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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 26, 2024
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM S-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
REKOR SYSTEMS, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 81-5266334 | |
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
6721 Columbia Gateway Drive, Suite 400
Columbia, MD 21046
(410) 762-0800
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code of registrant’s principal executive offices)
Eyal Hen
Chief Financial Officer
6721 Columbia Gateway Drive, Suite 400
Columbia, MD 21046
(410) 762-0800
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
William J. Bruno, Esq.
Crowell & Moring LLP
1001 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20004
(202) 624-2511
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after the effective date of this Registration Statement.
If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box: ☐
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box: ☒
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering: ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer |
☐ |
Accelerated filer |
☐ | |||
| Non-accelerated filer |
☒ |
Smaller reporting company |
☒ | |||
| 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 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
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The information contained in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. These securities may not be sold until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell nor does it seek an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
| PROSPECTUS | SUBJECT TO COMPLETION | DATED JULY 26, 2024 |
REKOR SYSTEMS, INC.
$350,000,000
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Debt Securities
Warrants
Subscription Rights
Units
We may offer and sell up to $350,000,000 in the aggregate of the securities identified above from time to time in one or more offerings. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities.
Each time we offer and sell securities, we will provide a supplement to this prospectus that contains specific information about the offering and the amounts, prices and terms of the securities. The supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus with respect to that offering. You should carefully read this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement before you invest in any of our securities.
We may offer and sell the securities described in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement to or through one or more underwriters, dealers and agents, or directly to purchasers, or through a combination of these methods. If any underwriters, dealers or agents are involved in the sale of any of the securities, their names and any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangement between or among them will be set forth, or will be calculable from the information set forth, in the applicable prospectus supplement. See the sections of this prospectus entitled “About this Prospectus” and “Plan of Distribution” for more information. No securities may be sold without delivery of this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement describing the method and terms of the offering of such securities.
INVESTING IN OUR SECURITIES INVOLVES RISKS. SEE THE “RISK FACTORS” ON PAGE 5 OF THIS PROSPECTUS AND ANY SIMILAR SECTION CONTAINED IN THE APPLICABLE PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT CONCERNING FACTORS YOU SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE INVESTING IN OUR SECURITIES.
Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “REKR.” On July 25, 2024 the last reported sale price of our common stock on The Nasdaq Capital Market was $1.78 per share.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus or the accompanying prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is , 2024.
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This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, using a “shelf” registration process. By using a shelf registration statement, we may sell securities from time to time and in one or more offerings up to a total dollar amount of $350,000,000 as described in this prospectus.
This prospectus provides you only with a general description of the securities that we may offer. Each time that we offer and sell securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement to this prospectus that contains specific information about the securities being offered and sold and the specific terms of that offering. We may also authorize one or more free writing prospectuses to be provided to you that may contain material information relating to these offerings. The prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus with respect to that offering. If there is any inconsistency between the information in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, you should rely on the prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, as applicable. Before purchasing any securities, you should carefully read both this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement (and any applicable free writing prospectuses), together with the additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.”
We have not authorized anyone to provide you with any information or to make any representations other than those contained in, or incorporated by reference in, this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectuses prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. We will not make an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement to this prospectus is accurate only as of the date on its respective cover, that the information appearing in any applicable free writing prospectus is accurate only as of the date of that free writing prospectus, and that any information incorporated by reference is accurate only as of the date of the document incorporated by reference, unless we indicate otherwise. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.
When we refer to “Rekor,” “we,” “our,” “us” and the “Company” in this prospectus, we mean Rekor Systems, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise specified. When we refer to “you,” we mean the potential holders of the applicable series of securities.
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Our name, our logo, and our other trademarks or service marks appearing in this prospectus are the property of Rekor Systems, Inc. and its subsidiaries. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus, including logos, artwork and other visual displays, may appear without the ® or TM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that their respective owners will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, their rights thereto. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trade names or trademarks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other companies.
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Overview
Rekor was founded in 2017 and first entered the roadway intelligence business in 2019, with the acquisition of a company pioneering the development of computer vision software for roadway data collection and analysis. The software analyzes images and provides contemporaneous data about vehicles moving on the roadway, such as direction, speed, color, make, model license plate and other characteristics. The software uses a form of generative artificial intelligence, or AI, that employs neural networks to filter and identify patterns within the images and is continuously updated through machine learning that expands its capabilities and allows it to adapt to changes in the vehicle pool and other elements of the roadway environment. Rekor has continued the development of this software and has also developed a proprietary supporting operating system, which we identify as Rekor OneTM. This system addresses privacy concerns and facilitates the analysis and distribution of relevant data to multiple users through edge processing and other techniques. Using Rekor OneTM, we can collect, aggregate and analyze roadway data in combination with data from other sources. This analysis provides insights that are distributed to a variety of customers through our own proprietary platforms, as well as through those provided by others. While our primary customers are located in North America, products and services we provide are currently used in over 90 countries around the world. Our primary customers include national, state and municipal public agencies, as well as large commercial users, who employ our products and services for traffic studies, transportation management, public safety, perimeter security and tolling, as well as parking system operations. Our ultimate vision is to become the premier provider of roadway intelligence and data-driven mobility insights in the world.
Our operations are conducted primarily by our wholly-owned subsidiaries Rekor Recognition Systems, Inc., Waycare Technologies, Ltd. and Waycare Technology Inc., or Waycare, Southern Traffic Services, Inc., or STS, and All Traffic Data, LLC, or ATD. We integrated Waycare into our operations as part of a collaborative process of developing Rekor CommandTM, a platform used by traffic management centers. In addition to award winning incident management tools, Waycare brought us a valuable network of established third party data sources such as weather forecasts, transit schedules, event information and other data that provide insights through predictive analytics to our traffic management customers.
The acquisition of STS in 2022 allowed us to join forces with one of the leading data suppliers to state level Departments of Transportation, or DOTs, in the United States. Throughout its history, STS has pioneered an increasingly popular “pay for data” model of conducting traffic studies for DOTs. Using our Rekor DiscoverTM platform, STS has been able to dramatically improve the quality, scope, efficiency and reliability of the data it supplies to DOTs. As more fully described under “Traffic Data Collection”, STS currently has contracts with several states, with a strong footprint in the Southeastern United States. We are currently engaged in discussions, including conducting proof of concept demonstrations, with more than 10 additional states to provide similar services.
On January 2, 2024, we acquired ATD, which collaborates closely with numerous traffic engineering firms, metropolitan planning organizations, municipalities, and state DOTs, in locations where Rekor previously lacked a sales presence. ATD is actively involved in data collection across a wide-ranging geographic area, encompassing states like California, Colorado, Arizona, Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. This addition expands the coverage of our urban mobility operations across the country’s western region and further strengthens our position in the Southeast, providing ready access to experienced urban mobility personnel and operational facilities to support the expansion of our Internet of Things, or IoT, network.
A New Operating System for Roadways
We believe there is a significant need for the innovative products and services we have developed. The current condition of national transportation infrastructure systems is a matter of concern, particularly in the United States. According to a 2021 infrastructure report from the American Society of Civil Engineers, or ASCE, U.S. infrastructure has been graded a C minus, indicating that there is significant and urgent need for improvement. Over 43% of the 4.3 million miles of U.S. roadways are rated in poor condition, which impacts the safety of drivers and passengers. The issue of congestion is also a serious concern, estimated to cost U.S. citizens $120 billion per year in economic and productivity losses. Transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions – motorists’ emissions, particularly when trapped in traffic – account for a significant proportion of the country’s total emissions and are a leading contributor to declining sustainability, which has far-reaching environmental impacts. Addressing the road
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infrastructure issue is imperative for both economic and ecological reasons. Further, more than 43,000 people lose their lives each year while using the nation’s transportation network of streets, roads and highways, which represents a failure in public safety and policy. On February 2, 2023, the U.S. Department of Transportation declared a national crisis and state of emergency for roadway safety and launched an urgent roadway safety call-to-action demanding stakeholders to commit to specific actions to reverse the spike in serious injuries and deaths on our roadways.
To address urgent transportation issues and ensure the competitiveness of the U.S. economy, an unprecedented amount of funding has been made available from the federal government through the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, or IIJA, 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, and 2022 CHIPS and Science Act to create digitally-enabled transportation infrastructure that will provide public goods and new economic value. This represents a once-in-a-generation level of investment and bipartisan support for creating and scaling transportation digital infrastructure for the 21st century. Rather than completely rebuilding existing infrastructure, we expect the focus to be on using the power of funding and policymaking to leverage off previous investments by promoting new technology layers and facilitating access to digital infrastructure systems throughout the country.
We expect the deployment of sophisticated roadway intelligence systems to be a significant part of both planning for and implementing the infrastructure improvements necessary to meet these challenges. Our commitment to delivering mission-critical solutions for roadway intelligence is driven by our vision of creating smarter, safer and more sustainable streets for all communities. To achieve this vision, we strive to collect, connect and organize the world’s mobility data, harnessing its full potential to provide the most essential, real-time and predictive actionable mobility insights. We are working to make mobility data more accessible and useful for all responsible users, empowering our customers to make informed decisions and drive meaningful progress towards a better future. The ultimate objective is to adopt an augmented approach to existing physical infrastructure that blends the strengths of physical, digital and operational infrastructure with mobility data, including mobile phones, connected vehicles and roadway sensors. The ultimate goal is to enable and coordinate private and public collaboration through a digital-enabled mobility internet and operating system for the roadways that will advance smarter, safer and greener roadways for all.
