THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS
RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION,
DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA, ITS TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS, ANY STATE OF
THE UNITED STATES OR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (COLLECTIVELY, THE
"UNITED STATES"), AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, CANADA, JAPAN, THE
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER
JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION IS
OR WOULD BE PROHIBITED.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES
NOT CONSTITUTE OR CONTAIN ANY INVITATION, SOLICITATION,
RECOMMENDATION, ADVERTISING, OFFER OR ADVICE TO ANY PERSON TO
SUBSCRIBE FOR, OTHERWISE ACQUIRE OR DISPOSE OF ANY SECURITIES IN
ONDINE BIOMEDICAL INC OR ANY OTHER ENTITY IN ANY JURISDICTION.
NEITHER THIS ANNOUNCEMENT NOR THE FACT OF ITS DISTRIBUTION SHALL
FORM THE BASIS OF, OR BE RELIED ON IN CONNECTION WITH, ANY
INVESTMENT DECISION IN RESPECT OF ONDINE BIOMEDICAL
INC.
This Announcement contains inside information for the purposes
of Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation No. 596/2014 as
retained as part of UK law by virtue of the European Union
(Withdrawal) Act 2018 as amended ("EUWA") and as it may
be modified from time to time by or under domestic law
including, but not limited to, by the Market Abuse (Amendment) (EU
Exit) Regulations 2019/310). Upon the publication of this
Announcement, this inside information is now considered to be in
the public domain.
All
references to C$ in this announcement are to Canadian Dollars.
This Announcement uses a £:C$ exchange rate of 1: 1.80276
and a £:US$ exchange rate of 1: 1.29658 as at 16:30 (GMT) on 30
October 2024.
Capitalized terms used in this announcement (this "Announcement")
have the meanings given to them in the Launch Announcement, unless
the context provides otherwise.
1 November 2024
Ondine Biomedical
Inc.
("OBI", "Ondine", or the
"Company")
Successful Fundraise, Upsized
to C$16.2 million (£9.0m)
Ondine secures funding
for US Phase 3 clinical trial.
Ondine Biomedical Inc. (AIM: OBI), a
Canadian life sciences company, is pleased to confirm, further
to the announcement made earlier today (the "Launch Announcement"), the successful
completion of the Placing and Subscription at the Issue Price of
8.5 pence per New Common Share. The Issue Price represents a
premium of approximately 1.5 per cent. to the closing price of
the Common Shares on 31 October 2024 of 8.375
pence.
The total gross proceeds of the
Fundraising have been upsized from the initial target of £8.5m, and
are approximately C$16.2 million (£9.0 million) and the estimated
net proceeds are expected to be approximately C$15.1 million (£8.3
million).
The Placing has conditionally raised
aggregate gross proceeds of approximately C$15.8 million (£8.8
million) pursuant to the placing of 103,403,318 Placing Shares with
new and existing investors. The Subscription has raised further
gross proceeds of approximately C$0.38 million (£0.21 million)
pursuant to subscriptions received for 2,479,035 Subscription
Shares.
Carolyn Cross, CEO of Ondine, said:
"With this key financing behind us,
we are ready to embark on our key Phase 3 clinical trial in the USA
and the first ICU trial in Canada. We are so grateful for the
ongoing strong support of our shareholders, many representing top
tier institutional investors and are very pleased to welcome
significant new shareholders, including M&G Investment
Management Limited, to the Company's share register."
The 105,882,353 New Common Shares in
aggregate to be issued pursuant to the Placing and the Subscription
represent approximately 38 per cent. of the existing issued share
capital of the Company.
All shares issued pursuant to
the Placing and Subscription will be issued non pre-emptively
under the Company's existing authorities and are expected to be
admitted to trading on AIM on or around 11 November
2024.
RBC Europe Limited ("RBC"), Orana Corporate LLP
("Orana") and Oberon
Capital, a trading name of Oberon Investments Limited,
("Oberon") acted as Joint
Brokers to the Placing, and RBC and Oberon acted as Joint
Bookrunners. The Placing was conducted
following a market sounding by way of an accelerated bookbuild
process.
Related Party Transaction
Certain of the directors of the
Company have conditionally subscribed for, in aggregate,
2,479,035 Subscription Shares at the Issue
Price, raising gross proceeds of approximately C$0.38 million (£0.21 million)
for the Company, representing approximately 2.3 per cent of the New
Common Shares from the completed Placing and the Subscription
participations.
