Exhibit 10.3
Final Form
FORM OF LOCK-UP AGREEMENT
THIS LOCK-UP AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into as of [•], 2021 by and among (i) Star Peak Corp II, a Delaware corporation (together with its successors, “STPC”), (ii) Benson Hill, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and (iii) the undersigned (“Holder”). Any capitalized term used but not defined in this Agreement will have the meaning ascribed to such term in the Merger Agreement (as defined below).
WHEREAS, STPC, STPC II Merger Sub Corp., a Delaware corporation and a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of STPC (“Merger Sub”), and the Company [entered into that // are substantially contemporaneously entering into that] certain Agreement and Plan of Merger, [dated as of [•], 2021 // on or about the date hereof] (as amended from time to time in accordance with the terms thereof, the “Merger Agreement”), pursuant to which, among other matters, upon the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereby (the “Closing”), Merger Sub will merge with and into the Company, with the Company continuing as the surviving entity and a wholly-owned subsidiary of STPC (the “Merger”), and as a result of which all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company immediately prior to the Closing shall no longer be outstanding and shall automatically be cancelled and shall cease to exist, in exchange for the right to receive newly issued STPC Common Shares and [STPC Options], all upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement and in accordance with the applicable provisions of the DGCL;
WHEREAS, as of the date hereof, Holder is a holder of equity securities of the Company in such amounts and classes or series as set forth underneath Holder’s name on the signature page hereto; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to the Merger Agreement, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties desire to enter into this Agreement, pursuant to which the STPC Common Shares (including any Earn Out Shares), STPC Options and STPC Converted Warrants, as applicable, to be received by Holder as consideration in the Merger, including any STPC Common Shares (including any Earn Out Shares) underlying the STPC Options or STPC Converted Warrants (all such securities, together with any securities paid as dividends or distributions with respect to such securities or into which such securities are exchanged or converted, the “Restricted Securities”) shall become subject to limitations on disposition as set forth herein.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises set forth above, which are incorporated in this Agreement as if fully set forth below, and intending to be legally bound hereby, the parties hereby agree as follows:
1. Lock-up Provisions.
(a) Holder hereby agrees not to (1) Transfer any Restricted Securities from and after the Closing and until the earlier of (x) the date that is six (6) months following the Closing and (y) the date after the Closing on which STPC completes a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of STPC’s stockholders having the right to exchange their equity holdings in STPC for cash, securities or other property (clause (y), a “Liquidity Event”, and such period, the “Lock-up Period”), and (2) from and after the execution of the Merger Agreement and until the end of the Lock-Up Period, directly or indirectly, engage in any short sales or other hedging or derivative transactions in respect of STPC Common Shares or STPC Warrants; provided that the foregoing restrictions shall not apply to the Transfer of any or all of the Restricted Securities owned by Holder made in respect of a Permitted Transfer (as defined below); provided, further, that in any of case of a Permitted Transfer, it shall be a condition to such Transfer that the transferee executes and delivers to STPC and the Company an agreement, in substantially the same form of this Agreement, stating that the transferee is receiving and holding the Restricted Securities subject to the provisions of this Agreement applicable to Holder, and there shall be no further Transfer of such Restricted Securities except in accordance with this Agreement. As used herein, “Transfer” shall mean (i) the sale of, offer to sell, contract or agreement to sell, hypothecate, pledge, grant of any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of or agreement to dispose of, directly or indirectly, or establishment or increase of a put equivalent position or liquidation with respect to or decrease of a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act, and the rules and regulations of the SEC promulgated thereunder with respect to, any security, (ii) entry into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of any security, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of such securities, in cash or otherwise, or (iii) public announcement of any intention to effect any transaction specified in clause (i) or (ii). As used in this Agreement, the term “Permitted Transfer” shall mean a Transfer made: (A) in the case of Holder being an individual, by gift to a member of one of the individual’s immediate family, an estate planning vehicle or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of the individual’s immediate family, an affiliate of such person or to a charitable organization; (B) in the case of Holder being an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of Holder; (C) in the case of Holder being an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (D) by pro rata distributions from Holder to its members, partners, or shareholders pursuant to the Holder’s organizational documents; (E) by virtue of applicable law or the Holder’s organizational documents upon liquidation or dissolution of Holder; (F) to STPC for no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of a Liquidity Event or the cashless exercise of options or warrants of STPC (provided that, for the avoidance of doubt, any securities received in such cashless exercise shall be deemed to be Restricted Securities hereunder); (G) in the event of STPC’s liquidation prior to the completion of a Liquidity Event; (H) in the event of completion of a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction which results in all of the STPC’s holders of STPC Common Shares having the right to exchange their STPC Common Shares for cash, securities or other property subsequent to the completion of a Liquidity Event; or (I) to any employees, officers, directors or members of the Holder or any affiliates of the Holder.
