Exhibit 8.1

 

ESCROW AGREEMENT

THIS ESCROW AGREEMENT, dated as of ________________ (the “Agreement”), is by and between ______________ (“Issuer”) and Equiniti Trust Company (“EQ” or “Escrow Agent”) and______________ (the “Broker”).

WHEREAS, the Issuer proposes to offer for sale and sell securities to prospective investors (“Subscribers”), as disclosed in its offering materials, in a registered offering pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or exemption from registration (i.e. Regulation A+, D or S) (the “Offering”), the equity, debt or other securities of the Issuer (the “Securities”), in the amount of at least $[●] (the “Minimum Amount of the Offering”) up to the maximum amount of $[●] (the “Maximum Amount of the Offering”).

WHEREAS, Issuer has engaged Broker, a registered broker-dealer with the Securities Exchange Commission and member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, to serve as the broker/dealer of record, as applicable, for the Offering.

WHEREAS, Issuer and Broker desire to establish an Escrow Account in which funds received from Subscribers will be held during the Offering, subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement.

WHEREAS, EQ agrees to serve as Escrow Agent with respect to such Escrow Account in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth herein to be held at an FDIC insured bank (the “Bank”), in a segregated account as defined below.

AGREEMENT

NOW THEREFORE, in consideration for the mutual covenants, promises, agreements, representations, and warranties contained in this Agreement and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties herby agree as follows:

1. Establishment of Escrow Account.  Prior to the Issuer initiating the Offering, and prior to the receipt of the first Subscriber funds, Escrow Agent shall establish an account for the Issuer (the “Escrow Account”). All parties agree to maintain the Escrow Account and Escrow Amount (as defined below) in a manner that is compliant with banking and securities regulations. For purposes of communications and directives, Escrow Agent shall be the sole administrator of the Escrow Account.

2. Escrow Period. The escrow period (“Escrow Period”) shall begin with the commencement of the Offering and shall be held in the Escrow Account for the benefit of Subscribers, upon the earlier to occur of the following:

a. The date upon which subscription amounts for the Minimum Amount of the Offering required to be sold have been deposited and cleared in the Escrow Account. The Escrow Account shall remain open pending receipt of Securities to meet the Maximum Amount of the Offering; or

b. One (1) year from the qualification of the Offering by the Securities and Exchange Commission; or

c. The date upon which a determination is made by Issuer and/or its authorized representatives to terminate the Offering prior to closing; or

d. The Escrow Agent’s exercise of the termination rights specified in Section 8.

During the Escrow Period, the parties agree that (i) the Escrow Account and escrowed funds will be held for the benefit of the Subscribers, and that (ii) neither Issuer nor Broker are entitled to any funds received into the Escrow Account, and that no amounts deposited into the Escrow Account shall become the property of Issuer, Broker or any other entity, or be subject to any debts, liens or encumbrances of any kind of Issuer or any other entity, until the satisfactory sale to investors in bona fide transactions that are fully paid and cleared.

In addition, Issuer and Escrow Agent acknowledge that the total funds raised cannot exceed the Maximum Amount of the Offering permitted by the offering circular. Issuer represents that no funds have yet been raised for the Issuer from the Offering and that all funds to be raised for the Offering will be deposited in the Escrow Account established by the Escrow Agent at the Bank.

3. Deposits into the Escrow Account. All Subscribers will be instructed by Issuer and Broker its agents to transfer funds by wire, check, credit card or ACH directly into the Escrow Account, to be held for the benefit of Subscribers in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and applicable regulations.  Escrow Agent shall cause the Bank to process all Escrow Amounts for collection through the banking system and shall maintain an accounting of each deposit posted to its ledger, which also sets forth, among other things, each Subscriber’s name and address, the quantity of Securities purchased, and the amount paid. All monies so deposited in the Escrow Account and which have cleared the banking system are hereinafter referred to as the “Escrow Amount.” No interest shall be paid to Issuer or Subscribers on balances in the Escrow Account. Issuer or its agents shall promptly, concurrent with any new or modified subscription, provide Escrow Agent with a copy of the Subscriber’s signed subscription agreement and other information as may be reasonably requested by Escrow Agent in the performance of its duties under this Agreement. As required by government regulations pertaining to the US Treasury, Homeland Security, the Internal Revenue Service and the SEC, federal law requires financial institutions to obtain, reasonably verify and record information that identifies each person (natural person or legal entity, including its authorized persons) who funds and executes securities transactions. Information requested of the Issuer and Subscribers will be typical information requested in the gathering and verification guidelines and best practices promulgated by anti-money laundering (“AML”) rules and regulations and those regulatory agencies that enforce them. Escrow Agent is under no duty or responsibility to enforce collection of any subscription amounts whether delivered to it or not hereunder.

