stock award or security is identified in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, (iii) the reacquisition or withholding of all or a portion of shares of Common Stock subject to a stock award to satisfy a tax withholding obligation in connection with the vesting or exercise of such stock award or to satisfy the purchase price or exercise price of such stock award, (iv) the issuance by the Company of options to purchase shares of Common Stock or restricted stock units or restricted stock awards to employees, officers, directors, advisors or consultants of the Company pursuant to equity compensation plans described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus (provided that, prior to such issuance, to the extent that any such shares or any such options, restricted stock units or restricted stock awards will become vested during the Restricted Period, the Company shall cause each recipient of such grant or issuance to execute and deliver a “lock-up” agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto), (v) the filing by the Company of registration statements on Form S-8 with respect to the equity compensation plans described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, (vi) the sale or issuance of or entry into an agreement to sell or issue shares of Common Stock in connection with the Company’s acquisition of one or more businesses, products or technologies (whether by means of merger, stock purchase, asset purchase or otherwise) or in connection with joint ventures, commercial relationships or other strategic transactions, provided that the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock that the Company may sell or issue or agree to sell or issue pursuant to this clause (vi) shall not exceed 5% of the total number of shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately following the completion of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement (determined on a fully-diluted basis and as

 

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adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends and other similar events after the completion of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement); and provided further that the Company shall cause each recipient of such shares to execute and deliver to Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, on or prior to such issuance, a “lock-up” agreement, substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto, or (vii) the establishment of a trading plan pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act for the transfer of shares of Common Stock, provided that (x) such plan does not provide for the transfer of Common Stock during the Restricted Period and (y) 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 Company regarding the establishment of such plan, such announcement or filing shall include a statement to the effect that no transfer of Common Stock may be made under such plan during the Restricted Period.

(b) If Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC in its sole discretion, agrees to release or waive the restrictions set forth in a “lock-up” agreement described in Section 5(f) hereof for an officer or director of the Company and provide the Company with notice of the impending release or waiver at least three business days before the effective date of the release or waiver, the Company agrees to announce the impending release or waiver by a press release substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto through a major news service at least two business days before the effective date of the release or waiver.

7.     Expenses. Whether or not the transactions contemplated in this Agreement are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, the Company agrees to pay or cause to be paid all expenses incident to the performance of their obligations under this Agreement, including: (i) the fees, disbursements and expenses of (a) the Company’s counsel and the Company’s accountants, and (b) all other fees or expenses in connection with the preparation and filing of the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus, any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company and amendments and supplements to any of the foregoing, including all printing costs associated therewith, and the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the Underwriters and dealers, in the quantities hereinabove specified, (ii) all costs and expenses related to the transfer and delivery of the Shares to the Underwriters, including any transfer or other taxes payable thereon, (iii) the documented cost of printing or producing any Blue Sky or Legal Investment memorandum in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares under state securities laws and all expenses in connection with the qualification of the Shares for offer and sale under state securities laws as provided in Section 6(g) hereof, including filing fees and the documented fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with such qualification and in connection with the Blue Sky or Legal Investment memorandum, (iv) all filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters incurred in connection with the review and qualification of the offering of the Shares by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, provided that the amount payable by the Company with respect to such fees and disbursements described in clause (iii) and this clause (iv) shall not exceed $30,000 in the aggregate, (v) all fees and

 

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expenses in connection with the preparation and filing of the registration statement on Form 8-A relating to the Common Stock and all costs and expenses incident to listing the Shares on the New York Stock Exchange, (vi) the cost of printing certificates representing the Shares, (vii) the costs and charges of any transfer agent, registrar or depositary, (viii) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor presentations on any “road show” undertaken in connection with the marketing of the offering of the Shares, including, without limitation, expenses associated with the preparation or dissemination of any electronic road show, expenses associated with the production of road show slides and graphics, fees and expenses of any consultants engaged in connection with the road show presentations with the prior approval of the Company, travel and lodging expenses of the representatives and officers of the Company and any such consultants, and 50% of the cost of any aircraft chartered in connection with the road show (with the other 50% to be borne by the Underwriters), (ix) the document production charges and expenses associated with printing this Agreement, (x) all expenses in connection with any offer and sale of the Shares outside of the United States, including filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with offers and sales outside of the United States and (xi) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of the obligations of the Company hereunder for which provision is not otherwise made in this Section. It is understood, however, that except as provided in this Section, Section 11 entitled “Indemnity and Contribution”, the last paragraph of Section 11 below, the Underwriters will pay all of their costs and expenses, including fees and disbursements of their counsel, stock transfer taxes payable on resale of any of the Shares by them and any advertising expenses connected with any offers they may make and travel and lodging expenses incurred by them.