Roadway Intelligence
Since the inception of our efforts, we have been dedicated to becoming a leader in roadway intelligence by collecting, connecting and organizing global mobility data. Today, our comprehensive portfolio offers multiple cutting-edge, AI-driven, edge-based IoT devices for roadside data collection, a vast array of curated and integrated data sets from a network of transportation ecosystem data providers, tailored platforms, applications and data streams that provide accurate, real-time and predictive actionable insights about moving objects on roadways.
We specialize in collecting and aggregating mobility-related data from multiple sources into our Rekor One™ roadway intelligence engine, transforming this data into knowledge and actionable insights, and securely distributing those insights to multiple users across our software platforms and applications. Our proprietary technologies use recent advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analysis, edge processing and communications. They are designed to be integrated into existing roadway and roadway sensor infrastructure to deliver real-time and predictive analytics that address critical challenges in transportation management, public safety, urban mobility and other key commercial markets.
By applying a multi-layer architectural approach and protocols inspired by the Open System Interconnection, or OSI, model, which was instrumental in creating computer operating systems in the 1970s and the internet in the 1980s, we are collaborating with members of the Rekor Partner Network to integrate various transportation infrastructure systems into a cohesive network of roadway intelligence assets and insights. This involves consolidating fragmented and disparate systems, as well as adding new layers of connectivity, to create a unified infrastructure. To achieve this goal, we are working closely with a wide range of stakeholders, including local, state and federal government agencies, law enforcement, transit providers, infrastructure owners/operators, automotive OEMs and technology and communications providers.
We are working to build a future for our customers where the mobility internet is interactive, generating and distributing real-time transportation intelligence to improve traffic management, public safety, maintenance, emergency services and planning agencies, as well as by connected and autonomous vehicles. Our primary objective has been and remains to develop a unique and differentiated suite of products and services that will play a central
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role in facilitating this process, while aligning with key partners in the transportation ecosystem to provide the most comprehensive view of roadways. We will continue to optimize our investments to uniquely combine physical and digital infrastructure that is foundational to a new operating system for the roadways. As agencies plan for and build the transportation network of the future, we expect to play a critical and disproportionately valuable role in meeting the essential need for real-time and predictive roadway intelligence.
Roadway Intelligence Powered by Rekor
Our cutting-edge technology and domain expertise gives us a position of strength in the emerging field of roadway intelligence. At the core of our roadway intelligence solutions is the Rekor One™ roadway intelligence engine, as illustrated below. It is through this engine, fueled by rich data and purpose-built to be a single source of truth to address diverse use cases, that we deliver a range of solutions that cater to public safety, urban mobility, transportation management and commercial markets. This engine facilitates the efficient collection, analysis and distribution of vast amounts of data, unlocking real-time and predictive operational insights. Within Rekor One®, our proprietary algorithms curate data from multiple sources, including edge-based IoT devices, existing roadway sensors and a growing network of transportation data partners, unlocking multiple additional data points. We use this data to generate multi-dimensional insights in real-time, and AI-driven predictive analytics that leverage patterns of what happened in the past so that we can forecast what will happen in the future. These insights enable our customers to make better-informed proactive decisions and achieve improved operational efficiency through strategic resource allocation.
Our solutions can support diverse use cases, including real-time incident detection and response, data driven traffic operations and traffic management, proactive traffic calming around events, Federal Highway Administration, or FHWA, mandated vehicle classification, counts, and speed collection and reporting, analytics for bicycle, pedestrians and other micro-mobility modes, patterns and hot spots for greenhouse gas emissions, high-definition video management and traffic surveillance, law enforcement and intelligence-based policing, citation management, contactless compliance and enforcement. With our advanced technology and domain expertise, we are well-equipped to serve multiple public agencies and private sector segments with comprehensive roadway intelligence.
Traffic Data Collection
We have been focused on the use of AI technology for roadway data collection since 2018. With the acquisition of STS in 2022, we joined forces with a pioneer in traffic data collection with over 30 years of experience and have focused on improving the accuracy, efficiency, and safety of their data collection activities. We further bolstered our offering with the acquisition of ATD in January 2024. ATD is a recognized leader in the industry, working closely with DOTs and engineering firms across multiple states. By having STS and ATD under Rekor, we have combined decades of traffic engineering and data collection expertise with our AI and machine learning capabilities.
Traffic data collection plays a critical role to all transportation decision making. Traffic data is collected by state DOTs, metropolitan planning organizations, cities, engineering firms and others to support traffic monitoring programs that provide critical information for roadway planning, congestion analysis, traffic forecasting, modeling, maintenance, design, operations safety analysis, environmental analysis, project evaluation and others.
Traffic data collection is mandated by the FHWA. State agencies collect some traffic data through programs that continuously count traffic at fixed locations. Other programs collect sample traffic counts during a specified period at various locations. Continuous count stations collect data 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and the agencies report the data to the FHWA on a monthly basis. Sample traffic counts (referred to as “portable” counts) are collected at various locations on a rotating basis to provide more geographic diversity. These counts can be for 24, 48 or 72 hours. The types of data collected for both temporary and continuous data collection include vehicle volumes, 13-bin vehicle classification and speed, among others.
Historically, data for temporary traffic counting has been conducted using rubber tubes across the road while continuous counting stations have been installed using inductive loops and piezos. This technology has not changed in decades and requires workers to enter roadways, which causes safety concerns. In the case of the inductive loops and piezos used for continuous count stations, it also requires digging up the roadway which can be very expensive and time consuming and, creates additional congestion.
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We believe that we are currently at the forefront of innovation when it comes to traffic data collection. Our innovative systems support both continuous and sampling data collection programs. The systems can collect and provide agencies with real-time traffic volumes, 13-bin vehicle classification and speed data using off road sensors for both continuous and temporary traffic data collection. In addition to collecting the traffic data required by the FHWA, our products can simultaneously fulfill additional missions such as origin and destination studies, license plate recognition for public safety, identification of electric vehicles for sustainability purposes, and many other uses. A description of the capabilities of our traffic data system, including estimates based on our internal traffic studies during 2022-2023 and operating features, is set forth below.
Through STS, we have over 30 years of traffic data collection experience with a strong footprint in the United States, including existing customers such as DOTs in Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, Florida, Pennsylvania, Alabama and Ohio. Through ATD, we are involved in data collection in California, Colorado, Arizona, Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon, New Mexico, Kansas, Tennessee and Washington. We have begun the implementation of our advanced systems with these existing customers. In addition, we are currently in various stages of proof of concept studies with more than 10 additional states that have expressed interest in using our AI technology to improve the efficiency and safety of traffic data collection.
Business Strategy
Our products and services have demonstrated the ability to provide significant improvements in public safety and transportation management and we anticipate that this will drive our growth. The transportation infrastructure market is in the process of transformative change due to a convergence of political, economic, societal, and technological forces. These include rising safety concerns, rapid urbanization and a heightened awareness of the impact human mobility has on the planet. Both governments and businesses are seeking out new technologies and better ways to manage public safety, urban mobility and transportation management challenges. As a result, there has been a significant increase in government funding available to digitize transportation infrastructure in the United States and other countries with a focus on deploying proven near-term solutions that are scalable, efficient, equitable and sustainable. We believe the technologies that we have developed and are continuing to develop have positioned us to take advantage of these market forces.
Our use of AI to extract information about the movements of vehicles and other objects on the roadway has proven to be a core strength, allowing us to capture comprehensive and detailed roadway data with superior accuracy and speed. The modular design of our Rekor One® intelligence platform, in tandem with our proprietary edge processing and filtering technologies, have positioned us to emerge as a leader in facilitating the emerging industry of interactive roadway intelligence. Our mission is to gather the most accurate and detailed data that can be obtained from the roadway in real time and facilitate the aggregation and analysis of that data with other sources, so that insights drawn from that aggregation and analysis can be delivered securely and efficiently to the persons who can make the best use of it. Automotive OEMs and government agencies in the transportation industry are starting to focus on how to leverage connected vehicle data with AI to improve safety. We are building partnerships and enhancing our solutions with data to facilitate the delivery of real-time information to citizens. With Rekor Command™ for transportation management, we are at the forefront of developing predictive analytics that deliver insights based on the analysis of aggregated data from a variety of sources. These sources include real time information drawn from roadway sensors and connected vehicles, off roadway sources such as weather and event data, as well as daily, seasonal and historical trend data.
The enhanced information we provide on roadway conditions is valuable to a wide range of stakeholders. During the past three years, we have initiated the delivery of products and services to a wide range of governmental and business customers. These customers are diverse, ranging from large government entities to small entrepreneurs, and the uses they make of our technology are varied. We have used these customer relationships as an opportunity to assess the full potential of the technologies we have been developing and to learn by doing as well as imagining. When the capital markets were strong, we pursued this strategy aggressively and independently.
In the transportation management and public safety areas, where we are furthest along with the delivery of revenue producing products and services, we expect to continue to employ a “land and expand” growth strategy. This focuses on scaling our resources to supporting growth within these industry segments through expansion of the products and services delivered to existing customers, as well as recruitment of new customers who become familiar with our products and services. By expanding our services and solutions to existing customers while also facilitating cooperation between our existing and new customers we expect to continually expand our information network.
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As we develop our sales and marketing capabilities, we are concentrating primarily on subscription-based solutions, with hardware sales used primarily to drive these subscriptions. We continue to explore opportunities for acquisitions or strategic investments in complementary businesses, products, services, or technologies, including those that might benefit most from the use of our technology. These strategic partnerships, mergers, and acquisitions will be attractive to us when they allow us to accelerate our growth or expand our capability to continue leading the roadway intelligence industry.
