Filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3)
Registration No. 333-232543

 

PROSPECTUS

 

 

Up to $50,000,000

Common Stock

 

 

We have entered into an Open Market Sale Agreement^SM, or the sales agreement, with Jefferies LLC, or Jefferies, dated July 3, 2019, relating to the sale of shares of our common stock offered by this prospectus. In accordance with the terms of the sales agreement, under this prospectus we may offer and sell shares of our common stock, $0.001 par value per share, having an aggregate offering price of up to $50,000,000 from time to time through Jefferies, acting as our agent.

Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the trading symbol “TBIO.” On July 2, 2019, the last sale price of our common stock as reported on The Nasdaq Global Select Market was $11.59 per share.

Sales of our common stock, if any, under this prospectus may be made at market prices by any method permitted by law that are deemed an “at the market offering” as defined in Rule 415(a)(4) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act. Jefferies is not required to sell any specific amount, but will act as our sales agent using commercially reasonable efforts, consistent with its normal trading and sales practices. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in an escrow, trust or similar arrangement.

The compensation to Jefferies for sales of common stock sold pursuant to the sales agreement will be 3.0% of the gross proceeds of any shares of common stock sold under the sales agreement. See “Plan of Distribution” beginning on page 17 for additional information regarding the compensation to be paid to Jefferies. In connection with the sale of the common stock on our behalf, Jefferies will be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act and the compensation of Jefferies will be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. We have also agreed to provide indemnification and contribution to Jefferies with respect to certain liabilities, including civil liabilities under the Securities Act.

 

 

Investing in our common stock involves certain risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 7 of this prospectus and in the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus for a discussion of the factors you should carefully consider before deciding to purchase our common stock.

 

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

Jefferies

July 22, 2019

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS			1
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND INDUSTRY DATA			2
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY			4
RISK FACTORS			7
USE OF PROCEEDS			9
DIVIDEND POLICY			10
DILUTION			11
DESCRIPTION OF COMMON STOCK			13
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION			17
LEGAL MATTERS			19
EXPERTS			19
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION			20
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE			20

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which we refer to as the “SEC,” utilizing a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may from time to time sell shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $250,000,000. Under this prospectus, we may from time to time sell shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $50,000,000, at prices and on terms to be determined by market conditions at the time of the offering. The $50,000,000 of shares of our common stock that may be sold under this prospectus are included in the $250,000,000 of shares of common stock that may be sold under the registration statement.

Before buying any of the common stock that we are offering, we urge you to carefully read this prospectus and all of the information contained in the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, as well as the additional information described under the headings “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference.” These documents contain important information that you should consider when making your investment decision.

To the extent there is a conflict between the information contained in this prospectus, on the one hand, and the information contained in any document incorporated by reference in this prospectus, on the other hand, you should rely on the information in this prospectus, provided that if any statement in one of these documents is inconsistent with a statement in another document having a later date—for example, a document incorporated by reference in this prospectus—the statement in the document having the later date modifies or supersedes the earlier statement.

We further note that the representations, warranties and covenants made by us in any agreement that is filed as an exhibit to any document that is incorporated by reference herein were made solely for the benefit of the parties to such agreement, including, in some cases, for the purpose of allocating risk among the parties to such agreement, and should not be deemed to be a representation, warranty or covenant to you. Moreover, such representations, warranties or covenants were accurate only as of the date when made. Accordingly, such representations, warranties and covenants should not be relied on as accurately representing the current state of our affairs.

We have not, and Jefferies has not, authorized anyone to provide you with any information other than that contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or in any related free writing prospectus filed by us with the SEC. We have not, and Jefferies has not, authorized anyone to provide you with different information. This prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the securities described in this prospectus or an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy such securities in any circumstances in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement, the documents incorporated by reference and any related free writing prospectus is accurate only as of their respective dates. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed materially since those dates.

Unless the context otherwise indicates, references in this prospectus to “Translate Bio” “we,” “our,” “us” and “the Company” refer, collectively, to Translate Bio, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its consolidated subsidiaries.

 

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND INDUSTRY DATA

This prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this prospectus or incorporated by reference herein, including statements regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenue, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “would,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words.