8.     Covenants of the Underwriters. Each Underwriter severally covenants with the Company not to (i) take any action that would result in the Company being required to file with the Commission under Rule 433(d) a free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of such Underwriter that otherwise would not be required to be filed by the Company thereunder, but for the action of the Underwriter or (ii) distribute any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication other than administrative communications and those listed on Schedule II hereto.

9.     Indemnity and Contribution. (a) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and each affiliate of any Underwriter within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with defending or investigating any such action or claim) caused by any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or any amendment thereof, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, any issuer free writing prospectus as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Securities Act, any Company information that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the

 

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Securities Act, any “road show” as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Securities Act (a “road show”), or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication or any materials presented to potential investors in reliance on Section 5(d) of the Securities Act and furnished to the Commission or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, except insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities are caused by any such untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission based upon any Underwriter Information.

(b)     Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, the directors and officers of the Company who sign the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of either 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, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with defending or investigating any such action or claim) caused by any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or any amendment thereof, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, any issuer free writing prospectus as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Securities Act, any Company information that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act, any road show, or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, but only with reference to information relating to such Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through you expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any issuer free writing prospectus, any road show, or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto.

(c)     In case any proceeding (including any governmental investigation) shall be instituted involving any person in respect of which indemnity may be sought pursuant to Section 9(a) or 9(b), such person (the “indemnified party”) shall promptly notify the person against whom such indemnity may be sought (the “indemnifying party”) in writing and the indemnifying party, upon request of the indemnified party, shall retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party and any others the indemnifying party may designate in such proceeding and shall pay the fees and disbursements of such counsel related to such proceeding. In any such proceeding, any indemnified party 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 party unless (i) the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have mutually agreed to the retention of such counsel or (ii) the named parties to any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both the indemnifying party and the indemnified party and representation of both parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between them. It is understood that the indemnifying party shall not, in respect of the legal expenses of any indemnified party in connection with any proceeding or related proceedings in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the fees and

 

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expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for all such indemnified parties and that all such fees and expenses shall be reimbursed as they are incurred. In the case of any such separate firm for the Underwriters and such control persons and affiliates of any Underwriters, such firm shall be designated in writing by Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC. In the case of any such separate firm for the Company, and such directors, officers and control persons of the Company, such firm shall be designated in writing by the Company. The indemnifying party shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify the indemnified party from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by the second and third sentences of this paragraph, the indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 30 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request and (ii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party, unless such settlement (x) includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such proceeding and (y) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any indemnified party.

(d)     To the extent the indemnification provided for in Section 9(a) or 9(b) is unavailable to an indemnified party or insufficient in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to therein, then each indemnifying party under such paragraph, in lieu of indemnifying such indemnified party thereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party 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 indemnifying party or parties, on the one hand, and the indemnified party or parties on the other hand from the offering of the Shares or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause 9(d)(i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause 9(d)(i) above but also the relative fault of the indemnifying party or parties, on the one hand, and of the indemnified party or parties, on the other hand, 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 Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, in connection with the offering of the Shares shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the net proceeds from the offering of the Shares (before deducting expenses) received by the Company and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate Public Offering Price of the Shares. The relative fault of the Company on

 

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the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, 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 Company or by the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Underwriters’ respective obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 9 are several in proportion to the respective number of Shares they have purchased hereunder, and not joint.

