Exhibit 2.1
DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTRANT’S SECURITIES
REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED
Innoviz Technologies Ltd. has two classes of securities registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended: ordinary shares and warrants to purchase ordinary shares. References herein to “we,” “us,” “our” and the “Company” refer to Innoviz Technologies Ltd. and not to any of its subsidiaries. The following description may not contain all of the information that is important to you, and we therefore refer you to our amended and restated articles of association (our “Articles”), a copy of which is filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as an exhibit to this annual report on Form 20-F.
ORDINARY SHARES
Share Capital
Our authorized share capital consists of 500,000,000 ordinary shares, no par value. All of our outstanding ordinary shares are validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
Our board of directors may determine the issue prices and terms for such shares or other securities, and may further determine any other provision relating to such issue of shares or securities. We may also issue and redeem redeemable securities on such terms and in such manner as our board of directors shall determine.
Limitations on the Rights to Own Ordinary Shares
There are no limitations on the right to own our ordinary shares pursuant to our Articles or the laws of the State of Israel, except for citizens of countries which are, or have been in a state of war with Israel.
Preemptive Rights
Our ordinary shares are not redeemable and do not have any preemptive rights.
Transfer of Shares
Our fully paid ordinary shares are issued in registered form and may be freely transferred under our Articles, unless the transfer is restricted or prohibited by another instrument, applicable law or the rules of a stock exchange on which the ordinary shares are listed for trade. The ownership or voting of our ordinary shares by non-residents of Israel is not restricted in any way by our Articles or the laws of the State of Israel, except for ownership by nationals of some countries that are, or have been, in a state of war with Israel.
Election of Directors
Under our Articles, our board of directors must consist of not less than three but no more than nine directors. Pursuant to our Articles, each of our directors shall be appointed by a simple majority vote of holders of our ordinary shares, participating and voting at an annual general meeting of our shareholders. In addition, our directors are divided into three classes, one class being elected each year at the annual general meeting of our shareholders, and serve on our board of directors until the third annual general meeting following such election or re-election or until they are removed by a vote of 65% of the total voting power of our shareholders or upon the occurrence of certain events, in accordance with the Israeli Companies Law, 5759-1999 (the “Companies Law”) and our Articles. In addition, our Articles allow our board of directors to fill vacancies on the board of directors or to appoint new directors up to the maximum number of directors permitted under our Articles. Any director so appointed serves for a term of office equal to the remaining period of the term of office of the director whose office has been vacated (or in the case of any new director, for a term of office according to the class to which such director was assigned upon appointment). Under our Articles, Perception Capital Partners LLC, had the right to appoint one director to our board of directors upon closing of our business combination on April 5, 2021 (the “Perception Director”). The appointment of the Perception Director is subject to the board composition rules under applicable law and the rules of any stock exchange on which our ordinary shares are then listed and shall be reasonably acceptable to the board of directors.
Dividend and Liquidation Rights
We may declare a dividend to be paid to the holders of our ordinary shares in proportion to their respective shareholdings. Under the Companies Law, dividend distributions are determined by the board of directors and do not require the approval of the shareholders of a company unless the company’s articles of association provide otherwise. Our Articles do not require shareholder approval of a dividend distribution and provide that dividend distributions may be determined by our board of directors.
Pursuant to the Companies Law, the distribution amount is limited to the greater of retained earnings or earnings generated over the previous two years, according to our then last reviewed or audited financial statements (less the amount of previously distributed dividends, if not reduced from the earnings), provided that the end of the period to which the financial statements relate is not more than six months prior to the date of the distribution. If we do not meet such criteria, then we may distribute dividends only with court approval. In each case, we are only permitted to distribute a dividend if our board of directors and, if applicable, the court determines that there is no reasonable concern that payment of the dividend will prevent us from satisfying our existing and foreseeable obligations as they become due. In the event of our liquidation, after satisfaction of liabilities to creditors, our assets will be distributed to the holders of our ordinary shares in proportion to their shareholdings. This right, as well as the right to receive dividends, may be affected by the grant of preferential dividend or distribution rights to the holders of a class of shares with preferential rights that may be authorized in the future.
Voting Rights
All ordinary shares have identical voting and other rights in all respects.
Quorum
Pursuant to our Articles, holders of our ordinary shares have one vote for each ordinary share held on all matters submitted to a vote before the shareholders at a general meeting. The quorum required for our general meetings of shareholders consists of at least two shareholders present in person, by proxy or written ballot who hold or represent between them at least 25% of the total outstanding voting rights, within half an hour of the time fixed for the commencement of the meeting. A meeting adjourned for lack of a quorum shall be adjourned to the same day in the next week, at the same time and place, to such day and at such time and place as indicated in the notice to such meeting, or to such day and at such time and place as the chairperson of the meeting shall determine. At the reconvened meeting, any number of shareholders present in person or by proxy shall constitute a quorum, unless a meeting was called pursuant to a request by our shareholders, in which case the quorum required is one or more shareholders present in person or by proxy and holding the number of shares required to call the meeting.”
