one or more of its businesses, although at such time it was still uncertain which strategic alternatives, if any, Actua would ultimately pursue.
Between March and July 2017, in accordance with the Board’s instructions, Evercore pursued an outreach and bid solicitation process involving 29 potential financial sponsors of a sale of all of the equity of Actua and 8 potential strategic buyers of FolioDynamix. Following extensive negotiations and due diligence and the evaluation of bids by the Board, Actua’s management and Evercore identified potential acquirers of Actua in its entirety, including CVC Growth Fund, as well as potential acquirers of FolioDynamix, including Envestnet. However, it appeared unlikely that any prospective buyer of all of the equity of Actua would be identified, as the bids that had come in variously contemplated the separate sale of Bolt and/or FolioDynamix.
As the sale process unfolded, CVC Growth Fund, whose proposal contemplated the sale of FolioDynamix to a third party prior to the consummation of the proposed transaction with Actua, and Envestnet emerged as the most attractive prospective acquirers and, on August 1, 2017, following approval by the Board, Actua entered into an exclusivity agreement with CVC Growth Fund.
The Board met on August 31, 2017 to, among other things, discuss the status of the sale process to date and of the proposals with CVC Growth Fund and Envestnet. Based on a number of factors highlighted by management and Evercore, including the significant amount of residual rights and obligations of Actua following the closing of the proposed FolioDynamix sale as it was then contemplated as well as potential timing disparities between the envisioned transactions, the Board authorized Actua’s management and advisors to pursue an alternative structure in the CVC Growth Fund transaction whereby, in lieu of a sale of Actua to an affiliate of CVC Growth Fund in a merger, CVC Growth Fund would indirectly acquire all of Actua’s interests in Velocity and Bolt through the acquisition of a wholly-owned subsidiary of Actua, thus allowing for, among other things, a more orderlywind-down of Actua, along with a greater opportunity to maximize stockholder value in connection with the sale of the Minority Investments.
Actua, CVC Growth Fund, Envestnet, and their respective advisors continued to negotiate the potential transactions and exchanged and eventually finalized drafts of corresponding transaction agreements. At a meeting of the Board on September 23, 2017, following discussion, with the assistance of Actua’s legal and financial advisors, of the proposed transaction agreements with each of CVC Growth Fund and Envestnet, the risks related thereto, the fiduciary duties implicated thereby, and the fairness, from a financial point of view, thereof, the Board unanimously determined that each of the Transactions was advisable and in the best interests of Actua and its stockholders and approved the execution of both the Velocity/Bolt Sale Agreement and the Folio Sale Agreement.
At a special meeting of Actua’s stockholders held on December 7, 2017, approximately 99.79% of the shares that were voted, representing 78.13% of Actua’s outstanding common stock, approved the Transactions, which together constituted a sale of substantially all of Actua’s assets. As previously disclosed, the sale of Actua’s interest in Velocity and Bolt was successfully consummated on December 12, 2017, and the sale of Actua’s interest in FolioDynamix was successfully consummated on January 2, 2018. Following the consummation of these sales and the distribution of a substantial portion of the net proceeds from the Transactions, Actua’s remaining assets consist largely of the Minority Investments and the potential right to receive other Potential Additional Proceeds.
At a meeting held on January 18, 2018, after due consideration, with the assistance of legal and financial advisors, of the potential strategic alternatives available to Actua after the consummation of the Transactions and of the costs and benefits of continuing its operations, including the substantial accounting, legal and other expenses associated with being a smallpublicly-traded company with no significant source of revenue, and of additional factors more fully described in “Reasons for the Proposed Dissolution and Liquidation,” the Board determined that the Dissolution is advisable and in the best interests of Actua and Actua’s stockholders. The Board has therefore authorized the wind-down Actua’s affairs through, among other things, the monetization of
32