UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): November 17, 2025
GCM Grosvenor Inc.
(Exact name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
| Delaware | 001-39716 | 85-2226287 | ||
|
(State or Other Jurisdiction |
(Commission File Number) |
(IRS Employer |
| 900 North Michigan Avenue Suite 1100 Chicago, Illinois |
60611 | |
| (Address of Principal Executive Offices) | (Zip Code) |
(312) 506-6500
Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code:
Not Applicable
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
| ☐ | Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
| ☐ | Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
| ☐ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
| ☐ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||
| Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share | GCMG | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC | ||
| Warrants to purchase one share of Class A common stock | GCMGW | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
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 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Item 8.01. Other Events.
On November 17, 2025, GCM Grosvenor Inc. (the “Company”) entered into an Equity Distribution Agreement (the “Agreement”) with Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, as agent (the “Manager”), under which the Company may offer and sell opportunistically, from time to time at its sole discretion, up to an aggregate of $100 million of shares of its Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Class A Common Stock”), through the Manager (the “Offering”), pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (Registration No. 333-288378), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on June 27, 2025. The Company filed a prospectus supplement with the SEC on November 17, 2025 in connection with the Offering.
Under the terms of the Agreement, the Manager may sell the shares of Class A Common Stock by any method permitted by law deemed to be an “at the market offering” as defined in Rule 415 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The Manager will use its commercially reasonable efforts to sell the Class A Common Stock from time to time, based upon instructions from the Company (including any price, time or size limits or other customary parameters or conditions the Company may impose). The Company will pay the Manager a commission equal to 2.5% in the aggregate of the gross sales proceeds of any Class A Common Stock sold through the Manager under the Agreement.
The Company may offer and sell shares of the Class A Common Stock in the Offering opportunistically. If the Company determines to make such an offer and sale, it currently intends to use the net proceeds of any such offering for general working capital and general corporate purposes, including financing investments.
The Agreement contains customary representations, warranties and agreements by the Company, indemnification rights and obligations of the Company and the Manager, other obligations of the parties and termination provisions. The representations, warranties and agreements contained in the Agreement were made only for purposes of such agreement and as of specific dates, were solely for the benefit of the parties thereto and may be subject to limitations agreed upon by the contracting parties to such agreement.
The foregoing description of the Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by the full text of the Agreement, a copy of which is filed as Exhibit 1.1 hereto and is incorporated herein by reference.
This Current Report on Form 8-K shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of the Company, which is being made only by means of a written prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, nor shall there be any sale of the Company’s securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such jurisdiction.
A copy of the opinion of Latham & Watkins LLP regarding the validity of the shares of Class A Common Stock that may be issued and sold pursuant to the Agreement is filed as Exhibit 5.1 hereto and is incorporated by reference.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits.
| Exhibit No. | Description | |
| 1.1 | Equity Distribution Agreement, dated as of November 17, 2025, by and between the Company and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC. | |
| 5.1 | Opinion of Latham & Watkins LLP. | |
| 23.1 | Consent of Latham & Watkins LLP. (included in Exhibit 5.1) | |
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document). |
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
| GCM Grosvenor Inc. | ||
| Date: November 17, 2025 | By: | /s/ Michael J. Sacks |
| Name: | Michael J. Sacks | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |
Exhibit 1.1
GCM GROSVENOR INC.
Class A Common Stock ($0.0001 par value per share)
EQUITY DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT
November 17, 2025
November 17, 2025
To Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
1585 Broadway
New York, New York 10036
Ladies and Gentlemen:
GCM Grosvenor Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), proposes to issue and sell through Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, as sales agent (“Morgan Stanley” or the “Manager”), on the terms set forth in this equity distribution agreement (this “Agreement”), shares of its Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, having an aggregate gross sales price of up to $100,000,000 (the “Shares”). The shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company to be outstanding after giving effect to the sales contemplated hereby are hereinafter referred to as the “Common Stock”.
The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-288378), including a preliminary prospectus, relating to the securities (the “Shelf Securities”), including the Shares, to be issued from time to time by the Company. The registration statement as of its most recent effective date, including the information (if any) deemed to be part of the registration statement at the time of effectiveness pursuant to Rule 430A or Rule 430B under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or any subsequent registration statement on Form S-3 filed to complete the sales of the Shares, is hereinafter referred to as the “Registration Statement”, and the related prospectus covering the Shelf Securities and filed as part of the Registration Statement, together with any amendments or supplements thereto as of the most recent effective date of the Registration Statement, is hereinafter referred to as the “Basic Prospectus”. “Prospectus Supplement” means the final prospectus supplement, relating to the Shares, filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act on or before the second business day after the date hereof, in the form furnished by the Company to the Manager in connection with the offering of the Shares. Except where the context otherwise requires, “Prospectus” means the Basic Prospectus, as supplemented by the Prospectus Supplement and the most recent Interim Prospectus Supplement (as defined in Section 6(c) below), if any. For purposes of this Agreement, “free writing prospectus” has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act. “Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses” means the documents listed on Schedule I hereto or otherwise approved in writing by the Manager in accordance with Section 6(b), and “broadly available road show” means a “bona fide electronic road show” as defined in Rule 433(h)(5) under the Securities Act that has been made available without restriction to any person. As used herein, the terms “Registration Statement”, “Basic Prospectus”, “Prospectus Supplement”, “Interim Prospectus Supplement” and “Prospectus” shall include the documents, if any, incorporated by reference therein as of the date hereof. The terms “supplement”, “amendment” and “amend” as used herein with respect to the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, the Prospectus Supplement, any Interim Prospectus Supplement or the Prospectus shall include all documents subsequently filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), that are deemed to be incorporated by reference therein (the “Incorporated Documents”).
1. Representations and Warranties. The Company represents and warrants to and agrees with the Manager that:
(a) The Registration Statement has become effective; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement is in effect; and no proceedings for such purpose or pursuant to Section 8A under the Securities Act are pending before or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened by the Commission.
(b) (i)(A) At the respective times the Registration Statement and each amendment thereto became effective, (B) at each deemed effective date with respect to the Manager pursuant to Rule 430B(f)(2) under the Securities Act (each, a “Deemed Effective Time”), (C) as of each time Shares are sold pursuant to this Agreement (each, a “Time of Sale”), (D) at each Settlement Date (as defined below) and (E) at all times during which a prospectus is required by the Securities Act to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule) in connection with any sale of Shares (the “Delivery Period”), the Registration Statement complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations under the Securities Act; (ii) the Basic Prospectus complied, or will comply, at the time it was, or will be filed, with the Commission, complies as of the date hereof (if filed with the Commission on or prior to the date hereof) and, as of each Time of Sale and at all times during the Delivery Period, will comply in all material respects with the rules and regulations under the Securities Act; (iii) each of the Prospectus Supplement, any Interim Prospectus Supplement and the Prospectus will comply, as of the date that such document is filed with the Commission, as of each Time of Sale, as of each Settlement Date and at all times during the Delivery Period, in all material respects with the rules and regulations under the Securities Act; and (iv) the Incorporated Documents, when they were filed with the Commission, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, and any further Incorporated Documents so filed and incorporated by reference, when they are filed with the Commission, will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
(c) (i) As of the date hereof, at the respective times the Registration Statement and each amendment thereto became effective and at each Deemed Effective Time, the Registration Statement did not and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; (ii) as of each Time of Sale, the Prospectus (as amended and supplemented at such Time of Sale) and any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus then in use, considered together (collectively, the “General Disclosure Package”), did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; (iii) as of its date, the Prospectus did not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and (iv) at any Settlement Date, the Prospectus (as amended and supplemented at such Settlement Date) did not and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by the Manager expressly for use in the Prospectus or in the General Disclosure Package.
