As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 30, 2015

Registration No. 333-            

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

Spark Therapeutics, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

 

 

 

Delaware		46-2654405
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization)		(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
3737 Market Street Suite 1300 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania		19104
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)		(Zip Code)

2015 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

2015 Stock Incentive Plan

2014 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended

(Full Title of the Plan)

Jeffrey D. Marrazzo

Chief Executive Officer

3737 Market Street

Suite 1300

Philadelphia, PA 19104

(Name and Address of Agent For Service)

(888) 772-7560

(Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent For Service)

 

 

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 of the Exchange Act.

 

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

 

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

Title of Securities to be Registered		Amount to be Registered (1)		Proposed Maximum Offering Price Per Share		Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price		Amount of Registration Fee
Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share		4,523,997 shares (2)		$3.45-$23.00 (3)		$62,205,383 (3)		$7,229

 

(1)	In accordance with Rule 416 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement shall be deemed to cover any additional securities that may from time to time be offered or issued to prevent dilution resulting from stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions.

(2)

Consists of (i) 2,264,497 shares issuable under the 2014 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended, (ii) 2,039,500 shares issuable under the 2015 Stock Incentive Plan; and (iii) 220,000 shares issuable under the 2015 Employee Stock Purchase Plan. Upon the expiration, termination, surrender, cancellation, forfeiture or repurchase of outstanding awards under the 2014 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended, the unissued balance of shares issuable under such awards will be issuable under the 2015 Stock Incentive Plan.

(3)

Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee in accordance with Rule 457(h) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The price per share and aggregate offering price are calculated on the basis of (a) $4.52, the weighted average exercise price of the 2,264,497 shares subject to outstanding stock option grants under the 2014 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended, at prices ranging from $3.45 to $7.50, and (b) $23.00, the initial public offering price set forth on the cover page of the Registrant’s Prospectus dated January 29, 2015 relating to its initial public offering, in accordance with Rule 457(c) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended for the 2,039,500 shares issuable under the 2015 Stock Incentive Plan and for the 220,000 shares issuable under the 2015 Employee Stock Purchase Plan. Pursuant to the 2015 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, the purchase price of the shares of common stock reserved for issuance thereunder will be 85% of the lower of the fair market value of the common stock on (i) the first trading day of the offering period or (ii) the exercise date.

 

 

 

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PART I

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

Item 1. Plan Information.

The information required by Item 1 is included in documents sent or given to participants in the plans covered by this registration statement pursuant to Rule 428(b)(1) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).

Item 2. Registrant Information and Employee Plan Annual Information.

The written statement required by Item 2 is included in documents sent or given to participants in the plans covered by this registration statement pursuant to Rule 428(b)(1) of the Securities Act.

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

The registrant is subject to the informational and reporting requirements of Sections 13(a), 14, and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and in accordance therewith files reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”). The following documents, which are on file with the Commission, are incorporated in this registration statement by reference:

(a) The registrant’s latest annual report filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act or the latest prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act that contains audited financial statements for the registrant’s latest fiscal year for which such statements have been filed.

(b) All other reports filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act since the end of the fiscal year covered by the document referred to in (a) above.

(c) The description of the securities contained in the registrant’s registration statement on Form 8-A filed under the Exchange Act, including any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description.

All documents subsequently filed by the registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act, 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 in this registration statement and to be part hereof from the date of the filing of such 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.

 

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Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

Not applicable.

Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

Section 102 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”) permits a corporation to eliminate the personal liability of directors of a corporation to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for a breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except where the director breached his or her duty of loyalty, failed to act in good faith, engaged in intentional misconduct or knowingly violated a law, authorized the payment of a dividend or approved a stock repurchase in violation of Delaware corporate law or obtained an improper personal benefit. The registrant’s restated certificate of incorporation provides that no director shall be personally liable to it or its stockholders for monetary damages for any breach of fiduciary duty as a director, notwithstanding any provision of law imposing such liability, except to the extent that the DGCL prohibits the elimination or limitation of liability of directors for breaches of fiduciary duty.

Section 145 of the DGCL provides that a corporation has the power to indemnify a director, officer, employee, or agent of the corporation, or a person serving at the request of the corporation for another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise in related capacities against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlements actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with an action, suit or proceeding to which he or she is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, ending or completed action, suit or proceeding by reason of such position, if such person acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, in any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful, except that, in the case of actions brought by or in the right of the corporation, no indemnification shall be made with respect to any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or other adjudicating court determines that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all of the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.

The registrant’s restated certificate of incorporation provides that it will indemnify each person who was or is a party or threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of us) by reason of the fact that he or she is or was, or has agreed to become, a director or officer, or is or was serving, or has agreed to serve, at the registrant’s request as a director, officer, partner, employee or trustee of, or in a similar capacity with, another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise (all such persons being referred to as an “Indemnitee”), or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity, against all expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred in connection with such action, suit or proceeding and any appeal therefrom, if such Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the registrant’s best interests, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, he or she had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful.