Corporate Information
We were incorporated in Delaware in February 2017. Our principal executive offices are located at 6721 Columbia Gateway Drive, Suite 400, Columbia, Maryland 21046. Our telephone number is (410) 762-0800 and our website address is www.rekor.ai.
We make available free of charge on our website our annual, quarterly and current reports, including amendments to such reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish such material to, the SEC. Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement, or the accompanying prospectus, and you should not consider information contained on our website as part of this prospectus supplement, or the accompanying prospectus.
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before making an investment decision or acquiring any offered securities pursuant to this prospectus, you should carefully consider the specific factors discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in the applicable prospectus supplement, together with all of the other information contained or incorporated by reference in the prospectus supplement or appearing or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, in light of your particular investment objectives and financial circumstances. You should also consider the risks, uncertainties, and assumptions discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” included in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, as revised or supplemented by our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, or our Current Reports on Form 8-K that we have filed with the SEC, all of which are incorporated herein by reference, and which may be amended, supplemented, or superseded from time to time by other reports we file with the SEC in the future. Moreover, the risks so described are not the only risks we face. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently perceive as immaterial may ultimately prove more significant than expected and impair our business operations. Any of these risks could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects. The trading price of our securities could decline due to any of these risks and you may lose all or part of your investment. This prospectus and the incorporated documents also contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties.
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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus, any prospectus supplement, and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus contain certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 with respect to our business, financial condition, liquidity, and results of operations. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts but rather are plans and predictions based on current expectations, estimates, and projections about our industry, our beliefs, and assumptions. We use words such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “intend,” “project,” “plan,” “believe,” “seek,” “estimate,” “assume,” and variations of these words and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Statements in this prospectus and the other documents incorporated by reference that are not historical facts are hereby identified as “forward-looking statements” for the purpose of the safe harbor provided by Section 21E of the Exchange Act and Section 27A of the Securities Act. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties, and other factors, some of which are beyond our control, are difficult to predict and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or forecasted in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include those described in the section above entitled “Risk Factors,” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, our subsequent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly periods ended March 31, 2024, and the risks detailed from time to time on our future reports filed with the SEC.
You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements because the matters they describe are subject to certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict. The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement are made as of the date of this prospectus or, in the case of any accompanying prospectus supplement or documents incorporated by reference, the date of any such document. Over time, our actual results, performance, or achievements may differ from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements, and such difference might be significant and materially adverse to our security holders. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. We have identified some of the important factors that could cause future events to differ from our current expectations and they are described in this prospectus under the captions “Risk Factors,” and as well as in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and in other documents that we may file with the SEC, all of which you should review carefully. Please consider our forward-looking statements in light of those risks as you read this prospectus and any prospectus supplement.
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Except as set forth in any accompanying prospectus supplement, we intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of any securities offered under this prospectus for general corporate purposes unless the applicable prospectus supplement provides otherwise. General corporate purposes may include, and are not limited to, research and development costs, the acquisition or licensing of other businesses, strategic investments in complementary businesses, products, services, or technologies, including companies that might benefit from the use of Rekor’s technology, working capital and capital expenditures. We cannot specify with certainty all of the particular uses for the net proceeds to us from any securities offered offering or the amounts we will actually spend on the uses set forth above. However, we do not have agreements or commitments to enter into any such acquisitions or investments at this time. The expected use of net proceeds from this offering represents our intentions based upon our present plans and business conditions. We will have broad discretion over how to use the net proceeds to us from any securities offered under this prospectus.
The amount of what, and timing of when, we actually spend for these purposes may vary significantly and will depend on a number of factors, including our future revenue and expenses and the other factors described in the section of this prospectus captioned “Risk Factors” and under the heading “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 and in our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and/or Current Reports on Form 8-K. We may temporarily invest the net proceeds in a variety of capital preservation instruments, including investment grade instruments, certificates of deposit or direct or guaranteed obligations of the U.S. government, or may hold such proceeds as cash, until they are used for their stated purpose. We have not determined the amount of net proceeds to be used specifically for such purposes. As a result, management will retain broad discretion over the allocation of net proceeds.
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General
Our authorized capital stock consists of 300,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, and 2,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.0001 par value per share.
As of July 25, 2024, there were 88,491,706 shares of common stock issued and outstanding.
On January 2, 2024, the Company acquired all of the outstanding limited liability interests of ATD for consideration comprising cash and common stock. In connection with the acquisition, the Company held back 664,329 shares of common stock consideration to satisfy any potential indemnification and other obligations of the prior owner of ATD, to be issued to the prior owner on the first anniversary of the closing of the acquisition. In accordance with the terms of the purchase agreement, 664,329 shares of our common stock have been reserved for issuance on January 2, 2025, subject to adjustment to satisfy indemnification or other obligations of the prior owner, if any.
Common Stock
Dividend Rights
Subject to preferences that may apply to any shares of preferred stock outstanding at the time, the holders of our common stock are entitled to receive dividends out of funds legally available if our Board of Directors, in its discretion, determines to issue dividends and then only at the times and in the amounts that our Board of Directors may determine.
Voting Rights
Holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders. Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, does not provide for cumulative voting for the election of directors. As a result, the holders of a majority of our voting shares can elect all of the directors then standing for election.
No Preemptive or Similar Rights
Our common stock is not entitled to preemptive rights, and is not subject to redemption or sinking fund provisions.
Right to Receive Liquidation Distributions
Upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding-up, the assets legally available for distribution to our stockholders would be distributable ratably among the holders of our common stock and any participating preferred stock outstanding at that time, subject to prior satisfaction of all outstanding debt and liabilities and the preferential rights of and the payment of liquidation preferences, if any, on any outstanding shares of preferred stock.
Preferred Stock
Pursuant to our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, our Board of Directors is authorized, subject to limitations prescribed by Delaware law, to issue preferred stock in one or more series, to establish from time to time the number of shares to be included in each series, and to fix the designation, powers, preferences, and rights of the shares of each series and any of its qualifications, limitations, or restrictions, in each case without further vote or action by our stockholders. Our Board of Directors can also increase or decrease the number of shares of any series of preferred stock, but not below the number of shares of that series then outstanding, without any further vote or action by our stockholders. Our Board of Directors may authorize the issuance of preferred stock with voting or conversion rights that could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of our common stock. The issuance of preferred stock, while providing flexibility in connection with possible acquisitions and other corporate purposes, could, among other things, have the effect of delaying, deferring, or preventing a change in our control and might adversely affect the market price of our common stock and the voting and other rights of the holders of our common stock. We have no current plans to issue any shares of preferred stock and there are no shares of preferred stock currently issued and outstanding.
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Outstanding Public Warrants
The Company has warrants outstanding that are exercisable into a total of 4,331,100 shares of common stock as of July 25, 2024.
Outstanding Options, Restricted Stock Units, and Other Equity Awards
The Company has 2,339,034 shares of our common stock that are subject to outstanding options and restricted stock units as of July 25, 2024.
Anti-Takeover Provisions
The provisions of Delaware law, our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, and our Amended and Restated Bylaws, could have the effect of delaying, deferring, or discouraging another person from acquiring control of our company. These provisions, which are summarized below, may have the effect of discouraging takeover bids. They are also designed, in part, to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of us to negotiate first with our board of directors. We believe that the benefits of increased protection of our potential ability to negotiate with an unfriendly or unsolicited acquirer outweigh the disadvantages of discouraging a proposal to acquire us because negotiation of these proposals could result in an improvement of their terms.
Delaware Law
We are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or DGCL, regulating corporate takeovers. In general, DGCL Section 203 prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a business combination with an interested stockholder for a period of three years following the date on which the person became an interested stockholder unless:
| • | prior to the date of the transaction, the Board of Directors of the corporation approved either the business combination or the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder; |
| • | the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the voting stock outstanding, but not the outstanding voting stock owned by the interested stockholder, (1) shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers and (2) shares owned by employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer; or |
| • | at or subsequent to the date of the transaction, the business combination is approved by the board of directors of the corporation and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least 66.67% of the outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the interested stockholder. |
Generally, a business combination includes a merger, asset or stock sale, or other transaction or series of transactions together resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. An interested stockholder is a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns or, within three years prior to the determination of interested stockholder status, did own 15% or more of a corporation’s outstanding voting stock. We expect the existence of this provision to have an anti-takeover effect with respect to transactions our board of directors does not approve in advance. We also anticipate that DGCL Section 203 may also discourage attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for the shares of common stock held by stockholders.
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Anti-Takeover Effects of Provisions of Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as Amended, and Amended and Restated Bylaws
Certain anti-takeover provisions have been incorporated into our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, and Bylaws, including:
| • | the vote of 66 2/3 of the voting power of the corporation entitled to vote at an election of directors is required for the removal of a member of our Board; |
| • | the vote of 66 2/3 of the voting power of the corporation entitled to vote at an election of directors is required before any of our Bylaws may, at any annual meeting or at any special meeting called for that purpose, be altered, amended, rescinded or repealed; and |
| • | the request of one or more stockholders holding shares in the aggregate entitled to cast not less than 35% of the vote at a meeting is required to call a stockholder meeting. |
Listing of Common Shares
Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “REKR.”
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Direct Transfer, LLC a subsidiary of Issuer Direct Corporation. The transfer agent’s address is One Glenwood Avenue, Suite 1001, Raleigh, NC 27603 and its telephone number is (919) 744-2722.
DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES
The following description, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, summarizes certain general terms and provisions of the debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus. When we offer to sell a particular series of debt securities, we will describe the specific terms of the series in a supplement to this prospectus. We will also indicate in the supplement to what extent the general terms and provisions described in this prospectus apply to a particular series of debt securities.