(d) Any free writing prospectus that the Company is required to file pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act has been, or will be, filed with the Commission in accordance with the requirements of the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. Each free writing prospectus that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act or that was prepared by or on behalf of or used or referred to by the Company complies or will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. Each free writing prospectus, as of its issue date and at all subsequent times through the completion of the public offer and sale of the Shares or until any earlier date that the Company notified or notifies the Manager, did not, does not and will not include any material information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in, or incorporated by reference into, the Registration Statement or the Prospectus. Each broadly available road show, if any, when considered together with the General Disclosure Package, does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. Except for the Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses, if any, and electronic road shows, if any, furnished to and approved by the Manager in accordance with Section 6(b), the Company has not prepared, used or referred to, and will not, prepare, use or refer to, any free writing prospectus.
(e) (i)(A) At the time of filing the Registration Statement, (B) at the time of the most recent amendment thereto for the purposes of complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act (whether such amendment was by post-effective amendment, incorporated report filed pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act or form of prospectus) and (C) at the time the Company or any person acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for this clause only, of Rule 163(c)) made any offer relating to the Shelf Securities in reliance on the exemption of Rule 163 under the Securities Act, the Company was not an “ineligible issuer” as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act; and (ii)(A) at the time of filing of the Registration Statement, (B) at the earliest time thereafter that the Company or another offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) under the Securities Act) of the Shares and (C) at the date hereof, the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
(f) The Company has been duly incorporated, is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware, has the corporate power and authority to own or lease its property and to conduct its business as described in each of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the General Disclosure Package and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction (to the extent the concept of good standing or an equivalent concept is applicable in such jurisdiction) in which the conduct of its business or its ownership or leasing of property requires such qualification, except to the extent that the failure to be so qualified or be in good standing would not reasonably be expected to, singly or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole (a “Material Adverse Effect”).
(g) Each “significant subsidiary” (as such term is defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X under the Exchange Act) of the Company has been duly incorporated, organized or formed, is validly existing as a corporation or other business entity in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, organization or formation (to the extent the concept of good standing or an equivalent concept is applicable in such jurisdiction), has the corporate or other business entity power and authority to own or lease its property and to conduct its business as described in each of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the General Disclosure Package and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction (to the extent the concept of good standing or an equivalent concept is applicable in such jurisdiction) in which the conduct of its business or its ownership or leasing of property requires such qualification, except in each case to the extent that the failure to be so qualified or be in good standing would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; all of the issued shares of capital stock or other equity interests of each significant subsidiary of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable (to the extent that such concepts are applicable) and except as described in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the General Disclosure Package are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims. All subsidiaries of the Company that were required to be included in Exhibit 21.1 to the Company’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K were so included.
(h) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
(i) The authorized capital stock of the Company conforms as to legal matters to the description thereof contained in each of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the General Disclosure Package.
(j) The shares of Common Stock outstanding prior to the issuance of the Shares have been duly authorized and are validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
(k) The Shares have been duly authorized and, when issued, delivered and paid for in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, and the issuance of the Shares will not be subject to any preemptive or similar rights that have not been duly waived or satisfied. As of the date hereof, the Company is in compliance with all of the listing rules and standards of the NASDAQ Global Market (“NASDAQ”).
(l) The execution and delivery by the Company of, and the performance by the Company of its obligations under, this Agreement (including without limitation the issuance of the Shares) will not contravene any provision of (i) applicable law, (ii) the certificate of incorporation or bylaws of the Company, (iii) any agreement or other instrument binding upon the Company or any of its subsidiaries that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or (iv) any judgment, order or decree of any governmental body, agency or court having jurisdiction over the Company or any subsidiary, except in the case of clauses (i), (iii) and (iv), as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, and no consent, approval, authorization or order of, or qualification with, any governmental body, agency or court is required for the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement, except such as may be required by the securities or Blue Sky laws of the various states or foreign jurisdictions or the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares.
(m) There has not occurred any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business or operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, from that set forth in the General Disclosure Package.
(n) There are no legal or governmental proceedings pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or to which any of the properties of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject (i) other than proceedings accurately described in all material respects in the General Disclosure Package and proceedings that would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or a material adverse effect on the power or ability of the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement or to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the General Disclosure Package or (ii) that are required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus and are not so described in all material respects; and there are no statutes, regulations, contracts or other documents that are required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement that are not described in all material respects or filed as required.
(o) The Company is not, and after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the General Disclosure Package will not be, required to register as an “investment company” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(p) The Company and each of its subsidiaries (i) are in compliance with any and all applicable foreign, federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the protection of human health and safety, the environment or hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (collectively, “Environmental Laws”), (ii) have received all permits, licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses as presently conducted and (iii) are in compliance with all terms and conditions of any such permit, license or approval, except where such noncompliance with Environmental Laws, failure to receive required permits, licenses or other approvals or failure to comply with the terms and conditions of such permits, licenses or approvals would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(q) There are no costs or liabilities associated with Environmental Laws (including, without limitation, any capital or operating expenditures required for clean-up, closure of properties or compliance with Environmental Laws or any permit, license or approval, any related constraints on operating activities and any potential liabilities to third parties) which would, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(r) There are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person granting such person the right to require the Company to file a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to any securities of the Company or to require the Company to include such securities with the Shares registered pursuant to the Registration Statement, except as otherwise have been validly waived or complied with in connection with the issuance and sale of the Shares contemplated hereby.
(s) (i) None of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates, or any director, officer, or employee thereof, or, to the Company’s knowledge, any agent or representative of the Company or of any of its subsidiaries or affiliates, has taken or will take any action in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization or approval of the payment, giving or receipt of money, property, gifts or anything else of value, directly or indirectly, to any person in order to influence official action by that person for the benefit of the Company or its subsidiaries or affiliates, or to otherwise secure any improper advantage, or to any person in violation of (a) the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, (b) the UK Bribery Act 2010, or (c) any other applicable law, regulation, order, decree or directive having the force of law and relating to bribery or corruption (collectively, the “Anti-Corruption Laws”); (ii) the operations of the Company and each of its subsidiaries and affiliates are and have at all times been conducted in material compliance with Anti-Corruption Laws.
(t) The operations of the Company and each of its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in material compliance with all applicable anti-money laundering laws, rules and regulations, including the financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including those of the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by Title III of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act), and the applicable anti-money laundering statutes of jurisdictions where the Company and each of its subsidiaries conduct business, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency with jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Anti-Money Laundering Laws”), and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental or regulatory agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Anti-Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened.
(u) None of the Company, any of its subsidiaries, or any director, officer, employee thereof, or, to the Company’s knowledge, any, agent, affiliate or representative of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, is an individual or entity (“Person”) that is, or is owned or controlled by one or more Persons that are:
(i) the subject of any sanctions administered or enforced by the United States Government (including the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and the U.S. Department of State), the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, His Majesty’s Treasury, or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), or
(ii) located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of comprehensive territorial Sanctions (including, without limitation, the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic, or any other Covered Region of Ukraine identified pursuant to Executive Order 14065, Crimea, Cuba, Iran and North Korea).
(v) The Company will not, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of the offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other Person:
(i) to fund or facilitate any activities or business of or with any Person or in any country or territory that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is, or whose government is, the subject of Sanctions; or
(ii) to fund or facilitate any money laundering or terrorist financing activities; or
(iii) in any other manner that will result in a violation of any Anti-Corruption Laws, Anti-Money Laundering Laws, or Sanctions by any Person (including any Person participating in the offering, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise).
(w) The Company and each of its subsidiaries (a) have not, since April 24, 2019, engaged in, (b) are not now engaged in, and (c) will not engage in any dealings or transactions with any Person, or in any country or territory, that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was, or whose government is or was, the subject of Sanctions.
