BI-PARTY ESCROW AGREEMENT
Exhibit 8.1
BI-PARTY ESCROW AGREEMENT
This ESCROW AGREEMENT (“Agreement”) is made and entered into as of June 11, 2024, by and among BirchBioMed Inc., a Canadian Corporation, (the “Company”), and ENTERPRISE BANK & TRUST, a Missouri chartered trust company with banking powers (in its capacity as escrow holder, the “Escrow Agent”).
RECITALS
This Agreement is being entered into in reference to the following facts:
(a) The Company intends to offer and sell to prospective investors (“Investors”), as disclosed in its offering materials, in a registered offering pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”), or exemption from registration (i.e. Regulation CF) (the “Offering”), the equity, debt, or other securities of the Company (the “Securities”) with a minimum of $1,035.00, (One Thousand Thirty Five)(the “Minimum”) and a maximum of $10,000,000.00, (Ten Million) (the “Maximum”) as described in the Company’s disclosure materials and the Subscription Agreement (as defined below) applicable to the Offering.
(b) In connection with the Offering, the Company desires to establish an Escrow Account (as defined herein) on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein.
ARTICLE 1 -ESCROW FUNDS
1.1 Appointment of Escrow Agent. The Company hereby appoints the Escrow Agent to act as escrow holder for the Escrow Funds (as defined below) under the terms of this Agreement. The Escrow Agent ▇▇▇▇▇▇ accepts such appointment, subject to the terms, conditions, and limitations hereof.
1.2 Establishment of Escrow. Immediately following the Escrow Agent’s execution of this Agreement, the Escrow Agent will:
(a) open a non-interest bearing bank checking account with Escrow Agent (the “Escrow Account”) for the purpose of receiving and holding the proceeds of the Offering (net of any fees and/or holdbacks, the “Escrow Funds”) in Escrow for the persons who have the beneficial interests therein and to transmit or return such Escrow Funds directly to the persons entitled thereto when so directed by the Authorized Representative (as hereinafter defined); and
(b) Open a Stripe Connect account (the “Connect Account”) on the platform account of DealMaker for the purpose of processing potential payments by credit card, wire, and ACH debit (the “Payments”).
1.3 Payments.
(a) Each Investor will be instructed by the Company’s authorized representative (the “Authorized Representative”) described in Schedule I to pay a predetermined Payment as indicated on the applicable subscription agreement (the “Subscription Agreement”) or DealMaker tech-powered website hosted by the Company (the “Site”), in the form of a credit card, wire, or ACH payment payable to the order of “Enterprise Bank & Trust, as Escrow Agent for “BIRCHBIOMED INC. .” For greater certainty, this means these amounts are paid into the Escrow Account.
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(b) Upon the Company’s review and acceptance of the proposed investments, the Payments shall be automatically released to the Escrow Account as Escrow Funds, subject to any payment processing fees and / or holdbacks.
(c) Escrow Agent shall have no obligation to accept Escrow Funds or documents from any party other than the Investors or the Company. Any checks that are made payable to a party other than the Escrow Agent shall be returned to the party submitting the check, and if received by the Company shall not be remitted to the Escrow Agent. Proceeds in the form of wire or other electronic funds transfers are deemed deposited into the Escrow Account and considered “Collected Funds” when received by the Escrow Agent. Any Payments tendered in the form of a check, draft or similar instrument are deemed deposited when the collectability thereof has been confirmed; after such time, such Payments are considered Collected Funds. The Escrow Agent shall have no duty or responsibility to enforce the collection or demand payment of any funds deposited into the Escrow Account. Should any check be deemed uncollectible for any reason, the Escrow Agent will notify the Company of the amount of such return check, the name of the Investor, the reason for return, and return the check to the Investor.
(d) Escrow Agent will hold all Escrow Funds in escrow, free from any liens, claims or offsets, and such monies shall not become the property of the Company, the Investor, nor shall such monies become subject to the debts thereof or the debts of the Escrow Agent, unless and until the conditions set forth in these instructions to disbursement of such monies have been fully satisfied.
