EX-4.5 2 a45descriptionofsecurities1.htm EX-4.5 Document
Exhibit 4.5
DESCRIPTION OF INDIE SEMICONDUCTOR, INC. SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

The following description summarizes the material terms of certain securities of indie Semiconductor, Inc. (the “Company”). This following description is not intended to be a complete summary of the rights and preferences of such securities, and is qualified by reference to the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (as amended, the “Certificate of Incorporation”), Bylaws (the “Bylaws”) and the warrant-related documents described herein, which are exhibits to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K. The Company urges you to read each of the Certificate of Incorporation, Bylaws and the warrant-related documents described herein in their entirety for a complete description of the rights and preferences of the Company’s securities.

The Company has two classes of securities registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), the Company’s Class A Common Stock and Warrants to purchase Class A Common Stock.

Authorized and Outstanding Stock

The Certificate of Incorporation authorizes the issuance of 300,000,000 shares, consisting of:

• 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Preferred Stock”); and
• 250,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 40,000,000 shares of Class V common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (collectively, “Common Stock”).

Class A Common Stock

All issued and outstanding shares of Class A common stock are fully paid and non-assessable.

Voting rights. Each holder of Class A common stock is entitled to one vote for each share of Class A common stock held of record by such holder on all matters on which stockholders generally are entitled to vote. The holders of Class A common stock do not have cumulative voting rights in the election of directors. Generally, all matters to be voted on by stockholders must be approved by a majority vote (or, in the case of election of directors, by a plurality) of the holders of shares of capital stock present in person or represented by proxy and voting affirmatively or negatively on the matter, voting together as a single class. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the fullest extent permitted by law, holders of Class A common stock, as such, will have no voting power with respect to, and will not be entitled to vote on, any amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation (including any certificate of designations relating to any series of Preferred Stock) that relates solely to the terms of one or more outstanding series of Preferred Stock if the holders of such affected series are entitled, either separately or together with the holders of one or more other such series, to vote thereon pursuant to the Certificate of Incorporation (including any certificate of designations relating to any series of Preferred Stock) or pursuant to the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”).

Dividend rights. Subject to the rights of holders of any outstanding Preferred Stock, the holders of shares of Class A common stock are entitled to receive ratably such dividends, if any, as may be declared from time to time by the Company’s board of directors out of funds legally available therefor.

Rights upon liquidation. Subject to the rights of holders of any outstanding Preferred Stock, in the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the affairs of the Company, the holders of Class A common stock are entitled to share ratably in all assets and funds available for distribution.

Other rights. The holders of Class A common stock have no preemptive or conversion rights or other subscription rights. There are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to the Class A common stock. The rights, preferences and privileges of holders of the Class A common stock will be subject to those of the holders of any shares of the Preferred Stock the Company may issue in the future.




Class V Common Stock

All outstanding shares of Class V common stock are fully paid and non-assessable.

Voting rights. The holders of the Class V common stock are entitled to one vote for each share of Class V common stock held of record by such holders on all matters on which stockholders generally are entitled to vote. The holders of Class V common stock do not have cumulative voting rights in the election of directors. Holders of shares of Class V common stock will vote together with holders of the Class A common stock as a single class on all matters presented to the Company’s stockholders for their vote or approval. Generally, all matters to be voted on by stockholders must be approved by a majority vote (or, in the case of election of directors, by a plurality) of the holders of shares of capital stock present in person or represented by proxy, voting together as a single class. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the fullest extent permitted by law, holders of Class V common stock, as such, will have no voting power with respect to, and will not be entitled to vote on, any amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation (including any certificate of designations relating to any series of Preferred Stock) that relates solely to the terms of one or more outstanding series of Preferred Stock if the holders of such affected series are entitled, either separately or together with the holders of one or more other such series, to vote thereon pursuant to the Certificate of Incorporation (including any certificate of designations relating to any series of Preferred Stock) or pursuant to the DGCL.

Dividend rights. The holders of the Class V common stock will not participate in any dividends declared by the board of directors.