Vote Requirements
Our Articles provide that all resolutions of our shareholders require a simple majority vote, unless otherwise required by the Companies Law or by our Articles. Under the Companies Law, certain actions require a special majority, including: (i) the approval of an extraordinary transaction with a controlling shareholder or in which the controlling shareholder has a personal interest, (ii) the terms of employment or other engagement of a controlling shareholder of the company or a controlling shareholder’s relative (even if such terms are not extraordinary) and (iii) approval of certain compensation-related matters require specified approval. Under our Articles, the alteration of the rights, privileges, preferences or obligations of any class of our shares (to the extent there are classes other than ordinary shares) may require a simple majority of the class so affected (or such other percentage of the relevant class that may be set forth in the governing documents relevant to such class), in addition to the ordinary majority vote of all classes of shares voting together as a single class at a shareholder meeting. Our Articles also provide that the removal of any director from office or the amendment of such provision, or certain other provisions regarding our staggered board, shareholder proposals and the size of our board require the vote of at least 60% of the total voting power of our shareholders. Another exception to the simple majority vote requirement is a resolution for the voluntary winding up, or an approval of a scheme of arrangement or reorganization, of the company pursuant to Section 350 of the Companies Law, which requires the approval of a majority of the holders holding at least 75% of the voting rights represented at the meeting and voting on the resolution.
Redemption, Repurchase and Surrender of Ordinary Shares
We may, subject to applicable law, issue redeemable shares or other securities and redeem the same upon terms and conditions to be set forth in a written agreement between the Company and the holder of such shares or in their terms of issuance.
In addition, we may at any time and from time to time, subject to the Companies Law, repurchase or finance the purchase of any shares or other securities issued by the Company, in such manner and under such terms as our board of directors shall determine, whether from any one or more shareholders.
Changes in Capital
Our Articles enable us to increase or reduce our share capital. Any such changes are subject to Israeli law and must be approved by a resolution duly passed by our shareholders at a general meeting by voting on such change in the capital. In addition, transactions that have the effect of reducing capital, such as the declaration and payment of dividends in the absence of sufficient retained earnings or profits, require the approval of both our board of directors and an Israeli court.
Access to Corporate Records
Under the Companies Law, all shareholders generally have the right to review minutes of our general meetings, our shareholder register, including with respect to material shareholders, our Articles, our financial statements, other documents as provided in the Companies Law, and any document we are required by law to file publicly with the Israeli Companies Registrar or the Israeli Securities Authority. Any shareholder who specifies the purpose of its request may request to review any document in our possession that relates to any action or transaction with a related party which requires shareholder approval under the Companies Law. We may deny a request to review a document if we determine that the request was not made in good faith, that the document contains a commercial secret or a patent or that the document’s disclosure may otherwise impair our interests.
Provisions Restricting Change in Control of the Company
Acquisitions under Israeli Law
Full tender offer. A person wishing to acquire shares of a public Israeli company and who would as a result hold over 90% of the target company’s voting rights or the target company’s issued and outstanding share capital (or of a class thereof), is required by the Companies Law to make a tender offer to all of the company’s shareholders for the purchase of all of the issued and outstanding shares of the company (or the applicable class). If (a) the shareholders who do not accept the offer hold less than 5% of the issued and outstanding share capital of the company (or the applicable class) and the shareholders who accept the offer constitute a majority of the offerees that do not have a personal interest in the acceptance of the tender offer or (b) the shareholders who did not accept the tender offer hold less than two percent (2%) of the issued and outstanding share capital of the company (or of the applicable class), all of the shares that the acquirer offered to purchase will be transferred to the acquirer by operation of law. A shareholder who had its shares so transferred may petition the court within six months from the date of acceptance of the full tender offer, regardless of whether such shareholder agreed to the offer, to determine whether the tender offer was for less than fair value and whether the fair value should be paid as determined by the court. However, an offeror may provide in the offer that a shareholder who accepted the offer will not be entitled to appraisal rights as described in the preceding sentence, as long as the offeror and the company disclosed the information required by law in connection with the full tender offer. If the full tender offer was not accepted in accordance with any of the above alternatives, the acquirer may not acquire shares of the company that will increase its holdings to more than 90% of the voting rights or the issued and outstanding share capital of the company (or the applicable class) from shareholders who accepted the tender offer.