Escrow Agent reserves the right to deny, suspend or terminate participation in the Escrow Account of any Subscriber to the extent Escrow Agent deems it advisable or necessary to comply with applicable laws or to eliminate practices that are not consistent with securities industry laws, rules, regulations or best practices. The Escrow Agent reserves the right to limit, suspend, restrict (including increasing clearing periods) or terminate the use of ACH, credit card and/or debit card transactions at its sole discretion. Without limiting the indemnification obligations under Section 11 of this Agreement, Issuer agrees that it will immediately indemnify, hold harmless and reimburse the Escrow Agent for any fees, costs or liability whatsoever resulting or arising from funds processing failures, including without limitation chargebacks, recalls or other disputes.

4. Disbursements from the Escrow Account. Escrow Agent must receive written instructions from both the Broker and the Issuer prior to releasing any funds. In the event Escrow Agent does not receive written instructions from the Issuer and Broker to release funds from Escrow on or prior to the termination of the Escrow Period, Escrow Agent shall terminate Escrow and make a full and prompt return of funds so that refunds are made to each Subscriber in the exact amount received from said Subscriber, without deduction, penalty, or expense to Subscriber. In the event Escrow Agent receives cleared funds for the Minimum Amount of the Offering prior to the termination of the Escrow Period, and for any point thereafter and Escrow Agent receives written instruction from both Issuer and Broker, Escrow Agent shall, pursuant to those instructions, make a disbursement to the Issuer from the Escrow Account. Issuer acknowledges that there is a 2-3 business day processing time once a request has been received to disburse funds from the Escrow Account. Furthermore, Issuer directs Escrow Agent to accept instructions regarding fees from Broker.

5. Collection Procedure. Escrow Agent is hereby authorized, upon receipt of Subscriber funds not transmitted directly into the Escrow Account, to promptly deposit them in the Escrow Account. Any Subscriber funds which fail to clear or are subsequently reversed, including but not limited to chargebacks and wire recalls, shall be debited to the Escrow Account, with such debits reflected on the Escrow ledger. Any and all fees paid by Issuer for funds receipt and processing are non-refundable, regardless of whether ultimately cleared, failed, rescinded, returned or recalled. In the event of any Subscriber refunds, returns or recalls after funds have already been remitted to Issuer, then Issuer and/or Broker hereby irrevocably agrees to immediately and without delay or dispute send equivalent funds to the Escrow Agent to cover the refund, return or recall. If Issuer has any dispute or disagreement with its Subscriber then that is separate and apart from this Agreement and Issuer and /or Broker will address such situation directly with said Subscriber, including taking whatever actions necessary to return such funds to Subscriber, but Issuer and/or Broker shall not involve Escrow Agent in any such disputes.

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6. Escrow Administration Fees, Compensation of Escrow Agent. Escrow Agent is entitled to escrow administration fees from Issuer and/or Broker as set forth in Schedule A attached hereto. Escrow Agent fees are not contingent in any way on the success or failure of the Offering, receipt of Subscriber funds, or transactions contemplated by this Agreement. No fees, charges or expense reimbursements of Escrow Agent are reimbursable, and are not subject to pro-rata analysis. All fees and charges, if not paid by a representative of Issuer (e.g. funding platform, lead syndicate broker, etc.), may be made via either Issuers credit/debit card or ACH information on file with Escrow Agent. Issuer shall at all times maintain appropriate funds in their account for the payment of escrow administration fees. It is acknowledged and agreed that no fees, reimbursement for costs and expenses, indemnification for any damages incurred by Issuer or Escrow Agent shall be paid out of or chargeable to the Escrow Amount.