The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus and incorporated by reference herein include, among other things, statements about:

 

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the initiation, timing, progress and results of our current and future preclinical studies and clinical trials and our research and development programs;

 

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our estimates regarding expenses, future revenue, capital requirements and need for additional financing;

 

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our plans to develop our product candidates;

 

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the timing of and our ability to submit applications for, obtain and maintain regulatory approvals for our product candidates;

 

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our expectations regarding our ability to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements with our cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, and the period in which we expect that such cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments will enable us to fund such operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements;

 

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the potential advantages of our product candidates;

 

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the rate and degree of market acceptance and clinical utility of our product candidates;

 

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our estimates regarding the potential market opportunity for our product candidates;

 

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our commercialization, marketing and manufacturing capabilities and strategy;

 

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our expectations regarding our ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection for our product candidates;

 

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our ability to identify additional products, product candidates or technologies with significant commercial potential that are consistent with our commercial objectives;

 

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the impact of government laws and regulations;

 

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our competitive position;

 

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developments relating to our competitors and our industry;

 

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our ability to establish collaborations or obtain additional funding; and

 

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our expectations regarding the time during which we will be an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act.

We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements we make. We have included important factors in the cautionary statements included, or incorporated by

 

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reference, in this prospectus, particularly in the “Risk Factors” section, that we believe could cause actual results or events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements that we make. You should also carefully review the risk factors and cautionary statements described in the other documents we file from time to time with the SEC, specifically our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and our Current Reports on Form 8-K. Our forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any future acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, collaborations, joint ventures or investments that we may make or enter into.

You should read this prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus and the documents that we have filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus and incorporated by reference herein are made as of the date hereof, and we do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law.

This prospectus includes and incorporates by reference certain statistical and other industry and market data that we obtained from industry publications and research, surveys and studies conducted by third parties as well as our own estimates of potential market opportunities. Industry publications and third-party research, surveys and studies generally indicate that their information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, although they do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of such information. Our estimates of the potential market opportunities for our product candidates include several key assumptions based on our industry knowledge, industry publications, third-party research and other surveys, which may be based on a small sample size and may fail to accurately reflect market opportunities. While we believe that our internal assumptions are reasonable, no independent source has verified such assumptions.

 

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RISK FACTORS

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below together with all of the other information contained in this prospectus and the risk factors in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and in our other filings with the SEC that we make from time to time, which are incorporated by reference in this prospectus, together with other information in this prospectus, the information and documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, and in any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus that we authorize for use in connection with this offering. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business, prospects, operating results and financial condition could suffer materially. In such event, the trading price of our common stock could decline and you might lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to This Offering

Sale of a substantial number of shares of our common stock, including by us, could cause the market price of our common stock to drop significantly, even if our business is doing well.

Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception in the market that the holders of a large number of shares intend to sell shares, could reduce the market price of our common stock. Persons who were our stockholders prior to our initial public offering continue to hold a substantial number of shares of our common stock. If such persons sell, or indicate an intention to sell, substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, the trading price of our common stock could decline. Moreover, holders of a substantial number of shares of our common stock have rights, subject to specified conditions, to require us to file registration statements covering their shares or to include their shares in registration statements that we may file for ourselves or other stockholders.

We have filed a registration statement registering the sale of shares of common stock that we may issue under our equity compensation plans. These shares can be freely sold in the public market upon issuance, subject to volume limitations applicable to affiliates. These sales also might make it difficult for us to sell equity securities in the future at a time and at a price that we deem appropriate. We cannot predict the size of future issuances or the effect, if any, that this offering or any future issuances may have on the market price for our common stock.

Our management has broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds from this offering and may invest or spend the proceeds of this offering in ways with which you may not agree or in ways that may not yield a return.

Our management will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds from this offering and could spend the proceeds in ways that do not improve our results of operations or enhance the value of our common stock. The failure by our management to apply these funds effectively could result in financial losses that could cause the price of our common stock to decline and delay the development of our product candidates. Pending their use, we may invest the net proceeds from this offering in a manner that does not produce income or that loses value.

In addition, the issuance from time to time of shares of our common stock in this offering, or our ability to issue these shares of common stock in this offering, could result in resales of our common stock by our current stockholders concerned about the potential dilution of their holdings. In turn, these resales could have the effect of depressing the market price for our common stock.