(e) The Escrow Funds shall be disbursed by the Escrow Agent from the Escrow Account by wire transfer to the appropriate payee(s) in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.
(f) Escrow Agent shall not be required to take any action under this Section 1.3 or any other section hereof until it has received proper written instruction from the Company. Such written instruction from the Company shall be signed by an Authorized Representative (as defined below) of the Company. Except as otherwise expressly contemplated herein, all parties hereby direct and instruct Escrow Agent to accept any payment or other instructions provided by the Company, and Escrow Agent shall have no duty or obligation to authenticate such payment or other instructions or the authorization thereof. The Escrow Agent shall not be required to release any funds that constitute Escrow Funds unless the funds represented thereby are Collected Funds.
1.4 Investments. All funds in the Escrow Account will be held by Escrow Agent in a non-interest bearing Checking Account at Escrow Agent. The Escrow Funds will not earn interest.
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1.5 Cancellation of Subscriptions.
(a) The Company may cancel any Investor’s offer to purchase Securities (the “Subscription”), in whole or in part. If all or any portion of the total purchase price for such rejected or canceled Subscription has been delivered to the Escrow Agent, the Company’s Authorized Representative will either direct a refund through the Connect Account or instruct Escrow Agent to refund some or all of the Escrow Funds from the Escrow Account in the form of Exhibit “C” attached hereto and, as applicable, in compliance with Regulation CF, 17 C.F.R. 227.304
ARTICLE 2 -DISBURSEMENT PROCEDURES
2.1 Disbursement of Proceeds. Escrow Agent shall hold and disburse the Escrow Funds in accordance with the following procedures:
(a) Subject to the provisions of Section 2.1(b) through Section 2.1(f), in the event Escrow Agent receives Collected Funds for the Minimum Offering prior to the termination of this Agreement, and for any point thereafter, and from time to time, promptly after the Escrow Agent’s receipt of written instructions from the Company in the form of Exhibit “A” attached hereto, the Escrow Agent shall disburse by wire transfer the principal amount of all Escrow Funds then held by Escrow Agent, or such lesser amount as may be specified in such written instructions (but not less than the amount covered by Minimum Offering for the Initial Closing Date (as defined below)), in accordance with such written instructions. We refer to the date of the initial disbursement of proceeds under this Section 2.1(a) as the “Initial Closing Date”. Escrow Funds shall be distributed within one (1) business day of the Escrow Agent’s receipt of such written instructions, which must be received by the Escrow Agent no later than 1:00 p.m. Central Standard time on a business day for the Escrow Agent to process such instructions that business day.
(b) Escrow Agent shall continue to accept deposits of additional Payments until a date (the “Final Closing Date”) which is the earlier of (i) the date on which the Escrow Agent receives written notification, signed by an Authorized Representative of the Company, that the Company has accepted Subscriptions for the Maximum Offering, or (ii) the date on which the Escrow Agent receives written notification, signed by an Authorized Representative of the Company, of the Company’s determination of a final closing date for receipt of Escrow Funds. Promptly from and after the Final Closing Date, the Escrow Agent shall return directly to the Investor, the principal amount of any Escrow Funds received by the Escrow Agent after the Final Closing Date and shall cease to accept any additional Escrow Funds.
(c) If the Company gives written notice to the Escrow Agent of the termination or withdrawal of the Offering, in the form of Exhibit “B” attached hereto, then promptly after such notification, the Escrow Agent shall return, as a complete distribution, each Investor’s Escrow Funds, without deduction, penalty, or expense to Investor to such Investor in the same method as the Investor caused payment pursuant to Section 1.3(a). In the event of the termination of the Offering pursuant to this Section 2.1(c), the Escrow Funds shall not under any circumstance be returned to the Company. The Company represents, warrants, and agrees that the Escrow Funds returned to each Investor (or to such Investor’s qualified intermediary) are and shall be free and clear of any and all claims of the Company and its creditors.