7. Representations and Warranties. The Issuer and Broker each covenant and makes the following representations and warranties to Escrow Agent:

a. It is duly organized, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of the state of its incorporation or organization and has full power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder.

b. This Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby have been duly approved by all necessary actions, including any necessary shareholder or membership approval, has been executed by its duly authorized officers, and constitutes a valid and binding agreement enforceable in accordance with its terms.

c. The execution, delivery, and performance of this Agreement is in accordance with the agreements related to the Offering and will not violate, conflict with, or cause a default under its articles of incorporation, bylaws, management agreement or other organizational document, as applicable, any applicable law, rule or regulation, any court order or administrative ruling or decree to which it is a party or any of its property is subject, or any agreement, contract, indenture, or other binding arrangement, including the agreements related to the Offering, to which it is a party or any of its property is subject.

d. The Offering shall contain a statement that Escrow Agent has not investigated the desirability or advisability of investment in the Securities nor approved, endorsed or passed upon the merits of purchasing the Securities; and the name of Escrow Agent has not and shall not be used in any manner in connection with the Offering of the Securities other than to state that Escrow Agent has agreed to serve as escrow agent for the limited purposes set forth in this Agreement, which expressly includes any and all communications with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

e. No party other than the parties hereto has, or shall have, any lien, claim or security interest in the Escrow Funds or any part thereof. No financing statement under the Uniform Commercial Code is on file in any jurisdiction claiming a security interest in or describing (whether specifically or generally) the Escrow Funds or any part thereof.

f. It possesses such valid and current licenses, certificates, authorizations or permits issued by the appropriate state, federal or foreign regulatory agencies or bodies necessary to conduct its respective businesses, and it has not received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of, or non-compliance with, any such license, certificate, authorization or permit.

g. The Offering complies in all material respects with the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and all applicable laws, rules and regulations.

h. Issuer shall make no representation or implication that the Escrow Agent has investigated the desirability or advisability of investment in the Securities or has approved, endorsed or passed upon the merits of the investment therein and that the name of the Escrow Agent has not and shall not be used in any manner in connection with the offer or sale of the Securities other than to state that the Escrow Agent has agreed to serve as escrow agent for the limited purposes set forth herein, which expressly includes all communications with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

All of its representations and warranties contained herein are true and complete as of the date hereof and will be true and complete at the time of any disbursement of Escrow Funds.

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8. Term and Termination. This Agreement will remain in full force during the Escrow Period and shall terminate upon the following:

a. As set forth in Section 2.

b. Escrow Agent’s Resignation. Escrow Agent may unilaterally resign by giving written notice to Issuer, whereupon Issuer will immediately appoint a successor escrow agent.

9. Binding Arbitration, Applicable Law, Venue, and Attorneys’ Fees. This Agreement is governed by, and will be interpreted and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, as applicable, without regard to principles of conflict of laws. Any claim or dispute arising under this Agreement may only be brought in arbitration, pursuant to the rules of the American Arbitration Association, with venue in New York, New York. The parties consent to this method of dispute resolution, as well as jurisdiction, and consent to this being a convenient forum for any such claim or dispute and waive any right they may have to object to either the method or jurisdiction for such claim or dispute. Furthermore, the prevailing party shall be entitled to recover damages plus reasonable attorney’s fees and costs and the decision of the arbitrator shall be final, binding and enforceable in any court.