(x) The Company and its subsidiaries have conducted and will conduct their businesses in compliance with the Anti-Corruption Laws, the Anti-Money Laundering Laws, and Sanctions, and no investigation, inquiry, action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Anti-Corruption Laws, the Anti-Money Laundering Laws, or Sanctions is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened. The Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates have instituted and maintained and will continue to maintain policies and procedures reasonably designed to promote and achieve compliance with the Anti-Corruption Laws, the Anti-Money Laundering Laws, Sanctions, and with the representations and warranties contained herein.
(y) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries (a) is or shall become a “covered foreign person”, as that term is defined in the Outbound Investment Rules or (b) currently engages, or has plans to engage, directly or indirectly, in (i) a “covered activity” or a “covered transaction”, as each such term is defined in the Outbound Investment Rules, (ii) any activity or transaction that would constitute a “covered activity” or a “covered transaction” if engaged in by a “U.S. person”, as each such term is defined in the Outbound Investment Rules, or (iii) any other activity that would cause Manager to be in violation of, or legally prohibited from performing under this Agreement by, the Outbound Investment Rules.
(z) Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in each of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the General Disclosure Package, (i) the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, have not incurred any material liability or obligation, direct or contingent, nor entered into any material transaction; (ii) the Company has not purchased any of its outstanding capital stock, nor declared, paid or otherwise made any dividend or distribution of any kind on its capital stock other than ordinary and customary dividends; and (iii) there has not been any material change in the capital stock, short-term debt or long-term debt of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(aa) The Company and each of its subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to all real property and good and marketable title to all personal property owned by them which is material to the business of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and defects except such as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole; and any real property and buildings held under lease by the Company and its subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with such exceptions as are not material and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property and buildings by the Company and its subsidiaries.
(bb) (i) Except as would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, the Company and its subsidiaries own or have a valid license to all patents, inventions, copyrights, know how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures), trademarks, service marks, trade names and all other worldwide intellectual property and proprietary rights (collectively, “Intellectual Property Rights”) used in their businesses as currently conducted; (ii) except as would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, the Intellectual Property Rights owned by the Company and its subsidiaries and, to the Company’s knowledge, the Intellectual Property Rights licensed to the Company and its subsidiaries, are valid, subsisting and enforceable, and there is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the validity, scope or enforceability of any such Intellectual Property Rights; (iii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice alleging any infringement, misappropriation or other violation of Intellectual Property Rights which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would have a Material Adverse Effect; (iv) to the Company’s knowledge, no third party is infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating, or has infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated, any material Intellectual Property Rights owned by the Company; (v) to the Company’s knowledge neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries materially infringes, misappropriates or otherwise violates, or has infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated, any Intellectual Property Rights; (vi) all employees or contractors engaged in the development of material Intellectual Property Rights on behalf of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company have executed an invention assignment agreement whereby such employees or contractors presently assign all of their right, title and interest in and to such Intellectual Property Rights to the Company or the applicable subsidiary, and to the Company’s knowledge no such agreement has been breached or violated; and (vii) the Company and its subsidiaries use, and have used, commercially reasonable efforts to appropriately maintain all information intended to be maintained as a trade secret.
(cc) The Company and its subsidiaries use and have used any and all software and other materials distributed under a “free,” “open source,” or similar licensing model (including but not limited to the MIT License, Apache License, GNU General Public License, GNU Lesser General Public License and GNU Affero General Public License) (“Open Source Software”) in compliance with all license terms applicable to such Open Source Software, except where such non-compliance would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(dd) (i) The Company and each of its subsidiaries have materially complied and are presently in material compliance with all applicable internal and external privacy policies, contractual obligations, industry standards, applicable laws, statutes, judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or other governmental or regulatory authority and any other legal obligations, in each case, relating to the collection, use, transfer, import, export, storage, protection, disposal or disclosure by the Company or any of its subsidiaries of personal, personally identifiable, household, sensitive, confidential or regulated data, and/or the development or use of artificial intelligence technologies (“Data Security Obligations”, and such data, “Data”); (ii) the Company and its subsidiaries have not received any notification of or complaint regarding non-compliance with any Data Security Obligation, except as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and (iii) there is no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened against the Company or any of its subsidiaries alleging non-compliance with any Data Security Obligation.
(ee) Except as would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and each of its subsidiaries have taken commercially reasonable technical and organizational measures necessary to protect the information technology systems and Data used in connection with the operation of the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ businesses, and such information technology systems are adequate for, and operate and perform in all material respects as required in connection with, the operation of the businesses of the Company and its subsidiaries as currently conducted, free and clear of all material bugs, errors, defects, Trojan horses, time bombs, malware and other corruptants. Without limiting the foregoing, the Company and its subsidiaries have used commercially reasonable efforts to establish and maintain, and have established, maintained, implemented and complied with, commercially reasonable information technology, information security, cyber security and data protection controls, policies and procedures, including oversight, access controls, encryption, technological and physical safeguards and business continuity/disaster recovery and security plans that are designed to protect against and prevent breach, destruction, loss, unauthorized distribution, use, access, disablement, misappropriation or modification, or other compromise or misuse of or relating to any information technology system or Data used in connection with the operation of the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ businesses (“Breach”). There has been no such Breach, and the Company and its subsidiaries have not been notified of and have no knowledge of any event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in, any such Breach, except for any Breach that has been resolved without material cost, liability or the requirement to notify any person.
(ff) No material labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries exists, or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent; and the Company is not aware of any existing, threatened or imminent labor disturbance by the employees of any of its principal suppliers, manufacturers or contractors that could, singly or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.
(gg) Except as would not, singly or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the Company and each of its subsidiaries are insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are, in the reasonable judgment of the Company, prudent and customary in the businesses in which they are engaged; neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has been refused any insurance coverage sought or applied for; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business at a cost that would not, singly or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.
(hh) The Company and each of its subsidiaries possess all certificates, authorizations and permits issued by the appropriate federal, state or foreign regulatory authorities necessary to conduct their respective businesses, and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such certificate, authorization or permit which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would have a Material Adverse Effect.
(ii) The financial statements included or incorporated by reference in each of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the General Disclosure Package, together with the related schedules and notes thereto, comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Securities Act and present fairly in all material respects the consolidated financial position of the Company and its subsidiaries as of the dates shown and its results of operations and cash flows for the periods shown, and such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods covered thereby except for any normal year-end adjustments in the Company’s quarterly financial statements. The other financial information included in each of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the General Disclosure Package has been derived from the accounting records of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries and presents fairly in all material respects the information shown thereby. The statistical, industry-related and market-related data included in each of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the General Disclosure Package are based on or derived from sources which the Company reasonably and in good faith believes are reliable and accurate and such data is consistent with the sources from which they are derived, in each case in all material respects.
(jj) Ernst & Young LLP, who have certified certain financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries and delivered its report with respect to the audited consolidated financial statements and schedules filed with the Commission as part of the Registration Statement and included in each of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the General Disclosure Package, is an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations thereunder adopted by the Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).
(kk) The Company and each of its subsidiaries maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences; and (v) the interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement is accurate in all material respects. Since the end of the Company’s most recent audited fiscal year, there has been (i) no material weakness in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated) and (ii) no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
(ll) The Company maintains an effective system of “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) of the Exchange Act) that is designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, including controls and procedures designed to ensure that such material information is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. The Company has carried out evaluations of the effectiveness of its disclosure controls and procedures as required by Rule 13a-15 of the Exchange Act and such disclosure controls and procedures were effective, in all material respects, as of the end of the Company’s most recently completed fiscal quarter.