We may issue debt securities either separately, or together with, or upon the conversion or exercise of or in exchange for, other securities described in this prospectus. Debt securities may be our senior, senior subordinated or subordinated obligations and, unless otherwise specified in a supplement to this prospectus, the debt securities will be our direct, unsecured obligations and may be issued in one or more series.
The debt securities will be issued under an indenture between us and a third party to be identified therein as trustee. We have summarized select portions of the indenture below. The summary is not complete. The form of the indenture has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement and you should read the indenture for provisions that may be important to you. In the summary below, we have included references to the section numbers of the indenture so that you can easily locate these provisions. Capitalized terms used in the summary and not defined herein have the meanings specified in the indenture.
We may offer under this prospectus up to an aggregate principal amount of $350,000,000 in debt securities, or if debt securities are issued at a discount, or in a foreign currency, foreign currency units or composite currency, the principal amount as may be sold for an aggregate initial public offering price of up to $350,000,000. Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, the debt securities will represent direct, unsecured obligations of the Company and will rank equally with all of our other unsecured indebtedness.
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General
The terms of each series of debt securities will be established by or pursuant to a resolution of our board of directors and set forth or determined in the manner provided in a resolution of our board of directors, in an officer’s certificate or by a supplemental indenture. (Section 2.2) We can issue an unlimited amount of debt securities under the indenture that may be issued in one or more series. Unless otherwise set forth in a resolution of our board of directors, a supplemental indenture or an officer’s certificate detailing the adopt of a series of debt securities, all securities in a series shall be identical. Debt securities may differ between series with respect to any term, provided, that all series of debt securities shall be equally and ratably entitled to the benefits of the indenture. (Section 2.1)
The following statements relating to the debt securities and the indenture are summaries, qualified in their entirety by reference to the detailed provisions of the indenture and the final form indenture as may be filed with a future prospectus supplement.
The prospectus supplement will set forth, to the extent required, the following terms of the debt securities in respect of which the prospectus supplement is delivered:
| • | the title of the series; |
| • | the aggregate principal amount; |
| • | the issue price or prices, expressed as a percentage of the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities; |
| • | any limit on the aggregate principal amount; |
| • | the date or dates on which principal is payable; |
| • | the interest rate or rates (which may be fixed or variable) or, if applicable, the method used to determine such rate or rates; |
| • | the date or dates from which interest, if any, will be payable and any regular record date for the interest payable; |
| • | the place or places where principal and, if applicable, premium and interest, is payable; |
| • | the terms and conditions upon which we may, or the holders may require us to, redeem or repurchase the debt securities; |
| • | the obligation, if any, of the Company to redeem or repurchase the debt securities of a series pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provision or at the option of a holder of the debt securities, and the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which debt securities of a series shall be redeemed or purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation; |
| • | the denominations in which such debt securities may be issuable, if other than denominations of $1,000 or any integral multiple of that number; |
| • | whether the debt securities are to be issuable in the form of certificated securities (as described below) or global securities (as described below); |
| • | the portion of principal amount that will be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity date if other than the principal amount of the debt securities; |
| • | the currency of denomination; |
| • | the designation of the currency, currencies or currency units in which payment of principal and, if applicable, premium and interest, will be made; |
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| • | if payments of principal and, if applicable, premium or interest, on the debt securities are to be made in one or more currencies or currency units other than the currency of denomination, the manner in which the exchange rate with respect to such payments will be determined; |
| • | if amounts of principal and, if applicable, premium and interest may be determined by reference to an index based on a currency or currencies or by reference to a commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index, then the manner in which such amounts will be determined; |
| • | the provisions, if any, relating to any collateral provided for such debt securities; |
| • | any addition to or change in the covenants and/or the acceleration provisions described in this prospectus or in the indenture; |
| • | any events of default, if not otherwise described below under “Defaults and Notice”; |
| • | the terms and conditions, if any, for conversion into or exchange for shares of our common stock or preferred stock; |
| • | any depositaries, interest rate calculation agents, exchange rate calculation agents or other agents; |
| • | the terms and conditions, if any, upon which the debt securities shall be subordinated in right of payment to other indebtedness of the Company; and |
| • | if the debt securities of a series, in whole or any specified part, shall be defeasible. (Section 2.2) |
We may issue debt securities that provide for an amount less than their stated principal amount to be due and payable upon declaration of acceleration of their maturity pursuant to the terms of the indenture. We will provide you with information on the federal income tax considerations and other special considerations applicable to any of these debt securities in the applicable prospectus supplement.
If we denominate the purchase price of any of the debt securities in a foreign currency or currencies or a foreign currency unit or units, or if the principal of and any premium and interest on any series of debt securities is payable in a foreign currency or currencies or a foreign currency unit or units, we will provide you with information on the restrictions, elections, general tax considerations, specific terms and other information with respect to that issue of debt securities and such foreign currency or currencies or foreign currency unit or units in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Exchange and/or Conversion Rights
We may issue debt securities which can be exchanged for or converted into shares of our common stock or preferred stock. If we do, we will describe the terms of exchange or conversion in the prospectus supplement relating to these debt securities. (Section 2.2)
Transfer and Exchange
Each debt security will be represented by either one or more global securities registered in the name of The Depository Trust Company, or DTC, or a nominee of DTC (we will refer to any debt security represented by a global debt security as a book-entry debt security), or a certificate issued in definitive registered form (we will refer to any debt security represented by a certificated security as a certificated debt security) as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. Except as set forth under the heading “Global Debt Securities and Book-Entry System” below, book-entry debt securities will not be issuable in certificated form.
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Certificated Debt Securities
You may transfer or exchange certificated debt securities in accordance with the terms of the indenture. (Section 2.4) You will not be charged a service charge for any transfer or exchange of certificated debt securities but may be required to pay an amount sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection with such transfer or exchange. (Section 2.7)
You may effect the transfer of certificated debt securities and the right to receive the principal of, premium and interest on certificated debt securities only by surrendering the certificate representing those certificated debt securities and either reissuance by us or the trustee of the certificate to the new holder or the issuance by us or the trustee of a new certificate to the new holder. (Section 2.7)
Global Securities
Each global debt security representing book-entry debt securities will be deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC, and registered in the name of DTC or a nominee of the DTC. Please see “Global Securities.”
No Protection in the Event of a Change of Control
Unless we state otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the debt securities will not contain any provisions which may afford holders of the debt securities protection in the event we have a change in control or in the event of a highly leveraged transaction (whether or not such transaction results in a change in control) which could adversely affect holders of debt securities.
Covenants
Unless otherwise indicated in this prospectus or the applicable prospectus supplement, our debt securities may not have the benefit of any covenant that limits or restricts our business or operations, the pledging of our assets or the incurrence by us of indebtedness. We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement any material covenants in respect of a series of debt securities. (Article 4)
Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets
We may not consolidate with or merge with or into, or sell, assign, convey, transfer, lease or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our properties and assets to any person, or a successor person, unless:
| • | the indenture shall remain in full force and effect and either we are the surviving corporation or the successor person (if other than us) is a corporation organized and validly existing under the laws of any U.S. domestic jurisdiction or a corporation or comparable legal entity organized under the laws of a foreign jurisdiction and expressly assumes by a supplemental indenture executed and delivered to the trustee, all of our obligations on the debt securities and under the indenture; and |
| • | immediately after giving effect to the transaction, no Default or Event of Default, shall have occurred and be continuing. (Section 5.1) |
Defaults and Notice
Unless otherwise specified in the resolution of our board of directors, supplemental indenture or officer’s certificate establishing a series of debt securities, “Event of Default” means with respect to any series of debt securities, any of the following:
| • | failure to pay the principal of, or premium, if any, on any debt security when the same becomes due and payable at Maturity, upon acceleration, redemption or otherwise; |
| • | failure to make a payment of any interest on any debt security of such series when due and payable, and the default continues for a period of 30 days; |
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| • | failure to perform or observe any other covenants or agreements in the indenture with respect to the debt securities of the series or in the Indenture for 60 days after written notice from the trustee or the holders of not less than 25% of the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities of the series then outstanding, with such notice specifying the default, demanding that it be remedied and stating that the notice is a “Notice of Default”; |
| • | certain events relating to our bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization or the bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization of a Significant Subsidiary; |
| • | certain cross defaults, if and as applicable; and |
| • | any other Event of Default specified in the resolution of our board of directors, supplemental indenture or officer’s certificate establishing such series of debt securities. (Section 6.1) |
No Event of Default with respect to a particular series of debt securities necessarily constitutes an Event of Default with respect to any other series of debt securities. (Section 6.2) The occurrence of certain Events of Default or an acceleration under the indenture may constitute an event of default under certain indebtedness of ours or our subsidiary outstanding from time to time.
If an Event of Default with respect to debt securities of any series at the time outstanding (except as to certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization) occurs and is continuing, then the trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series may, by a notice in writing to us (and to the trustee if given by the holders), declare to be due and payable immediately the principal of, and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on, all debt securities of that series. In the case of an Event of Default resulting from certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization, the principal (or such specified amount) of and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all outstanding debt securities will become and be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the trustee or any holder of outstanding debt securities. At any time after a declaration of acceleration with respect to debt securities of any series has been made, but before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained by the trustee, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series may rescind and annul the acceleration if all Events of Default, other than the non-payment of accelerated principal and interest, if any, with respect to debt securities of that series, have been cured or waived as provided in the indenture and such rescission would not conflict with any judgment or decree. (Section 6.2) We refer you to the prospectus supplement relating to any series of debt securities that are discount securities for the particular provisions relating to acceleration of a portion of the principal amount of such discount securities upon the occurrence of an Event of Default.