(b) If any Transfer is made or attempted contrary to the provisions of this Agreement, such purported Transfer shall be null and void ab initio, and STPC shall refuse to recognize any such purported transferee of the Restricted Securities as one of its equityholders for any purpose. In order to enforce this Section 1, STPC may impose stop-transfer instructions with respect to the Restricted Securities of Holder (and Permitted Transferees and assigns thereof) until the end of the Lock-up Period.
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(c) During the Lock-up Period, each certificate evidencing any Restricted Securities shall be stamped or otherwise imprinted with a legend in substantially the following form, in addition to any other applicable legends:
“THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE ARE SUBJECT TO RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSFER SET FORTH IN A LOCK-UP AGREEMENT, DATED AS OF [•], 2021, BY AND AMONG THE ISSUER OF SUCH SECURITIES (THE “ISSUER”), THE ISSUER’S SECURITY HOLDER NAMED THEREIN AND CERTAIN OTHER PARTIES NAMED THEREIN, AS AMENDED. A COPY OF SUCH LOCK-UP AGREEMENT WILL BE FURNISHED WITHOUT CHARGE BY THE ISSUER TO THE HOLDER HEREOF UPON WRITTEN REQUEST.”
(d) For the avoidance of any doubt, (i) Holder shall retain all of its rights as a stockholder of STPC during the Lock-up Period, including the right to vote, and to receive any dividends and distributions in respect of, any Restricted Securities, and (ii) the restrictions contained in clause (1) of Section 1(a) shall not apply to any STPC Common Shares or other securities of STPC acquired by Holder in open market transactions or in any public or private capital raising transactions of STPC or otherwise to any STPC Common Shares (or other securities of STPC) other than the Restricted Securities.
(e) In connection with the written request of Holder, following the expiration of the Lock-up Period or in connection with a release of restrictions on Transfer pursuant to Section 1(a), the Company shall remove any restrictive legend included on the certificates (or, in the case of book-entry shares, any other instrument or record) representing Holder and/or its Affiliates or permitted transferee’s ownership of Common Shares, and the Company shall issue a certificate (or evidence of the issuance of securities in book-entry form) without such restrictive legend or any other restrictive legend to the holder of the applicable Common Shares upon which it is stamped, if (i) such Common Shares are registered for resale under the Securities Act and the Registration Statement for such Common Shares has not been suspended pursuant to the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder, (ii) such Common Shares are sold or transferred pursuant to Rule 144, or (iii) such Common Shares are eligible for sale pursuant to Section 4(a)(1) of the Securities Act or Rule 144 without volume or manner-of-sale restrictions. Following the earlier of (A) the effective date of a Registration Statement registering such Common Shares or (B) Rule 144 becoming available for the resale of such Common Shares without volume or manner-of-sale restrictions, the Company, upon the written request of Holder or its permitted transferee and the provision by such person of an opinion of reputable counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Company and the Company’s transfer agent, shall instruct the Company’s transfer agent to remove the legend from such Common Shares (in whatever form) and shall cause Company counsel to issue any legend removal opinion required by the transfer agent. Any fees (with respect to the transfer agent, Company counsel, or otherwise) associated with the removal of such legend (except for the provision of the legal opinion by Holder or its permitted transferee to the transfer agent referred to above) shall be borne by the Company. If a legend is no longer required pursuant to the foregoing, the Company will no later than two (2) Business Days following the delivery by Holder or its permitted transferee to the Company or the transfer agent (with notice to the Company) of a legended certificate (if applicable) representing such Common Shares and, to the extent required, a seller representation letter representing that such Common Shares may be sold pursuant to Rule 144, and a legal opinion of reputable counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Company and the transfer agent, deliver or cause to be delivered to the holder of such Common Shares a certificate representing such Common Shares (or evidence of the issuance of such Common Shares in book-entry form) that is free from all restrictive legends.