(mm) The Company and each of its subsidiaries have filed all federal, state, local and foreign tax returns required to be filed through the date of this Agreement or have requested extensions thereof (except where the failure to file would not, singly or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect) and have paid all taxes required to be paid thereon (except for cases in which the failure to file or pay would not, singly or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, or, except as currently being contested in good faith and for which reserves required by U.S. GAAP have been created in the financial statements of the Company), and no unpaid tax deficiency has been determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries which, singly or in the aggregate, has had, nor does the Company nor any of its subsidiaries have any notice or knowledge of any unpaid tax deficiency which could reasonably be expected to be determined adversely to the Company or its subsidiaries and which could reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect.
(nn) The interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement fairly presents the information called for in all material respects and has been prepared in all material respects in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto.
(oo) The Company (i) has not alone engaged in any Testing-the-Waters Communication with any person in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and (ii) has not authorized anyone other than Morgan Stanley to engage in Testing-the-Waters Communications in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. The Company has not distributed in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement any Testing-the-Waters Communication that is a written communication within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act. “Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any communication with potential investors undertaken in reliance on Section 5(d) or Rule 163B of the Securities Act in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
2. Sale of Securities. On the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements herein contained, but subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company and the Manager agree that the Company may from time to time seek to sell Shares through the Manager, acting as sales agent as follows:
(a) The Company may submit its orders to the Manager by telephone or electronic mail (including any price, time or size limits or other customary parameters or conditions) to sell Shares on any Trading Day (as defined herein), which order shall be confirmed by the Manager (and accepted by the Company) by electronic mail using a form substantially similar to that attached hereto as Exhibit A. As used herein, “Trading Day” shall mean any trading day on NASDAQ (the “Exchange”), other than a day on which the Exchange is scheduled to close prior to its regular weekday closing time.
(b) Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, the Manager shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to execute any Company order submitted to it hereunder to sell Shares and with respect to which the Manager has agreed to act as sales agent. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) there can be no assurance that the Manager will be successful in selling the Shares, (ii) the Manager will incur no liability or obligation to the Company or any other person or entity if it does not sell Shares for any reason and (iii) the Manager shall be under no obligation to purchase Shares on a principal basis pursuant to this Agreement.
(c) The Company shall not authorize the issuance and sale of, and the Manager shall not sell, any Share at a price lower than the minimum price therefor designated by the Company pursuant to Section 2(a) above. In addition, the Company or the Manager may, upon notice to the other party hereto by telephone (confirmed promptly by email or facsimile), suspend an offering of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement; provided, however, that such suspension or termination shall not affect or impair the parties’ respective obligations with respect to the Shares sold hereunder prior to the giving of such notice.
(d) The Manager shall provide written confirmation (which may be by facsimile or email) to the Company following the close of trading on the Exchange each day in which Shares are sold under this Agreement setting forth (i) the amount of Shares sold on such day, (ii) the gross offering proceeds received from such sale and (iii) the commission payable by the Company to the Manager with respect to such sales.
(e) At each Time of Sale, Settlement Date and Representation Date (as defined below), the Company shall be deemed to have affirmed each representation and warranty contained in this Agreement. Any obligation of the Manager to use its commercially reasonable efforts to sell the Shares on behalf of the Company as sales agent shall be subject to the continuing accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company herein, to the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and to the continuing satisfaction of the additional conditions specified in Section 5 of this Agreement.
(f) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Company and the Manager agree that no sales of Shares shall take place, the Company shall not request the sales of any Shares that would be sold and the Manager shall not be obligated to sell or offer to sell, during any period in which the Company is, or could be deemed to be, in possession of material non-public information.
(g) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the Manager may decline, for any reason in its sole discretion, to act as sales agent for the Company hereunder with respect to one or more sets of Company instructions for the sale of the Shares.
3. Fee.
(a) The compensation to the Manager for sales of the Shares with respect to which the Manager acts as sales agent hereunder shall be equal to 2.500% of the gross offering proceeds of the Shares sold pursuant to this Agreement.
(b) If this Agreement is terminated by the Company prior to May 17, 2026 in accordance with the provisions of Section 10 and, at the time of the Company’s notice of termination, the gross purchase price of the Shares sold pursuant to this Agreement is less than $50,000,000, the Company shall reimburse the Manager for all of its reasonable out-of-pocket expenses, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Manager incurred by it in connection with the offering contemplated by this Agreement.
4. Payment, Delivery and Other Obligations. Settlement for sales of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement will occur on the first Trading Day (or such earlier day as is industry practice for regular-way trading) following the date on which such sales are made (each such day, a “Settlement Date”). On each Settlement Date, the Shares sold through the Manager for settlement on such date shall be issued and delivered by the Company to the Manager against payment of the net proceeds from the sale of such Shares. Settlement for all such Shares shall be effected by free delivery of the Shares by the Company or its transfer agent to the Manager’s or its designee’s account (provided that the Manager shall have given the Company written notice of such designee prior to the Settlement Date) at The Depository Trust Company or by such other means of delivery as may be mutually agreed upon by the parties hereto, which in all cases shall be freely tradable, transferable, registered shares in good deliverable form, in return for payment in same day funds delivered to the account designated by the Company. If the Company, or its transfer agent (if applicable), shall default on its obligation to deliver the Shares on any Settlement Date, the Company shall (i) hold the Manager harmless against any loss, claim, damage, or expense (including reasonable legal fees and expenses), as incurred, arising out of or in connection with such default by the Company and (ii) pay the Manager any commission, discount or other compensation to which it would otherwise be entitled absent such default.
5. Conditions to the Manager’s Obligations. The obligations of the Manager are subject to the following conditions:
(a) Since the later of (A) the date of this Agreement and (B) the immediately preceding Representation Date:
(i) no order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall be in effect, and no proceeding for such purpose or pursuant to Section 8A under the Securities Act shall be pending before or threatened by the Commission;
(ii) there shall not have occurred any downgrading, nor shall any notice have been given of any intended or potential downgrading or of any review for a possible change that does not indicate the direction of the possible change, in the rating accorded any of the securities of the Company or any of its subsidiaries by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization”, as such term is defined in Section 3(a)(62) of the Exchange Act; and
(iii) there shall not have occurred any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business or operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, from the respective dates of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the General Disclosure Package that, in the Manager’s judgment, is material and adverse and that makes it, in the Manager’s judgment, impracticable to market the Shares on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus.
(b) The Manager shall have received on each date specified in Section 6(l) a certificate, dated such date and signed by an executive officer of the Company, to the effect set forth in Sections 5(a)(i) and 5(a)(ii) above and to the effect that (i) the representations and warranties of the Company contained in this Agreement are true and correct as of such date; (ii) the Company has complied with all of the agreements and satisfied all of the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder on or before such date; (iii) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and no proceeding for that purpose has been initiated or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened by the Commission; (iv) the Prospectus Supplement, any Interim Prospectus Supplement and each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus have been timely filed with the Commission under the Securities Act (in the case of a Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, to the extent required by Rule 433 under the Securities Act), and all requests for additional information on the part of the Commission have been complied with or otherwise satisfied; (v) as of such date and as of each Time of Sale, if any, subsequent to the immediately preceding Representation Date, the Registration Statement did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; and (vi) as of such date and as of each Time of Sale, if any, subsequent to the immediately preceding Representation Date, the General Disclosure Package did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that no such certificate shall apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by the Manager expressly for use in the General Disclosure Package.
The officer signing and delivering such certificate may rely upon the best of his or her knowledge as to proceedings threatened.