The trustee is entitled to be indemnified by holders of debt securities before proceeding to exercise any trust or power under the indenture at the request of such holders. (Section 6.6) The holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding debt securities of any series may direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceedings for any remedy available to the trustee for such series, or of exercising any trust or power conferred upon the trustee with respect to the debt securities of such series. (Section 6.5) However, the trustee may decline to follow any such direction that conflicts with law or the indenture, or that the trustee determines may be unduly prejudicial to the holders of the debt securities of such series not joining in such direction. (Section 6.5)
No holder of any debt security of any series will have any right to institute any proceeding or pursue any remedy, with respect to the indenture or a series of debt securities, unless:
| • | That holder has previously given to the trustee written notice of a continuing Event of Default with respect to debt securities of that series; and |
| • | The holders of note less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series have made written request, and offered indemnity or security satisfactory to the trustee, to the trustee to institute the proceeding as trustee, and the trustee has failed to institute the proceeding within 60 days and has not received from the holder of not less than a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series a direction inconsistent with that request within such 60 day periods (Section 6.6). |
No holder of debt securities under the indenture may use the indenture to prejudice the rights of another holder or to obtain a preference or priority over another holder of debt securities. (Section 6.6)
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Notwithstanding any other provision in the indenture, the holder of any debt security will have an absolute and unconditional right to receive payment of the principal of, premium and any interest on that debt security on or after the due dates expressed in that debt security and to institute suit for the enforcement of payment. (Section 6.7)
The indenture requires us, within 120 days after the end of our fiscal year, to furnish to the trustee a statement as to compliance with the indenture. (Section 4.4) If a Default or Event of Default occurs and is continuing with respect to the securities of any series and if it is known to a responsible officer of the trustee, the trustee shall mail to each holder of the securities of that series notice of a Default or Event of Default within 90 days after it occurs or, if later, after a responsible officer of the trustee has knowledge of such Default or Event of Default (except if such Default or Event of Default has been validly cured or waived before the trustee gives such notice). The indenture provides that the trustee may withhold notice to the holders of debt securities of any series of any Default or Event of Default (except in payment on any debt securities of that series) with respect to debt securities of that series if the trustee determines in good faith that withholding notice is in the interest of the holders of those debt securities. (Section 7.5)
Modification of the Indenture
We and the trustee may modify, amend or supplement the indenture or the debt securities of any series without the consent of any holder of any debt security:
| • | to comply with covenants in the indenture described above under the heading “Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets”; |
| • | to provide for uncertificated securities in addition to or in place of certificated securities; |
| • | to provide for certificated debt securities in addition to uncertificated debt securities; |
| • | to comply with requirements of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualification of the indenture under the Trust Indenture Act; |
| • | to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency or make any other change to the indenture or the debt securities that does not materially and adversely affect the rights of any holder of our debt securities under the indenture; |
| • | to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of debt securities of any series as permitted by the indenture; or |
| • | to effect the appointment of a successor trustee with respect to the debt securities of any series and to add to or change any of the provisions of the indenture to provide for or facilitate administration by more than one trustee. (Section 8.1) |
We may also modify or supplement the indenture with the written consent of the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each series affected by the modifications or supplement. The holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each such series affected by the modifications or supplement may waive compliance by us in a particular instance with any provision of the indenture or the debt securities of such affected series of debt securities without notice to any holder of our debt securities. We may not make any modification or amendment without the consent of the holders of each affected debt security then outstanding if that amendment will:
| • | reduce the amount of debt securities whose holders must consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver; |
| • | reduce the rate of or change the time for payment of interest (including default interest) on any debt security; |
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| • | reduce the principal of or premium on or change the fixed maturity of any debt security or reduce the amount of, or postpone the date fixed for, the payment of any sinking fund or analogous obligation with respect to any series of debt securities; |
| • | make the principal of or premium or interest on any debt security payable in currency other than that stated in the debt security; |
| • | change the amount or time of any payment required by any debt security, or reduce the premium payable upon any redemption of any debt securities, or change the time before which no such redemption may be made; |
| • | waive a default in the payment of the principal of, or interest or premium, if any, on, any debt security (except a rescission of acceleration of the debt securities of any series by the holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding debt securities of that series and a waiver of the payment default that resulted from such acceleration); |
| • | waive a redemption payment with respect to any debt security, or change any of the provisions with respect to the redemption of any debt securities; |
| • | reduce the principal amount of discount securities payable upon acceleration of maturity; or |
| • | make any change to certain provisions of the indenture relating to the rights of holders to institute suit with respect to the indenture or the debt securities of a series and the modification or supplement of the indenture or the debt securities of any series requiring the consent of holders of our debt securities. (Section 8.2) |
The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may on behalf of the holders of all the debt securities of such series waive any past default under the indenture with respect to that series and its consequences, except a default in the payment of the principal of, premium or any interest on any debt security of that series (Section 6.4); provided, however, that the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may rescind an acceleration and its consequences, including any related payment default that resulted from the acceleration. (Section 6.2)
Defeasance of Debt Securities and Certain Covenants in Certain Circumstances
Legal Defeasance. The indenture provides that, unless otherwise provided by the terms of the applicable series of debt securities, we may be discharged from any and all obligations in respect of the debt securities of any series (subject to certain exceptions). We will be so discharged upon the irrevocable deposit with the trustee, in trust, of money and/or U.S. government obligations or, in the case of debt securities denominated in a single currency other than U.S. Dollars, government obligations of the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency, that, through the payment of interest and principal in accordance with their terms, will provide money or U.S. government obligations in an amount sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank to pay and discharge each installment of principal, premium and interest on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of the debt securities of that series on the stated maturity of those payments in accordance with the terms of the indenture and those debt securities.
This discharge may occur only if, among other things, we have delivered to the trustee an opinion of counsel stating that we have received from, or there has been published by, the United States Internal Revenue Service a ruling or, since the date of execution of the indenture, there has been a change in the applicable United States federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion shall confirm that, the holders of the debt securities of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit, defeasance and discharge and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the deposit, defeasance and discharge had not occurred. (Section 8.3)
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Defeasance of Certain Covenants. The indenture provides that, unless otherwise provided by the terms of the applicable series of debt securities, upon compliance with certain conditions:
| • | we may omit to comply with the covenant described under the heading “Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets” and certain other covenants set forth in the indenture, as well as any additional covenants which may be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement; and |
| • | any omission to comply with those covenants will not constitute a Default or an Event of Default with respect to the debt securities of that series (“covenant defeasance”). |
This is referred to as covenant defeasance. The conditions include:
| • | depositing with the trustee money and/or U.S. government obligations or, in the case of debt securities denominated in a single currency other than U.S. Dollars, government obligations of the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency, that, through the payment of interest and principal in accordance with their terms, will provide money in an amount sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank to pay and discharge each installment of principal of, premium and interest on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of the debt securities of that series on the stated maturity of those payments in accordance with the terms of the indenture and those debt securities; and |
| • | delivering to the trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect that the holders of the debt securities of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit and related covenant defeasance and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the deposit and related covenant defeasance had not occurred. (Section 9.3). |
No Personal Liability of Directors, Officers, Employees or Shareholders
None of our past, present or future directors, officers, employees or shareholders, as such, will have any liability for any of our obligations under the debt securities or the indenture or for any claim based on, or in respect or by reason of, such obligations or their creation. By accepting a debt security, each holder waives and releases all such liability. This waiver and release is part of the consideration for the issue of the debt securities. However, this waiver and release may not be effective to waive liabilities under U.S. federal securities laws, and it is the view of the SEC that such a waiver is against public policy. (Section 10.9)
Governing Law
The indenture and the debt securities, including any claim or controversy arising out of or relating to the indenture or the securities, will be governed by the laws of the State of New York. (Section 10.8)
We may issue warrants to purchase shares of our common stock, preferred stock and/or debt securities in one or more series together with other securities or separately, as described in each applicable prospectus supplement. Below is a description of certain general terms and provisions of the warrants that we may offer. Particular terms of the warrants will be described in the applicable warrant agreements and the applicable prospectus supplement for the warrants.
The applicable prospectus supplement will contain, where applicable, the following terms of and other information relating to the warrants:
| • | the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock purchasable upon the exercise of warrants to purchase such shares and the price at which such number of shares may be purchased upon such exercise; |
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| • | the designation, stated value and terms (including, without limitation, liquidation, dividend, conversion and voting rights) of the series of preferred stock purchasable upon exercise of warrants to purchase preferred stock; |
| • | the principal amount of debt securities that may be purchased upon exercise of a debt warrant and the exercise price for the warrants; |
| • | which may be payable in cash, securities or other property; |
| • | the date, if any, on and after which the warrants and the related debt securities, preferred stock or common stock will be separately transferable; |
| • | the terms of any rights to redeem or call the warrants; |
| • | the date on which the right to exercise the warrants will commence and the date on which the right will expire; |
| • | United States Federal income tax consequences applicable to the warrants; and |
| • | any additional terms of the warrants, including terms, procedures, and limitations relating to the exchange, exercise and settlement of the warrants. |
Holders of equity warrants will not be entitled:
| • | to vote, consent or receive dividends; |
| • | receive notice as shareholders with respect to any meeting of shareholders for the election of our directors or any other matter; or |
| • | exercise any rights as shareholders of Rekor. |
Each warrant will entitle its holder to purchase the principal amount of debt securities or the number of shares of preferred stock or common stock at the exercise price set forth in, or calculable as set forth in, the applicable prospectus supplement. Unless we otherwise specify in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the warrants may exercise the warrants at any time up to the specified time on the expiration date that we set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. After the close of business on the expiration date, unexercised warrants will become void.