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2. Miscellaneous.
(a) Termination of Merger Agreement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, in the event that the Merger Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms prior to the Closing, this Agreement and all rights and obligations of the parties hereunder shall automatically terminate and be of no further force or effect; provided that, such termination shall not affect any Liability on the part of any party for a willful breach of any covenant or agreement set forth in this Agreement prior to such termination.
(b) Binding Effect; Assignment. This Agreement and all of the provisions hereof shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective permitted successors and assigns. This Agreement and all obligations of Holder are personal to Holder and may not be transferred or delegated by Holder at any time without the prior written consent of STPC, the Company and Sponsor (as defined below). Each of STPC and the Company may freely assign any or all of its rights under this Agreement, in whole or in part, to any successor entity (whether by merger, consolidation, equity sale, asset sale or otherwise) without obtaining the consent or approval of Holder.
(c) Third Parties. Nothing contained in this Agreement or in any instrument or document executed by any party in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby shall create any rights in, or be deemed to have been executed for the benefit of, any person or entity that is not a party hereto or thereto or a successor or permitted assign of such a party; provided, that Star Peak Sponsor II LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Sponsor”), shall be an express third party beneficiary of this Agreement and shall have the right to enforce the terms of this Agreement directly against Holder as if Sponsor were an original party hereto.
(d) Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Waiver of Jury Trial: Remedies. This Agreement and all related Proceedings shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal Laws of the State of Delaware, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law provision or rule (whether of the State of Delaware or any other jurisdiction) that would cause the application of the Law of any jurisdiction other than the State of Delaware. THE PARTIES HERETO EACH HEREBY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, ANY RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY OF ANY CLAIM, DEMAND, ACTION, OR CAUSE OF ACTION (I) ARISING UNDER THIS AGREEMENT OR (II) IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH OR RELATED OR INCIDENTAL TO THE DEALINGS OF THE PARTIES HERETO IN RESPECT OF THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OF THE TRANSACTIONS RELATED HERETO, IN EACH CASE WHETHER NOW EXISTING OR HEREAFTER ARISING, AND WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, EQUITY, OR OTHERWISE. THE PARTIES HERETO EACH HEREBY AGREE AND CONSENT THAT ANY SUCH CLAIM, DEMAND, ACTION, OR CAUSE OF ACTION SHALL BE DECIDED BY COURT TRIAL WITHOUT A JURY AND THAT THE PARTIES HERETO MAY FILE AN ORIGINAL COUNTERPART OF A COPY OF THIS AGREEMENT WITH ANY COURT AS WRITTEN EVIDENCE OF THE CONSENT OF THE PARTIES HERETO TO THE WAIVER OF THEIR RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY. The parties hereto expressly incorporate by reference Section 8.16 (Jurisdiction) of the Merger Agreement and, subject to Section 2(i) hereof, Section 8.17 (Remedies) of the Merger Agreement to apply to this Agreement mutatis mutandis, with references to the Merger Agreement therein deemed to reference this Agreement and references to the “Parties” thereunder deemed to reference the parties hereto.
