Exhibit 1.1
21,010,000 Shares of Common Stock
Pre-Funded Warrants to Purchase 3,000,031 Shares of Common Stock
NKARTA, INC.
Common Stock
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
March 25, 2024
Leerink Partners LLC
Cowen and Company, LLC
As Representatives of the several Underwriters
c/o Leerink Partners LLC
53 State Street, 40th Floor
Boston, Massachusetts 02109
c/o Cowen and Company, LLC
599 Lexington Avenue
New York, New York 10022
Dear Sirs:
The Company represents and warrants to the several Underwriters, as of the date hereof and as of each Closing Date (as defined below), and agrees with the several Underwriters, that:
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Any reference herein to the Registration Statement, Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein. Any reference to any amendment or supplement to any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include any documents filed after the date of such Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and incorporated by reference in such Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus, as the case may be. Any reference to (i) the Registration Statement shall be deemed to refer to and include the annual report of the last completed fiscal year of the Company on Form 10-K filed under Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the date hereof and (ii) the effective date of such Registration Statement shall be deemed to refer to and include (a) the date such Registration Statement became effective and, if later, the date such Form 10-K was so filed and (b) the Applicable Time.
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“Applicable Time” means 6:05 A.M., New York time, on the date of this Agreement or such other time as agreed to by the Company and the Representatives.
“Pricing Prospectus” means the Base Prospectus, as amended and supplemented immediately prior to the Applicable Time, including any document incorporated by reference therein and any prospectus supplement relating to the Securities deemed to be a part thereof.
“Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433 of the Rules and Regulations relating to the Securities in the form filed or required to be filed with the Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g) of the Rules and Regulations.
“General Use Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is identified on Schedule B to this Agreement.
“Limited Use Free Writing Prospectuses” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is not a General Use Free Writing Prospectus.
“Written Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any Testing-the-Waters Communication (as defined below) that is a written communication within the meaning of Rule 405 of the Rules and Regulations.
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(A) Neither the Company nor any of its directors, officers or employees, nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any agent, affiliate, representative or other person acting on behalf of the Company, is an individual or entity (“Person”) that is, or is owned or controlled by a Person that is: (i) the subject of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, Her Majesty’s Treasury, or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), nor (ii) located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of a U.S. government embargo (including, without limitation, the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic, the Crimea Region of Ukraine, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Syria).
(B) The Company will not, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of the offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any joint venture partner or other Person: (i) to fund or facilitate any activities or business of or with any Person that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject of Sanctions, or in any country or territory that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject of a U.S. government embargo; or (ii) in any other manner that will result in a violation of
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Sanctions by any Person (including any Person participating in the offering, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise).
(C) For the past five (5) years, the Company has not knowingly engaged in, are not now knowingly engaged in, and will not engage in, any direct or indirect dealings or transactions with any Person that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject of Sanctions or any country or territory that, at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject of a U.S. government embargo.
Any certificate signed by or on behalf of the Company and delivered to the Representatives or to counsel for the Underwriters shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty by the Company to each Underwriter as to the matters covered thereby.
The purchase price per share to be paid by the Underwriters to the Company for the Shares will be $9.40 per share (the “Purchase Price”). The purchase price to be paid by the Underwriters to the Company for the Pre-Funded Warrants will be $9.3999 per warrant (the “Warrant Purchase Price”).
The Company will deliver the Securities to the Representatives for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters, in each such case, issued in such names and in such denominations as the Representatives may direct by notice in writing to the Company given at or prior to 12:00 Noon, New York time, on the second (2nd) full business day preceding the Closing Date against payment of the aggregate Purchase Price and the Warrant Purchase Price therefor by wire transfer in federal (same day) funds to an account at a bank specified by the Company payable to the order of the Company for the Securities sold by them all at the offices of Shearman & Sterling LLP, 1460 El Camino Real, 2nd Floor, Menlo Park, California
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94025. Time shall be of the essence, and delivery at the time and place specified pursuant to this Agreement is a further condition of the obligations of each Underwriter hereunder. The time and date of the delivery and closing shall be at 10:00 A.M., New York time, on March 27, 2024, in accordance with Rule 15c6‑1 of the Exchange Act. The time and date of such payment and delivery are herein referred to as the “Closing Date”. The Closing Date and the location of delivery of, and the form of payment for, the Securities may be varied by agreement between the Company and the Representatives.
