notes due 2023, pursuant to private agreements in accordance with the trust indenture, for an equivalent amount of 2026 Notes plus accrued but unpaid interest and any negotiated premium thereon. As a result of the note exchanges, the Company received aggregate gross proceeds of $153,250,000 in cash pursuant to the offering of the 2026 Notes.
The Company sold all of the 2026 Notes pursuant to the exemptions from registration provided by Rule 506(b) and Rule 903. For sales to U.S. persons, the Company relied on Rule 506(b) because (i) there were a limited number of purchasers, (ii) no sales were made by general solicitation or advertising and (iii) sales were made only to accredited investors. For sales outside of the United States, the Company relied on Rule 903 because the 2026 Notes were offered and sold outside the United States in “offshore transactions” in accordance with Rule 903.
April 2022 VentureForth Issuance
In the interim financial statements and Management Discussion and Analysis of the Company, for the period ended September 30, 2021, and in the Company’s subsequent securities filings, the Company reported that, during the period ended September 30, 2021, the Company anticipatorily accrued $68,000,000 for potential share issuances and cash payments for purposes of acquisition and settlement of preexisting relationships, inclusive of prospective acquisition costs relating to third-party entities and other litigation costs. On April 18, 2022, in connection with the accrual, the Company issued the VentureForth Shares and, on April 18, 2022 and April 24, 2022 paid approximately $26,000,000 to acquire, by merger, VentureForth Holdings, LLC, which is the owner of VentureForth. VentureForth holds two licenses from ABRA, specifically, one license to cultivate and manufacture medical cannabis and one license to dispense medical cannabis. The merger was approved by ABRA. The Company previously had a management services agreement with VentureForth. In further connection with the accrual, the shares issued and amounts paid also amicably resolved, with no admissions of liability and in exchange for releases, certain direct, indirect, derivative and indemnification claims relating to a confidential arbitration to which VentureForth, a separate subsidiary of the Company and certain members of the Company’s management team were respondent parties. The Company does not consider the VentureForth acquisition and the resolved arbitration claims to be material.
The Company issued the VentureForth Shares pursuant to the exemption from registration provided by Rule 506(b), as amended, because (i) there were a limited number of holders, (ii) the issuances were not made by general solicitation or advertising and (iii) the issuances were made only to accredited investors.
Acquisitions
During the year ended December 31, 2019, Columbia Care issued 683,363 Common Shares in connection with acquisitions. During the year ended December 31, 2020, Columbia Care issued 55,975,602 Common Shares in connection with acquisitions. During the year ended December 31, 2021, Columbia Care issued 65,674,872 Common Shares in connection with acquisitions. As of June 1, 2022, Columbia Care issued 1,099,549 Common Shares in connection with acquisitions, excluding the VentureForth Shares.
The Company relied on Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act or Rule 506(b) as the Common Shares were sold to a limited number of accredited investors in connection with each acquisition.
Long Term Incentive Plan
During the year ended December 31, 2019, Columbia Care issued 224,499 restricted shares pursuant to its long-term incentive plan (the “LTIP”). During the year ended December 31, 2020, Columbia Care issued 1,852,064 restricted shares pursuant to its LTIP. In 2021, Columbia Care issued 3,097,511 restricted shares pursuant to its LTIP.
The Company relied on Rule 701 of the Securities Act to issue securities to its employees, consultants, officers and directors pursuant to the LTIP.
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