Crinetics Pharmaceuticals (CRNX) 8-K Crinetics Pharmaceuticals Announces Oversubscribed $350 Million Private Placement

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): February 27, 2024

Crinetics Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

(Exact name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

Delaware	001-38583	26-3744114
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)

6055 Lusk Boulevard
San Diego, California	92121
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)	(Zip Code)

Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code: (858) 450-6464

(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

☐ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

☐ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class	Trading Symbol(s)	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share	CRNX	Nasdaq Global Select Market

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§ 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§ 240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Item 1.01 Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.

Securities Purchase Agreement

On February 27, 2024, Crinetics Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Company”) entered into a securities purchase agreement (the “Securities Purchase Agreement”) with certain institutional accredited investors named therein (the “Purchasers”), pursuant to which the Company agreed to issue and sell to the Purchasers in a private placement (the “Private Placement”) an aggregate of 8,333,334 shares (the “Shares”) of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”), at a purchase price of $42.00 per share.

Leerink Partners, Piper Sandler, Baird, Citizens JMP, H.C. Wainwright & Co., and LifeSci Capital are acting as placement agents to the Company in connection with the Private Placement.

The Private Placement closed on March 1, 2024. The Company received aggregate gross proceeds from the Private Placement of approximately $350 million, before deducting offering expenses payable by the Company.

The foregoing description of the Securities Purchase Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Securities Purchase Agreement, a copy of which is filed as Exhibit 10.1 hereto and is incorporated by reference herein.

Registration Rights Agreement

On February 27, 2024, the Company entered into a registration rights agreement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”) with the Purchasers, pursuant to which the Company agreed to register for resale the Shares sold to the Purchasers (the “Registrable Securities”). Under the Registration Rights Agreement, the Company has agreed to file a registration statement covering the resale of the Registrable Securities by no later than the 40^th day after the closing of the Private Placement (the “Filing Deadline”). The Company has agreed to use reasonable efforts to cause such registration statement, if not automatically effective upon filing, to become effective as promptly as reasonably possible after the filing thereof. The Company also agreed to use reasonable efforts to keep such registration statement effective until the date the Shares covered by such registration statement have been sold or may be resold pursuant to Rule 144 without restriction. The Company has agreed to be responsible for all fees and expenses incurred in connection with the registration of the Registrable Securities. In the event (i) the registration statement has not been filed by the Filing Deadline, (ii) the registration statement is not automatically effective upon filing or not declared effective prior to the earlier of (a) five business days after the date on which the Company is notified by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) that the registration statement will not be reviewed by the SEC staff or is not subject to further comment by the SEC staff, (b) the 60^th day following the closing of the Private Placement, if the SEC staff determines not to review the registration statement, or (c) the 90^th day following the closing of the Private Placement, if the SEC staff determines to review the registration statement, or (iii) after the registration statement has been declared effective by the SEC, sales cannot be made pursuant to the registration statement for any reason, subject to certain limited exceptions, then the Company has agreed to make pro rata payments to each Purchaser as liquidated damages in an amount equal to 1% of the aggregate amount invested by each such Purchaser in the Registrable Securities per 30-day period or pro rata for any portion thereof for each such month during which such event continues, subject to certain caps set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement.

The Company has granted the Purchasers customary indemnification rights in connection with the registration statement. The Purchasers have also granted the Company customary indemnification rights in connection with the registration statement.

The foregoing description of the Registration Rights Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Registration Rights Agreement, a copy of which is filed as Exhibit 10.2 hereto and incorporated by reference herein.

Item 3.02 Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities.

The information contained above in Item 1.01 relating to the Private Placement is hereby incorporated by reference into this Item 3.02. Based in part upon the representations of the Purchasers in the Securities Purchase Agreement, the offering and sale of the securities was made in reliance on the exemption afforded by Regulation D under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and corresponding provisions of state securities or “blue sky” laws. The offer and sale of the Shares issued in the Private Placement have not been registered under the Securities Act or any state securities laws and such Shares may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration with the SEC or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. The sale of the Shares in the Private Placement did not involve a public offering and was made without general solicitation or general advertising. The Purchasers represented in the Securities Purchase Agreement that they are accredited investors, as such term is defined in Rule 501(a) of Regulation D under the Securities Act, and that they are acquiring the securities not with a view to any resale, distribution or other disposition of the securities in violation of the U.S. federal securities laws.

Neither this Current Report on Form 8-K nor any exhibit attached hereto is an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy shares of Common Stock or other securities of the Company.

Item 8.01 Other Events.

On February 28, 2024, the Company issued a press release announcing the Private Placement. A copy of the press release is attached as Exhibit 99.1 hereto and incorporated by reference herein.

Forward-Looking Statements

This Current Report on Form 8-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this Current Report on Form 8-K are forward-looking statements, including statements relating to the Private Placement, including the filing and timing of a resale registration statement. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “could,” “intend,” “target,” “project,” “contemplates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Current Report on Form 8-K and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including the risks and uncertainties inherent in the Company’s business, including the risks and uncertainties described in the Company’s periodic filings with the SEC. The events and circumstances reflected in the Company’s forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur and actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Additional information on risks facing the Company can be found under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Company’s periodic reports, including its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023. Except as required by applicable law, the Company does not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise.

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits.

Exhibit No.	Description
10.1*	Securities Purchase Agreement, dated February 27, 2024, by and among Crinetics Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and the persons party thereto.
10.2*	Registration Rights Agreement, dated February 27, 2024, by and among Crinetics Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and the persons party thereto.
99.1	Press Release, dated February 28, 2024.
104	Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document).

* Certain personal information has been omitted pursuant to Item 601(a)(6) of Regulation S-K.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

	Crinetics Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Date: March 1, 2024	By:	/s/ R. Scott Struthers, Ph. D.
		R. Scott Struthers, Ph. D.
		President and Chief Executive Officer