SEC Form S-8 filed by Turnstone Biologics Corp.

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 13, 2024

Registration No. 333-

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

Turnstone Biologics Corp.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Turnstone Biologics Corp. 2023 Equity Incentive Plan

Turnstone Biologics Corp. 2023 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

(Full titles of the plans)

Sammy Farah, M.B.A., Ph.D.

President and Chief Executive Officer

Turnstone Biologics Corp.

9310 Athena Circle, Suite 300

La Jolla, California 92037

(347) 897-5988

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Copies to:

Divakar Gupta

Ryan Sansom

Cooley LLP

55 Hudson Yards

New York, New York 10001

(212) 479-6000

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, 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.

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. ☐

EXPLANATORY NOTE

REGISTRATION OF ADDITIONAL SHARES

Pursuant to General Instruction E of Form S-8, Turnstone Biologics Corp. (the “Registrant”) is filing this Registration Statement on Form S-8 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) for the purpose of registering (i) 1,154,966 additional shares of its Common Stock under the 2023 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2023 Plan”), pursuant to the provisions of the 2023 Plan providing for an automatic increase in the number of shares of Common Stock reserved and available for issuance under the 2023 Plan on January 1, 2024, and (ii) 230,993 additional shares of its Common Stock under the 2023 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “2023 ESPP,” together with the 2023 Plan, the “Plans”), pursuant to the provisions of the 2023 ESPP providing for an automatic increase in the number of shares of Common Stock reserved and available for issuance under the 2023 ESPP on January 1, 2024. In accordance with the instructional note to Part I of Form S-8 as promulgated by the Commission, the information specified by Part I of the Form S-8 has been omitted from this Registration Statement.

The Registrant previously registered shares of its Common Stock for issuance under the Plans on a Registration Statement on Form S-8 filed with the Commission on July 25, 2023 (File No. 333-273421). Pursuant to General Instruction E to Form S-8, this Registration Statement hereby incorporates by reference the contents of the Registration Statement referenced above except as set forth below.

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

The Registrant hereby incorporates by reference into this Registration Statement the following documents previously filed by the Registrant with the Commission:

All documents filed by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of this Registration Statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents; provided, however, that documents or portions thereof that are furnished and not filed in accordance with the rules of the Commission shall not be deemed incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement. Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement herein or in any other subsequently filed document that also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not constitute a part of this Registration Statement, except as so modified or superseded.

Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

The Registrant is incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware. Section 102 of the Delaware General Corporation Law permits a corporation to eliminate the personal liability of directors of a corporation to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for a breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except where the director breached his duty of loyalty, failed to act in good faith, engaged in intentional misconduct or knowingly violated a law, authorized the payment of a dividend or approved a stock repurchase in violation of Delaware corporate law or obtained an improper personal benefit.

Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law provides that a corporation has the power to indemnify a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation and certain other persons serving at the request of the corporation in related capacities against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlements actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with an action, suit or proceeding to which he is or is threatened to be made a party by reason of such position, if such person acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and,in any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful, except that, in the case of actions brought by or in the right of the corporation, no indemnification shall be made with respect to any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or other adjudicating court determines that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all of the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.

As permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, the Registrant’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the Registrant’s amended and restated bylaws will provide that: (i) the Registrant is required to indemnify its directors to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law; (ii) the Registrant may, in its discretion, indemnify its officers, employees and agents as set forth in the Delaware General Corporation Law; (iii) the Registrant is required, upon satisfaction of certain conditions, to advance all expenses incurred by its directors in connection with certain legal proceedings; (iv) the rights conferred in the bylaws are not exclusive; and (v) the Registrant is authorized to enter into indemnification agreements with its directors, officers, employees and agents.

The Registrant has entered into indemnification agreements with its directors and executive officers that require it to indemnify them against expenses, judgments, fines, settlements and other amounts that any such person becomes legally obligated to pay (including with respect to a derivative action) in connection with any proceeding, whether actual or threatened, to which such person may be made a party by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director or officer of the Registrant or any of its affiliates, provided such person acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the Registrant’s best interests.

The Registrant maintains a directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policy. The policy insures directors and officers against indemnified losses arising from certain wrongful acts in their capacities as directors and officers and reimburses the Registrant for those losses for which it has lawfully indemnified the directors and officers.

Item 8. Exhibits.

The exhibits to this Registration Statement are listed below:

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, 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 San Diego, California, on May 13, 2024.

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Sammy Farah, M.B.A., Ph.D., and Venkat Ramanan, Ph.D., and each one of them, as his or her true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him or her and in their 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) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and all post-effective amendments thereto, and to file the same, with all 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 in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents or any of them, or his 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, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.