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(d) If an Investor is entitled to terminate its Subscription, or the Company rejects such Subscription in whole or in part, for which the Escrow Agent has received Escrow Funds, the Escrow Agent shall, upon a written instruction signed by an Authorized Representative of the Company in the form of Exhibit “C” attached hereto, promptly return directly to such Investor that portion of the Escrow Funds associated with such Investor and specified in the written instruction. If the Escrow Agent has not yet collected funds but has submitted the Investor’s check for collection, the Escrow Agent shall promptly return the funds in the amount of the Investor’s payment to such Investor after such funds have been collected. Any disbursement instructions shall be delivered in compliance with Regulation CF, 17 C.F.R. 227.304, as applicable.
(e) If any date that is a deadline under this Agreement for giving the Escrow Agent notice or instructions or for the Escrow Agent to take action is not a business day, then such date shall be the business day that immediately precedes such date. A “business day” is any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or any other day on which banking institutions located in the state of Missouri, are authorized or obligated by law or executive order to close.
(f) Any delivery of written disbursement instructions by the Company and/or an Authorized Representative of the Company pursuant to this Article 2 shall be made in compliance with all applicable state and federal rules and regulations, including, but not limited to, the Securities Act.
ARTICLE 3 - GENERAL ESCROW PROCEDURES
3.1 Accounts and Records. Escrow Agent shall keep accurate books and records of all transactions hereunder. The Company shall be responsible for maintaining accurate books and records as to owners of the beneficial interest in the Escrow. The Company and Escrow Agent shall each have reasonable access to one another’s books and records concerning the Offering and the Escrow Account. Upon final disbursement of the Escrow Funds, the Escrow Agent shall deliver to the Company a complete accounting of all transactions relating to the Escrow Account.
3.2 Duties. Escrow Agent’s duties and obligations hereunder shall be determined solely by the express provisions of this Agreement. Escrow Agent’s duties and obligations are purely ministerial in nature, and nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to give rise to any fiduciary obligations of the Escrow Agent with respect to the Investors or to the other parties to this Agreement. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Escrow Agent is not charged with any duties or responsibilities with respect to any documentation associated with the Offering and shall not otherwise be concerned with the terms thereof. The Escrow Agent shall not be required to notify or obtain the consent, approval, authorization, or order of court or governmental body to perform its obligations under this Agreement, except as expressly provided herein. The parties agree that Escrow Agent shall not be required to expend or risk any of its own funds or otherwise incur any liability, financial or otherwise, in the performance of any of its duties hereunder.
3.3 Liability Limited. Escrow Agent shall not be liable to anyone whatsoever by any reason of error of judgment or for any act done or step taken or omitted by them in good faith or for any mistake of fact or law or for anything which they may do or refrain from doing in connection herewith unless caused by or arising out of their own gross negligence or willful misconduct. In no event shall the Escrow Agent be liable for any indirect, special, consequential damages, or punitive damages. Escrow Agent shall have no responsibility to ensure anyone’s compliance with any securities laws in connection with the Offering, and Escrow Agent shall not be required to inquire as to the performance or observation of any obligation, term or condition under any other agreements or arrangements.
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3.4 Fees. The Company shall pay the Escrow Agent the fees based on the fee schedules attached hereto as Exhibit “D”. In addition, the Company shall be obligated to reimburse the Escrow Agent for all fees, costs and expenses incurred or that become due in connection with this Agreement or the Escrow Account, including reasonable attorneys’ fees. Neither the modification, cancellation, termination or rescission of this Agreement nor the resignation or termination of the Escrow Agent shall affect the right of the Escrow Agent to retain the amount of any fee which has been paid, or to be reimbursed or paid any amount which has been incurred or becomes due, prior to the effective date of any such modification, cancellation, termination, resignation or rescission. Escrow Agent is hereby authorized by the Company to deduct any fees not timely paid it from the Escrow Fund before final distribution of the Escrow Fund. To the extent the Escrow Agent has incurred any such expenses, or any such fee becomes due, prior to any closing, the Escrow Agent shall advise the Company and the Company shall direct all such amounts to be paid directly at any such closing.