The registrant’s restated certificate of incorporation provides that the registrant will indemnify any Indemnitee who was or is a party to an action or suit by or in the right of the registrant to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the Indemnitee is or was, or has agreed to become, a director or officer, or is or was serving, or has agreed to serve, at the registrant’s request as a director,

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officer, partner, employee or trustee of, or in a similar capacity with, another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity, against all expenses (including attorneys’ fees) and, to the extent permitted by law, amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, and any appeal therefrom, if the Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the registrant’s best interests, except that no indemnification shall be made with respect to any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the registrant, unless a court determines that, despite such adjudication but in view of all of the circumstances, he or she is entitled to indemnification of such expenses. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent that any Indemnitee has been successful, on the merits or otherwise, he or she will be indemnified by the registrant against all expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred in connection therewith. Expenses must be advanced to an Indemnitee under certain circumstances.

The registrant intends to enter into indemnification agreements with its directors and executive officers. In general, these agreements provide that the registrant will indemnify the director or executive officer to the fullest extent permitted by law for claims arising in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the company or in connection with their service at the registrant’s request for another corporation or entity. The indemnification agreements also provide for procedures that will apply in the event that a director or executive officer makes a claim for indemnification and establish certain presumptions that are favorable to the director or executive officer.

The registrant maintains a general liability insurance policy that covers certain liabilities of the registrant’s directors and officers arising out of claims based on acts or omissions in their capacities as directors or officers.

Item 7. Exemption from Registration Claimed.

Not applicable.

Item 8. Exhibits.

The Exhibit Index immediately preceding the exhibits is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 9. Undertakings.

1. 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;

(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; and

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(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 (i) and (ii) 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 Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement.

(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, 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.

2. The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that is incorporated by reference in the 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.

3. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, 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 Securities 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 Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

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SIGNATURES

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 Philadelphia, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, on this 30^th day of January, 2015.

 

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SIGNATURES AND POWER OF ATTORNEY

We, the undersigned officers and directors of Spark Therapeutics, Inc., hereby severally constitute and appoint Jeffrey D. Marrazzo, Stephen Webster, and Joseph La Barge and each of them singly, our true and lawful attorneys with full power to them, and each of them singly, to sign for us and in our names in the capacities indicated below, the registration statement on Form S-8 filed herewith and any and all subsequent amendments to said registration statement, and generally to do all such things in our names and on our behalf in our capacities as officers and directors to enable Spark Therapeutics, Inc. to comply with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and all requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming our signatures as they may be signed by our said attorneys, or any of them, to said registration statement and any and all amendments thereto.

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/ Jeffrey D. Marrazzo Jeffrey D. Marrazzo		Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) Director		January 30, 2015
/s/ Stephen W. Webster Stephen W. Webster		Chief Financial Officer (Principal financial and accounting officer)		January 30, 2015
/s/ Katherine A. High, M.D. Katherine A. High, M.D.		Director		January 30, 2015
/s/ Steven M. Altschuler, M.D. Steven M. Altschuler, M.D.		Director		January 30, 2015
/s/ A. Lorris Betz, M.D., Ph.D. A. Lorris Betz, M.D., Ph.D.		Director		January 30, 2015
/s/ Anand Mehra, M.D. Anand Mehra, M.D.		Director		January 30, 2015
/s/ Vincent Milano Vincent Milano		Director		January 30, 2015
/s/ Elliott Sigal, M.D., Ph.D. Elliott Sigal, M.D., Ph.D.		Director		January 30, 2015
/s/ Lars Ekman, M.D., Ph.D. Lars Ekman, M.D., Ph.D.		Director		January 30, 2015

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INDEX TO EXHIBITS

 

Number		Description
4.1(1)		Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant, as amended
4.2(2)		Amended and Restated By-Laws of the Registrant
4.3(2)		Form of Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant (to be effective upon the closing of the Registrant’s initial public offering)
4.4(2)		Form of Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Registrant (to be effective upon the closing of the Registrant’s initial public offering)
5		Opinion of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, counsel to the Registrant
23.1		Consent of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP (included in Exhibit 5)
23.2		Consent of KPMG LLP
24		Power of attorney (included on the signature pages of this registration statement)
99.1(2)		2014 Stock Incentive Plan
99.2(1)		2015 Stock Incentive Plan
99.3(1)		2015 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

 

(1)	Previously filed on January 20, 2015 with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an Exhibit to Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-201318) and incorporated herein by reference.

(2)	Previously filed on December 30, 2014 with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an Exhibit to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-201318) and incorporated herein by reference.