The number of New Common Shares
conditionally subscribed for by each of the Directors, and their
resulting shareholdings following the Admission of the Placing
Shares and the Subscription Shares subscribed for to date, are set
out below:
Director
|
Number of New Common Shares
subscribed for in the Subscription
|
Total Number of New Common
Shares held on Admission
|
% of issued share capital as
enlarged by the completed Placing and
Subscription2
|
Carolyn Cross1
|
1,305,188
|
138,459,117
|
34.07%
|
Jean Duval
|
420,923
|
1,164,540
|
0.29%
|
Junaid Bajwa
|
385,846
|
1,194,623
|
0.29%
|
Margaret Shaw
|
197,661
|
214,328
|
0.05%
|
Michael Farrar
|
175,385
|
485,228
|
0.12%
|
1 Existing beneficial holding includes
111,295,529 shares held by Ms Carolyn Cross, including via holdings
in 100% owned companies, and 25,858,400 shares held by Mr Robert
Cross, husband of Ms Carolyn Cross.
2 Including issuance of 22,222,222 shares
pursuant to capital raise announced on 24 September 2024, which
will complete ahead of Admission
As previously announced, Carolyn
Cross, CEO, provided loans of, in aggregate, C$1.245 million, to
the Company (the "Loans")
for additional working capital. Ms Cross's participation in the
Subscription is facilitated through C$0.2 million repayment in
exchange for the 1,305,188 subscription shares shown above.
Following the Subscription, the total outstanding loan balance is
C$1.045 million, which may be repaid or converted to shares at 8.5
pence at a later date, subject to Board approval. The loan carries
no interest and has no specific terms for repayment.
The subscriptions by the
Participating Directors constitute a related party transaction for
the purposes of Rule 13 of the AIM Rules by virtue of such persons
being directors of the Company and therefore related parties (the
"Transaction"). The
director independent of the Participating Directors, being Hon.
Jean Charest, considers, having consulted with the Company's
nominated adviser, that the terms of the participation by the
Participating Directors, are fair and reasonable insofar as the
Company's shareholders are concerned.
Admission, Settlement and Dealings
Admission of the Placing Shares and
Subscription Shares is expected to take place on or before 8.00
a.m. on 11 November 2024 with dealings on AIM in the Placing Shares
and the Subscription Shares commencing at the same time. Admission
is conditional upon, among other things, the Placing Agreement not
having been terminated and becoming unconditional in all
respects.
The Placing Shares and Subscription
Shares when issued, will be fully paid and will rank pari passu in
all respects with the Existing Common Shares, including the right
to receive all dividends and other distributions declared, made or
paid after the date of issue.
Total Voting Rights
Following admission of the Placing
Shares and Subscription Shares, in addition to admission of
22,222,222 shares in connection with the private placement
announced on 24 September 2024, the Company's issued and fully paid
share capital will consist of 406,340,334 Common Shares,
all of which carry one voting right per share. The Company does not
hold any Common Shares in treasury. Therefore, the total number of
Common Shares and voting rights in the Company will be
406,340,334 after the admission of the Placing Shares and the
Subscription Shares and the shares connected with the private
placement announced on 24 September 2024.
This figure may be used from the
date of Admission until further notice by Existing Shareholders as
the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine
if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to
their interest in, the Company under the FCA's Disclosure Guidance
and Transparency Rules.
This Announcement should be read in
its entirety. In particular, you should read and understand the
information provided in the "Important Notices" section of this
Announcement.
Enquiries:
Ondine Biomedical Inc.
|
|
Angelika Vance, Corporate
Communications
|
+001 604
838 2702
|
Singer Capital Markets (Nominated Adviser)
|
Phil Davies, Sam Butcher
|
+44 (0)20
7496 3000
|
RBC
Capital Markets (Joint Broker and Joint
Bookrunner)
|
|
Rupert Walford, Kathryn
Deegan
|
+44 (0)20
7653 4000
|
Oberon Capital (Joint Broker to the Placing and Joint
Bookrunner)
|
|
Mike Seabrook, Jessica
Cave
|
+44 (0) 20
3179 5300
|
Orana Corporate LLP (Joint Broker to the
Placing)
|
|
Sebastian Wykeham
|
+33 6 7120
1513
|
Vane Percy & Roberts (Media Contact)
|
|
Simon Vane Percy, Amanda
Bernard
|
+44 (0)77
1000 5910
|
IMPORTANT NOTICES
The information contained in this
Announcement is given at the date of its publication (unless
otherwise marked) and is subject to updating, revision and
amendment from time to time. No reliance may be placed for any
purpose on the information contained in this announcement or its
accuracy, fairness or completeness.