Rights upon liquidation. In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the affairs of the Company, the holders of Class V common stock are not entitled to receive any of the assets or funds available for distribution.

Other rights. The holders of shares of Class V common stock do not have preemptive, subscription, redemption or conversion rights. There are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to the Class V common stock.

Limitations on transfer. No holder of Class V common stock may consummate a sale, pledge, conveyance, hypothecation, assignment or other transfer of Class V common stock other than pursuant to that certain Exchange Agreement (“Exchange Agreement”) entered into by and between the Company and certain members of Ay Dee Kay LLC, d/b/a indie Semiconductor, a California limited liability company (“ADK”).

Issuance and retirement of Class V common stock. In the event that any outstanding share of Class V common stock ceases to be held directly or indirectly by a holder of an LLC Unit (as defined in the Exchange Agreement) as set forth in the books and records of ADK, such share will automatically be transferred to the Company for no consideration and thereupon will be retired.

Preferred Stock

The Certificate of Incorporation authorizes the board of directors of the Company to establish one or more series of Preferred Stock. Unless required by law or any stock exchange, the authorized shares of Preferred Stock will be available for issuance without further action by the holders of the Common Stock. The Company’s board of directors has the discretion to determine the powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional and other special rights, including voting rights, dividend rights, conversion rights, redemption privileges and liquidation preferences, of each series of Preferred Stock.

The issuance of Preferred Stock may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of the Company without further action by the stockholders. Additionally, the issuance of Preferred Stock may adversely affect the holders of Common Stock by restricting dividends on the Class A common stock, diluting the voting power of the Class A common stock and the Class V common stock or subordinating the liquidation rights of the Class A common stock.

Anti-Takeover Effects of the Certificate of Incorporation, the Bylaws and Certain Provisions of Delaware Law




The Certificate of Incorporation, the Bylaws and the DGCL contain provisions, which are summarized in the following paragraphs, which are intended to enhance the likelihood of continuity and stability in the composition of the Company’s board of directors and to discourage certain types of transactions that may involve an actual or threatened acquisition of the Company. These provisions are intended to avoid costly takeover battles, reduce the Company’s vulnerability to a hostile change of control or other unsolicited acquisition proposal, and enhance the ability of the board of directors to maximize stockholder value in connection with any unsolicited offer to acquire us. However, these provisions may have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a merger or acquisition of the Company by means of a tender offer, a proxy contest or other takeover attempt that a stockholder might consider in its best interest, including attempts that might result in a premium over the prevailing market price for the shares of Class A common stock.

Authorized but Unissued Capital Stock

Delaware law does not require stockholder approval for any issuance of authorized shares. However, the listing requirements of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”), which apply so long as the Class A common stock remains listed on Nasdaq, require stockholder approval of certain issuances equal to or exceeding 20% of the then outstanding voting power or then outstanding number of shares of Class A common stock. Additional shares that may be issued in the future may be used for a variety of corporate purposes, including future public offerings, to raise additional capital or to facilitate acquisitions.

One of the effects of the existence of unissued and unreserved Common Stock may be to enable the board of directors to issue shares to persons friendly to current management, which issuance could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of the Company by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise and thereby protect the continuity of management and possibly deprive stockholders of opportunities to sell their shares of Class A common stock at prices higher than prevailing market prices.

Election of Directors and Vacancies

The Certificate of Incorporation provides that the board of directors will determine the number of directors who will serve on the board. The exact number of directors will be fixed from time to time by a majority of the board of directors. The board of directors is divided into three classes designated as Class I, Class II and Class III. Class I directors will initially serve for a term expiring at the first annual meeting of stockholders following the closing of the Transaction. Class II and Class III directors will initially serve for a term expiring at the second and third annual meeting of stockholders following the closing of the Transaction, respectively. At each succeeding annual meeting of stockholders, directors will be elected for a full term of three years to succeed the directors of the class whose terms expire at such annual meeting of the stockholders. There will be no limit on the number of terms a director may serve on the board of directors.

In addition, the Certificate of Incorporation provides that any vacancy on the board of directors, including a vacancy that results from an increase in the number of directors or a vacancy that results from the removal of a director with cause, may be filled only by a majority of the directors then in office, subject to the provisions of any rights of the holders of Preferred Stock.

Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this section, each director will serve until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified or until his or her earlier death, resignation or removal. No decrease in the number of directors constituting the board of directors will shorten the term of any incumbent director.

Removal for Cause Only

The Certificate of Incorporation provides that stockholders may remove directors from the board of directors only for cause.

No Cumulative Voting

Under Delaware law, the right to vote cumulatively does not exist unless the certificate of incorporation expressly authorizes cumulative voting. The Certificate of Incorporation does not authorize cumulative voting.




General Stockholder Meetings

The Certificate of Incorporation provides that special meetings of stockholders may be called only by or at the direction of the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer or a majority of the total number of directors that the Company would have if there were no vacancies on the board of directors.

Requirements for Advance Notification of Stockholder Meetings, Nominations and Proposals

The Bylaws establish advance notice procedures with respect to stockholder proposals and the nomination of candidates for election as directors, other than nominations made by or at the direction of the board of directors or a committee of the board of directors. For any matter to be “properly brought” before a meeting, a stockholder will have to comply with advance notice requirements and provide us with certain information. Generally, to be timely, a stockholder’s notice must be received at the Company’s principal executive offices not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders. The Bylaws also specify requirements as to the form and content of a stockholder’s notice. The Bylaws allow the presiding officer at a meeting of the stockholders to adopt rules and regulations for the conduct of meetings which may have the effect of precluding the conduct of certain business at a meeting if the rules and regulations are not followed. These provisions may also defer, delay or discourage a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquirer’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to influence or obtain control of the Company.

Supermajority Provisions

The DGCL provides generally that the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote thereon, voting together as a single class, is required to amend a corporation’s certificate of incorporation, unless the certificate of incorporation requires a greater percentage. The Certificate of Incorporation provides that the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66⅔% of in voting power of the Company’s outstanding voting capital stock, voting together as a single class, will be required to amend provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation regarding calling special meetings of stockholders and stockholder action by written consent.

The Bylaws provide that, except as otherwise provided by law or the Certificate of Incorporation, the Bylaws may be amended in any respect or repealed at any time, either (a) at any meeting of stockholders, provided that any amendment or supplement proposed to be acted upon at any such meeting has been properly described or referred to in the notice of such meeting, or (b) by the board of directors, provided that no amendment adopted by the board of directors may vary or conflict with any amendment adopted by the stockholders in accordance with the Certificate of Incorporation and the Bylaws. The Bylaws provide that the following provisions therein may be amended, altered, repealed or rescinded only by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66⅔% in voting power of the Company’s outstanding voting capital stock, voting together as a single class:

• the provisions regarding calling annual and special meetings of stockholders;
• the provisions regarding the nominations of directors and the proposal of other business at an annual or special meeting of stockholders;
• the provisions regarding the conduct of stockholder meetings;
• the provisions providing for a classified board of directors (including the election and term of directors);
• the provisions regarding filling vacancies on the board of directors and newly created directorships;
• the provisions regarding removal of directors; and
• the amendment provision requiring that the above provisions be amended only with an 66⅔% supermajority vote.

These provisions may have the effect of deterring hostile takeovers or delaying or preventing changes in control of the Company or its management, such as a merger, reorganization or tender offer. These provisions are intended to enhance the likelihood of continued stability in the composition of the board of directors and its policies and to discourage certain types of transactions that may involve an actual or threatened acquisition of the Company. These provisions are designed to reduce the Company’s vulnerability to an unsolicited acquisition proposal. The provisions are also intended to discourage certain tactics that may be used in proxy fights. However, such provisions could have the effect of discouraging others from making tender offers for the Company’s shares and, as a



consequence, may inhibit fluctuations in the market price of the Company’s shares that could result from actual or rumored takeover attempts. Such provisions may also have the effect of preventing changes in management.