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(e) Severability. Whenever possible, each provision of this Agreement will be interpreted in such a manner as to be effective and valid under applicable Law, but if any term or other provision of this Agreement is held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable under applicable Law, all other provisions of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect so long as the economic or legal substance of the transactions contemplated hereby is not affected in any manner materially adverse to any Party. Upon such determination that any term or other provision of this Agreement is invalid, illegal or unenforceable under applicable Law, the parties hereto shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the original intent of the parties hereto as closely as possible in an acceptable manner in order that the transactions contemplated hereby are consummated as originally contemplated to the greatest extent possible.
(f) Construction; Interpretation. The headings set forth in this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement. No party hereto, nor its respective counsel, shall be deemed the drafter of this Agreement for purposes of construing the provisions hereof, and all provisions of this Agreement shall be construed according to their fair meaning and not strictly for or against any such party. Unless otherwise indicated to the contrary herein by the context or use thereof: (a) the words, “herein,” “hereto,” “hereof” and words of similar import refer to this Agreement as a whole, and not to any particular section, subsection, paragraph, subparagraph or clause set forth in this Agreement; (b) masculine gender shall also include the feminine and neutral genders, and vice versa; (c) words importing the singular shall also include the plural, and vice versa; (d) the words “include,” “includes” or “including” shall be deemed to be followed by the words “without limitation”; (e) references to “$” or “dollar” or “US$” shall be references to United States dollars; (f) the word “or” is disjunctive but not necessarily exclusive; (g) the words “writing,” “written” and comparable terms refer to printing, typing and other means of reproducing words (including electronic media) in a visible form; (h) the word “extent” in the phrase “to the extent” means the degree to which a subject or other thing extends, and such phrase shall not mean simply “if”; (i) all references to Articles or Sections are to Articles or Sections of this Agreement; and (j) all references to any Law will be to such Law as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time. The parties hereto have participated jointly in the negotiation and drafting of this Agreement. Consequently, in the event an ambiguity or question of intent or interpretation arises, this Agreement shall be construed as if drafted jointly by the parties hereto, and no presumption or burden of proof shall arise favoring or disfavoring any party by virtue of the authorship of any provision of this Agreement.
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(g) Notices. All notices, requests, claims, demands and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be given (and shall be deemed to have been duly given) when delivered in person, when delivered by e-mail (having obtained electronic delivery confirmation thereof), or when sent by registered or certified mail (postage prepaid, return receipt requested) (upon receipt thereof) to the other parties hereto as follows:
If to STPC, to:
Star Peak Corp II 1603 Orrington Avenue, 13th Floor Evanston, Illinois 60201 Attention: Secretary Email: info@starpeakcorp.com | With a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Kirkland & Ellis LLP 609 Main Street Houston, Texas 77002 Attention:William J. Benitez, P.C. Matthew R. Pacey, P.C. David Thompson E-mail:william.benitez@kirkland.com matthew.pacey@kirkland.com |
david.thompson@kirkland.com
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If to the Company prior to the Closing, to:
Benson Hill, Inc. 1001 N. Warson Rd., Suite 200 St. Louis, MO 63132 Attention: Legal Department Email: legal@bensonhill.com | With a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Winston & Strawn LLP 35 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 10166-0193 Attention: Jason D. Osborn Email: josborn@winston.com
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If to the Company following the Closing, to:
Benson Hill, Inc. 1001 N. Warson Rd., Suite 200 St. Louis, MO 63132 Attention: Legal Department Email: legal@bensonhill.com | With a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Winston & Strawn LLP 35 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 10166-0193 Attention: Jason D. Osborn Email: josborn@winston.com
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If to Holder, to: the address set forth below Holder’s name on the signature page to this Agreement.