A holder of warrant certificates may exchange them for new warrant certificates of different denominations, present them for registration of transfer and exercise them at the corporate trust office of the warrant agent or any other office indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement. Until any warrants to purchase debt securities are exercised, the holder of the warrants will not have any rights of holders of the debt securities that can be purchased upon exercise, including any rights to receive payments of principal, premium or interest on the underlying debt securities or to enforce covenants in the applicable indenture. Until any warrants to purchase common stock or preferred stock are exercised, the holders of the warrants will not have any rights of holders of the underlying common stock or preferred stock, including any rights to receive dividends or payments upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding up on the common stock or preferred stock, if any.
Prospective purchasers of warrants should be aware that special United States federal income tax, accounting and other considerations may be applicable to instruments such as warrants. The applicable prospectus supplement will describe such considerations, to the extent they are material, as they apply generally to purchasers of such warrants.
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DESCRIPTION OF SUBSCRIPTION RIGHTS
We may issue subscription rights to purchase our common stock, preferred stock or debt securities. These subscription rights may be offered independently or together with any other security offered hereby and may or may not be transferable by the stockholder receiving the subscription rights in such offering. In connection with any offering of subscription rights, we may enter into a standby arrangement with one or more underwriters or other purchasers pursuant to which the underwriters or other purchasers may be required to purchase any securities remaining unsubscribed for after such offering.
The prospectus supplement relating to any subscription rights we offer, if any, will, to the extent applicable, include specific terms relating to the offering, including some or all of the following:
| • | the price, if any, for the subscription rights; |
| • | the exercise price payable for our common stock, preferred stock or debt securities upon the exercise of the subscription rights; |
| • | the number of subscription rights to be issued to each stockholder; |
| • | the number and terms of our common stock, preferred stock or debt securities which may be purchased per each subscription right; |
| • | the extent to which the subscription rights are transferable; |
| • | any other terms of the subscription rights, including the terms, procedures and limitations relating to the exchange and exercise of the subscription rights; |
| • | the date on which the right to exercise the subscription rights shall commence, and the date on which the subscription rights shall expire; |
| • | the extent to which the subscription rights may include an over-subscription privilege with respect to unsubscribed securities or an over-allotment privilege to the extent the securities are fully subscribed; and |
| • | if applicable, the material terms of any standby underwriting or purchase arrangement which may be entered into by us in connection with the offering of subscription rights. |
The descriptions of the subscription rights in this prospectus and in any prospectus supplement are summaries of the material provisions of the applicable subscription right agreements. These descriptions do not restate those subscription right agreements in their entirety and may not contain all the information that you may find useful. We urge you to read the applicable subscription right agreements because they, and not the summaries, define your rights as holders of the subscription rights. For more information, please review the forms of the relevant subscription right agreements, which will be filed with the SEC promptly after the offering of subscription rights and will be available as described in the section of this prospectus captioned “Where You Can Find More Information.”
GLOBAL SECURITIES
Unless we indicate differently in any applicable prospectus supplement, the securities initially will be issued in book-entry form and represented by one or more global notes or global securities, or, collectively, global securities. The global securities will be deposited with, or on behalf of DTC, and registered in the name of Cede & Co., the nominee of DTC. Unless and until it is exchanged for individual certificates evidencing securities under the limited circumstances described below, a global security may not be transferred except as a whole by the depositary to its nominee or by the nominee to the depositary, or by the depositary or its nominee to a successor depositary or to a nominee of the successor depositary.
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DTC has advised us that it is:
| • | a limited-purpose trust company organized under the New York Banking Law; |
| • | a “banking organization” within the meaning of the New York Banking Law; |
| • | a member of the Federal Reserve System; |
| • | a “clearing corporation” within the meaning of the New York Uniform Commercial Code; and |
| • | a “clearing agency” registered pursuant to the provisions of Section 17A of the Exchange Act. |
DTC holds securities that its participants deposit with DTC. DTC also facilitates the settlement among its participants of securities transactions, such as transfers and pledges, in deposited securities through electronic computerized book-entry changes in participants’ accounts, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates. “Direct participants” in DTC include securities brokers and dealers, including underwriters, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other organizations. DTC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, or DTCC. DTCC is the holding company for DTC, National Securities Clearing Corporation and Fixed Income Clearing Corporation, all of which are registered clearing agencies. DTCC is owned by the users of its regulated subsidiaries. Access to the DTC system is also available to others, which we sometimes refer to as indirect participants, that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a direct participant, either directly or indirectly. The rules applicable to DTC and its participants are on file with the SEC.
Purchases of securities under the DTC system must be made by or through direct participants, which will receive a credit for the securities on DTC’s records. The ownership interest of the actual purchaser of a security, which we sometimes refer to as a beneficial owner, is in turn recorded on the direct and indirect participants’ records. Beneficial owners of securities will not receive written confirmation from DTC of their purchases. However, beneficial owners are expected to receive written confirmations providing details of their transactions, as well as periodic statements of their holdings, from the direct or indirect participants through which they purchased securities. Transfers of ownership interests in global securities are to be accomplished by entries made on the books of participants acting on behalf of beneficial owners. Beneficial owners will not receive certificates representing their ownership interests in the global securities, except under the limited circumstances described below.
To facilitate subsequent transfers, all global securities deposited by direct participants with DTC will be registered in the name of DTC’s partnership nominee, Cede & Co., or such other name as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC. The deposit of securities with DTC and their registration in the name of Cede & Co. or such other nominee will not change the beneficial ownership of the securities. DTC has no knowledge of the actual beneficial owners of the securities. DTC’s records reflect only the identity of the direct participants to whose accounts the securities are credited, which may or may not be the beneficial owners. The participants are responsible for keeping account of their holdings on behalf of their customers.
So long as the securities are in book-entry form, you will receive payments and may transfer securities only through the facilities of the depositary and its direct and indirect participants. We will maintain an office or agency in the location specified in the prospectus supplement for the applicable securities, where notices and demands in respect of the securities and the indenture may be delivered to us and where certificated securities may be surrendered for payment, registration of transfer or exchange.
Conveyance of notices and other communications by DTC to direct participants, by direct participants to indirect participants and by direct participants and indirect participants to beneficial owners will be governed by arrangements among them, subject to any legal requirements in effect from time to time.
Redemption notices will be sent to DTC. If less than all of the securities of a particular series are being redeemed, DTC’s practice is to determine by lot the amount of the interest of each direct participant in the securities of such series to be redeemed.
Neither DTC nor Cede & Co. (or such other DTC nominee) will consent or vote with respect to the securities. Under its usual procedures, DTC will mail an omnibus proxy to us as soon as possible after the record date. The omnibus proxy assigns the consenting or voting rights of Cede & Co. to those direct participants to whose accounts the securities of such series are credited on the record date, identified in a listing attached to the omnibus proxy.
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So long as securities are in book-entry form, we will make payments on those securities to the depositary or its nominee, as the registered owner of such securities, by wire transfer of immediately available funds. If securities are issued in definitive certificated form under the limited circumstances described below and unless if otherwise provided in the description of the applicable securities herein or in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will have the option of making payments by check mailed to the addresses of the persons entitled to payment or by wire transfer to bank accounts in the United States designated in writing to the applicable trustee or other designated party at least 15 days before the applicable payment date by the persons entitled to payment, unless a shorter period is satisfactory to the applicable trustee or other designated party.
Redemption proceeds, distributions and dividend payments on the securities will be made to Cede & Co., or such other nominee as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC. DTC’s practice is to credit direct participants’ accounts upon DTC’s receipt of funds and corresponding detail information from us on the payment date in accordance with their respective holdings shown on DTC records. Payments by participants to beneficial owners will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is the case with securities held for the account of customers in bearer form or registered in “street name.” Those payments will be the responsibility of participants and not of DTC or us, subject to any statutory or regulatory requirements in effect from time to time. Payment of redemption proceeds, distributions and dividend payments to Cede & Co., or such other nominee as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC, is our responsibility, disbursement of payments to direct participants is the responsibility of DTC, and disbursement of payments to the beneficial owners is the responsibility of direct and indirect participants.
Except under the limited circumstances described below, purchasers of securities will not be entitled to have securities registered in their names and will not receive physical delivery of securities. Accordingly, each beneficial owner must rely on the procedures of DTC and its participants to exercise any rights under the securities and the indenture.
The laws of some jurisdictions may require that some purchasers of securities take physical delivery of securities in definitive form. Those laws may impair the ability to transfer or pledge beneficial interests in securities.
DTC may discontinue providing its services as securities depositary with respect to the securities at any time by giving reasonable notice to us. Under such circumstances, in the event that a successor depositary is not obtained, securities certificates are required to be printed and delivered.
As noted above, beneficial owners of a particular series of securities generally will not receive certificates representing their ownership interests in those securities. However, if:
| • | DTC notifies us that it is unwilling or unable to continue as a depositary for the global security or securities representing such series of securities or if DTC ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act at a time when it is required to be registered and a successor depositary is not appointed within 90 days of the notification to us or of our becoming aware of DTC’s ceasing to be so registered, as the case may be; |
| • | we determine, in our sole discretion, not to have such securities represented by one or more global securities; or |
| • | an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing with respect to such series of securities, we will prepare and deliver certificates for such securities in exchange for beneficial interests in the global securities |
we will prepare and deliver certificates for such securities in exchange for beneficial interests in the global securities. Any beneficial interest in a global security that is exchangeable under the circumstances described in the preceding sentence will be exchangeable for securities in definitive certificated form registered in the names that the depositary directs. It is expected that these directions will be based upon directions received by the depositary from its participants with respect to ownership of beneficial interests in the global securities.