(e)     The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just or equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 9 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if 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 Section 9(d). The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages and liabilities referred to in Section 9(d) shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth above, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 9, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Shares underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public 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. 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 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 party at law or in equity.

(f)     The indemnity and contribution provisions contained in this Section 9 and the representations, warranties and other statements of the Company contained in this Agreement shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of (i) any termination of this Agreement, (ii) any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, any person controlling any Underwriter or any affiliate of any Underwriter or by or on behalf of the Company, its officers or directors or any person controlling the Company and (iii) acceptance of and payment for any of the Shares.

10.     Termination. The Underwriters may terminate this Agreement by notice given by you to the Company, if after the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date (i) trading generally shall have been suspended or materially limited on, or by, as the case may be, any of the New York Stock Exchange, the NYSE MKT or The NASDAQ Global Market, (ii) trading of any securities of the Company shall have been suspended on any exchange or in any over-the-counter market, (iii) a material disruption in securities settlement, payment or clearance services in the United States or other relevant jurisdiction shall have occurred, (iv) any moratorium on commercial banking activities shall have been declared by Federal or New York State authorities or (v) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities, or

 

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any change in financial markets or any calamity or crisis that, in your judgment, is material and adverse and which, singly or together with any other event specified in this clause (v), makes it, in your judgment, impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offer, sale or delivery of the Shares on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus.

11.     Effectiveness; Defaulting Underwriters. This Agreement shall become effective upon the execution and delivery hereof by the parties hereto.

If, on the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, any one or more of the Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Shares that it has or they have agreed to purchase hereunder on such date, and the aggregate number of Shares which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused to purchase is not more than one-tenth of the aggregate number of the Shares to be purchased on such date, the other Underwriters shall be obligated severally in the proportions that the number of Firm Shares set forth opposite their respective names in Schedule I bears to the aggregate number of Firm Shares set forth opposite the names of all such non-defaulting Underwriters, or in such other proportions as you may specify, to purchase the Shares which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused to purchase on such date; provided that in no event shall the number of Shares that any Underwriter has agreed to purchase pursuant to this Agreement be increased pursuant to this Section 11 by an amount in excess of one-ninth of such number of Shares without the written consent of such Underwriter. If, on the Closing Date, any Underwriter or Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Firm Shares and the aggregate number of Firm Shares with respect to which such default occurs is more than one-tenth of the aggregate number of Firm Shares to be purchased on such date, and arrangements satisfactory to you and the Company for the purchase of such Firm Shares are not made within 36 hours after such default, this Agreement shall terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company. In any such case either you or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing Date, but in no event for longer than seven days, in order that the required changes, if any, in the Registration Statement, in the Time of Sale Prospectus, in the Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements may be effected. If, on an Option Closing Date, any Underwriter or Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Additional Shares and the aggregate number of Additional Shares with respect to which such default occurs is more than one-tenth of the aggregate number of Additional Shares to be purchased on such Option Closing Date, the non-defaulting Underwriters shall have the option to (i) terminate their obligation hereunder to purchase the Additional Shares to be sold on such Option Closing Date or (ii) purchase not less than the number of Additional Shares that such non-defaulting Underwriters would have been obligated to purchase in the absence of such default. Any action taken under this paragraph shall not relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of any default of such Underwriter under this Agreement.

If this Agreement shall be terminated by the Underwriters, or any of them, because of any failure or refusal on the part of the Company to comply with the terms or

 

23


to fulfill any of the conditions of this Agreement, or if for any reason the Company shall be unable to perform its obligations under this Agreement, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters or such Underwriters as have so terminated this Agreement with respect to themselves, severally, for all out-of-pocket expenses (including the fees and disbursements of their counsel) reasonably incurred by such Underwriters in connection with this Agreement or the offering contemplated hereunder. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, if this Agreement shall be terminated pursuant to this Section 11 for any reason other than an inability, failure or refusal on the part of the Company to comply with the terms or to fulfill any of the conditions of this Agreement, then the Company shall have no obligation to reimburse the expenses of the defaulting Underwriters set forth Section 7 of this Agreement.