3.5 Exculpation. Escrow Agent’s duties hereunder shall be strictly limited to the safekeeping of monies, instruments or other documents received by the Escrow Agent and any further responsibilities expressly provided in this Agreement. The Escrow Agent will not be liable for:
(a) the genuineness, sufficiency, correctness as to form, manner or execution or validity of any instrument deposited in the Escrow, nor the identity, authority or rights of any person executing the same;
(b) any misrepresentation or omission in any documentation associated with the Offering or any failure to keep or comply with any of the provisions of any agreement, contract, or other instrument referred to therein; or
(c) the failure of the Investor to transmit, or any delay in transmitting, any Investor’s total purchase price to the Escrow Agent.
3.6 Interpleader. If (i) conflicting demands are made or notice served upon the Escrow Agent with respect to the escrow or (ii) the Escrow Agent is otherwise uncertain as to its duties or rights hereunder, then the Escrow Agent shall have the absolute right at its election to do either or both of the following:
(a) withhold and stop all further proceedings in, and performance of, this Agreement; or
(b) file a suit in interpleader and obtain an order from the court requiring the parties to litigate their several claims and rights among themselves. In the event such interpleader suit is brought, the Escrow Agent shall be fully released from any obligation to perform any further duties imposed upon it hereunder, and the Company shall pay the Escrow Agent actual costs, expenses and reasonable attorney’s fees expended or incurred by Escrow Agent, the amount thereof to be fixed and a judgment thereof to be rendered by the court in such suit.
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3.7 Indemnification and Contribution. The Company (“Indemnifying Party”) agrees to defend, indemnify and hold Escrow Agent and its affiliates and their respective directors, officers, agents (“Indemnified Parties”) harmless from and against all costs, damages, judgments, attorneys’ fees, expenses, obligations and liabilities of any kind or nature (“Damages”) to the fullest extent permitted by law, from and against any Damages or liabilities related to or arising out of this Agreement which the Indemnified Parties may reasonably incur or sustain in connection with or arising out of the escrow or this Agreement and will reimburse the Indemnified Parties for all expenses (including attorneys’ fees) as they are incurred by the Indemnified Parties in connection with investigating, preparing or defending any such action or claim whether or not in connection with pending or threatened litigation in which the Indemnified Parties is or are a party; provided, however, the Indemnifying Party will not be responsible for Damages or expenses which are finally judicially determined to have resulted from an Indemnified Party’s gross negligence or willful misconduct. The provisions of this section shall survive the termination of this Agreement and any resignation of the Escrow Agent.
3.8 Compliance with Orders. If at any time Escrow Agent is served with any judicial or administrative order, judgment, decree, writ or other form of judicial or administrative process which in any way affects the Escrow Funds (including but not limited to orders of attachment or any other forms of levies or injunctions or stays relating to the transfer of the Escrow Funds), Escrow Agent is authorized to comply therewith in any manner as it or its legal counsel of its own choosing deems appropriate; and if Escrow Agent complies with any such judicial or administrative order, judgment, decree, writ or other form of judicial or administrative process, Escrow Agent shall not be liable to any of the parties hereto or to any other person or entity even though such order, judgment, decree, writ or process may be subsequently modified or vacated or otherwise determined to have been without legal force or effect.
3.9 Resignation.
(a) ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Agent may resign as escrow holder hereunder upon fourteen (14) days prior written notice to the Company and shall thereupon be fully released from any obligation to perform any further duties imposed upon it hereunder. Company shall promptly appoint a successor escrow agent. The Escrow Agent will transfer all files and records relating to the Escrow and ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Account to any successor escrow holder mutually agreed to in writing by Company upon receipt of a copy of the executed escrow instructions designating such successor. If Company fails to appoint a successor escrow agent prior to the expiration of fourteen (14) calendar days following the delivery of such notice of resignation from Escrow Agent, the Escrow Agent may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor escrow agent or for other appropriate relief, and any such resulting appointment shall be binding upon the Company. Company shall be jointly and severally liable for Escrow Agent’s costs and expenses including attorneys incurred in such proceeding.