Delivery of the Shares shall be made through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company. The Pre-Funded Warrants shall be delivered to the purchasers of the Pre-Funded Warrants in definitive form, registered in such names and in such denominations as the purchasers of the Pre-Funded Warrants shall request in writing not later than the business day prior to the Closing Date. The Pre-Funded Warrants will be made available for inspection by the Representatives on the business day prior to the Closing Date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company and the Representatives shall instruct purchasers of the Pre-Funded Warrants to make payment for the Pre-Funded Warrants on the Closing Date to the Company by wire transfer in immediately available funds to the account specified by the Company at a purchase price of $9.9999 per Pre-Funded Warrant, in lieu of payment by the Underwriters for such Pre-Funded Warrants, and the Company shall deliver the Pre-Funded Warrants to such purchasers on the Closing Date in definitive form against such payment, in lieu of the Company’s obligation to deliver the Pre-Funded Warrants to the Representatives; provided that, the Underwriters shall withhold $0.60 per Pre-Funded Warrant with respect to such Pre-Funded Warrants as an offset effected by the Company of its claim for payment by the Underwriters to the Company for the Shares against the Company’s obligation to pay the amount so withheld with respect to such Pre-Funded Warrants to the Underwriters. In the event that any purchaser of the Pre-Funded Warrants fails to make payment to the Company for all or part of the Pre-Funded Warrants on the Closing Date, the Representatives shall either (i) make payment to the Company for such Pre-Funded Warrants at the combined purchase price specified in Section 3 or (ii) elect, by written notice to the Company, to receive Common Stock at the combined purchase price specified in Section 3 in lieu of all or a portion of such Pre-Funded Warrants contemplated to be sold under this Agreement.
The several Underwriters propose to offer the Securities for sale upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Prospectus.
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If at any time following the distribution of any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company will promptly notify the Representatives and will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication to eliminate or correct such untrue statement or omission.
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All opinions, letters, evidence and certificates mentioned above or elsewhere in this Agreement shall be deemed to be in compliance with the provisions hereof only if they are in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters.
each Underwriter, its affiliates, directors, officers, managers, members, employees, representatives and agents and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act (collectively the “Underwriter Indemnified Parties,” and each an “Underwriter Indemnified Party”) against any loss, claim, damage, expense or liability whatsoever (or any action, investigation or proceeding in respect thereof), joint or several, to which such Underwriter Indemnified Party may become subject, under the Securities Act or otherwise, insofar as such loss, claim, damage, expense, liability, action, investigation or proceeding arises out of or is based upon (A) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication, any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any “issuer information” filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) of the Rules and Regulations, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, or in any amendment or supplement thereto or document incorporated by reference therein or in any materials or information provided to investors by, or with the approval of, the Company in connection with the marketing of the offering of the Securities, including any roadshow or investor presentations made to investors by the Company (whether in person or electronically) (“Marketing Materials”) or (B) the omission or alleged omission to state in any Company Written Testing-the-Waters Communication, any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any "issuer information" filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) of the Rules and Regulations, the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or in any amendment or supplement thereto or document incorporated by reference therein or in any Marketing Materials, a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and shall reimburse each Underwriter Indemnified Party promptly upon demand for any documented legal fees or other expenses reasonably incurred by that Underwriter Indemnified Party in connection with investigating, or preparing to defend, or defending against, or appearing as a third party witness in respect of, or otherwise incurred in connection with, any such loss, claim, damage, expense, liability, action, investigation or proceeding, as such fees and expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage, expense or liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement in, or omission or alleged omission from any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or any such amendment or supplement thereto, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any Marketing Materials made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company through the Representatives by or on behalf of any Underwriter specifically for use therein, which information the parties hereto agree is limited to the Underwriter’s Information.
The indemnity agreement in this Section 7(a) is not exclusive and is in addition to each other indemnity agreement in this Section 7(a) and each other liability which the Company might have under this Agreement or otherwise, and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available under this Agreement, at law or in equity to any Underwriter Indemnified Party.