12.     Entire Agreement. (a) This Agreement, together with any contemporaneous written agreements and any prior written agreements (to the extent not superseded by this Agreement) that relate to the offering of the Shares, represents the entire agreement between the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other, with respect to the preparation of any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus, the conduct of the offering, and the purchase and sale of the Shares.

(b)     The Company acknowledges that in connection with the offering of the Shares: (i) the Underwriters have acted at arms-length, are not agents of, and owe no fiduciary duties to, the Company or any other person, (ii) the Underwriters owe the Company only those duties and obligations set forth in this Agreement and prior written agreements (to the extent not superseded by this Agreement), if any, and (iii) the Underwriters may have interests that differ from those of the Company. The Company waives to the full extent permitted by applicable law any claims it may have against the Underwriters arising from an alleged breach of fiduciary duty in connection with the offering of the Shares.

13.     Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed and delivered in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be an original, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument.

14.     Applicable Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York.

15.     Headings. The headings of the sections of this Agreement have been inserted for convenience of reference only and shall not be deemed a part of this Agreement.

16.     Notices. All communications hereunder shall be in writing and effective only upon receipt and if to the Underwriters shall be delivered, mailed or sent to you at: Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, 1585 Broadway, New York, New York 10036, Attention: Equity Syndicate Desk, with a copy to the Legal Department; and if to the Company shall be delivered, mailed or sent to 105 E. Tasman Drive, San Jose, California 95134.

 

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Very truly yours,
Aquantia Corp.
By:    
  Name:   Faraj Aalaei
  Title:   Chief Executive Officer

 

25


Accepted as of the date hereof

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

Acting severally on behalf of themselves and the

    several Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto

 

By:   Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
By:    
 

Name:

Title:

 

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SCHEDULE I

 

Underwriter

   Number of Firm Shares
To Be Purchased
 

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

  

Barclays Capital Inc.

  

Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.

  

Needham & Company, LLC

  

Raymond James & Associates, Inc.

  

Total:

  
  

 

 

 

 

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SCHEDULE II

Time of Sale Prospectus

 

1. Preliminary Prospectus issued [date]

 

2. [all free writing prospectuses filed by the Company under Rule 433(d) of the Securities Act]

 

3. [free writing prospectus containing a description of terms that does not reflect final terms, if the Time of Sale Prospectus does not include a final term sheet]

 

4. [orally communicated pricing information such as price per share and size of offering if a Rule 134 pricing term sheet is used at the time of sale instead of a pricing term sheet filed by the Company under Rule 433(d) as a free writing prospectus]

 

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SCHEDULE III

Written Testing-the-Waters Communications

 

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EXHIBIT A

FORM OF LOCK-UP LETTER

                                         , 20        

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

Barclays Capital Inc.

Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.

Needham & Company, LLC

Raymond James & Associates, Inc.

 

c/o

  

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

1585 Broadway

New York, New York 10036

Ladies and Gentlemen:

The undersigned understands that Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), Barclays Capital Inc., Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Needham & Company, LLC and Raymond James & Associates, Inc. propose to enter into an Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) with Aquantia Corp., a Delaware corporation (together with any successor entity, the “Company”) providing for the initial public offering (the “Public Offering”) by the several Underwriters, including Morgan Stanley (the “Underwriters”), of shares of the Company’s common stock, $0.00001 par value per share (the “Common Stock”).

To induce the Underwriters to continue their efforts in connection with the Public Offering, the undersigned hereby agrees that, without the prior written consent of Morgan Stanley on behalf of the Underwriters, it will not, during the period commencing on the date hereof and ending 180 days after the date of the final prospectus (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 Common Stock beneficially owned (as such term is used in Rule 13d-3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), by the undersigned or any other securities so owned convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or (2) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Common Stock, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise.