(b) In the case of a resignation of the Escrow Agent, the Escrow Agent shall have no responsibility for the appointment of a successor escrow agent hereunder. The successor escrow agent appointed by Company shall execute, acknowledge and deliver to the Escrow Agent and the other parties an instrument in writing accepting its appointment hereunder. Thereafter, the Escrow Agent shall deliver all of the then-remaining balance of the Escrow Funds, less any expenses then incurred by and unpaid to the Escrow Agent, to such successor escrow agent in accordance with the joint written direction of Company and upon receipt of the Escrow Funds, the successor escrow agent shall be bound by all of the provisions of this Agreement.
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3.10 Filings and Resolution. Concurrently or prior to the execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Company shall deliver to the Escrow Agent a copy of its certificate of formation or other charter documents.
3.11 Authorized Representatives. The Company hereby identifies to Escrow Agent the officers, employees or agents designated on Schedule I attached hereto as an authorized representative (each, an “Authorized Representative”) with respect to any notice, certificate, instrument, demand, request, direction, instruction, waiver, receipt, consent or other document or communication required or permitted to be furnished to Escrow Agent. Schedule I may be amended and updated by written notice to Escrow Agent. Escrow Agent shall be entitled to rely on such original or amended Schedule I with respect to any party until a new Schedule I is furnished by such party to Escrow Agent.
3.12 Term. The term of this Agreement shall commence as of the date first above written and shall end on the date that all funds in the Escrow Account are disbursed pursuant to this Agreement and all reporting obligations specified herein have been satisfied.
3.13 Identification Number. The Company represents and warrants that (a) its Federal tax identification number (“TIN”) specified on the signature page of this Agreement underneath its signature is correct and is to be used for 1099 tax reporting purposes, and (b) it is not subject to backup withholding. The Company shall provide the Escrow Agent with the TIN and verification that the person or entity is not subject to backup withholding for any person or entity to whom interest is paid on any of the Proceeds, if applicable. Such verification may be evidenced by providing the Escrow Agent a Subscription Agreement containing appropriate language or a copy of a W-9.
3.14 Reliance. When Escrow Agent acts on any communication (including, but not limited to, communication with respect to the transfer of funds) sent by electronic transmission, Escrow Agent, absent gross negligence or willful misconduct, shall not be responsible or liable in the event such communication is not an authorized or authentic communication of the party involved or is not in the form the party involved sent or intended to send (whether due to fraud, distortion or otherwise). Escrow Agent shall not be liable for any losses, costs or expenses arising directly or indirectly from Escrow Agent’s reliance upon and compliance with such instructions notwithstanding such instructions conflict or are inconsistent with a subsequent written instruction. The Company agrees to assume all risks arising out of the use of such electronic transmission to submit instructions and directions to Escrow Agent, including without limitation the risk of Escrow Agent acting on unauthorized instructions, and the risk or interception and misuse by third parties.
3.15 Force Majeure. Escrow Agent shall not incur liability for not performing any act or not fulfilling any duty, obligation or responsibility hereunder by reason of any occurrence beyond the control of Escrow Agent (including but not limited to any act or provision of any present or future law or regulation or governmental authority, pandemic or public health emergency, any act of God or war, terrorism or the unavailability of the Federal Reserve Bank or other wire or communication facility).
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ARTICLE 4 - GENERAL PROVISIONS
4.1 Notice. Any notice, request, demand or other communication provided for hereunder to be given shall be in writing and shall be delivered personally, by certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, or by transmission by a telecommunications device (including email), and shall be effective (a) on the day when personally served, including delivery by overnight mail and courier service, (b) on the third business day after its deposit in the United States mail, and (c) on the business day of confirmed transmission by telecommunications device (including email). The addresses of the parties hereto (until notice of a change thereof is served as provided in this Section 4.1) shall be as follows:
To the Escrow Agent:
Enterprise Bank & Trust Attn: Specialty Banking Group, Escrow ▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇. ▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇@▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇.▇▇▇
with a copy to: Legal Department via email
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇@▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇.▇▇▇ |
To the Company:
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇ Attn: ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Phone: ▇▇▇-▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇ Email: ▇▇▇▇.▇▇▇▇▇▇@▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇.▇▇▇ |
4.2 Amendments. Except as otherwise permitted herein, this Agreement may be modified only by a written amendment signed by the parties hereto, and no waiver of any provision hereof will be effective unless expressed in a writing signed by the parties hereto.
