As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 23, 2016

Registration No. 333 -            

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER THE

SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

PIERIS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Nevada   30-0784346
(State or other jurisdiction of   (I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization)   Identification No.)
255 State Street, 9th Floor  
Boston, MA   02109
(Address of Principal Executive Office)   (Zip Code)

PIERIS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. 2016 EMPLOYEE, DIRECTOR AND CONSULTANT EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

(Full Title of the Plan)

Stephen S. Yoder

President and Chief Executive Officer

Pieris Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

255 State Street, 9th Floor

Boston, MA 02109

(857) 246-8998

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

Copies to:

Marc D. Mantell, Esq.

Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.

One Financial Center

Boston, Massachusetts 02111

(617) 542-6000

Facsimile: (617) 542-2241

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer   ¨    Accelerated filer   ¨
Non-accelerated filer   ¨  (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)    Smaller reporting company   x

 

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

 

Title of Securities

to be Registered

 

Amount

to be

Registered (1)

 

Proposed

Maximum

Offering Price

Per Share (2)

 

Proposed

Maximum
Aggregate

Offering Price (2)

  Amount of
Registration Fee

Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share

  3,840,000 shares   $1.60-2.63   $6,694,409.20   $674.13

 

 

(1) Pursuant to Rule 416(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), this Registration Statement shall also cover any additional shares of Pieris Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s (the “Registrant”) common stock, par value $0.001 (the “Common Stock”) that become issuable under the Pieris Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 2016 Employee, Director and Consultant Equity Incentive Plan (the “Pieris Plan”) by reason of any stock dividend, stock split, recapitalization or other similar transaction effected without receipt of consideration that increases the number of the Registrant’s outstanding shares of Common Stock.
(2) Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the amount of the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(c) and Rule 457(h) promulgated under the Securities Act. The offering price per share and the aggregate offering price are based upon (a) $2.63, which is the weighted-average exercise price for outstanding options granted under the Pieris Plan, and (b) $1.60 which is the average of the high and low prices of the Registrant’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”), as reported on the The Nasdaq Capital Market on September 21, 2016. The chart below details the calculation of the registration fee.

 

 

Securities   Number of Shares  

Offering Price

Per Share(2)

 

Aggregate

Offering Price

Shares issuable upon the exercise of outstanding options granted under the Pieris Plan

  534,378   $2.63 (2)(a)   $1,405,414.00

Shares reserved for future grant under the Pieris Plan

  3,305,622   $1.60 (2)(b)   $5,288,995.20

Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price

          $6,694,409.20

Registration Fee

          $674.13

 

 

 

 

 


PART I

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

EXPLANATORY NOTE

In accordance with the instructional Note to Part I of Form S-8 as promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”), the information specified by Part I of Form S-8 has been omitted from this Registration Statement on Form S-8 for offers of Common Stock pursuant to the Pieris Plan. The documents containing the information specified in Part I will be delivered to the participants in the Pieris Plan covered by this Registration Statement as required by Rule 428(b)(1) under the Securities Act.

 

2


PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

The following documents filed by the Registrant with the Commission are incorporated herein by reference:

(a) Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 filed with the Commission on March 23, 2016, as amended by the Registrant’s Amendment No. 1 to Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, filed on April 29, 2016 and the Registrant’s Amendment No. 2 to Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, filed on July 20, 2016;

(b) Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2016, filed with the Commission on May 12, 2015, as amended by the Registrant’s Amendment No. 1 to Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q/A for the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2016, filed on July 20, 2016;

(c) Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2016, filed with the Commission on August 11, 2016;

(d) Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on April 7, 2016, April 18, 2016 (with respect to one report filed on such date), June 6, 2016 (with respect to two reports filed on such date), June 9, 2016, July 1, 2016, July 26, 2016 and September 22, 2016; and

All reports and other documents filed by the Registrant after the date hereof pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act (other than Current Reports furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K and exhibits furnished on such form that relate to such items), prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference herein and to be part hereof from the date of filing of such reports and documents. Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for the purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

Item 4. Description of Securities.

Not applicable.

Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

None.

Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

The Registrant is a Nevada corporation and is generally governed by the Nevada Revised Statutes, or NRS.

The Registrant’s amended and restated articles of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws provide that each person who was or is made a party or is threatened to be made a party to or is otherwise involved (including, without limitation, as a witness) in any action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, by reason of the fact that he or she is or was one of the Registrant’s directors or officers or is or was serving at its request as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, whether the basis of such action, suit or proceeding is alleged action in an official capacity as a director, officer or trustee or in any other capacity while serving as a director, officer or trustee, shall be indemnified and held harmless by us to the fullest extent authorized by NRS against all expense, liability and loss (including attorneys’ fees and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered by such.

 

3


NRS 78.7502 permits a corporation to indemnify any director or officer of the corporation against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred in connection with any action, suit or proceeding brought by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director or officer of the corporation, if such person (i) is not liable pursuant to NRS 78.138 and (ii) acted in good faith and in a manner which he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the conduct was unlawful. In a derivative action (i.e., one brought by or on behalf of the corporation), indemnification may be provided only for expenses actually and reasonably incurred by any director or officer in connection with the defense or settlement of such an action or the suit if such person (i) is not liable pursuant to NRS 78.138 and (ii) acted in good faith and in a manner which he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, except that no indemnification shall be provided if such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation, unless and only to the extent that the court in which the action or suit was brought or some other court of competent jurisdiction determines that such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses as the court deems proper.