No undertaking, representation,
warranty or other assurance, express or implied, is made or given
by or on behalf of the Company or the Joint Bookrunners or any of
their respective directors, officers, partners, employees, agents
or advisers or any other person as to the accuracy or completeness
of the information or opinions contained in this announcement and
no responsibility or liability is accepted by any of them for any
such information or opinions or for any errors, omissions or
misstatements, negligence or otherwise in this
Announcement.
The information in this Announcement
may not be forwarded or distributed to any other person and may not
be reproduced in any manner whatsoever. Any forwarding,
distribution, reproduction, or disclosure of this information in
whole or in part is unauthorized. Failure to comply with this
directive may result in a violation of applicable securities laws
and regulations of other jurisdictions.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, ANY COPY OF IT,
AND THE INFORMATION (INCLUDING THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS) CONTAINED
HEREIN, IS RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR TRANSMISSION, PUBLICATION,
RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN
PART, IN OR INTO ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A
VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT SECURITIES LAW OF SUCH JURISDICTION,
INCLUDING THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ITS TERRITORIES AND
POSSESSIONS, ANY STATE OF THE UNITED STATES OR THE DISTRICT OF
COLUMBIA (COLLECTIVELY, THE "UNITED STATES"), AUSTRALIA, NEW
ZEALAND, CANADA, JAPAN, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, OR ANY OTHER
JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION IS
OR WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. FURTHER, THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION
PURPOSES ONLY, DOES NOT PURPORT TO BE FULL OR COMPLETE AND IS NOT
AN OFFER OF SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT HAS
NOT BEEN APPROVED BY THE LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE, NOR IS IT INTENDED
THAT IT WILL BE SO APPROVED.
This Announcement or any part of it
does not constitute or form part of any offer to issue or sell, or
the solicitation of an offer to acquire, purchase or subscribe for,
any securities in the United States. The Placing Shares have not
been and will not be registered under the United States Securities
Act of 1933, as amended (the "US
Securities Act") or with any securities regulatory authority
of any state or jurisdiction of the United States, and may not be
offered, sold or transferred, directly or indirectly, in or into
the United States except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a
transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the US
Securities Act and in compliance with any applicable securities
laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States. There
will be no public offering of securities in the United
States.
This Announcement may contain and
the Company may make verbal statements containing "forward-looking
statements" with respect to certain of the Company's plans and its
current goals and expectations relating to its future financial
condition, performance, strategic initiatives, objectives and
results. By their nature, all forward-looking statements involve
risk and uncertainty because they relate to future events and
circumstances which are beyond the control of the Company,
including amongst other things, United Kingdom domestic and global
economic business conditions, market-related risks such as
fluctuations in interest rates and exchange rates, the policies and
actions of governmental and regulatory authorities, the effect of
competition, inflation, deflation, the timing effect and other
uncertainties of future acquisitions or combinations within
relevant industries, the effect of tax and other legislation and
other regulations in the jurisdictions in which the Company and its
respective affiliates operate, the effect of volatility in the
equity, capital and credit markets on the Company's profitability
and ability to access capital and credit, a decline in the
Company's credit ratings, the effect of operational risks, and the
loss of key personnel. As a result, the actual future financial
condition, performance and results of the Company may differ
materially from the plans, goals and expectations set forth in any
forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements made in
this Announcement by or on behalf of the Company speak only as of
the date they are made. Except as required by applicable law or
regulation, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation or
undertaking to publish any updates or revisions to any
forward-looking statements contained in this Announcement to
reflect any changes in the Company's expectations with regard
thereto or any changes in events, conditions or circumstances on
which any such statement is based.
Neither the content of the Company's
website (or any other website) nor the content of any website
accessible from hyperlinks on the Company's website (or any other
website) is incorporated into or forms part of this
announcement.
UK
Product Governance Requirements
Solely for the purposes of the
product governance requirements contained within chapter 3 of the
FCA Handbook Product Intervention and Product Governance Sourcebook
(the "UK Product Governance
Requirements") and disclaiming all and any liability,
whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any
"manufacturer" (for the purposes of the UK Product Governance
Requirements) may otherwise have with respect thereto, the Placing
Shares have been subject to a product approval process, which has
determined that the Placing Shares are: (i) compatible with an end
target market of retail investors and investors who meet the
criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties, each
as defined in chapter 3 of the FCA Handbook Conduct of Business
Sourcebook ("COBS"); and
(ii) eligible for distribution through all permitted distribution
channels (the "UK Target Market
Assessment"). Notwithstanding the UK Target Market
Assessment, distributors should note that: the price of the Placing
Shares may decline and investors could lose all or part of their
investment; the Placing Shares offer no guaranteed income and no
capital protection; and an investment in Placing Shares is
compatible only with investors who do not need a guaranteed income
or capital protection, who (either alone or in conjunction with an
appropriate financial or other adviser) are capable of evaluating
the merits and risks of such an investment and who have sufficient
resources to be able to bear any losses that may result therefrom.