10. Limited Capacity of Escrow Agent. This Agreement expressly and exclusively sets forth the duties of Escrow Agent with respect to any and all matters pertinent hereto, and no implied duties or obligations shall be read into this Agreement against Escrow Agent. Escrow Agent acts hereunder as an escrow agent only and is not associated, affiliated, or involved in the business decisions or business activities of Issuer, portal, or Subscriber. Escrow Agent is not responsible or liable in any manner whatsoever for the sufficiency, correctness, genuineness, or validity of the subject matter of this Agreement or any part thereof, or for the form of execution thereof, or for the identity or authority of any person executing or depositing such subject matter. Escrow Agent shall be under no duty to investigate or inquire as to the validity or accuracy of any document, agreement, instruction, or request furnished to it hereunder, including, without limitation, the authority or the identity of any signer thereof, believed by it to be genuine, and Escrow Agent may rely and act upon, and shall not be liable for acting or not acting upon, any such document, agreement, instruction, or request. Escrow Agent shall in no way be responsible for notifying, nor shall it be responsible to notify, any party thereto or any other party interested in this Agreement of any payment required or maturity occurring under this Agreement or under the terms of any instrument deposited herewith. Escrow Agent’s entire liability, and Broker and Issuer’s exclusive remedy, in any cause of action based on contract, tort, or otherwise in connection with any services furnished pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited to the total fees paid to Escrow Agent by Issuer. The Escrow Agent shall not be called upon to advise any party as to the wisdom in selling or retaining or taking or refraining from any action with respect to any securities or other property deposited hereunder. Escrow Agent may consult legal counsel selected by it in the event of any dispute or question as to the construction of any of the provisions hereof or of any other agreement or of its duties hereunder, or relating to any dispute involving any party hereto, and shall incur no liability and shall be fully indemnified from any reasonable liability whatsoever in acting in accordance with the opinion or instruction of such counsel. Issuer shall promptly pay, upon demand, the reasonable fees and expenses of any such counsel.

11. Indemnity. Issuer agrees to defend, indemnify and hold Escrow Agent and its related entities, directors, employees, service providers, advertisers, affiliates, officers, agents, and partners and third-party service providers (collectively, “Escrow Agent Indemnified Parties”) harmless from and against any loss, liability, claim, or demand, including attorney’s fees (collectively “Expenses”), made by any third party due to or arising out of (i) this Agreement or a breach of any provision in this Agreement, or (ii) any change in regulation or law, state or federal, and the enforcement or prosecution of such as such authorities may apply to or against Issuer. This indemnity shall include, but is not limited to, all Expenses incurred in conjunction with any interpleader that Escrow Agent may enter into regarding this Agreement and/or third-party subpoena or discovery process that may be directed to Escrow Agent Indemnified Parties. It shall also include any action(s) by a governmental or trade association authority seeking to impose criminal or civil sanctions on any Escrow Agent Indemnified Parties based on a connection or alleged connection between this Agreement and Issuers business and/or associated persons. The defense, indemnification and hold harmless obligations will survive termination of this Agreement. Escrow Agent reserves the right to control the defense of any such claim or action and all negotiations for settlement or compromise, and to select or approve defense counsel, and Issuer agrees to fully cooperate with Escrow Agent in the defense of any such claim, action, settlement, or compromise negotiations. The Escrow Agent Indemnified Parties may conclusively and in good faith rely and act, or refuse to act, upon the records and information provided to it by the Issuer or the Issuer’s record keeper without independent review and shall have no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or inaccuracy of such records and information.

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12. Entire Agreement, Severability and Force Majeure. This Agreement contains the entire agreement between Issuer and Escrow Agent regarding the Escrow Account. If any provision of this Agreement is held invalid, the remainder of this Agreement shall continue in full force and effect. Furthermore, no party shall be responsible for any failure to perform due to acts beyond its reasonable control, including acts of God, terrorism, shortage of supply, labor difficulties (including strikes), war, civil unrest, fire, floods, electrical outages, equipment or transmission failures, internet interruptions, vendor failures (including information technology providers), or other similar causes.