Purchasers will experience immediate dilution in the book value per share of the common stock purchased in the offering.

The shares sold in this offering, if any, will be sold from time to time at various prices. However, we expect that the offering price of our common stock will be substantially higher than the pro forma net tangible book

 

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value (deficit) per share of our outstanding common stock. After giving effect to the sale of shares of our common stock in the aggregate amount of $50,000,000 at an assumed offering price of $11.59 per share, the last sale price of our common stock on July 2, 2019 on The Nasdaq Global Select Market, and after deducting estimated commissions and estimated offering expenses, our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value (deficit) as of March 31, 2019 would have been approximately $12.0 million, or approximately $0.24 per share. This represents an immediate increase in pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value of approximately $0.85 per share to our existing stockholders and an immediate dilution in pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value (deficit) of approximately $10.50 per share to purchasers of our common stock in this offering. See “Dilution” for more information.

In addition to this offering, subject to market conditions and other factors, we may pursue additional equity financings in the future, including future public offerings or future private placements of equity securities or securities convertible into or exchangeable for equity securities at prices that may be higher or lower than the price per share in this offering. Further, the exercise of outstanding options could result in further dilution to investors and any additional shares issued in connection with acquisitions will result in dilution to investors. In addition, the market price of our common stock could fall as a result of resales of any of these shares of common stock due to an increased number of shares available for sale in the market.

You may experience future dilution as a result of future equity offerings.

In order to raise additional capital, we may in the future offer additional shares of our common stock or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock at prices that may not be the same as the price per share in this offering. We may sell shares or other securities in any other offering at a price per share that is less than the price per share paid by any investors in this offering, and investors purchasing shares or other securities in the future could have rights superior to existing stockholders. The price per share at which we sell additional shares of our common stock, or securities convertible or exchangeable into common stock, in future transactions may be higher or lower than the price per share paid by any investors in this offering.

We do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our capital stock in the foreseeable future. Accordingly, stockholders must rely on capital appreciation, if any, for any return on their investment.

We have never declared nor paid cash dividends on our capital stock. We currently plan to retain all of our future earnings, if any, to finance the operation, development and growth of our business. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our common stock will be your sole source of gain for the foreseeable future.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We may issue and sell shares of our common stock having aggregate sales proceeds of up to $50,000,000 from time to time. Because there is no minimum offering amount required as a condition to close this offering, the actual total public offering amount, commissions and proceeds to us, if any, are not determinable at this time.

We currently anticipate that we will use the net proceeds from this offering, together with our existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, primarily for general corporate purposes, which may include working capital and capital expenditures, research and development expenses, including to fund discovery and additional preclinical research and development of additional product candidates and platform enhancement, general and administrative expenses, and potential acquisitions of, or investments in, companies, technologies, products or assets that complement our business.

This expected use of net proceeds from this offering represents our intentions based upon our current plans and business conditions, which could change in the future as our plans and business conditions evolve. The amounts and timing of our actual expenditures may vary significantly depending on numerous factors, including the actual net proceeds from this offering, the progress of our development, the status of and results from clinical trials, the timing of regulatory submissions and the outcome of regulatory review, as well as any collaborations that we may enter into with third parties for our product candidates, and any unforeseen cash needs. As a result, our management will retain broad discretion over the allocation of the net proceeds from this offering.

Pending the uses described above, we plan to invest the net proceeds from this offering in short- and intermediate-term, interest-bearing obligations, investment-grade instruments, certificates of deposit or direct or guaranteed obligations of the U.S. government.

 

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DIVIDEND POLICY

We have not declared or paid any cash dividends on our capital stock since our inception. We intend to retain future earnings, if any, to finance the operation and expansion of our business and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any future determination to declare and pay dividends will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on then-existing conditions, including our results of operations, financial condition, capital requirements, business prospects and other factors our board of directors may deem relevant.

 

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DILUTION

If you invest in our common stock in this offering, your ownership interest will be diluted immediately to the extent of the difference between the price per share you pay in this offering and the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value (deficit) per share of our common stock immediately after this offering.

Our historical net tangible book value (deficit) as of March 31, 2019 was $(32.2) million, or $(0.71) per share of our common stock. Our historical net tangible book value (deficit) is the amount of our total tangible assets less our total liabilities. Historical net tangible book value (deficit) per share represents historical net tangible book value (deficit) divided by the 45,294,439 shares of our common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2019.

