SEC Form S-8 filed by eXoZymes Inc.

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 25, 2025

Registration No. 333-____

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Under

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

EXOZYMES INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

750 Royal Oaks Drive, Suite 106

Monrovia, CA 91016

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

2020 Equity Incentive Plan

(Full Title of the Plan)

Exozymes Inc.

Fouad Nawaz, Vice President, Finance

750 Royal Oaks Drive, Suite 106

Monrovia, CA 91016

(626) 415-1488

(Name, Address and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent for Service)

with a copy to:

Andrew Hudders, Esq.

Golenbock Eiseman Assor Bell & Peskoe LLP

711 Third Avenue, Floor 17

New York, New York 10017

Telephone: (212) 907-7349

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 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. ☒

In accordance with the provisions of Rule 462 promulgated under the Securities Act, this registration statement will become effective upon filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

PART I

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

Item 1. Plan Information.*

Item 2. Registrant Information and Employee Plan Annual Information. *

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

The following documents previously or concurrently filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) are hereby incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement:

All documents subsequently filed by us pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement which indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement and to be a part hereof from the respective dates of filing of such documents.

Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained in this Registration Statement, or in any other subsequently filed document that also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement, modifies or supersedes such prior statement. Any statement contained in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be modified or superseded to the extent that a statement contained in a subsequently filed document that is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement modifies or supersedes such prior statement. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

Item 4. Description of Securities.

Not applicable.

Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

Not applicable.

Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

We are a Nevada corporation. The Nevada Revised Statutes (“NRS”) provides that the articles of incorporation of a Nevada corporation may contain a provision eliminating or limiting the personal liability of a director to the corporation or its shareholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except that any such provision may not eliminate or limit the liability of a director (i) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its shareholders, (ii) acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) acts specified in Section 78 (concerning unlawful distributions), or (iv) any transaction from which a director directly or indirectly derived an improper personal benefit.

The NRS provides that a Nevada corporation must indemnify a person who was wholly successful, on the merits or otherwise, in defense of any threatened, pending, or completed action, suit, or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative, or investigative and whether formal or informal, in which he or she was a party because the person is or was a director, against reasonable expenses incurred by him or her in connection with the proceeding, unless such indemnity is limited by the corporation’s articles of incorporation.

The NRS provides that a Nevada corporation may indemnify a person made a party to a proceeding because the person is or was a director against any obligation incurred with respect to a proceeding to pay a judgment, settlement, penalty, fine (including an excise tax assessed with respect to an employee benefit plan) or reasonable expenses incurred in the proceeding if the person conducted himself or herself in good faith and the person reasonably believed, in the case of conduct in an official capacity with the corporation, that the person’s conduct was in the corporation’s best interests and, in all other cases, his or her conduct was at least not opposed to the corporation’s best interests and, with respect to any criminal proceedings, the person had no reasonable cause to believe that his or her conduct was unlawful. A corporation may not indemnify a director in connection with any proceeding by or in the right of the corporation in which the director was adjudged liable to the corporation or, in connection with any other proceeding charging that the director derived an improper personal benefit, whether or not involving actions in an official capacity, in which proceeding the director was judged liable on the basis that he or she derived an improper personal benefit. Any indemnification permitted in connection with a proceeding by or in the right of the corporation is limited to reasonable expenses incurred in connection with such proceeding.

Under the NRS, unless otherwise provided in the articles of incorporation, a Nevada corporation may indemnify an officer, employee, fiduciary, or agent of the corporation to the same extent as a director and may indemnify such a person who is not a director to a greater extent, if not inconsistent with public policy and if provided for by its bylaws, general or specific action of its board of directors or shareholders, or contract.

Our articles of incorporation provide that we will indemnify to the fullest extent permitted by Nevada law any person made or threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (whether or not by or in the right of the Company) by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a director of the Company or is or was serving as a director, officer, employee or agent of another entity at the request of the Company or any predecessor of the Company against judgments, fines, penalties, excise taxes, amounts paid in settlement and costs, charges and expenses (including attorneys’ fees and disbursements) that he or she incurs in connection with such action or proceeding.

Our articles of incorporation also provide that to the fullest extent permitted by NRS 78, a director or officer of the Company will not be personally liable to the company or its stockholders for damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director or officer, provided that the foregoing will not eliminate or limit the liability of a director or officer for: (a) acts or omissions which involve intentional misconduct, fraud or a knowing violation of law; or (b) the payment of distributions in violation of NRS 78.300.

The registrant has directors’ and officers’ liability insurance for its directors and officers.

The Company also enters into indemnification agreements with each of the persons serving on the board of directors and executive officers. The indemnification agreements provide for indemnification against expenses, judgments, fines and penalties actually and reasonably incurred by an indemnitee in connection with threatened, pending or completed actions, suits or other proceedings, subject to certain limitations. The indemnification agreements also provide for the advancement of expenses in connection with a proceeding prior to a final, non-appealable judgment or other adjudication, provided that the indemnitee provides an undertaking to repay to us any amounts advanced if the indemnitee is ultimately found not to be entitled to indemnification by us. The indemnification agreement sets forth procedures for making and responding to a request for indemnification or advancement of expenses, as well as dispute resolution procedures that apply to any dispute between us and an indemnitee arising under the indemnification agreements.

Item 8. Exhibits.

See the attached Exhibit Index, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 9. Undertakings.

(a) The undersigned 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:

provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) above do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 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 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.

(b) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) 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.

(c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the provisions described in Item 6 above, 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 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 and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the Town of Monrovia, State of California, on April 25, 2025.

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Michael Heltzen and Fouad Nawaz and each of them, his or her true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, each with full power of substitution and re-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 file the same, with exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that each of said attorney-in-fact and agents 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, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

EXHIBIT INDEX

* Filed herewith