13. Escrow Agent Compliance. Escrow Agent may, at its sole discretion, comply with any new, changed, or reinterpreted regulatory or legal rules, laws or regulations, law enforcement or prosecution policies, and any interpretations of any of the foregoing, and without necessity of notice, Escrow Agent may (i) modify either this Agreement or the Escrow Account, or both, to comply with or conform to such changes or interpretations or (ii) terminate this Agreement or the Escrow Account or both if, in the sole and absolute discretion of Escrow Agent, changes in law enforcement or prosecution policies (or enactment or issuance of new laws or regulations) applicable to the Issuer might expose Escrow Agent to a risk of criminal or civil prosecution, and/or of governmental or regulatory sanctions or forfeitures if Escrow Agent were to continue its performance under this Agreement. Furthermore, all parties agree that this Agreement shall continue in full force and be valid, unchanged and binding upon any successors of Escrow Agent. Changes to this Agreement will be sent to Issuer via email. Escrow Agent may act or refrain from acting in respect of any matter referred to in this Escrow Agreement in full reliance upon and by and with the advice of its legal counsel and shall be fully protected in so acting or in refraining from acting upon advice of counsel. In the event that the Escrow Agent shall be uncertain as to its duties or rights hereunder, the Escrow Agent shall be entitled to (i) refrain from taking any action other than to keep safe the Escrow Amounts until directed otherwise by a court of competent jurisdiction or, (ii) interplead the Escrow Amount to a court of competent jurisdiction.

14. Waivers. No waiver by any party to this Agreement of any condition or breach of any provision of this Agreement will be effective unless in writing. No waiver by any party of any such condition or breach, in any one instance, will be deemed to be a further or continuing waiver of any such condition or breach or a waiver of any other condition or breach of any other provision contained in this Agreement.

15. Notices. Any notice to Escrow Agent is to be sent to [●]. Any notices to Issuer will be to [●] and any notice to the Broker will be sent to [●].

Any party may change their notice or email address giving notice thereof in accordance with this Paragraph. All notices hereunder shall be deemed given: (1) if served in person, when served; (2) if sent by facsimile or email, on the date of transmission if before 6:00 p.m. Eastern time, provided that a hard copy of such notice is also sent by either a nationally recognized overnight courier or by U.S. Mail, first class; (3) if by overnight courier, by a nationally recognized courier which has a system of providing evidence of delivery, on the first business day after delivery to the courier; or (4) if by U.S. Mail, on the third day after deposit in the mail, postage prepaid, certified mail, return receipt requested. Furthermore, all parties hereby agree that all current and future notices, confirmations and other communications regarding this Agreement specifically, and future communications in general between the parties, may be made by email, sent to the email address of record as set forth above or, solely with regards to business in the normal course, as otherwise from time to time changed or updated, directly by the party changing such information, without necessity of confirmation of receipt, delivery or reading, and such form of electronic communication is sufficient for all matters regarding the relationship between the parties. If any such electronically-sent communication fails to be received for any reason, including but not limited to such communications being diverted to the recipients’ spam filters by the recipients email service provider or technology, or due to a recipients’ change of address, or due to technology issues by the recipients’ service provider, the parties agree that the burden of such failure to receive is on the recipient and not the sender, and that the sender is under no obligation to resend communications via any other means, including but not limited to postal service or overnight courier, and that such communications shall for all purposes, including legal and regulatory, be deemed to have been delivered and received. 

16. Counterparts; Facsimile; Email; Signatures; Electronic Signatures. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which will be deemed an original and all of which, taken together, will constitute one and the same instrument, binding on each signatory thereto. This Agreement may be executed by signatures, electronically or otherwise, and delivered by email in .pdf format, which shall be binding upon each signing party to the same extent as an original executed version hereof.

17. Substitute Form W–9: Section 6109 of the Internal Revenue Code requires Issuer to provide the correct Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN). Under penalties of Perjury, Issuer certifies that: (1) the tax identification number provided to Escrow Agent is the correct taxpayer identification number and (2) Issuer is not subject to backup withholding because: (a) Issuer is exempt from backup withholding, or, (b) Issuer has not been notified by the Internal Revenue Service that it is subject to backup withholding. Issuer agrees to immediately inform Escrow Agent in writing if it has been, or at any time in the future is, notified by the IRS that Issuer is subject to backup withholding.

18. Survival. Even after this Agreement is terminated, certain provisions will remain in effect, including but not limited to Sections 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 14 of this Agreement. Upon any termination, Escrow Agent shall be compensated for the services as of the date of the termination or removal.

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SIGNATURE ON FOLLOWING PAGE

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Escrow Agreement to be executed as of the date first above written.

	[●], as Issuer
	By:
[●], as Broker	EQUINITI TRUST COMPANY, as Escrow Agent
By:	By:

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