Our pro forma net tangible book value (deficit) as of March 31, 2019 was $12.0 million, or $0.24 per share of our common stock. Pro forma net tangible book value represents the amount of our total tangible assets less our total liabilities, after giving effect to our issuance and sale of 5,582,940 shares of our common stock in a private placement at a price per share of $8.50, resulting in gross proceeds of $47.5 million, before deducting placement agent fees of $2.8 million and other estimated offering expenses of $0.4 million, on May 3, 2019. Pro forma net tangible book value (deficit) per share represents pro forma net tangible book value (deficit) divided by 50,877,379 shares of common stock outstanding, pro forma, based on 45,294,439 shares of common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2019, after giving effect to the pro forma adjustments described above.

After giving effect to the assumed sale by us of shares of our common stock in the aggregate amount of $50,000,000 at an assumed offering price of $11.59 per share (the last sale price of our common stock on July 2, 2019 as reported on The Nasdaq Global Select Market), less the estimated commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value (deficit) at March 31, 2019 would have been $12.0 million, or $0.24 per share. This represents an immediate increase in pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value (deficit) of $0.85 per share to existing stockholders and an immediate dilution of $10.50 per share to investors in this offering. The following table illustrates this per share dilution.

 

Assumed offering price per share						$	11.59
Historical net tangible book value (deficit) per share as of March 31, 2019		$	(0.71	)
Increase per share attributable to the pro forma adjustments described above			0.95
Pro forma net tangible book value (deficit) per share as of March 31, 2019			0.24
Increase in pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share attributable to this offering			0.85
Pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value (deficit) per share after giving effect to this offering						$	1.09
Dilution of pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value (deficit) per share to new investors in this offering						$	10.50

The as adjusted information is illustrative only and will adjust based on the actual offering price, the actual number of shares sold and other terms of the offering determined at the time shares of our common stock are sold pursuant to this prospectus. The as adjusted information assumes that all of our common stock in the aggregate amount of $50,000,000 is sold at the assumed offering price of $11.59 per share, the last reported sale price of our common stock on The Nasdaq Global Select Market on July 2, 2019. The shares sold in this offering, if any, will be sold from time to time at various prices.

The table above excludes:

 

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8,012,029 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of stock options outstanding as of March 31, 2019 at a weighted average exercise price of $7.86 per share;

 

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641,200 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of stock options granted after March 31, 2019 at a weighted average exercise price of $10.17 per share; and

 

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1,963,837 and 870,097 additional shares of our common stock available for future issuance, as of March 31, 2019, under our 2018 Equity Incentive Plan and our 2018 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, respectively, as well as any automatic increases in the number of shares of common stock reserved under these plans.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF COMMON STOCK

The following description of our common stock is intended as a summary only and therefore is not a complete description of our common stock. This description is based upon, and is qualified by reference to, our certificate of incorporation, our bylaws and applicable provisions of Delaware corporate law. You should read our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, which are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, for the provisions that are important to you.

Our authorized common stock consists of 200,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value per share.

Annual Meeting. Annual meetings of our stockholders are held on the date designated in accordance with our bylaws. Written notice must be mailed to each stockholder entitled to vote not less than ten nor more than 60 days before the date of the meeting. The presence in person, by remote communication, if authorized by our board of directors, or by proxy of the holders of record of a majority of our issued and outstanding shares entitled to vote at such meeting constitutes a quorum for the transaction of business at meetings of the stockholders. Special meetings of the stockholders may be called for any purpose or purposes at any time only by our board of directors and may not be called by any other person or persons. Except as may be otherwise provided by applicable law, our certificate of incorporation or our bylaws, all elections shall be decided by a plurality, and all other questions shall be decided by a majority, of the votes cast by stockholders entitled to vote thereon at a duly held meeting of stockholders at which a quorum is present.

Voting Rights. Each holder of common stock is entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted upon by stockholders.

Dividends. Subject to the rights, powers and preferences of any outstanding preferred stock, and except as provided by law or in our certificate of incorporation, dividends may be declared and paid or set aside for payment on the common stock out of legally available assets or funds when and as declared by the board of directors.

