EX-10.5 7 ex10-5.htm

 

Exhibit 10.5

 

SUPPORT AGREEMENT

 

This SUPPORT AGREEMENT, dated as of March 17, 2022 (this “Agreement”), by and among MEHANA EQUITY LLC and the individual signatories hereto (each, a “Supporter”), Pono Capital Corp, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Purchaser”), and Benuvia, Inc. (the “Company”). Terms used but not defined in this Agreement shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Merger Agreement (as defined below).

 

WHEREAS, contemporaneously with the execution of this Agreement, Purchaser, the Company, Pono Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Purchaser (“Merger Sub”), and certain other persons are entering into that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”), a copy of which has been made available to Supporter and pursuant to which, subject to the terms and conditions thereof, Merger Sub will merge with and into the Company, with the Company continuing as the surviving entity (the “Merger”), and with the Company’s stockholders receiving shares of the Purchaser’s common stock;

 

WHEREAS, as of the date hereof, Supporter owns 2,775,000 shares of Purchaser Common Stock (all such shares of Purchaser Common Stock and any shares of Purchaser Common Stock of which ownership of record or the power to vote is hereafter acquired by Supporter prior to the termination of this Agreement being referred to herein as the “Shares”); and

 

WHEREAS, in order to induce the Company and Purchaser to enter into the Merger Agreement, Supporter is executing and delivering this Agreement to the Company.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and of the mutual covenants and agreements contained herein, and intending to be legally bound hereby, Supporter, the Company, and Purchaser hereby agree as follows:

 

1. Agreement to Vote. Supporter, with respect to the Shares, hereby agrees (and agrees to execute such documents or certificates evidencing such agreement as Purchaser and/or the Company may reasonably request in connection therewith) to vote at any meeting of the stockholders of Purchaser, and in any action by written consent of the stockholders of Purchaser, to approve the Merger Agreement, all of the Shares (a) in favor of the approval and adoption of the Merger Agreement, the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement and this Agreement, (b) in favor of any other matter reasonably necessary to the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement and considered and voted upon by the stockholders of Purchaser (including the Purchaser Stockholder Approval Matters), (c) in favor of the approval and adoption of the Incentive Plan, (d) for the appointment, and designation of classes, of the members of the Post-Closing Purchaser Board and (e) against any action, agreement or transaction (other than the Merger Agreement or the transactions contemplated thereby) or proposal that would result in a breach of any covenant, representation or warranty or any other obligation or agreement of Purchaser or Merger Sub under the Merger Agreement or that would reasonably be expected to result in the failure of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement from being consummated. Supporter acknowledges receipt and review of a copy of the Merger Agreement.

 

 
 

 

2. Transfer of Shares. Supporter agrees that it shall not, directly or indirectly, except as otherwise contemplated pursuant to the Merger Agreement, (a) sell, assign, transfer (including by operation of law), redeem, lien, pledge, distribute, dispose of or otherwise encumber any of the Shares or otherwise agree to do any of the foregoing (unless the transferee agrees to be bound by this Agreement), (b) deposit any Shares into a voting trust or enter into a voting agreement or arrangement or grant any proxy or power of attorney with respect thereto that is inconsistent with this Agreement, (c) enter into any contract, option or other arrangement or undertaking with respect to the direct or indirect acquisition or sale, assignment, transfer (including by operation of law), redemption or other disposition of any Shares (unless the transferee agrees to be bound by this Agreement) or (d) take any action that would have the effect of preventing or disabling Supporter from performing its obligations hereunder.

 

3. Waiver. Supporter hereby waives (and agrees to execute such documents or certificates evidencing such waiver as Purchaser and/or the Company may reasonably request) any adjustment to the conversion ratio set forth in the Purchaser Certificate of Incorporation or any other anti-dilution or similar protection with respect to the Shares (whether resulting from the transactions contemplated hereby, by the Merger Agreement or any Ancillary Document or by any other transaction consummated in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby).