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If the remaining Underwriters or substituted Underwriters are required hereby or agree to take up all or part of the Securities of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters on such Closing Date as provided in this Section 10, (i) the Company shall have the right to postpone such Closing Dates for a period of not more than five (5) full business days in order that the Company may effect whatever changes may thereby be made necessary in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or in any other documents or arrangements, and the Company agrees promptly to file any amendments to the Registration Statement or supplements to the Prospectus which may thereby be made necessary, and (ii) the respective numbers of Securities to be purchased by the remaining Underwriters or substituted Underwriters shall be taken as the basis of their underwriting obligation for all purposes of this Agreement. Nothing herein contained shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter of its liability to the Company or the other Underwriters for damages occasioned by its default hereunder. Any termination of this Agreement pursuant to this Section 10 shall be without liability on the part of any non‑defaulting Underwriter or the Company, except that the representations, warranties, covenants, indemnities, agreements and other statements set forth in Section 2, the obligations with respect to expenses to be paid or reimbursed pursuant to Sections 5 and 9 and the provisions of Section 7 and Sections 11 through 22, inclusive, shall not terminate and shall remain in full force and effect.
(a) each Underwriter’s responsibility to the Company is solely contractual in nature, the Representatives have been retained solely to act as underwriters in connection with the sale of the Securities and no fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship between the Company and the Representatives have been created in respect of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, irrespective of whether any of the Representatives has advised or is advising the Company on other matters;
(b) the prices of the Securities set forth in this Agreement was established by the Company following discussions and arms-length negotiations with the Representatives, and the Company is
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capable of evaluating and understanding, and understands and accepts, the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement;
(c) it has been advised that the Representatives and their affiliates are engaged in a broad range of transactions which may involve interests that differ from those of the Company and that the Representatives have no obligation to disclose such interests and transactions to the Company by virtue of any fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship; and
(d) it waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims it may have against the Representatives for breach of fiduciary duty or alleged breach of fiduciary duty and agrees that the Representatives shall have no liability (whether direct or indirect) to the Company in respect of such a fiduciary duty claim or to any person asserting a fiduciary duty claim on behalf of or in right of the Company, including stockholders, employees or creditors of the Company.
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If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding please indicate your acceptance of this Agreement by signing in the space provided for that purpose below.
| Very truly yours, NKARTA, INC. By:_/s/ Paul Hastings______________________
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Accepted as of the date first above written: Leerink Partners LLC Cowen and Company, LLC
By: Leerink Partners LLC By:_/s/ Dan Dubin__________________
By: Cowen and Company, LLC By:_/s/ Brian Hagerty_________________
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SCHEDULE A
Name | Number of Shares to be Purchased | Number of Pre-Funded Warrants to be Purchased |
Leerink Partners LLC | 7,143,400 | 1,020,011 |
Cowen and Company, LLC | 7,143,400 | 1,020,011 |
Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated | 3,781,800 | 540,006 |
Mizuho Securities USA LLC | 2,941,400 | 420,003 |
Total | 21,010,000 | 3,000,031 |
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SCHEDULE B
1. General Use Free Writing Prospectuses
None
2. Written Testing-the-Waters Communications
Investor Meetings Presentations dated March 21, 2024.
SCHEDULE C
Pricing Information
Number of Shares to be Sold: 21,010,000
Offering Price per Share: $10.00
Number of Pre-Funded Warrants to be Sold: 3,000,031
Offering Price per Pre-Funded Warrant: $9.9999
Underwriting Discounts and Commissions: $0.60 per share or Pre-Funded Warrant
Estimated Net Proceeds to the Company (after underwriting discounts and commissions, but before transaction expenses): $225,693,991.40
SCHEDULE D
List of Persons Subject to Lock-Up
Paul Hastings
Alicia Hager
Alyssa Levin
David Shook
James Trager
Ralph Brandenberger
Ali Behbahani
Angela Thedinga
Fouad Azzam
Michael Dybbs
Simeon George
Leone Patterson
Zachary Scheiner
Exhibit I
[Form of Lock‑Up Agreement]
[to be attached]