Liquidation, Dissolution and Winding Up. Subject to the rights, powers and preferences of any outstanding preferred stock, in the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, our net assets will be distributed pro rata to the holders of our common stock.

Other Rights. Holders of the common stock have no right to:

 

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convert the stock into any other security;

 

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have the stock redeemed;

 

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purchase additional stock; or

 

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maintain their proportionate ownership interest.

The common stock does not have cumulative voting rights. Holders of shares of the common stock are not required to make additional capital contributions.

Transfer Agent and Registrar. Computershare Trust Company, N.A. is transfer agent and registrar for the common stock.

Registration Rights

Amended and Restated Registration Rights Agreement

We are party to an amended and restated registration rights agreement dated as of December 22, 2016, with Shire Human Genetic Therapies, Inc. and certain other of our stockholders. This amended and restated registration rights agreement provides these stockholders the right to require us to register their shares under the Securities Act under specified circumstances as described below.

 

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Demand and Form S-3 Registration Rights. Subject to specified limitations set forth in the amended and restated registration rights agreement, at any time, the holders of at least 60% of the then outstanding registrable securities may demand that we register registrable securities then outstanding under the Securities Act for purposes of a public offering having an aggregate offering price to the public of not less than $5.0 million. We are not obligated to file a registration statement pursuant to this provision on more than two occasions.

In addition, subject to specified limitations set forth in the amended and restated registration rights agreement, at any time after we become eligible to file a registration statement on Form S-3, holders of at least 25% of the registrable securities then outstanding may request that we register their registrable securities on Form S-3 for purposes of a public offering for which the reasonably anticipated aggregate offering price to the public would exceed $1.0 million. We are not obligated to file a registration statement pursuant to this provision on more than two occasions in any 12-month period.

Incidental Registration Rights. If we propose to register for our own account any of our securities under the Securities Act, the holders of registrable securities will be entitled to notice of the registration and, subject to specified exceptions, have the right to require us to register all or a portion of the registrable securities then held by them in that registration.

In the event that any registration in which the holders of registrable securities participate pursuant to our amended and restated registration rights agreement is an underwritten public offering, we have agreed to enter into an underwriting agreement in usual and customary form and use our reasonable best efforts to facilitate such offering.

Expenses. Pursuant to the amended and restated registration rights agreement, we are required to pay all registration expenses, including all registration and filing fees, exchange listing fees, printing expenses, fees and expenses of one counsel selected by the selling stockholders to represent the selling stockholders, state Blue Sky fees and expenses and the expense of any special audits incident to or required by any such registration, but excluding underwriting discounts, selling commissions and the fees and expenses of the selling stockholders’ own counsel (other than the counsel selected to represent all selling stockholders).

Indemnification. The amended and restated registration rights agreement contains customary cross-indemnification provisions, pursuant to which we are obligated to indemnify the selling stockholders in the event of material misstatements or omissions in the registration statement attributable to us or any violation or alleged violation whether by action or inaction by us under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, any state securities or Blue Sky law or any rule or regulation promulgated under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or any state securities or Blue Sky law in connection with such registration statement or the qualification or compliance of the offering, and they are obligated to indemnify us for material misstatements or omissions in the registration statement attributable to them.

Provisions of Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws and Delaware Law That May Have Anti-Takeover Effects

Board of Directors. Our certificate of incorporation provide for a board of directors divided as nearly equally as possible into three classes. Each class is elected to a term expiring at the annual meeting of stockholders held in the third year following the year of such election. The number of directors comprising our board of directors is fixed from time to time by the board of directors.

Removal of Directors by Stockholders. Our certificate of incorporation provides that, subject to the rights of holders of any series of preferred stock, members of our board of directors may be removed only for cause and only by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least seventy-five percent (75%) of the votes that all the stockholders would be entitled to cast in an election of directors or class of directors.

 

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Stockholder Nomination of Directors. Our bylaws provide that a stockholder must notify us in writing of any stockholder nomination of a director not earlier than the 120^th day and not later than the 90^th day prior to the first anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting; provided, that if the date of the annual meeting is advanced by more than 30 days, or delayed by more than 60 days, from such anniversary date, notice by the stockholder to be timely must be so delivered not earlier than the 120^th day prior to the date of such annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of (1) the 90^th day prior to the date of such meeting and (2) the tenth day following the day on which notice of the date of such annual meeting was mailed or public disclosure of the date of such annual meeting was made, whichever first occurs.