 

4. Representations and Warranties. Supporter represents and warrants for and on behalf of itself to Purchaser and the Company as follows:

 

(a) The execution, delivery and performance by Supporter of this Agreement and the consummation by Supporter of the transactions contemplated hereby do not and will not (i) conflict with or violate any Law or Order applicable to Supporter, (ii) require any consent, approval or authorization of, declaration, filing or registration with, or notice to, any person or entity, (iii) result in the creation of any Lien on any Shares (other than pursuant to this Agreement or transfer restrictions under applicable securities laws or the Organizational Documents of Supporter) or (iv) conflict with or result in a breach of or constitute a default under any provision of Supporter’s Organizational Documents.

 

(b) Supporter owns of record and has good, valid and marketable title to the Shares free and clear of any Lien (other than pursuant to this Agreement or transfer restrictions under applicable securities Laws or the Organizational Documents of Supporter) and has the sole power (as currently in effect) to vote and has the full right, power and authority to sell, transfer and deliver such Shares, and Supporter does not own, directly or indirectly, any other Shares.

 

(c) Supporter has the power, authority and capacity to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement and that this Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by Supporter.

 

5. Termination. This Agreement and the obligations of Supporter under this Agreement shall automatically terminate upon the earliest of: (a) the Effective Time; (b) the termination of the Merger Agreement in accordance with its terms; and (c) the mutual agreement of the Company and Purchaser. Upon termination or expiration of this Agreement, no party shall have any further obligations or liabilities under this Agreement; provided, however, such termination or expiration shall not relieve any party from liability for any willful breach of this Agreement occurring prior to its termination.

 

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6. Miscellaneous.

 

(a) Except as otherwise provided herein or in the Merger Agreement or any Ancillary Document, all costs and expenses incurred in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby shall be paid by the party incurring such costs and expenses, whether or not the transactions contemplated hereby are consummated.

 

(b) All notices, requests, claims, demands and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be given (and shall be deemed to have been duly given upon receipt) by delivery in person, by telecopy or e-mail or by registered or certified mail (postage prepaid, return receipt requested) to the respective parties at the following addresses (or at such other address for a party as shall be specified in a notice given in accordance with this Section 5 (b)):

 

If to Purchaser:

 

Pono Capital Corp.
643 Ilalo Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Attn: Dustin Shindo
Telephone No.: (808) 892-6611
E-mail: dshindo@ponocorp.com

 

with a copy to:

 

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

101 Constitution Ave NW, Suite 900

Washington, DC 20001

Attention: E. Peter Strand

Telephone: (202) 689-2983

Email: Peter.strand@nelsonmullins.com

 

If to the Company, to:

 

Benuvia, Inc.
3950 N. Mays St.
Round Rock, TX 78665
Attn: Jason Roth
Telephone No.: (561) 801-5551
E-mail: jason@ffrontierbrands.com

 

with a copy to:

 

O’Melveny & Myers LLP
Two Embarcadero Center. 28th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94111
Attn: Noah Kornblith
Telephone No.: (415) 984-8832
E-mail: nkornblith@omm.com

 

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(c) If any term or other provision of this Agreement is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by any rule of law, or public policy, all other conditions and provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect so long as the economic or legal substance of the transactions contemplated hereby is not affected in any manner materially adverse to any party. Upon such determination that any term or other provision is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced, the parties hereto shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the original intent of the parties as closely as possible in a mutually acceptable manner in order that the transactions contemplated hereby be consummated as originally contemplated to the fullest extent possible.

 

(d) This Agreement, the Merger Agreement and the Ancillary Documents constitute the entire agreement among the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede all prior agreements and undertakings, both written and oral, among the parties, or any of them, with respect to the subject matter hereof. This Agreement shall not be assigned (whether pursuant to a merger, by operation of law or otherwise).