Exclusive Forum

The Certificate of Incorporation provides that, unless the Company consents to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, in the event that the Chancery Court does not have jurisdiction, the federal district court for the District of Delaware) will, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for (1) any derivative action, suit or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company, (2) any action, suit or proceeding asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, employee or stockholder of the Company to the Company or to the Company’s stockholders, (3) any action, suit or proceeding arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or the Bylaws or the Certificate of Incorporation or as to which the DGCL confers jurisdiction on the Chancery Court, or (4) any action, suit or proceeding asserting a claim against the Company governed by the internal affairs doctrine. The Certificate of Incorporation also provides that, unless the Company consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America will be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the inclusion of such provision in the Certificate of Incorporation will not be deemed to be a waiver by the Company’s stockholders of the Company’s obligation to comply with federal securities laws, rules and regulations, and the provisions of this paragraph will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the sole and exclusive forum. Although the Company believes the Exclusive Forum Provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against the Company’s directors and officers. Furthermore, the enforceability of choice of forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that a court could find these types of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable.

Limitations on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors

The DGCL authorizes corporations to limit or eliminate the personal liability of directors to corporations and their stockholders for monetary damages for breaches of directors’ fiduciary duties, subject to certain exceptions. The Certificate of Incorporation includes a provision that eliminates the personal liability of directors for monetary damages for any breach of fiduciary duty or other act or omission as a director of the Company, except to the extent such exemption from liability or limitation thereof is not permitted under the DGCL. The effect of these provisions is to eliminate the rights of the Company and its stockholders, through stockholders’ derivative suits on the Company’s behalf, to recover monetary damages from a director for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, including breaches resulting from grossly negligent behavior. However, exculpation does not apply to any director if the director has breached his or her duty of loyalty to the Company or its stockholder or for any act not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law.

The Certificate of Incorporation provides that the Company must indemnify and advance expenses to directors and officers to the fullest extent authorized by the DGCL. The Company is also expressly authorized to carry directors’ and officers’ liability insurance providing indemnification for directors, officers and certain employees for some liabilities. The limitation of liability, indemnification and advancement provisions in the Certificate of Incorporation may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against directors and officers, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and the Company’s stockholders. In addition, your investment may be adversely affected to the extent the Company pays the costs of settlement and damage awards against directors and officers pursuant to these indemnification provisions. The Company believes that these provisions, liability insurance and the indemnity agreements are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced directors and officers.

Public Warrants

Each whole public warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a public



warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of shares. This means that only a whole number of warrants may be exercised at any given time by a public warrant holder. However, except as set forth below, no public warrants will be exercisable for cash unless the Company has an effective and current registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to such shares of common stock. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants is not effective within 60 business days from the completion of the Transaction, public warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to an available exemption from registration under the Securities Act. If an exemption from registration is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. The public warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time on the earlier to occur of: (i) five years from the completion of the Transaction or (ii) the redemption date as fixed by us pursuant to the Warrant Agreement, if the Company elects to redeem all warrants.

The Company may call the warrants for redemption, in whole and not in part, at a price of $0.01 per warrant:

• at any time while the warrants are exercisable,
• upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each public warrant holder,
• if and only if, the reported last sale price of the shares of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share, for any 20 trading days within a 30-day trading period ending on the third business day prior to the notice of redemption to public warrant holders, and
• if and only if, there is a current registration statement in effect with respect to the shares of Class A common stock underlying such warrants at the redemption date and for the entire 30-day trading period referred to above and continuing each day thereafter until the date of redemption.

The right to exercise will be forfeited unless the warrants are exercised prior to the date specified in the notice of redemption. On and after the redemption date, a record holder of a warrant will have no further rights except to receive the redemption price for such holder’s warrant upon surrender of such warrant.

The redemption criteria for the warrants have been established at a price which is intended to provide public warrant holders a reasonable premium to the initial exercise price and provide a sufficient differential between the then-prevailing share price and the warrant exercise price so that if the share price declines as a result of a redemption call, the redemption will not cause the share price to drop below the exercise price of the warrants.

If the Company calls the warrants for redemption as described above, the Company will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” will mean the average reported last sale price of the Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. Whether the Company will exercise its option to require all holders to exercise their warrants on a “cashless basis” will depend on a variety of factors including the price of the Class A common stock at the time the warrants are called for redemption, the Company’s cash needs at such time and concerns regarding dilutive share issuances.