No Action by Written Consent. Our certificate of incorporation provides that our stockholders may not act by written consent and may only act at duly called meetings of stockholders.

Super-Majority Voting. The General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, which we refer to as the DGCL, provides generally that the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares entitled to vote on any matter is required to amend a corporation’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws unless a corporation’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws, as the case may be, requires a greater percentage. Our bylaws may be amended or repealed by a majority vote of our board of directors or the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 75% of the votes that all our stockholders would be entitled to cast in any annual election of directors. In addition, the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 75% of the votes that all our stockholders would be entitled to cast in any election of directors is required to amend or repeal or to adopt any provisions inconsistent with any of the provisions of our certificate of incorporation described above.

Delaware Business Combination Statute. Section 203 of the DGCL is applicable to us. Section 203 of the DGCL restricts some types of transactions and business combinations between a corporation and a 15% stockholder. A 15% stockholder is generally considered by Section 203 to be a person owning 15% or more of the corporation’s outstanding voting stock. Section 203 refers to a 15% stockholder as an “interested stockholder.” Section 203 restricts these transactions for a period of three years from the date the stockholder acquires 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock. With some exceptions, unless the transaction is approved by the board of directors and the holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation, Section 203 prohibits significant business transactions such as:

 

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a merger with, disposition of significant assets to or receipt of disproportionate financial benefits by the interested stockholder, and

 

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any other transaction that would increase the interested stockholder’s proportionate ownership of any class or series of our capital stock.

The shares held by the interested stockholder are not counted as outstanding when calculating the two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock needed for approval.

The prohibition against these transactions does not apply if:

 

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prior to the time that any stockholder became an interested stockholder, the board of directors approved either the business combination or the transaction in which such stockholder acquired 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock, or

 

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the interested stockholder owns at least 85% of our outstanding voting stock as a result of a transaction in which such stockholder acquired 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock. Shares held by persons who are both directors and officers or by some types of employee stock plans are not counted as outstanding when making this calculation.

Exclusive Forum Selection. Our certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware does not have jurisdiction, the federal district court for the District of

 

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Delaware) shall be the sole and exclusive forum for (1) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of our company, (2) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers, employees or stockholders to our company or our stockholders, (3) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or as to which the DGCL confers jurisdiction on the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, or (4) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of our certificate of incorporation or bylaws (in each case, as they may be amended from time to time) or governed by the internal affairs doctrine. Although our certificate of incorporation contains the choice of forum provision described above, it is possible that a court could rule that such a provision is inapplicable for a particular claim or action or that such provision is unenforceable.

 

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We have entered into a sales agreement with Jefferies, under which we may offer and sell up to $50,000,000 of our shares of common stock from time to time through Jefferies acting as agent. Sales of our shares of common stock, if any, under this prospectus will be made by any method that is deemed to be an “at the market offering” as defined in Rule 415(a)(4) under the Securities Act.

Each time we wish to issue and sell shares of common stock under the sales agreement, we will notify Jefferies of the number of shares to be issued, the dates on which such sales are anticipated to be made, any limitation on the number of shares to be sold in any one day and any minimum price below which sales may not be made. Once we have so instructed Jefferies, unless Jefferies declines to accept the terms of such notice, Jefferies has agreed to use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices to sell such shares up to the amount specified on such terms. The obligations of Jefferies under the sales agreement to sell our shares of common stock are subject to a number of conditions that we must meet.

The settlement of sales of shares between us and Jefferies is generally anticipated to occur on the second trading day following the date on which the sale was made. Sales of our shares of common stock as contemplated in this prospectus will be settled through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company or by such other means as we and Jefferies may agree upon. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in an escrow, trust or similar arrangement.

We will pay Jefferies a commission of 3.0% of the aggregate gross proceeds we receive from each sale of our shares of common stock. Because there is no minimum offering amount required as a condition to close this offering, the actual total public offering amount, commissions and proceeds to us, if any, are not determinable at this time. In addition, we have agreed to reimburse Jefferies for the fees and disbursements of its counsel, payable upon execution of the sales agreement, in an amount not to exceed $50,000, in addition to certain ongoing disbursements of its legal counsel. We estimate that the total expenses for the offering, excluding any commissions or expense reimbursement payable to Jefferies under the terms of the sales agreement, will be approximately $0.3 million. The remaining sale proceeds, after deducting any other transaction fees, will equal our net proceeds from the sale of such shares.