The foregoing restrictions shall not apply to:


(a)     transactions relating to shares of Common Stock or other securities (i) sold pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, (ii) acquired in the Public Offering from the Underwriters (including pursuant to any directed share program) or (iii) acquired in open market transactions after the completion of the Public Offering, provided that no filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act shall be required or shall be voluntarily made during the Restricted Period in connection with subsequent sales of Common Stock or other securities acquired in the Public Offering or such open market transactions;

(b)     transfers of shares of Common Stock or any security convertible into Common Stock (i) by bona fide gift, will or intestacy, (ii) pursuant to a domestic order or negotiated divorce settlement, (iii) to the spouse, domestic partner, parent, sibling, child or grandchild of the undersigned or any other person with whom the undersigned has a relationship by blood, marriage or adoption not more remote than first cousin (each, an “immediate family member”) or to a trust or other entity formed for estate planning purposes formed for the direct or indirect benefit of the undersigned or of an immediate family member of the undersigned, (iv) if the undersigned is a trust, to a trustor or beneficiary of the trust, or (v) to another corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other business entity that controls, is controlled by or is under common control with the undersigned or as part of a disposition, transfer or distribution by the undersigned to limited partners or equityholders of the undersigned; provided that, in the case of any transfer or distribution pursuant to this clause (b), (1) each donee or distributee shall sign and deliver a lock-up letter substantially in the form of this letter and (2) no filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of shares of Common Stock shall be required or voluntarily made during the Restricted Period;

(c)     the establishment of a trading plan pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act for the transfer of shares of Common Stock, provided that (1) such plan does not provide for the transfer of Common Stock during the Restricted Period, and (2) no public announcement or filing under the Exchange Act regarding the establishment of such plan shall be required of or voluntarily made by or on behalf of the undersigned or the Company during the Restricted Period;

(d)     the transfer of shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into Common Stock to the Company upon a vesting event of the Company’s securities or upon the exercise of options or warrants to purchase the Company’s securities on a “cashless” or “net exercise” basis (in each case pursuant to employee benefit plans in accordance with the terms of such plans as described in the Prospectus and solely to the extent permitted by the instruments representing such options, warrants or other securities), so long as such transfer, cashless exercise or “net exercise” is effected solely by the surrender to the Company of shares subject to outstanding options, warrants or other securities and the Company’s cancellation of all or a portion thereof solely in an amount sufficient to pay the exercise price (including the payment of taxes due as a result of such vesting event or exercise), but for the avoidance of doubt, excluding all methods of transfer or exercise that would involve a sale of any shares of Common Stock relating to options or warrants or other securities, whether to cover the applicable exercise price,

 

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taxes or otherwise, provided that (1) the lock-up restrictions set forth above shall be equally applicable to any shares of Common Stock received upon such vesting event or the exercise of stock options or warrants pursuant to such employee benefit plans and (2) no filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act, or any other public filing or disclosure of such transfer by or on behalf of the undersigned shall be required or shall be voluntarily made during the Restricted Period;

(e)     the conversion of the outstanding preferred stock of the Company into shares of Common Stock, provided that such shares of Common Stock remain subject to the terms of this letter; or

(f)     transfer of shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into Common Stock pursuant to a bona fide third-party tender offer, merger, consolidation or other similar transaction made to all holders of the Company’s capital stock involving a Change of Control of the Company after the settlement of the Public Offering, that, in the case of each such transaction, has been approved by the Board of Directors of the Company, provided that, in the event that such tender offer, merger, consolidation or other such transaction is not completed, the undersigned’s Shares shall remain subject to the provisions of this agreement. For the purposes of this clause (f), “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 (other than an Underwriter pursuant to the Public Offering), of the Company’s voting securities if, after such transfer, such person or group of affiliated persons would hold more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of the Company (or the surviving entity).

In addition, the undersigned agrees that, without the prior written consent of Morgan Stanley on behalf of the Underwriters, it will not, during the Restricted Period, make any demand for or exercise any right with respect to, the registration of any shares of Common Stock or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock. The undersigned also agrees and consents to the entry of stop transfer instructions with the Company’s transfer agent and registrar against the transfer of the undersigned’s shares of Common Stock except in compliance with the foregoing restrictions.

If the undersigned is an officer or director of the Company, the undersigned further agrees that the foregoing provisions shall be equally applicable to any issuer-directed Shares the undersigned may purchase in the Public Offering.