The UK Target Market Assessment is without prejudice to the
requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling
restrictions in relation to the Placing. Furthermore, it is noted
that, notwithstanding the UK Target Market Assessment, the Joint
Bookrunners will only procure investors who meet the criteria of
professional clients and eligible counterparties.
For the avoidance of doubt, the UK
Target Market Assessment does not constitute: (a) an assessment of
suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of chapters 9A or
10A respectively of the COBS; or (b) a recommendation to any
investor or group of investors to invest in, or purchase, or take
any other action whatsoever with respect to Placing Shares. Each
distributor is responsible for undertaking its own target market
assessment in respect of the shares and determining appropriate
distribution channels.
EU
Product Governance Requirements
Solely for the purposes of Article
9(8) of Commission Delegated Directive 2017/593 (the "Delegated Directive") regarding the
responsibilities of Manufacturers under the Product Governance
requirements contained within: (a) Directive 2014/65/EU on markets
in financial instruments, as amended ("MiFID II"); (b) Articles 9 and 10 of
the Delegated Directive; and (c) local implementing measures (the
"MiFID II Product Governance
Requirements"), and disclaiming all and any liability,
whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise which any
"manufacturer" (for the purposes of the MiFID II Product Governance
Requirements) may otherwise have with respect thereto, the Placing
Shares have been subject to a product approval process, which has
determined that the Placing Shares are (i) compatible with an end
target market of retail investors and investors who meet the
criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties, each
as defined in MiFID II; and (ii) eligible for distribution through
all distribution channels as are permitted by MiFID II (the
"Target Market
Assessment"). Notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment,
Distributors (as defined within the MiFID II Product Governance
Requirements) should note that: the price of the Placing Shares may
decline and investors could lose all or part of their investment;
the Placing Shares offer no guaranteed income and no capital
protection; and an investment in Placing Shares is compatible only
with investors who do not need a guaranteed income or capital
protection, who (either alone or in conjunction with an appropriate
financial or other adviser) are capable of evaluating the merits
and risks of such an investment and who have sufficient resources
to be able to bear any losses that may result therefrom. The Target
Market Assessment is without prejudice to the requirements of any
contractual, legal or regulatory selling restrictions in relation
to the proposed Placing. Furthermore, it is noted that,
notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, the Joint Bookrunners
will only procure investors who meet the criteria of professional
clients and eligible counterparties. For the avoidance of doubt,
the Target Market Assessment does not constitute:(a) an assessment
of suitability of appropriateness for the purposes of MiFID II; or
(b) a recommendation to any investor or group of investors to
invest in, or purchase, or take any other action whatsoever with
respect to the Placing Shares. Each distributor is responsible for
undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the
Placing Shares and determining appropriate distribution
channels.
RBC is authorized and regulated by
the FCA in the United Kingdom and is acting exclusively for the
Company and no one else in connection with the Placing and RBC will
not be responsible to anyone (including any purchasers of the
Placing Shares) other than the Company for providing the
protections afforded to its clients or for providing advice in
relation to the Placing or any other matters referred to in this
Announcement.
Oberon Capital is authorized and
regulated by the FCA in the United Kingdom and is acting
exclusively for the Company and no one else in connection with the
Placing, and Oberon will not be responsible to anyone (including
any purchasers of the Placing Shares) other than the Company for
providing the protections afforded to its clients or for providing
advice in relation to the Placing or any other matters referred to
in this Announcement.
Orana is an appointed representative
of Ragnar Capital Partners LLP (FRN 593052) who are authorized and
regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom
and is acting exclusively for the Company and no one else in
connection with the Placing, and Orana will not be responsible to
anyone (including any purchasers of the Placing Shares) other than
the Company for providing the protections afforded to its clients
or for providing advice in relation to the Placing or any other
matters referred to in this Announcement.
No representation or warranty,
express or implied, is or will be made as to, or in relation to,
and no responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by the
Joint Bookrunners or by any of their respective affiliates or
agents as to, or in relation to, the accuracy or completeness of
this Announcement or any other written or oral information made
available to or publicly available to any interested party or their
respective advisers, and any liability therefore is expressly
disclaimed.