4.3 Wiring Instructions. In the event fund transfer instructions are given, such instructions must be communicated to Escrow Agent in writing delivered pursuant to Section 4.1. Escrow Agent shall seek confirmation of such instructions by telephone call-back to an Authorized Representative (in the case of the Company) or other authorized person, and Escrow Agent may rely upon the confirmations of anyone purporting to be the Authorized Representative or other authorized person so designated. Escrow Agent and the beneficiary’s bank in any funds transfer may rely solely upon any account numbers or similar identifying numbers provided by the Company to identify (i) the beneficiary, (ii) the beneficiary’s bank, or (iii) an intermediary bank. Escrow Agent may apply any of the Escrow Funds for any payment order it executes using any such identifying number, even when its use may result in a person other than the beneficiary being paid, or the transfer of funds to a bank other than the beneficiary’s bank or an intermediary bank designated. The parties to this Agreement acknowledge that such security procedure is commercially reasonable.
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4.4 Notifications.
(a) The Escrow Agent may, but need not, honor and follow instructions, amendments or other orders (“orders”) which shall be provided by telephone facsimile transmission (“faxed”) to the Escrow Agent in connection with this Agreement and may act thereon without further inquiry and regardless of whom or by what means the actual or purported signature of the Company may have been affixed thereto if such signature in Escrow Agent’s sole judgment resembles the signature of the Company. The Company indemnifies and holds the Escrow Agent free and harmless from any and all liability, suits, claims or causes of action which may arise from loss or claim of loss resulting from any forged, improper, wrongful or unauthorized faxed order. The Company shall pay all actual attorney fees and costs reasonably incurred by the Escrow Agent (or allocable to its in-house counsel), in connection with said claim(s).
(b) Furthermore, all parties hereby agree that all current and future notices, confirmations and other communications regarding this Agreement specifically, and future communications in general between the parties, may be made by email, sent to the email address of record as set forth above or, solely with regards to business in the normal course, as otherwise from time to time changed or updated, directly by the party changing such information, without necessity of confirmation of receipt, delivery or reading, and such form of electronic communication is sufficient for all matters regarding the relationship between the parties. If any such electronically-sent communication fails to be received for any reason, including but not limited to such communications being diverted to the recipients’ spam filters by the recipients email service provider or technology, or due to a recipients’ change of address, or due to technology issues by the recipients’ service provider, the parties agree that the burden of such failure to receive is on the recipient and not the sender, and that the sender is under no obligation to resend communications via any other means, including but not limited to postal service or overnight courier, and that such communications shall for all purposes, including legal and regulatory, be deemed to have been delivered and received.
(c) The Company is responsible for the accuracy and completeness of all communications given by it including those given pursuant to electronic means, including but not limited to email, internet, facsimile or text. Escrow Agent shall not be responsible for any interruption in such communication services and the Company shall be responsible for security of all such services.
4.5 Assignment. Except as permitted in this Section 4.5, neither this Agreement nor any rights or obligations hereunder may be assigned by any party hereto without the express written consent of each of the other parties hereto. This Agreement shall inure to and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors, heirs and permitted assigns. Any corporation into which Escrow Agent may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any corporation resulting from any merger, conversion or consolidation to which Escrow Agent will be a party, or any corporation succeeding to all or substantially all the business of Escrow Agent will be the successor of Escrow Agent hereunder without the execution or filing of any paper with any party hereto or any further act on the part of any of the parties hereto except where an instrument of transfer or assignment is required by law to effect such succession, anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding.
4.6 USA PATRIOT Act. The Company shall provide to Escrow Agent such information as Escrow Agent may reasonably require to permit Escrow Agent to comply with its obligations under the federal USA PATRIOT Act (Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001). Escrow Agent shall not make any payment of all or a portion of the Escrow Fund, to any person unless and until such person has provided to Escrow Agent such documents as Escrow Agent may require to permit Escrow Agent to comply with its obligations under such Act. Further, Company represents and warrants to Escrow Agent that it is not a hedge fund. If Company is a hedge fund that is not sponsored by a registered investment advisor, the Company agrees to enter into the form of Due Diligence Agreement provided by Escrow Agent.