If the undersigned is an officer or director of the Company, (i) Morgan Stanley agrees that, at least three business days before the effective date of any release or waiver of the foregoing restrictions in connection with a transfer of shares of Common Stock, Morgan Stanley will notify the Company of the impending release or waiver, and (ii) the Company has agreed in the Underwriting Agreement to announce the impending release or waiver by press release through a major news service at least two business days before the effective date of the release or waiver. Any release or waiver granted by Morgan

 

A-3


Stanley hereunder to any such officer or director shall only be effective two business days after the publication date of such press release. The provisions of this paragraph will not apply if (a) the release or waiver is effected solely to permit a transfer not for consideration and (b) the transferee has agreed in writing to be bound by the same terms described in this letter to the extent and for the duration that such terms remain in effect at the time of the transfer.

The undersigned understands that the Company and the Underwriters are relying upon this agreement in proceeding toward consummation of the Public Offering. The undersigned further understands that this agreement is irrevocable and shall be binding upon the undersigned’s heirs, legal representatives, successors and assigns.

Whether or not the Public Offering actually occurs depends on a number of factors, including market conditions. Any Public Offering will only be made pursuant to an Underwriting Agreement, the terms of which are subject to negotiation between the Company and the Underwriters.

This agreement shall automatically terminate upon the earlier to occur of: (i) the date the Company provides the Underwriters with written notice that it does not intend to proceed with the Public Offering, but only in the event such notice is given prior to the execution of the Underwriting Agreement; (ii) the date of the termination of the Underwriting Agreement, if prior to the sale of any Common Stock to the Underwriters; (iii) as to each of the Underwriters, individually, the date such Underwriter, if prior to the execution of the Underwriting Agreement, is no longer participating as a Underwriter in the Public Offering; or (iv) December 31, 2017, if the Underwriting Agreement has not been executed by that date.

[Signature page follows]

 

A-4


Very truly yours,
 
Name (Print exact name)
By:    
  Signature
If not signing in an individual capacity:
 
Name of Authorized Signatory (Print)
 
Title of Authorized Signatory (Print)
(indicate capacity of person signing if signing as custodian, trustee, or on behalf of an entity)

 

A-1


EXHIBIT B

FORM OF WAIVER OF LOCK-UP

                                         , 20        

[Name and Address of

Officer or Director

Requesting Waiver]

Dear Mr./Ms. [Name]:

This letter is being delivered to you in connection with the offering by Aquantia Corp. (the “Company”) of shares of the Company’s common stock, $0.00001 par value per share (the “Common Stock”), and the lock-up letter dated             , 201     (the “Lock-up Letter”), executed by you in connection with such offering, and your request for a [waiver] [release] dated             , 20    , with respect to              shares of Common Stock (the “Shares”).

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC hereby agrees to [waive] [release] the transfer restrictions set forth in the Lock-up Letter, but only with respect to the Shares, effective             , 20    ; provided, however, that such [waiver] [release] is conditioned on the Company announcing the impending [waiver] [release] by press release through a major news service at least two business days before effectiveness of such [waiver] [release]. This letter will serve as notice to the Company of the impending [waiver] [release].

Except as expressly [waived] [released] hereby, the Lock-up Letter shall remain in full force and effect.

 

Very truly yours,
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

 

I-1


Acting severally on behalf of themselves and the several Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto
By:   Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
By:    
 

Name:

Title:

cc: Aquantia Corp.

 

I-2


FORM OF PRESS RELEASE

Aquantia Corp.

[Date]

Aquantia Corp. (the “Company”) announced today that Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, the lead bookrunning manager, in the Company’s recent public sale of              shares of common stock is [waiving][releasing] a lock-up restriction with respect to              shares of the Company’s common stock held by [certain officers or directors] [an officer or director] of the Company. The [waiver][release] will take effect on             , 20    , and the shares may be sold on or after such date.

This press release is not an offer for sale of the securities in the United States or in any other jurisdiction where such offer is prohibited, and such securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 

I-3