(c) The Manager shall have received on each date specified in Section 6(m), and on such other dates as may be reasonably requested by the Manager, an opinion and negative assurance letter of Latham & Watkins LLP, outside counsel for the Company, dated such date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Manager.
(d) The Manager shall have received on each date specified in Section 6(n), and on such other dates as may be reasonably requested by the Manager, an opinion and negative assurance letter of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, counsel for the Manager, dated such date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Manager, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel such documents as they request for the purpose of enabling them to deliver such opinion and negative assurance letter.
The opinion and negative assurance letter of counsel for the Company described in Section 5(c) above shall be rendered to the Manager at the request of the Company and shall so state therein.
(e) The Manager shall have received on each date specified in Section 6(o), a letter dated such date in form and substance satisfactory to the Manager, from Ernst & Young LLP, independent public accountants for the Company, (A) confirming that they are an independent registered public accounting firm within the meaning of the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, (B) stating, as of such date, the conclusions and findings of such firm with respect to the financial information and other matters ordinarily covered by accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters in connection with registered public offerings (the first such letter, the “Initial Comfort Letter”) and (C) updating the Initial Comfort Letter with any information that would have been included in the Initial Comfort Letter had it been given on such date and modified as necessary to relate to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus Supplement, the Prospectus or any issuer free writing prospectus, as amended and supplemented to the date of such letter.
(f) On each date specified in Section 5(b), and only to the extent required by the terms of Section 6(l), the Manager shall have received a letter dated such date in form and substance satisfactory to the Manager, from the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, stating, as of such date, the conclusions and findings of such individual, in her capacity as Chief Financial Officer of the Company, with respect to certain current financial information requested by the Manager.
(g) All filings with the Commission required by Rule 424 under the Act to have been filed by each Time of Sale or related Settlement Date shall have been made within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by Rule 424 (without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8)).
(h) The Shares shall have been approved for listing on the Exchange, subject only to a notice of issuance at or prior to the applicable Settlement Date.
(i) The Common Stock shall be an “actively-traded security” excepted from the requirements of Rule 101 of Regulation M under the Exchange Act by subsection (c)(1) of such rule.
6. Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants with the Manager as follows:
(a) To furnish to the Manager copies of the Registration Statement (excluding exhibits) and copies of the Prospectus (or the Prospectus as amended or supplemented) in such quantities as the Manager may from time to time reasonably request. In case the Manager is required to deliver, under the Securities Act (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule), a prospectus relating to the Shares after the nine-month period referred to in Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act, or after the time a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement is required pursuant to Item 512(a) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act, upon the request of the Manager, and at its own expense, the Company shall prepare and deliver to the Manager as many copies as the Manager may reasonably request of an amended Registration Statement or amended or supplemented prospectus complying with Item 512(a) of Regulation S-K or Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act, as the case may be.
(b) Before amending or supplementing the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (which, for avoidance of doubt, shall not include the filing of any reports or any definitive proxy statement required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act), to furnish to the Manager a copy of each such proposed amendment or supplement and not to file any such proposed amendment or supplement to which the Manager reasonably objects (other than any prospectus supplement relating to the offering of Shelf Securities other than the Common Stock). To furnish to the Manager a copy of each proposed free writing prospectus to be prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company and not to use or refer to any proposed free writing prospectus to which the Manager reasonably objects. Not to take any action that would result in the Manager or the Company being required to file with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act a free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of the Manager that the Manager otherwise would not have been required to file thereunder.
(c) To file, subject to Section 6(b) above, promptly all reports and any definitive proxy or information statements required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act subsequent to the date of the Prospectus Supplement and for the duration of the Delivery Period. For the duration of the Delivery Period, to include in its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and in its annual reports on Form 10-K, a summary detailing, for the relevant reporting period, (i) the number of Shares sold through the Manager pursuant to this Agreement, (ii) the net proceeds received by the Company from such sales and (iii) the compensation paid by the Company to the Manager with respect to such sales (or alternatively, to prepare a prospectus supplement (each, an “Interim Prospectus Supplement”) with such summary information and, at least once a quarter and subject to Section 6(b) above, file such Interim Prospectus Supplement pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act (and within the time periods required by Rule 424(b) and Rules 430A, 430B or 430C under the Securities Act)).
(d) To file any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus to the extent required by Rule 433 under the Securities Act and to provide copies of the Prospectus and such Prospectus Supplement and each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus (to the extent not previously delivered or filed on the Commission’s Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system or any successor system thereto) to the Manager via electronic mail in “.pdf” format on such filing date to an electronic mail account designated by the Manager and, at the Manager’s request, to also furnish copies of the Prospectus and such Prospectus Supplement to the Exchange and each other exchange or market on which sales of the Shares were effected, in each case, as may be required by the rules or regulations of the Exchange or such other exchange or market.
(e) During the Delivery Period to advise the Manager, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the issuance of any stop order by the Commission, of the suspension of the qualification of the Shares for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for any such purpose, or of any request by the Commission for the amending or supplementing of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus Supplement, the Prospectus or any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus or for additional information; and, in the event of the issuance of any such stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any prospectus relating to the Shares or suspending any such qualification, to promptly use its best efforts to obtain its withdrawal.
(f) If, after the date hereof and during the Delivery Period, either (i) any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which the Prospectus would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or (ii) for any other reason it shall be necessary during such same period to amend or supplement the Prospectus or to file any document in order to comply with the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, to promptly advise the Manager by telephone (with confirmation in writing or electronic mail) and to promptly prepare and file, subject to Section 6(b) above, with the Commission an amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus which will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance and to furnish to the Manager as many copies as the Manager may reasonably request of such amendment or supplement.
(g) To endeavor to qualify the Shares for offer and sale under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions as the Manager shall reasonably request and to continue such qualifications in effect so long as necessary under such laws for the distribution of the Shares, provided that, in no event shall the Company be obligated to qualify to do business in any jurisdiction where it is not now so qualified or to take any action that would be subject it to service of process in suits, other than those arising out of the offering or sale of the Shares, or subject itself to taxation, in each case in any jurisdiction where it is not now so subject.
(h) To make generally available to the Company’s security holders and to the Manager as soon as practicable an earnings statement covering a period of at least 12 months beginning with the first fiscal quarter of the Company occurring after the date of this Agreement which shall satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
(i) Whether or not the transactions contemplated in this Agreement are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, to pay or cause to be paid all expenses incident to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including: (i) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the Company’s counsel and the Company’s accountants in connection with the registration and delivery of the Shares under the Securities Act and all other fees or expenses in connection with the preparation and filing of the Registration Statement, any Prospectus Supplement, the Prospectus, any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company and amendments and supplements to any of the foregoing, including the filing fees payable to the Commission relating to the Shares (within the time required by Rule 456(b)(1), if applicable), all printing costs associated therewith, and the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the Manager, in the quantities hereinabove specified, (ii) all costs and expenses related to the transfer and delivery of the Shares, including any transfer or other taxes payable thereon, (iii) the cost of printing or producing any Blue Sky or Legal Investment memorandum in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares under state securities laws and all expenses in connection with the qualification of the Shares for offer and sale under state securities laws as provided in Section 6(g) above, including filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Manager in connection with such qualification and in connection with the Blue Sky or Legal Investment memorandum, (iv) all filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel to the Manager incurred in connection with the offering contemplated by this Agreement, including any review and qualification by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, provided that reimbursement pursuant to this clause (iv) shall not exceed $150,000 in connection with the execution of this Agreement, (v) all costs and expenses incident to listing the Shares on the Exchange, (vi) the costs and charges of any transfer agent, registrar or depositary, and (vii) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of the obligations of the Company hereunder for which provision is not otherwise made in this Section. It is understood, however, that except as provided in this Section 6, Section 3(b) and Section 8, the Manager will pay all of its costs and expenses, including any advertising expenses connected with any offers the Manager may make.