(h) Amendments and Waivers. This Agreement may be amended or modified only with the written consent of STPC, the Company, Sponsor and Holder. The observance of any term of this Agreement may be waived (either generally or in a particular instance, and either retroactively or prospectively) only with the written consent of the party against whom enforcement of such waiver is sought. No failure or delay by a party in exercising any right hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof. No waivers of or exceptions to any term, condition, or provision of this Agreement, in any one or more instances, shall be deemed to be or construed as a further or continuing waiver of any such term, condition, or provision. STPC and the Company hereby represent, warrant, covenant and agree that (i) if any Lock-Up Agreement signed by the Sponsor or a stockholder of the Company in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby is amended, modified or waived in a manner favorable to the Sponsor or such stockholder and that would be favorable to Holder, this Agreement shall be contemporaneously amended in the same manner and STPC shall provide prompt notice thereof to Holder, and (ii) if the Sponsor or any such stockholder is released from any or all of the lock-up restrictions under its Lock-Up Agreement, Holder will be similarly and contemporaneously released from the lock-up restrictions hereunder (which, for the avoidance, of doubt will include a release of the same percentage of Holder’s Restricted Securities) and STPC shall provide prompt notice thereof to Holder.
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(i) Specific Performance. Holder acknowledges that its obligations under this Agreement are unique, recognizes and affirms that in the event of a breach of this Agreement by Holder, money damages will be inadequate and STPC and the Company will have no adequate remedy at law, and agrees that irreparable damage would occur in the event that any of the provisions of this Agreement were not performed by Holder in accordance with their specific terms or were otherwise breached. Accordingly, each of STPC and the Company (or Sponsor on their behalf) shall be entitled to an injunction or restraining order to prevent breaches of this Agreement by Holder and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions hereof, without the requirement to post any bond or other security or to prove that money damages would be inadequate, this being in addition to any other right or remedy to which such party may be entitled under this Agreement, at law or in equity.
(j) Entire Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the full and entire understanding and agreement among the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof, and any other written or oral agreement relating to the subject matter hereof existing between the parties is expressly canceled; provided that, for the avoidance of doubt, the foregoing shall not affect the rights and obligations of the parties under the Merger Agreement or any Ancillary Documents. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in this Agreement shall limit any of the rights or remedies of STPC and the Company or any of the obligations of Holder under any other agreement between Holder and STPC or the Company or any certificate or instrument executed by Holder in favor of STPC or the Company, and nothing in any other agreement, certificate or instrument shall limit any of the rights or remedies of STPC or the Company or any of the obligations of Holder under this Agreement.
(k) Further Assurances. From time to time, at another party’s written request and without further consideration (but at the requesting party’s reasonable cost and expense), each party shall execute and deliver such additional documents and take all such further action as may be reasonably necessary to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(l) Counterparts; Electronic Signatures. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all of which shall constitute one and the same agreement. The words “execution,” “signed,” “signature,” and words of like import in this Agreement or in any other certificate, agreement or document related to this Agreement shall include images of manually executed signatures transmitted by facsimile or other electronic format (including, “pdf,” “tif” or “jpg”) and other electronic signatures (including, DocuSign and AdobeSign). The use of electronic signatures and electronic records (including, any contract or other record created, generated, sent, communicated, received, or stored by electronic means) shall be of the same legal effect, validity and enforceability as a manually executed signature or use of a paper-based record-keeping system to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, including the Federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, the Delaware Uniform Electronic Transactions Act and any other applicable law. Minor variations in the form of the signature page, including footers from earlier versions of this Agreement or any such other document, shall be disregarded in determining the party’s intent or the effectiveness of such signature.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the parties has caused this Lock-up Agreement to be duly executed on its behalf as of the day and year first above written.
| STAR PEAK CORP II | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
| BENSON HILL, INC. | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
Signature page to Lock-up Agreement
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the parties has caused this Lock-up Agreement to be duly executed on its behalf as of the day and year first above written.
Holder:
Name of Holder: [ ]
Signature page to Lock-up Agreement
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
| Number and Type of Company Securities: | ||
| [Company Common | ||
| Stock]: | ||
| [Company Preferred | ||
| Stock]: | ||
| [Company Options]: | ||
| Address for Notice: | ||
| Address: | ||
| Facsimile No.: |
| Telephone No.: |
| Email: |
Signature page to Lock-up Agreement