Special tender offer. The Companies Law provides that an acquisition of shares of an Israeli public company must be made by means of a special tender offer if as a result of the acquisition the purchaser would become a holder of 25% or more of the voting rights in the company. This rule does not apply if there is already another holder of 25% or more of the voting rights in the company. Similarly, the Companies Law provides that an acquisition of shares in a public company must be made by means of a tender offer if as a result of the acquisition the purchaser would become a holder of more than 45% of the voting rights in the company, if there is no other shareholder of the company who holds more than 45% of the voting rights in the company. These requirements do not apply if the acquisition (i) occurs in the context of a private placement by the company that received shareholder approval as a private placement whose purpose is to give the acquirer at least 25% of the voting rights in the company if there
is no person who holds 25% or more of the voting rights in the company, or as a private placement whose purpose is to give the acquirer 45% of the voting rights in the company, if there is no person who holds 45% of the voting rights in the company, (ii) was from a shareholder holding 25% or more of the voting rights in the company and resulted in the acquirer becoming a holder of 25% or more of the voting rights in the company, or (iii) was from a holder of more than 45% of the voting rights in the company and resulted in the acquirer becoming a holder of more than 45% of the voting rights in the company. A special tender offer must be extended to all shareholders of a company. A special tender offer may be consummated only if (i) at least 5% of the voting power attached to the company’s outstanding shares will be acquired by the offeror and (ii) the number of shares tendered in the offer exceeds the number of shares whose holders objected to the offer (excluding the purchaser, its controlling shareholders, holders of 25% or more of the voting rights in the company and any person having a personal interest in the acceptance of the tender offer, or anyone on their behalf, including any such person’s relatives and entities under their control).
In the event that a special tender offer is made, a company’s board of directors is required to express its opinion on the advisability of the offer, or shall abstain from expressing any opinion if it is unable to do so, provided that it gives the reasons for its abstention. The board of directors shall also disclose any personal interest that any of the directors has with respect to the special tender offer or in connection therewith. An office holder in a target company who, in his or her capacity as an office holder, performs an action the purpose of which is to cause the failure of an existing or foreseeable special tender offer or is to impair the chances of its acceptance, is liable to the potential purchaser and shareholders for damages, unless such office holder acted in good faith and had reasonable grounds to believe he or she was acting for the benefit of the company. However, office holders of the target company may negotiate with the potential purchaser in order to improve the terms of the special tender offer, and may further negotiate with third parties in order to obtain a competing offer.
If a special tender offer is accepted, then shareholders who did not respond to or that had objected the offer may accept the offer within four days of the last day set for the acceptance of the offer and they will be considered to have accepted the offer from the first day it was made.
In the event that a special tender offer is accepted, then the purchaser or any person or entity controlling it, at the time of the offer, or under common control with the purchaser or such controlling person or entity may not make a subsequent tender offer for the purchase of shares of the target company and may not enter into a merger with the target company for a period of one year from the date of the offer, unless the purchaser or such person or entity undertook to effect such an offer or merger in the initial special tender offer.
Merger. The Companies Law permits merger transactions if approved by each party’s board of directors and, unless certain conditions described under the Companies Law are met, a majority of each party’s shareholders. The board of directors of a merging company is required pursuant to the Companies Law to discuss and determine whether in its opinion there exists a reasonable concern that as a result of a proposed merger, the surviving company will not be able to satisfy its obligations towards its creditors, such determination taking into account the financial status of the merging companies. If the board of directors determines that such a concern exists, it may not approve a proposed merger. Following the approval of the board of directors of each of the merging companies, the boards of directors must jointly prepare a merger proposal for submission to the Israeli Registrar of Companies.
For purposes of the shareholder vote of a merging company whose shares are held by the other merging company or a person or entity holding 25% or more of the voting rights at the general meeting or the right to appoint 25% or more of the directors of the other merging company, unless a court rules otherwise, the merger will not be deemed approved if a majority of the shares voted on the matter at the shareholders meeting (excluding abstentions) that are held by shareholders other than the other party to the merger, or by any person or entity who holds 25% or more of the voting rights or the right to appoint 25% or more of the directors of the other party, or any one on their behalf including their relatives or corporations controlled by any of them, vote against the merger. In addition, if the non-surviving entity of the merger has more than one class of shares, the merger must be approved by each class of shareholders. If the transaction would have been approved but for the separate approval of each class or the exclusion of the votes of certain shareholders as provided above, a court may still approve the merger upon the request of holders of at least 25% of the voting rights of a company, if the court holds that the merger is fair and reasonable, taking into account the valuation of the merging companies and the consideration offered to the shareholders. If a merger is with a company’s controlling shareholder or if the controlling shareholder has a personal interest in the merger, then the merger is instead subject to the same special majority approval that governs all extraordinary transactions with controlling shareholders.