(j) If the third anniversary of the initial effective date of the Registration Statement occurs before all the Shares have been sold, prior to such third anniversary, to file, subject to Section 6(b), a new shelf registration statement and to take any other action necessary to permit the public offering of the Shares to continue without interruption (references herein to the Registration Statement shall include the new registration statement declared effective by the Commission).
(k) To use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Shares to be listed for trading on the Exchange and to maintain such listing.
(l) Upon commencement of the offering of the Shares under this Agreement (and upon the recommencement of the offering of the Shares under this Agreement following the termination of a suspension of sales hereunder), and each time that (i) the Registration Statement or the Prospectus is amended or supplemented (other than a prospectus supplement relating solely to the offering of Shelf Securities other than the Shares) or (ii) there is filed with the Commission any document incorporated by reference into the Prospectus (other than a Current Report on Form 8-K, unless the Manager shall otherwise reasonably request) (such commencement date (and any such recommencement date, if applicable) and each such date referred to in (i) and (ii) above, a “Representation Date”), to furnish or cause to be furnished to the Manager forthwith a certificate dated and delivered as of such date, in form reasonably satisfactory to the Manager, to the effect that the statements contained in the certificate referred to in Section 5(b) of this Agreement are true and correct at the time of such commencement, recommencement, amendment, supplement or filing, as the case may be, as though made at and as of such time modified as necessary to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended and supplemented to the time of delivery of such certificate. The requirement to deliver a certificate under this Section 6(l) shall be automatically waived upon notice by the Company to the Managers that the Company temporarily wishes to suspend all sales under this Agreement (the “Suspension Period”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company subsequently decides to commence the sale of Shares under this Agreement following a Suspension Period and the Company has not provided the Managers with a certificate under this Section 6(l), then before the Managers sell any shares, the Company shall provide the Manager with a certificate required under this Section 6(l).
(m) On each Representation Date, the Company shall cause to be furnished to the Manager, dated as of such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Manager, the written opinion and negative assurance letter of Latham & Watkins LLP, outside counsel for the Company, as described in Section 5(c), modified as necessary to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended and supplemented to the time of delivery of such opinion.
(n) On each Representation Date, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, counsel to the Manager, shall furnish to the Manager a written opinion and negative assurance letter, dated as of such date in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Manager.
With respect to Sections 6(m) and 6(n) above, in lieu of delivering such an opinion and negative assurance letter for dates subsequent to the commencement of the offering of the Shares under this Agreement such counsel may furnish the Manager with a letter (a “Reliance Letter”) to the effect that the Manager may rely on a prior opinion and negative assurance letter delivered under Section 6(m) or Section 6(n), as the case may be, to the same extent as if it were dated the date of such letter (except that statements in such prior opinion shall be deemed to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended or supplemented as of such subsequent date).
(o) Upon commencement of the offering of the Shares under this Agreement (and upon the recommencement of the offering of the Shares under this Agreement following the termination of a suspension of sales hereunder) and each time that (i) the Registration Statement or the Prospectus is amended or supplemented to include additional financial information, (ii) the Company files an annual report on Form 10-K or quarterly report on Form 10-Q, (iii) there is filed with the Commission any document (other than an annual report on Form 10-K or quarterly report on Form 10-Q) incorporated by reference into the Prospectus which contains additional or amended financial information or (iv) on such other dates as may be reasonably requested by the Manager, Ernst & Young LLP, independent public accountants of the Company, shall deliver to the Manager the comfort letter(s) described in Section 5(e). To comply with the Due Diligence Protocol attached hereto on Schedule II and any other due diligence review or call reasonably requested by the Manager.
(p) To reserve and keep available at all times, free of preemptive rights, Shares for the purpose of enabling the Company to satisfy its obligations hereunder.
(q) That it consents to the Manager trading in the Common Stock for the Manager’s own account and for the account of its clients at the same time as sales of the Shares occur pursuant to this Agreement.
(r) That each acceptance by the Company of an offer to purchase the Shares hereunder shall be deemed to be an affirmation to the Manager that the representations and warranties of the Company contained in or made pursuant to this Agreement are true and correct as of the date of such acceptance as though made at and as of such date, and an undertaking that such representations and warranties will be true and correct as of the Time of Sale and the Settlement Date for the Shares relating to such acceptance as though made at and as of each of such dates (except that such representations and warranties shall be deemed to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended and supplemented relating to such Shares).
(s) Prior to instructing the Manager pursuant to Section 2 hereof to make sales on any given day (or as otherwise agreed between the Company and the Manager), a subcommittee of the Company’s board of directors (the “Board”), authorized by either the Board or any authorized committee of the Board, (i) shall have approved the minimum price and maximum number of Shares to be sold on such day and (ii) shall have provided to the Company an authorizing resolution approving such price and number. The instructions provided to the Manager by the Company, pursuant to Section 2, on such day shall reflect the terms of such authorizing resolution.
(t) Not to, or publicly disclose an intention to, sell, offer to sell, contract or agree to sell, hypothecate, pledge, grant any option to sell or otherwise dispose of or agree to dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of the Common Stock Class B common stock, par value $0.0001, Class C common stock, par value $0.0001 (the “Company Common Stock”) or securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for the Common Stock or warrants or other rights to purchase the Common Stock or any other securities of the Company that are substantially similar to the Common Stock or permit the registration under the Securities Act of any shares of the Common Stock, except for (i) the registration of the Shares and the sales through the Manager pursuant to this Agreement, (ii) any shares of Common Stock issued by the Company upon the exercise of an option or warrant or the conversion or redemption of a security outstanding and referred to in the Prospectus, (iii) any shares of Common Stock issued or options to purchase Common Stock granted pursuant to existing employee benefit plans of the Company or (iv) any shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to any non-employee director stock plan, dividend reinvestment plan or stock purchase plan of the Company, during the Delivery Period, without giving the Manager at least three business days’ prior written notice specifying the nature of the proposed sale and the date of such proposed sale and the Manager suspending activity under this program for such period of time as requested by the Company. The restrictions contained in the foregoing sentence shall not apply to the (A) sale or issuance of or entry into an agreement providing for the sale or issuance of Company Common Stock or securities convertible into, exercisable for or which are otherwise exchangeable for or represent the right to receive Company Common Stock during any Suspension Period; (B) issuance or sale of Shares, options to purchase Shares or Shares issuable upon the exercise of options or other equity awards pursuant to any employee or director share option, incentive or benefit plan, share purchase or ownership plan, long-term incentive plan, dividend reinvestment plan, inducement award under NASDAQ rules or other compensation plan of the Company or its subsidiaries; or (C) sale or issuance of or entry into an agreement providing for the sale or issuance of Company Common Stock or securities convertible into, exercisable for or which are otherwise exchangeable for or represent the right to receive Company Common Stock in connection with (x) the acquisition by the Company or any of its subsidiaries of the securities, business, technology, property or other assets of another person or entity or pursuant to an employee benefit plan assumed by the Company in connection with such acquisition, and the issuance of any Company Common Stock or securities convertible into, exercisable for or which are otherwise exchangeable for or represent the right to receive Company Common Stock pursuant to any such agreement or (y) the Company’s joint ventures, commercial relationships and other strategic transactions, provided that the aggregate number of shares of Company Common Stock securities convertible into, exercisable for or which are otherwise exchangeable for or represent the right to receive Company Common Stock that the Company may sell or issue or agree to sell or issue pursuant to this clause (C) shall not exceed 10% of the total number of shares of Company Common Stock outstanding as of the most recent fiscal quarter end prior to the earlier of the execution of a definitive agreement to sell or issue such securities.