 

(e) This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure solely to the benefit of each party hereto, and nothing in this Agreement, express or implied, is intended to or shall confer upon any other person any right, benefit or remedy of any nature whatsoever under or by reason of this Agreement.

 

(f) The parties hereto agree that irreparable damage may occur in the event any provision of this Agreement was not performed in accordance with the terms hereof and that the parties shall be entitled to specific performance of the terms hereof, in addition to any other remedy at law or in equity. Each of the parties agrees that it shall not oppose the granting of an injunction, specific performance and other equitable relief when expressly available pursuant to the terms of this Agreement on the basis that the other parties have an adequate remedy at law or an award of specific performance is not an appropriate remedy for any reason at law or equity. Any party seeking an injunction or injunctions to prevent breaches or threatened breaches of, or to enforce compliance with this Agreement when expressly available pursuant to the terms of this Agreement shall not be required to provide any bond or other security in connection with any such Order.

 

(g) This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the Laws of the State of Delaware applicable to contracts executed in and to be performed in that State without giving effect to principles or rules of conflict of laws to the extent such principles or rules would require or permit the application of Laws of another jurisdiction. All actions, suits or proceedings (collectively, “Action”) arising out of or relating to this Agreement shall be heard and determined exclusively in any federal or state court having jurisdiction within the State of Delaware. The parties hereto hereby (i) submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of federal or state courts within the State of Delaware for the purpose of any Action arising out of or relating to this Agreement brought by any party hereto, and (ii) irrevocably waive, and agree not to assert by way of motion, defense, or otherwise, in any such Action, any claim that it is not subject personally to the jurisdiction of the above-named courts, that its property is exempt or immune from attachment or execution, that the Action is brought in an inconvenient forum, that the venue of the Action is improper, or that this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereunder may not be enforced in or by any of the above-named courts.

 

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(h) This Agreement may be executed and delivered (including by facsimile or portable document format (pdf) transmission) in one or more counterparts, and by the different parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which when executed shall be deemed to be an original but all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement.

 

(i) Without further consideration, each party shall use commercially reasonable efforts to execute and deliver or cause to be executed and delivered such additional documents and instruments and take all such further action as may be reasonably necessary or desirable to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

(j) This Agreement shall not be effective or binding upon Supporter until such time as the Merger Agreement is executed by each of the parties thereto.

 

(k) If, and as often as, there are any changes in Purchaser or the Purchaser Common Stock by way of stock split, stock dividend, combination or reclassification, or through merger, consolidation, reorganization, recapitalization or business combination, or by any other means, equitable adjustment shall be made to the provisions of this Agreement as may be required so that the rights, privileges, duties and obligations hereunder shall continue with respect to Purchaser, Supporter and the Shares as so changed.

 

(l) Each of the parties hereto hereby waives to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law any right it may have to a trial by jury with respect to any litigation directly or indirectly arising out of, under or in connection with this Agreement. Each of the parties hereto (i) certifies that no representative, agent or attorney of any other party has represented, expressly or otherwise, that such other party would not, in the event of litigation, seek to enforce that foregoing waiver and (ii) acknowledges that it and the other parties hereto have been induced to enter into this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, as applicable, by, among other things, the mutual waivers and certifications in this Paragraph (l).

 

[Signature pages follow]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

  PURCHASER:
   
  PONO CAPITAL CORP.
     
  By: /s/ Dustin Shindo
  Name: Dustin Shindo

 

  By: /s/ Trisha Nomura
  Name: Trisha Nomura

 

  By: /s/ Mike Sayama
  Name: Mike Sayama

 

  By: /s/ Steve Iwamura
  Name: Steve Iwamura

 

  By: /s/ Kotaro Chiba
  Name: Kotaro Chiba

 

  COMPANY:
   
  BENUVIA, INC.
     
  By: /s/ Shannon Soqui
  Name: Shannon Soqui
  Title: Executive Chairman

 

[Signature Page to Support Agreement]