Under the Companies Law, each merging company must deliver to its secured creditors the merger proposal and inform its unsecured creditors of the merger proposal and its content. Upon the request of a creditor of either party to the proposed merger, the court may delay or prevent the merger if it concludes that there exists a reasonable concern that, as a result of the merger, the surviving company will be unable to satisfy the obligations of any of the parties to the merger, and may further give instructions to secure the rights of creditors.
In addition, a merger may not be completed unless at least 50 days have passed from the date that a proposal for approval of the merger is filed with the Israeli Registrar of Companies and 30 days from the date that shareholder approval of both merging companies is obtained.
Anti-takeover Measures
The Companies Law allows us to create and issue shares having rights different from those attached to our ordinary shares, including shares providing certain preferred rights with respect to voting, distributions or other matters and shares having preemptive rights. As of December 31, 2020, no preferred shares are authorized under our Articles. In the future, if we do authorize, create and issue a specific class of preferred shares, such class of shares, depending on the specific rights that may be attached to it, may have the ability to frustrate or prevent a takeover or otherwise prevent our shareholders from realizing a potential premium over the market value of their ordinary shares. The authorization and designation of a class of preferred shares will require an amendment to our Articles, which requires the prior approval of the holders of a majority of the voting power attaching to our issued and outstanding shares at a general meeting. The convening of the meeting, the shareholders entitled to participate and the majority vote required to be obtained at such a meeting will be subject to the requirements set forth in the Companies Law and our Articles as described above in “—Voting Rights.” In addition, we have a classified board structure, which will effectively limit the ability of any investor or potential investor or group of investors or potential investors to gain control of our board of directors.
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for our ordinary shares is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC. Its address is 6201 15th Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11219, and its telephone number is (718)-921-8200.
Exchange Listing
Our ordinary shares are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “INVZ.”
WARRANTS
In connection with our business combination that closed on April 5, 2021, we issued 16,231,241 warrants, each entitling its holder to purchase one ordinary share at an initial exercise price equal to $11.50 per share.
Warrant Agreement
Our warrants were issued in registered form pursuant to the Warrant Agreement dated April 30, 2020, by and between Collective Growth Corporation (“Collective Growth”) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (“CST”), as amended by the Assignment, Assumption and Amendment Agreement dated April 5, 2021, by and among American Stock Transfer and Trust Company LLC, CST, Collective Growth and us (the “Warrant Agreement”). You should review a copy of the Warrant Agreement and the form of warrant, as publicly disclosed, for a complete description of the terms and conditions of the warrants and the Warrant Agreement.
Duration and Exercise Price Adjustments
The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time on April 5, 2026, unless redeemed by us or we are liquidated prior to that date. The exercise price and number of ordinary shares issuable upon exercise is subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of stock dividends, stock splits, reorganizations or similar events affecting our ordinary shares and the exercise price.
Exercisability
The warrants may be exercised upon surrender of the warrant certificate on or prior to the expiration date at the offices of the warrant agent, with the exercise form on the reverse side of the warrant certificate completed and executed as indicated, accompanied by full payment of the exercise price (or on a cashless basis, if applicable), by certified or official bank check payable to us, for the number of warrants being exercised. The warrantholders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of our ordinary shares and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive ordinary shares. After the issuance of ordinary shares upon exercise of the warrants, each holder will be entitled to one (1) vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by shareholders.
Cashless Exercise
If, at the time a holder exercises its warrants, a registration statement registering the issuance of the ordinary shares underlying the warrants under the Securities Act is not then effective or available for the issuance of such shares, then in lieu of making the cash payment otherwise contemplated to be made to us upon such exercise in payment of the aggregate exercise price, the holder may elect instead to receive upon such exercise (either in whole or in part) the net number of ordinary shares determined according to a formula set forth in the warrant agreement (as defined below).
Redemption
We may call the warrants for redemption:
| • | in whole and not in part; |
| • | at a price of $0.01 per warrant; |
| • | upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption (the “30 day redemption period”) to each warrantholder; and |
| • | if, and only if, the reported last sale price of our ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period commencing on April 5, 2021 and ending three business days before the Company sends the notice of redemption to its warrantholders. |
Notice of redemption will be mailed by first class mail, postage prepaid, by the Company not less than thirty (30) days prior to the redemption date to the registered holders of the warrants to be redeemed at their last addresses as they appear on the registration books of the Company.
Fractional Shares
No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the warrants. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number of our ordinary shares to be issued to the warrantholder.
Transferability
Subject to applicable laws, each warrant may be transferred at the option of the holder upon surrender of the warrant to us together with the appropriate instruments of transfer.
Warrant Agent
The warrant agent for our warrants is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC. Its address is 6201 15th Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11219, and its telephone number is (718)-921-8200.
Exchange Listing
Our warrants are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “INVZW.”