7. Covenants of the Manager. The Manager covenants with the Company not to take any action that would result in the Company being required to file with the Commission under Rule 433(d) a free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of the Manager that otherwise would not be required to be filed by the Company thereunder, but for the action of the Manager.
8. Indemnity and Contribution.
(a) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Manager, each person, if any, who controls the Manager within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act and each affiliate of the Manager within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with defending or investigating any such action or claim) that arise out of, or are based upon, any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, the Prospectus Supplement (including any Interim Prospectus Supplement), the General Disclosure Package, any free writing prospectus that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Testing-the Waters Communication, or arise out of, or are based upon, any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, except insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities arise out of, or are based upon, any such untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with any information relating to the Manager furnished to the Company in writing by the Manager expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by the Manager consists of the information described as such in paragraph (b) below.
(b) The Manager agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, its officers who sign the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act to the same extent as the foregoing indemnity from the Company to the Manager, but only with reference to information relating to the Manager furnished to the Company in writing by the Manager expressly for use in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, the Prospectus Supplement (including any Interim Prospectus Supplement), the General Disclosure Package, any free writing prospectus that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act, or any amendment or supplement thereto, it being understood and agreed upon that the only such information furnished by any Manager consists of the name of the Manager as presented on the front and back covers of the Prospectus Supplement.
(c) In case any proceeding (including any governmental investigation) shall be instituted involving any person in respect of which indemnity may be sought pursuant to Section 8(a) or 8(b), such person (the “indemnified party”) shall promptly notify the person against whom such indemnity may be sought (the “indemnifying party”) in writing, and the indemnifying party, upon request of the indemnified party, shall retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party and any others the indemnifying party may designate in such proceeding and shall pay the reasonable and documented fees and disbursements of such counsel related to such proceeding. In any such proceeding, any indemnified party shall have the right to retain its own counsel, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such indemnified party unless (i) the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have mutually agreed to the retention of such counsel or (ii) the named parties to any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both the indemnifying party and the indemnified party and representation of both parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between them. It is understood that the indemnifying party shall not, in respect of the legal expenses of any indemnified party in connection with any proceeding or related proceedings in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the reasonable and documented fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for all such indemnified parties and that all such fees and expenses shall be reimbursed as they are incurred. Such firm shall be designated in writing by the Manager, in the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 8(a), and by the Company, in the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 8(b). The indemnifying party shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify the indemnified party from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for reasonable and documented fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by the second and third sentences of this paragraph, the indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 30 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request and (ii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party, unless such settlement includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such proceeding.
(d) To the extent the indemnification provided for in Section 8(a) or 8(b) is unavailable to an indemnified party or insufficient in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to therein, then each indemnifying party under such paragraph, in lieu of indemnifying such indemnified party thereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Manager, on the other hand, from the offering of the Shares or (ii) if the allocation provided by Section 8(d)(i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in Section 8(d)(i) above but also the relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and of the Manager, on the other hand, in connection with the statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Manager, on the other hand, in connection with the offering of the Shares shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the net proceeds from the offering of the Shares (before deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the total commissions received by the Manager. The relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Manager, on the other hand, shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Manager and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.
(e) The Company and the Manager agree that it would not be just or equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 8 were determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in Section 8(d). The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages and liabilities referred to in Section 8(d) shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth above, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 8, the Manager shall not be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Shares sold by it were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages that the Manager has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The remedies provided for in this Section 8 are not exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available to any indemnified party at law or in equity.
(f) The indemnity and contribution provisions contained in this Section 8 and the representations, warranties and other statements of the Company contained in this Agreement shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of (i) any termination of this Agreement, (ii) any investigation made by or on behalf of the Manager, any person controlling the Manager or any affiliate of the Manager or by or on behalf of the Company, its officers or directors or any person controlling the Company and (iii) acceptance of and payment for any of the Shares.
9. Effectiveness. This Agreement shall become effective upon the execution and delivery hereof by the parties hereto.
10. Termination. (a) The Company shall have the right, by giving written notice as hereinafter specified, to terminate this Agreement in its sole discretion at any time. Any such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party, except that (i) with respect to any pending sale through the Manager for the Company, the obligations of the Company, including, but not limited to, its obligations under Section 4 above, shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination; and (ii) the provisions of Section 1, Section 3(b) and Section 8 of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination.
(b) The Manager shall have the right, by giving written notice as hereinafter specified, to terminate this Agreement in its sole discretion at any time. Any such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except that (i) with respect to any pending sale through the Manager for the Company, the obligations of the Company, including, but not limited to, its obligations under Section 4 above, shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination; and (ii) the provisions of Section 1, Section 3(b) and Section 8 of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination.
(c) This Agreement shall remain in full force and effect until and unless terminated pursuant to Section 10(a) or (b) above or otherwise by mutual agreement of the parties; provided that any such termination by mutual agreement or pursuant to this clause (c) shall in all cases be deemed to provide that Section 1, Section 3(b) and Section 8 of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.
(d) Any termination of this Agreement shall be effective on the date specified in such notice of termination; provided that such termination shall not be effective until the close of business on the date of receipt of such notice by the Manager or the Company, as the case may be. If such termination shall occur prior to the Settlement Date for any sale of Shares, such sale shall settle in accordance with the provisions of Section 4.
11. Entire Agreement.
(a) This Agreement represents the entire agreement between the Company and the Manager with respect to the preparation of any Registration Statement, Prospectus Supplement or the Prospectus, the conduct of the offering and the sale and distribution of the Shares.
(b) The Company acknowledges that in connection with the offering of the Shares: (i) the Manager has acted and will act at arm’s length and owes no fiduciary duties to, the Company or any other person, (ii) the Manager owes the Company only those duties and obligations set forth in this Agreement, any contemporaneous written agreement and prior written agreements (to the extent not superseded by this Agreement), if any, (iii) the Manager may have interests that differ from those of the Company, and (iv) none of the activities of the Manager in connection with the transactions contemplated herein constitutes a recommendation, investment advice, or solicitation of any action by the Manager with respect to any entity or natural person. The Company waives to the full extent permitted by applicable law any claims it may have against the Manager arising from an alleged breach of fiduciary duty in connection with the sale and distribution of the Shares.
12. Recognition of the U.S. Special Resolution Regimes.
(a) In the event that the Manager is a Covered Entity that becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer from the Manager of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
(b) In the event that the Manager is a Covered Entity or a BHC Act Affiliate of the Manager becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under this Agreement that may be exercised against the Manager are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
For purposes of this Section a “BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k). “Covered Entity” means any of the following: (i) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b); (ii) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or (iii) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b). “Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable. “U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
13. Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be an original, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument. Counterparts may be delivered via facsimile, electronic mail (including any electronic signature complying with the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, Uniform Electronic Transactions Act or other applicable law, e.g., www.docusign.com) or other transmission method and any counterpart so delivered shall be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes.
14. Applicable Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York.
15. Headings. The headings of the sections of this Agreement have been inserted for convenience of reference only and shall not be deemed a part of this Agreement.
16. Notices. All communications hereunder shall be in writing and effective only upon receipt and if to the Manager shall be delivered, mailed or sent to Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, 1585 Broadway, New York, NY 10036 (Attention: Equity Syndicate Desk, with a copy to the Legal Department ); and if to the Company shall be delivered, mailed or sent to GCM Grosvenor Inc., 900 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 1100, Chicago Illinois 60611, Attention: Burke J. Montgomery, General Counsel.