Jefferies will provide written confirmation to us before the open of The Nasdaq Global Select Market on the day following each day on which shares of common stock are sold under the sales agreement. Each confirmation will include the number of shares sold on that day, the aggregate gross proceeds of such sales and the net proceeds to us.

In connection with the sale of the shares of common stock on our behalf, Jefferies will be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act, and the compensation of Jefferies will be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. We have agreed to indemnify Jefferies against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We have also agreed to contribute to payments Jefferies may be required to make in respect of such liabilities.

The offering of our shares of common stock pursuant to the sales agreement will terminate upon the earlier of (i) the sale of all shares of common stock subject to the sales agreement and (ii) the termination of the sales agreement as permitted therein. We and Jefferies may each terminate the sales agreement at any time upon ten days’ prior notice.

This summary of the material provisions of the sales agreement does not purport to be a complete statement of its terms and conditions. A copy of the sales agreement is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.

Jefferies and its affiliates have previously and may in the future provide various investment banking, commercial banking, financial advisory and other financial services for us and our affiliates, for which services

 

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they have and may in the future receive customary fees. In the course of its business, Jefferies may actively trade our securities for its own account or for the accounts of customers, and, accordingly, Jefferies may at any time hold long or short positions in such securities.

This prospectus in electronic format may be made available on a website maintained by Jefferies, and Jefferies may distribute this prospectus electronically.

 

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LEGAL MATTERS

The validity of the shares of common stock offered hereby will be passed upon for us by Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, Boston, Massachusetts. Jefferies LLC is being represented by Cooley LLP, New York, New York, in connection with this offering.

EXPERTS

The financial statements incorporated in this prospectus by reference to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 have been so incorporated in reliance on the report (which contains an explanatory paragraph relating to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern as described in Note 1 to the financial statements) of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

 

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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of certain information filed by us with the SEC are also available on our website at http://www.translate.bio. Our website is not a part of this prospectus and is not incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

This prospectus is part of a registration statement we filed with the SEC. This prospectus omits some information contained in the registration statement in accordance with SEC rules and regulations. You should review the information and exhibits in the registration statement for further information about us and our consolidated subsidiaries and the securities we are offering. Statements in this prospectus concerning any document we filed as an exhibit to the registration statement or that we otherwise filed with the SEC are not intended to be comprehensive and are qualified by reference to these filings. You should review the complete document to evaluate these statements.

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference much of the information we file with the SEC, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those publicly available documents. The information that we incorporate by reference in this prospectus is considered to be part of this prospectus. Because we are incorporating by reference future filings with the SEC, this prospectus is continually updated and those future filings may modify or supersede some of the information included or incorporated in this prospectus. This means that you must look at all of the SEC filings that we incorporate by reference to determine if any of the statements in this prospectus or in any document previously incorporated by reference have been modified or superseded. This prospectus incorporates by reference the documents listed below (File No. 001-38550) and any future filings we make with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (in each case, other than those documents or the portions of those documents not deemed to be filed) between the date of the initial registration statement and the effectiveness of the registration statement and following the effectiveness of the registration statement until the offering of the securities under the registration statement is terminated or completed:

 

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Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, including the information specifically incorporated by reference into the Annual Report on Form 10-K from our definitive proxy statement for the 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders;

 

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Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2019;

 

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Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on January 3, 2019, April 8, 2019, April  11, 2019, May 1, 2019, June  19, 2019 and July 15, 2019, respectively, and Current Reports on Form 8-K/A filed with the SEC on June 19, 2019 and June 19, 2019, respectively; and

 

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The description of our common stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed on June 22, 2018, including any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description.

You may request a copy of these filings, at no cost, by writing or telephoning us at the following address or telephone number:

Translate Bio, Inc.

Attention: Paul Burgess, Chief Legal Officer

29 Hartwell Avenue

Lexington, Massachusetts 02421

(617) 945-7361

 

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Up to $50,000,000

Common Stock

 

 

PROSPECTUS

 

 

Jefferies

 

 

July 22, 2019