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4.7 Termination. This Agreement shall terminate when all the Escrow Funds have been disbursed or returned in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.
4.8 Time of Essence. Time is of the essence of these and all additional or changed instructions.
4.9 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which so executed shall, irrespective of the date of its execution and delivery, be deemed an original, and said counterparts together shall constitute one and the same instrument.
4.10 Governing Law and Jurisdiction. This Agreement shall be governed by, and shall be construed according to, the laws of the State of Missouri. The parties hereby irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state courts of St. Louis County, Missouri or, if proper subject matter jurisdiction exists, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, in any action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement. Each party hereto further irrevocably consents to the service of any complaint, summons, notice or other process relating to any such action or proceeding by delivery thereof to it by hand or by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, in the manner provided for herein. Each party hereto hereby expressly and irrevocably waives any claim or defense in any such action or proceeding based on improper venue or forum non conveniens or any similar basis.
4.11 Waiver of Jury Trial. TO THE EXTENT NOT PROHIBITED BY APPLICABLE LAW THAT CANNOT BE WAIVED, EACH PARTY HEREBY EXPRESSLY, INTENTIONALLY, AND DELIBERATELY WAIVES, AND COVENANTS THAT IT WILL NOT ASSERT (WHETHER AS PLAINTIFF, DEFENDANT OR OTHERWISE), ANY RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY FORUM IN RESPECT OF ANY ISSUE, CLAIM, DEMAND, ACTION OR CAUSE OF ACTION ARISING IN WHOLE OR IN PART UNDER, RELATED TO, BASED ON OR IN CONNECTION WITH THIS AGREEMENT OR THE SUBJECT MATTER HEREOF, WHETHER NOW EXISTING OR HEREAFTER ARISING AND WHETHER SOUNDING IN TORT OR CONTRACT OR OTHERWISE (EACH, A “CLAIM”). ANY PARTY HERETO MAY FILE AN ORIGINAL COUNTERPART OR A COPY OF THIS SECTION 4.11 WITH ANY COURT AS WRITTEN EVIDENCE OF THE CONSENT OF EACH SUCH PARTY TO THE WAIVER OF ITS RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY. In the event that the waiver of jury trial set forth in the previous sentence is not enforceable under the law applicable to this Agreement, the parties to this Agreement agree that any Claim, including any question of law or fact relating thereto, shall, at the written request of any party, be determined by judicial reference pursuant to Missouri law. The parties shall select a single neutral referee, who shall be a retired state or federal judge. In the event that the parties cannot agree upon a referee, the court shall appoint the referee. The referee shall report a statement of decision to the court. Nothing in this paragraph shall limit the right of any party at any time to exercise self-help remedies, foreclose against collateral or obtain provisional remedies. The parties shall bear the fees and expenses of the referee equally, unless the referee orders otherwise. The referee shall also determine all issues relating to the applicability, interpretation, and enforceability of this paragraph. The parties acknowledge that if a referee is selected to determine the Claims, then the Claims will not be decided by a jury.
4.12 Use of Name. The Company will not make any reference to Enterprise Bank & Trust in connection with the Offering except with respect to its role as ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Agent hereunder, and in no event will the Company state or imply the Escrow Agent has investigated or endorsed the Offering in any manner whatsoever.
[SIGNATURE PAGE FOLLOWS]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement pursuant to due authority as of the date set forth above.
| Company: | ||
| BIRCHBIOMED INC. | ||
| /s/ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ | ||
| By: | ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ | |
| Its: | CHAIRMAN & CEO | |
| Tax ID: | ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ RC0001 | |
| Escrow Agent: | ||
| Enterprise Bank & Trust | ||
| By: | /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ | |
| Name: | ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ | |
| Its: | SVP, Specialty Escrow Officer | |
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