[Signature page follows]
| Very truly yours, | ||
| GCM GROSVENOR INC. | ||
| By: | /s/ Pamela Bentley | |
| Name: | Pamela Bentley | |
| Title: | Chief Financial Officer | |
| Accepted as of the date first written above | ||
| MORGAN STANLEY & CO. LLC | ||
| By: | /s/ Lulica B. Rocha | |
| Name: | Lulica B. Rocha | |
| Title: | Managing Director | |
SCHEDULE I
Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses
SCHEDULE II
Due Diligence Protocol
Set forth below are guidelines for use by the Company and the Manager in connection with the Manager’s continuous due diligence efforts in connection with the sale and distribution of the Shares pursuant to the Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, the Company has agreed that no sales under the Agreement will be requested or made at any time the Company is, or could be deemed to be, in possession of material non-public information with respect to the Company.
| 1. | On or immediately prior to each Representation Date, in addition to the documents provided pursuant to Sections 6(l), (m), (n) and (o) of the Agreement, the Manager expects to conduct a due diligence call with the appropriate business, financial and legal representatives of the Company. |
| 2. | On the date of or promptly after the Company’s management report becomes available for a given month (but no later than the last business day of the immediately succeeding month), the Manager expects to conduct a due diligence call with the appropriate business, financial, accounting and legal representatives of the Company and that the Company shall provide the certificate referred to in Section 5(b) of the Agreement. |
| 3. | In the event that the Company requests the Manager to sell on any one Trading Day an amount of Shares that would be equal to or greater than 15% of the average daily trading volume (calculated based on the most recent three completed Trading Days) of the Company’s Class A common stock, the Manager expects to conduct a due diligence call with the appropriate business, financial, accounting and legal representatives of the Company and that the Company shall provide the certificate referred to in Section 5(b) of the Agreement. |
The foregoing is an expression of current intent only, and shall not in any manner limit the Manager’s rights under the Agreement, including the Manager’s right to require such additional due diligence procedures as the Manager may reasonably request pursuant to the Agreement.
Exhibit A
[Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC Letterhead]
[_______], 20[__]
[ ]
[ ]
Attention: [_______]
VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL
TRANSACTION CONFIRMATION
Dear [_______]:
This Confirmation sets forth the terms of the agreement of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC (the “Manager”) with GCM Grosvenor Inc. (the “Company”) relating to the issuance and sale of shares of the Company’s Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, having an aggregate gross sales price of up to $100 million, pursuant to the Equity Distribution Agreement between the Company and the Manager, dated November 17, 2025 (the “Agreement”). Unless otherwise defined below, capitalized terms defined in the Agreement shall have the same meanings when used herein.
By countersigning or otherwise indicating in writing the Company’s acceptance of this Confirmation (an “Acceptance”), the Company shall have agreed with the Manager to engage in the following transaction:
| [Number of Shares to be sold][Aggregate Gross Price of Shares to be sold]: | ||
| Minimum price at which Shares may be sold: | ||
| Date(s) on which Shares may be sold: | ||
| Compensation to Manager (if different than the Agreement): |
The transaction set forth in this Confirmation will not be binding on the Company or the Manager unless and until the Company delivers its Acceptance; provided, however, that neither the Company nor the Manager will be bound by the terms of this Confirmation unless the Company delivers its Acceptance by [_] a.m./p.m. (New York time) on [the date hereof [_____], 20[__]].
The transaction, if it becomes binding on the parties, shall be subject to all of the representations, warranties, covenants and other terms and conditions of the Agreement, except to the extent amended or modified hereby, all of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference. Each of the representations and warranties set forth in the Agreement shall be deemed to have been made at and as of every Time of Sale, every Settlement Date and every Representation Date.
A-
If the foregoing conforms to your understanding of our agreement, please so indicate your Acceptance by signing below.
| Very truly yours, | |||
| MORGAN STANLEY & CO. LLC | |||
| By: | |||
| Name: | |||
| Title: | |||
| ACCEPTED as of the date first above written |
|||
| GCM GROSVENOR INC. | |||
| By: | |||
| Name: | |||
| Title: | |||
A-2
Exhibit 5.1
| 650 Town Center Drive, 20th Floor | ||
| Costa Mesa, California 92626-1925 | ||
|
Tel: +1.714.540.1235 Fax: +1.714.755.8290 |
||
| www.lw.com | ||
| FIRM / AFFILIATE OFFICES | ||
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Austin | Milan |
| Beijing | Munich | |
| Boston | New York | |
| Brussels | Orange County | |
| Chicago | Paris | |
| Dubai | Riyadh | |
| Düsseldorf | San Diego | |
| Frankfurt | San Francisco | |
| Hamburg | Seoul | |
| Hong Kong | Silicon Valley | |
| Houston | Singapore | |
| London | Tel Aviv | |
| Los Angeles | Tokyo | |
| Madrid | Washington, D.C. | |
November 17, 2025
GCM Grosvenor Inc.
900 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 1100
Chicago, Illinois 60611
| Re: | Registration Statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-288378) |
| Up to $100 million of shares of Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value per share |
To the addressee set forth above:
We have acted as special counsel to GCM Grosvenor Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the proposed issuance from time to time of shares of Class A common stock of the Company, $0.0001 par value per share (the “Class A Common Stock”), having an aggregate offering price of up to $100 million (the “Shares”), by the Company pursuant to the equity distribution agreement, dated November 17, 2025 (the “Distribution Agreement”) between the Company and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC. The Shares are included in a registration statement on Form S-3 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) on June 27, 2025 (Registration No. 333- 288378) (as amended, the “Registration Statement”) and are being offered pursuant to a base prospectus dated July 9, 2025 (the “Base Prospectus”) and a prospectus supplement dated November 17, 2025 filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act (together with the Base Prospectus, the “Prospectus”).
This opinion is being furnished in connection with the requirements of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Act, and no opinion is expressed herein as to any matter pertaining to the contents of the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, other than as expressly stated herein with respect to the issue of the Shares.
As such counsel, we have examined such matters of fact and questions of law as we have considered appropriate for purposes of this letter. With your consent, we have relied upon certificates and other assurances of officers of the Company and others as to factual matters without having independently verified such factual matters. We are opining herein as to the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”), and we express no opinion with respect to any other laws.
November 17, 2025
Page 2

Subject to the foregoing and the other matters set forth herein, it is our opinion that, as of the date hereof upon the completion of all Corporate Proceedings (as defined below) relating to the Shares, when the Shares shall have been duly registered on the books of the transfer agent and registrar therefor in the name or on behalf of the purchasers, and have been issued by the Company against payment therefor (not less than par value) in the circumstances contemplated by the Distribution Agreement, the issuance and sale of the Shares will have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action of the Company, and the Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable. In rendering the foregoing opinion, we have assumed that (i) the Company will comply with all applicable notice requirements regarding uncertificated shares provided in the DGCL; (ii) upon the issuance of any of the Shares, the total number of shares of Class A Common Stock issued and outstanding will not exceed the total number of shares of Class A Common Stock that the Company is then authorized to issue under its Certificate of Incorporation; and (iii) certain terms of the Shares to be issued by the Company from time to time will be authorized and approved by the board of directors (the “Board”) of the Company or one or more committees thereof established by the Board or other person or body designated by the Board having the authority to issue and sell Shares pursuant to the Distribution Agreement in accordance with the DGCL, the certificate of incorporation and the bylaws of the Company and certain resolutions of the Board and one or more committees thereof (with such approvals referred to herein as the “Corporate Proceedings”) prior to issuance thereof.
This opinion is for your benefit in connection with the Registration Statement and may be relied upon by you and by persons entitled to rely upon it pursuant to the applicable provisions of the Act. We consent to your filing this opinion as an exhibit to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K dated November 17, 2025 and to the reference to our firm in the Prospectus under the heading “Legal Matters.” In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
| Sincerely, | |
| /s/ Latham & Watkins LLP |