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Euroclear and Clearstream
If so provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, you may hold interests in a global security through Clearstream Banking S.A., which we refer to as “Clearstream,” or Euroclear Bank S.A./N.V., as operator of the Euroclear System, which we refer to as “Euroclear,” either directly if you are a participant in Clearstream or Euroclear or indirectly through organizations which are participants in Clearstream or Euroclear. Clearstream and Euroclear will hold interests on behalf of their respective participants through customers’ securities accounts in the names of Clearstream and Euroclear, respectively, on the books of their respective U.S. depositaries, which in turn will hold such interests in customers’ securities accounts in such depositaries’ names on DTC’s books.
Clearstream and Euroclear are securities clearance systems in Europe. Clearstream and Euroclear hold securities for their respective participating organizations and facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions between those participants through electronic book-entry changes in their accounts, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of certificates.
Payments, deliveries, transfers, exchanges, notices and other matters relating to beneficial interests in global securities owned through Euroclear or Clearstream must comply with the rules and procedures of those systems. Transactions between participants in Euroclear or Clearstream, on one hand, and other participants in DTC, on the other hand, are also subject to DTC’s rules and procedures.
Investors will be able to make and receive through Euroclear and Clearstream payments, deliveries, transfers and other transactions involving any beneficial interests in global securities held through those systems only on days when those systems are open for business. Those systems may not be open for business on days when banks, brokers and other institutions are open for business in the United States.
Cross-market transfers between participants in DTC, on the one hand, and participants in Euroclear or Clearstream, on the other hand, will be effected through DTC in accordance with the DTC’s rules on behalf of Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, by their respective U.S. depositaries; however, such cross-market transactions will require delivery of instructions to Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, by the counterparty in such system in accordance with the rules and procedures and within the established deadlines (European time) of such system. Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, will, if the transaction meets its settlement requirements, deliver instructions to its U.S. depositary to take DTC, and making or receiving payment in accordance with normal procedures for same-day fund settlement. Participants in Euroclear or Clearstream may not deliver instructions directly to their respective U.S. depositaries.
Due to time zone differences, the securities accounts of a participant in Euroclear or Clearstream purchasing an interest in a global security from a direct participant in DTC will be credited, and any such crediting will be reported to the relevant participant in Euroclear or Clearstream, during the securities settlement processing day (which must be a business day for Euroclear or Clearstream) immediately following the settlement date of DTC. Cash received in Euroclear or Clearstream as a result of sales of interests in a global security by or through a participant in Euroclear or Clearstream to a direct participant in DTC will be received with value on the settlement date of DTC but will be available in the relevant Euroclear or Clearstream cash account only as of the business day for Euroclear or Clearstream following DTC’s settlement date.
Other
The information in this section of this prospectus concerning DTC, Clearstream, Euroclear and their respective book-entry systems has been obtained from sources that we believe to be reliable, but we do not take responsibility for this information. This information has been provided solely as a matter of convenience. The rules and procedures of DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear are solely within the control of those organizations and could change at any time. Neither we nor the trustee nor any agent of ours or of the trustee has any control over those entities and none of us takes any responsibility for their activities. You are urged to contact DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear or their respective participants directly to discuss those matters. In addition, although we expect that DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear will perform the foregoing procedures, none of them is under any obligation to perform
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or continue to perform such procedures and such procedures may be discontinued at any time. Neither we nor any agent of ours will have any responsibility for the performance or nonperformance by DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear or their respective participants of these or any other rules or procedures governing their respective operations.
Below is a description of certain general terms and provisions of the units that we may offer. Particular terms of the units will be described in the applicable unit agreements and the applicable prospectus supplement for the units. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplements related to the units that we sell under this prospectus, as well as the complete unit agreements that contain the terms of the units.
We may issue units comprised of our common stock, our preferred stock, debt securities, warrants, rights, purchase contracts, or any combination of such securities under this prospectus. Units may be issued in one or more series, independently or together with shares of our common stock, our preferred stock, debt securities, warrants, rights or purchase contracts, and the units may be attached to or separate from such securities. We may issue units directly or under a unit agreement to be entered into between us and a unit agent. We will name any unit agent in the applicable prospectus supplement. Any unit agent will act solely as our agent in connection with the units of a particular series and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust for or with any holders or beneficial owners of units. Each unit will be issued so that the holder of the unit is also the holder of each security included in the unit. Thus, the holder of a unit will have the rights and obligations of a holder of each included security. We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms of the series of units, including the following:
| • | the designation and terms of the units and of the securities comprising the units, including whether and under what circumstances those securities may be held or transferred separately; |
| • | the price or prices at which the units will be issued; |
| • | the date, if any, on and after which the securities included in the units will be separately transferable; |
| • | any provisions of the governing unit agreement that differ from those described in this section; and |
| • | any provisions for the issuance, payment, settlement, transfer, or exchange of the units or of the securities comprising the units. |
We may sell the securities being offered by this prospectus separately or together:
| • | directly to purchasers; |
| • | through agents; |
| • | to or through underwriters; |
| • | through dealers; |
| • | in “at-the-market” offerings (as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act); |
| • | through a block trade in which the broker or dealer engaged to handle the block trade will attempt to sell the securities as agent, but may position and resell a portion of the block as principal to facilitate the transaction; |
| • | through a combination of any of these methods of sale; or |
| • | through any other method permitted by applicable law and described in a prospectus supplement. |
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In addition, we may issue the securities being offered by this prospectus as a dividend or distribution. We may effect the distribution of the securities from time to time in one or more transactions:
| • | at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed from time to time; |
| • | at market prices prevailing at the times of sale; |
| • | at prices related to prevailing market prices; or |
| • | at negotiated prices. |
For example, we may engage in at-the-market offerings into an existing trading market in accordance with Rule 415(a)(4) under the Securities Act. We may also sell securities through a rights offering, forward contracts or similar arrangements. In any distribution of subscription rights to stockholders, if all of the underlying securities are not subscribed for, we may then sell the unsubscribed securities directly to third parties or may engage the services of one or more underwriters, dealers or agents, including standby underwriters, to sell the unsubscribed securities to third parties.
The securities issued and sold under this prospectus will have no established trading market, other than our common stock, which is listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market. Any shares of our common stock sold pursuant to this prospectus will be eligible for listing and trading on The Nasdaq Capital Market, subject to official notice of issuance. Any underwriters to whom securities are sold by us for public offering and sale may make a market in the securities, but the underwriters will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. The securities, other than our common stock, may or may not be listed on a national securities exchange or other trading market.
We will set forth in a prospectus supplement:
| • | the terms of any underwriting or other agreement that we reach relating to sales under this prospectus; |
| • | the method of distribution of the securities; |
| • | the names of any agents, underwriters or dealers, including any managing underwriters, used in the offering of securities; |
| • | the terms of any direct sales, including the terms of any bidding or auction process, or the terms of any other transactions; |
| • | any delayed delivery obligations to take the securities; |
| • | the compensation payable to agents, underwriters and dealers, which may be in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions; |
| • | any activities that may be undertaken by agents, underwriters and dealers to stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the securities; and |
| • | any indemnification and contribution obligations owing to agents, underwriters and dealers. |
If we sell directly to institutional investors or others, they may be deemed to be underwriters within the meaning of the Securities Act with respect to any resale of the securities. Unless otherwise indicated in a prospectus supplement, if we sell through an agent, such agent will be acting on a best efforts basis for the period of its appointment. Any agent may be deemed to be an “underwriter” of the securities as that term is defined in the Securities Act. If a dealer is used in the sale of the securities, we or an underwriter will sell securities to the dealer, as principal. The dealer may resell the securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by the dealer at the time of resale.
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To the extent permitted by and in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act, in connection with an offering an underwriter may engage in over-allotments, stabilizing transactions, short covering transactions and penalty bids. Over-allotments involve sales in excess of the offering size, which creates a short position. Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum. Short covering transactions involve purchases of the securities in the open market after the distribution is completed to cover short positions. Penalty bids permit the underwriters to reclaim a selling concession from a dealer when the securities originally sold by the dealer are purchased in a covering transaction to cover short positions. Those activities may cause the price of the securities to be higher than it would be otherwise. If commenced, the underwriters may discontinue any of the activities at any time.
To the extent permitted by and in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act, any underwriters who are qualified market makers on The Nasdaq Capital Market may engage in passive market making transactions in the securities on The Nasdaq Capital Market during the business day prior to the pricing of an offering, before the commencement of offers or sales of the securities. Passive market makers must comply with applicable volume and price limitations and must be identified as passive market makers. In general, a passive market maker must display its bid at a price not in excess of the highest independent bid for such security; if all independent bids are lowered below the passive market maker’s bid, however, the passive market maker’s bid must then be lowered when certain purchase limits are exceeded.
The specific terms of any lock-up provisions in respect of any given offering will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
The underwriters, dealers and agents may engage in transactions with us, or perform services for us, in the ordinary course of business for which they receive compensation.
No securities may be sold under this prospectus without delivery, in paper format or in electronic format, or both, of the applicable prospectus supplement describing the method and terms of the offering.
The validity of the securities offered under this prospectus will be passed upon by Crowell & Moring LLP, Washington, District of Columbia. Additional legal matters may be passed upon for us or any underwriters, dealers or agents, by counsel that we will name in the applicable prospectus supplement. As appropriate, legal counsel representing the underwriters, dealers or agents will be named in the accompanying prospectus supplement and may opine to certain legal matters.