The warrants are issued under a Warrant Agreement, as amended, between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent. The Warrant Agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval, by written consent or vote, of the holders of a majority of the then outstanding public warrants in order to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders.

The exercise price and number of shares of Class A common stock issuable on exercise of the warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a stock dividend, stock split or recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, the warrants will not be adjusted for issuances of shares of Class A common stock at a price below their respective exercise prices. The Company is also permitted, in its sole discretion, to lower the exercise price (but not below the par value of a shares of Class A common stock) at any time



prior to the expiration date for a period of not less than 10 business days; provided, however, that the Company provides at least 10 business days’ prior written notice of such reduction to registered holders of the warrants and that any such reduction will be applied consistently to all of the warrants. Any such reduction in the exercise price will comply with any applicable regulations under the federal securities laws, including Rule 13e-4 under the Exchange Act generally and Rule 13e-4(f)(1)(i) specifically.

The warrants may be exercised upon surrender of the warrant certificate on or prior to the expiration date at the offices of the warrant agent, with the exercise form on the reverse side of the warrant certificate completed and executed as indicated, accompanied by full payment of the exercise price, by certified or official bank check payable to us, for the number of warrants being exercised. The public warrant holder will not have the rights or privileges of holders of shares of Class A common stock and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive shares of Class A common stock. After the issuance of Class A common stock upon exercise of the warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by stockholders.

Except as described above, no public warrants will be exercisable and the Company will not be obligated to issue shares of Class A common stock unless at the time a holder seeks to exercise such warrant, a prospectus relating to the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is current and the Class A common stock has been registered or qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the holder of the warrants. Under the terms of the Warrant Agreement, the Company has agreed to use its best efforts to meet these conditions and to maintain a current prospectus relating to the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration of the warrants. However, no assurances can be provided that the Company will be able to do so and, if the Company does not maintain a current prospectus relating to the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, holders will be unable to exercise their warrants and the Company will not be required to settle any such warrant. If the prospectus relating to the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the warrants is not current or if the Class A common stock is not qualified or exempt from qualification in the jurisdictions in which the holders of the warrants reside, the Company will not be required to net cash settle or cash settle the warrant exercise, the warrants may have no value, the market for the warrants may be limited and the warrants may expire worthless.

Public warrant holders may elect, at their sole option and discretion, to be subject to a restriction on the exercise of their warrants such that an electing public warrant holder (and his, her or its affiliates) would not be able to exercise their warrants to the extent that, after giving effect to such exercise, such holder (and his, her or its affiliates) would beneficially own in excess of 9.8% of the Class A common stock outstanding. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any person who acquires a warrant with the purpose or effect of changing or influencing the control of the Company, or in connection with or as a participant in any transaction having such purpose or effect, immediately upon such acquisition will be deemed to be the beneficial owner of the underlying shares of Class A common stock and not be able to take advantage of this provision.

No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the warrants. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share (as a result of a subsequent stock dividend payable in shares of common stock, or by a split of the Class A common stock or other similar event), the Company will, upon exercise, round up or down to the nearest whole number the number of shares of Class A common stock to be issued to the public warrant holder.

Contractual Arrangements with respect to Certain Warrants

The Company has agreed that so long as the private placement warrants and sponsor warrants are still held by the initial purchasers or their affiliates, the Company will not redeem such warrants, and will allow the holders to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis and such warrants may be exercisable for cash.

Transfer Agent and Warrant Agent

The transfer agent for the Class A common stock and warrant agent for the warrants is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. The Company has agreed to indemnify Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company in its roles as transfer agent and warrant agent, its agents and each of its shareholders, directors, officers and employees against all liabilities, including judgments, costs and reasonable counsel fees that may arise out of acts performed or



omitted for its activities in that capacity, except for any liability due to any gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith of the indemnified person or entity.

Listing of Securities

The Class A common stock and public warrants are listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “INDI” and “INDIW,” respectively.