The Registrant’s amended and restated Articles of incorporation provide that the liability of its directors and officers shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the NRS. NRS 78.138(7) provides that, subject to limited statutory exceptions and unless the articles of incorporation or an amendment thereto (in each case filed on or after October 1, 2003) provide for greater individual liability, a director or officer is not individually liable to a corporation or its stockholders or creditors for any damages as a result of any act or failure to act in his or her capacity as a director or officer unless it is proven that: (i) the act or failure to act constituted a breach of his or her fiduciary duties as a director or officer and (ii) the breach of those duties involved intentional misconduct, fraud or a knowing violation of law.

The Registrant has entered into indemnification agreements with its directors and certain officers, in addition to the indemnification provided in the NRS, its amended and restated articles of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, and intend to enter into indemnification agreements with any new directors and officers in the future. The Registrant has purchased and intend to maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director or officer against any loss arising from any claim asserted against him or her and incurred by him or her in any such capacity, subject to certain exclusions.

The foregoing discussion of the Registrant’s amended and restated articles of incorporation, amended and restated bylaws, indemnification agreements, indemnity agreement, and Nevada law is not intended to be exhaustive and is qualified in its entirety by such amended and restated articles of incorporation, amended and restated bylaws, indemnification agreements, indemnity agreement, or law.

Item 7. Exemption from Registration Claimed.

Not applicable.

Item 8. Exhibits.

The following exhibits are filed as a part of or incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement:

 

  4.1    Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 333-190728) filed with the Commission on December 18, 2014).
  4.2    Certificate of Designation of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (File No. 001-37471) filed with the Commission on August 11, 2015).

 

4


  4.3    Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 333-190728) filed with the Commission on December 18, 2014).
  4.3    Form of Common Stock certificate (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 001-37471) filed with the Commission on March 23, 2016).
  5.1*    Opinion of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.
23.1*    Consent of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. (included in opinion of counsel filed as Exhibit 5.1).
23.2*    Consent of Ernst & Young GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft.
24.1*    Power of Attorney to file future amendments (set forth on the signature page of this Registration Statement).
99.1    2016 Employee, Director and Consultant Equity Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-37471) filed with the Commission on July 1, 2016).
99.2*    Form of Stock Option Award Agreement under the Registrant’s 2016 Employee, Director and Consultant Equity Incentive Plan.

 

* Filed herewith.

Item 9. Undertakings.

(a) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

 

  (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

 

  (i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

 

  (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective Registration Statement.

 

5


  (iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or any material change to such information in the Registration Statement;

Provided, however, that paragraphs (1)(i) and (1)(ii) of this section do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement.

 

  (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

  (3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(b) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that is incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the indemnification provisions summarized in Item 6, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

6


SIGNATURES

The Registrant. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the city of Boston, Massachusetts on September 23, 2016.

 

PIERIS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
By:  

/s/ Stephen S. Yoder

Stephen S. Yoder
President and Chief Executive Officer

Each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Stephen S. Yoder and Darlene Deptula-Hicks, and each of them singly, his or her true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution in each of them singly, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, and in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement on Form S-8 of Pieris Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting to the attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite or necessary to be done in or about the premises, as full to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that the attorneys-in-fact and agents or any of each of them or their substitute may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

Signature

  

Title

  

Date

/s/ Stephen S. Yoder

   President, Chief Executive Officer and Director (Principal Executive Officer)    September 23, 2016
Stephen S. Yoder      

/s/ Darlene Deptula-Hicks

Darlene Deptula-Hicks

   Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and Treasurer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)    September 23, 2016

/s/ Chau Khuong

   Chairman of the Board of Directors    September 23, 2016
Chau Khuong      

/s/ Michael Richman

   Director    September 23, 2016
Michael Richman      

/s/ Steven Prelack

   Director    September 23, 2016
Steven Prelack      

/s/ Jean-Pierre Bizzari

   Director    September 23, 2016
Jean-Pierre Bizzari      

/s/ Julian Adams

   Director    September 23, 2016
Julian Adams      


Pieris Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

INDEX TO EXHIBITS FILED WITH

FORM S-8 REGISTRATION STATEMENT 

 

Exhibit
Number

  

Exhibit Description

  4.1    Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 333-190728) filed with the Commission on December 18, 2014).
  4.2    Certificate of Designation of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (File No. 001-37471) filed with the Commission on August 11, 2015).
  4.3    Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 333-190728) filed with the Commission on December 18, 2014).
  4.3    Form of Common Stock certificate (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 001-37471) filed with the Commission on March 23, 2016).
  5.1*    Opinion of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.
23.1*    Consent of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. (included in opinion of counsel filed as Exhibit 5.1).
23.2*    Consent of Ernst & Young GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft.
24.1*    Power of Attorney to file future amendments (set forth on the signature page of this Registration Statement).
99.1    2016 Employee, Director and Consultant Equity Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-37471) filed with the Commission on July 1, 2016).
99.2*    Form of Stock Option Award Agreement under the Registrant’s 2016 Employee, Director and Consultant Equity Incentive Plan.

 

* Filed herewith.