The consolidated financial statements of Rekor Systems, Inc. as of and for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, incorporated by reference in this prospectus and registration statement of which this prospectus is a part have been audited by Marcum LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in its report thereon, included therein and which includes an explanatory paragraph as to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern, and are included in reliance upon such report and upon the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements, and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains a website that contains these reports, proxy and information statements, and other information we file electronically with the SEC. Our filings are available free of charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
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We make available free of charge on our website our annual, quarterly and current reports, including amendments to such reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish such material to, the SEC. Please note, however, that we have not incorporated any other information by reference from our website, other than the documents listed under the heading “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference” on page 26 of this prospectus. In addition, you may request copies of these filings at no cost by writing, telephoning, or emailing us at the following address, telephone number, or email address, respectively:
Rekor Systems, Inc.
6721 Columbia Gateway Drive, Suite 400
Columbia, MD 21046
Telephone: (410) 762-0800 ir@rekor.ai
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” information into this prospectus supplement. This means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to other documents we have filed separately with the SEC, without actually including the specific information in this prospectus supplement. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus supplement, and information that we file later with the SEC (and that is deemed to be “filed” with the SEC) will automatically update, and may supersede, information in this prospectus supplement.
| • | Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the SEC on March 25, 2024; |
| • | our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, filed with the SEC on March 25, 2024; |
| • | our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2024, filed with the SEC on May 15, 2024; |
| • | our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on January 3, 2024 (as amended by our Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed with the SEC on February 15, 2024), January 10, 2024, February 6, 2024, February 9, 2024, February 13, 2024, February 26, 2024, March 5, 2024, March 6, 2024, April 19, 2024, April 22, 2024, May 15, 2024, May 29, 2024 and June 26, 2024; and |
| • | the description of our common stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A (File No. 001-38338) filed with the SEC on January 8, 2018 under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act, including any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description. |
We also incorporate by reference any future filings (other than current reports furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K and exhibits filed on such form that are related to such items unless such Form 8-K expressly provides to the contrary) made with the SEC pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, including those made after the date of the initial filing of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part and prior to effectiveness of such registration statement, until we file a post-effective amendment that indicates the termination of the offering of the shares of common stock made by this prospectus and such future filings will become a part of this prospectus from the respective dates that such documents are filed with the SEC. Any statement contained herein or in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes hereof or of the related prospectus supplement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document which is also incorporated or deemed to be incorporated herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus.
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You may obtain copies of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus from us free of charge by requesting them in writing, by telephone, or by email at the following addresses:
Rekor Systems, Inc.
6721 Columbia Gateway Drive, Suite 400
Columbia, MD 21046
Telephone: (410) 762-0800
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REKOR SYSTEMS, INC.
$350,000,000
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Debt Securities
Warrants
Subscription Rights
Units
PROSPECTUS
July 26, 2024
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PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 14. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.
The following table sets forth the various expenses that will be paid by us in connection with the securities being registered. With the exception of the SEC registration fee, all amounts shown are estimates:
| Amount to be paid | ||||
| SEC Registration Fee |
$ | 51,660 | ||
| FINRA Filing Fee |
$ | * | ||
| Legal Fees and Expenses |
* | |||
| Printing Expenses |
* | |||
| Accounting Fees and Expenses |
* | |||
| Transfer Agent Fees and Expenses |
* | |||
| Miscellaneous Expenses |
* | |||
| TOTAL |
$ | * | ||
| * | These fees are calculated based on the securities offered and the number of issuances and accordingly cannot be estimated at this time. |
Item 15. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
We are incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware. Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law provides that a Delaware corporation may indemnify any persons who are, or are threatened to be made, parties to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of such corporation), by reason of the fact that such person was an officer, director, employee or agent of such corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such person as an officer, director, employee or agent of another corporation or enterprise. The indemnity may include expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, provided that such person acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the corporation’s best interests and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was illegal. A Delaware corporation may indemnify any persons who are, or are threatened to be made, a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation by reason of the fact that such person was a director, officer, employee or agent of such corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or enterprise. The indemnity may include expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit provided such person acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the corporation’s best interests except that no indemnification is permitted without judicial approval if the officer or director is adjudged to be liable to the corporation. Where an officer or director is successful on the merits or otherwise in the defense of any action referred to above, the corporation must indemnify him against the expenses which such officer or director has actually and reasonably incurred. Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, and Amended and Restated Bylaws provide for the indemnification of our directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted under the Delaware General Corporation Law.
Section 102(b)(7) of the Delaware General Corporation Law permits a corporation to provide in its Certificate of Incorporation that a director of the corporation shall not be personally liable to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duties as a director, except for liability for any:
| • | transaction from which the director derives an improper personal benefit; |
| • | act or omission not in good faith or that involves intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law; |
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| • | unlawful payment of dividends or redemption of shares; or |
| • | breach of a director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders. |
Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, includes such a provision. Expenses incurred by any officer or director in defending any such action, suit or proceeding in advance of its final disposition shall be paid by us upon delivery to us of an undertaking, by or on behalf of such director or officer, to repay all amounts so advanced if it shall ultimately be determined that such director or officer is not entitled to be indemnified by us.
As permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, we have entered into indemnity agreements with each of our directors and executive officers. These agreements, among other things, require us to indemnify each director and officer to the fullest extent permitted by law and advance expenses to each indemnitee in connection with any proceeding in which indemnification is available.
We have an insurance policy covering our officers and directors with respect to certain liabilities, including liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, or otherwise.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by us of expenses incurred or paid by our director, officer, or controlling person in the successful defense of any action, suit, or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer, or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, we will, unless in the opinion of our counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. See also the section entitled “Undertakings” set forth below.
Item 16. Exhibits.
The exhibits filed with this registration statement or incorporated by reference from other filings are as follows:
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| 3.5 |
Amended and Restated Bylaws of Rekor Systems, Inc. | |
| 4.1* |
Specimen certificate evidencing shares of preferred stock | |
| 4.2* |
Form of any Certificate of Designation setting forth the preferences and rights with respect to any preferred stock issued hereunder | |
| 4.3 |
Form of Indenture (filed herewith) | |
| 4.4* |
Form of Debt Securities | |
| 4.5* |
Form of Warrant | |
| 4.6* |
Form of Warrant Agreement for Common Stock, including Warrant Certificate for Common Stock | |
| 4.7* |
Form of Warrant Agreement for Preferred Stock, including Warrant Certificate for Preferred Stock | |
| 4.8* |
Form of Warrant Agreement for Debt Securities, including Warrant Certificate for Debt Securities | |
| 4.9* |
Form of Unit Agreement | |
| 4.10* |
Form of Subscription Rights Agreement. | |
| 5.1 |
Opinion of Crowell & Moring LLP (filed herewith) | |
| 23.1 |
Consent of Marcum LLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (filed herewith) | |
| 23.2 |
Consent of Crowell & Moring LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1 filed herewith) | |
| 24.1 |
Power of Attorney (incorporated by reference to the signature page hereto) | |
| 25.1‡ |
Statement of Eligibility on Form T-1 under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, of the trustee, as trustee under the indenture filed herewith. | |
| 107 |
Filing Fee Table (filed herewith) | |
| * | To be filed by amendment or incorporated by reference in connection with the offering of the securities. |
| ‡ | To be filed in accordance with the requirements of Item 601(b)(25) of Regulation S-K. |
Item 17. Undertakings.
The Registrant hereby undertakes:
(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:
(i) To include any prospectus required by section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;
(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be
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reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective Registration Statement.
(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or any material change to such information in the Registration Statement;
provided, however, that paragraphs 1(i), 1(ii) and 1(iii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement.
(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof;
(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering;
(4) That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser:
(i) Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and
(ii) Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(l)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof; provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date;
(5) That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:
(i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;
(ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;
(iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and
(iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser;
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(6) That, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof;
(7) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue;
(8) To file an application for the purpose of determining the eligibility of the trustee to act under subsection (a) of Section 310 of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the Securities and Exchange Commission under Section 305(b)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939.
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SIGNATURES AND POWER OF ATTORNEY
KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each individual whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints David P. Desharnais and Eyal Hen, or each of them, as his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent with full power of substitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this registration statement, and to sign any registration statement for the same offering covered by this registration statement that is to be effective on filing pursuant to Rule 462(b) promulgated under the Securities Act and all post-effective amendments thereto, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto and all documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of the, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents or any of them, or his or their substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Columbia, State of Maryland, on July 26, 2024.
| REKOR SYSTEMS, INC. | ||
| By: |
/s/ Eyal Hen | |
| Eyal Hen | ||
| Chief Financial Officer | ||
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| Signature |
Title |
Date | ||
| /s/ David P. Desharnais David P. Desharnais |
Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) |
July 26, 2024 | ||
| /s/ Eyal Hen Eyal Hen |
Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer) | July 26, 2024 | ||
| /s/ Robert A. Berman Robert A. Berman |
Executive Director | July 26, 2024 | ||
| /s/ Paul de Bary Paul de Bary |
Director | July 26, 2024 | ||
| /s/ Glenn Goord Glenn Goord |
Director | July 26, 2024 | ||
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| /s/ David Hanlon David Hanlon |
Director |
July 26, 2024 | ||
| /s/ Steven D. Croxton Steven D. Croxton |
Director |
July 26, 2024 | ||
| /s/ Sanjay Sarma Sanjay Sarma |
Director |
July 26, 2024 | ||
| /s/ Tim Davenport Tim Davenport |
Director |
July 26, 2024 | ||
| /s/ Drew Meyers Drew Meyers |
Director |
July 26, 2024 | ||
| /s/ Anne Townsend Anne Townsend |
Director |
July 26, 2024 | ||
| /s/ Viraj Mehta Viraj Mehta |
Director |
July 26, 2024 | ||
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