Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Registration No. 333-230383

 

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

  

(To Prospectus dated February 14, 2020)

 

$50,000,000

 

 

Common Stock

 

We have entered into an Open Market Sale Agreement^SM, or the sales agreement, with Jefferies LLC, or Jefferies, relating to shares of our common stock, $0.001 par value per share, offered by this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. In accordance with the terms of the sales agreement, we may offer and sell shares of our common stock 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, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “FLDM.” On March 3, 2020, the last reported sale price of our common stock was $3.15 per share.

 

Sales of our common stock, if any, under this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus will be made in sales deemed to be “at the market offerings” as defined in Rule 415 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act. Jefferies is not required to sell any specific amount of securities, but will act as our sales agent using commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices, on mutually agreed terms between Jefferies and us. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in any escrow, trust or similar arrangement.

 

The compensation to Jefferies for sales of common stock sold pursuant to the sales agreement will be an amount equal to 3.0% of the gross proceeds of any shares of common stock sold under the sales agreement. 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 liabilities under the Securities Act or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. See “Plan of Distribution” on page S-41 of this prospectus supplement.

 

Our business and an investment in our common stock involve significant risks. These risks are described under the caption “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-5 of this prospectus supplement and in the section captioned “Item 1A—Risk Factors” in our most recently filed annual report on Form 10-K or quarterly report on Form 10-Q, which is incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.

  

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

 

Jefferies

 

The date of this prospectus supplement is March 4, 2020.

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Prospectus Supplement

 

	Page
About this Prospectus Supplement	S-2
Prospectus Supplement Summary	S-3
Risk Factors	S-5
Forward-Looking Statements	S-35
Use of Proceeds	S-37
Dilution	S-38
Dividend Policy	S-40
Plan of Distribution	S-41
Legal Matters	S-43
Experts	S-43
Where You Can Find Additional Information	S-43
Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference	S-44

  

Prospectus

 

	Page
About This Prospectus	1
Prospectus Summary	2
Risk Factors	5
Forward-Looking Statement	5
Use of Proceeds	6
Dividend Policy	6
Description of Our Capital Stock	7
Description of the Debt Securities	11
Description of the Warrants	20
Plan of Distribution	21
Legal Matters	25
Experts	25
Where You Can Find More Information	25
Information Incorporated by Reference	26

 

 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

 

This document is in two parts. The first part is the prospectus supplement, including the documents incorporated by reference, which describes the specific terms of this offering. The second part, the accompanying prospectus, including the documents incorporated by reference, provides more general information. Generally, when we refer to this prospectus supplement, we are referring to both parts of this document combined. Before you invest, you should carefully read this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, all information incorporated by reference herein and therein, as well as the additional information described under “Where You Can Find Additional Information” on page S-43 of this prospectus supplement. These documents contain information that you should consider when making your investment decision. This prospectus supplement may add, update or change information contained in the accompanying prospectus. To the extent that any statement that we make in this prospectus supplement is inconsistent with statements made in the accompanying prospectus or any documents incorporated by reference therein, the statements made in this prospectus supplement will be deemed to modify or supersede those made in the accompanying prospectus and such documents incorporated by reference therein.

  

You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and in any free writing prospectuses that we may provide to you in connection with this offering. We have not, and Jefferies has not, authorized any other person to provide you with any information that is different. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, shares of our common stock only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The distribution of this prospectus supplement and the offering of the common stock in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus supplement must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of the common stock and the distribution of this prospectus supplement outside the United States. This prospectus supplement does not constitute, and may not be used in connection with, an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities offered by this prospectus supplement by any person in any jurisdiction in which it is unlawful for such person to make such an offer or solicitation.

 

Unless the context indicates otherwise, as used in this prospectus supplement, the terms Fluidigm®, the Fluidigm logo, 48.Atlas™, Acculift™, Access Array™, Advanta™, Biomark™, Bringing new insights to life™, C1™, Callisto™, Cell-ID™, CyTOF®, D3™, Delta Gene™, Direct™, Digital Array™, Dynamic Array™, EP1™, EQ™, FC1™, Flex Six™, Helios™, High-Precision 96.96 Genotyping™, Hyperion™, IMC™, Imaging Mass Cytometry™, Immune Profiling Assay™, Juno™, Maxpar®, MCD™, MSL®, Nanoflex™, Open App™, Pathsetter™, Polaris™, qdPCR 37K™, Script Builder™, Script Hub™, Singular™, SNP Trace™, and SNP Type™ are trademarks or registered trademarks of Fluidigm Corporation. Other service marks, trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus supplement are the property of their respective owners. This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the other documents incorporated by reference contain references to our trademarks as well as third-party trademarks. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names, including logos, artwork and other visual displays, may appear without the ® or TM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate in any way that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the rights of the applicable licensor to these trademarks and trade names. We do not intend our use of third-party trade names or trademarks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other entity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RISK FACTORS

 

Investors should carefully consider the risks described below and in the filings incorporated by reference before deciding whether to invest in our securities. The risks described below and those described in the filings incorporated by reference are not the only ones we face. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be adversely affected. In such case, the trading price of our common stock could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements made throughout this prospectus supplement and in the documents incorporated by reference as a result of different factors, including the risks we face described below and those described in the filings incorporated by reference.

 

Risks Related to Fluidigm’s Business and Strategy

 

Our financial results and revenue growth rates have varied significantly from quarter-to-quarter and year-to-year due to a number of factors, and a significant variance in our operating results or rates of growth, if any, could lead to substantial volatility in our stock price.

 

Our revenue, results of operations, and revenue growth rates have varied in the past and may continue to vary significantly from quarter-to-quarter or year-to-year. We may experience substantial variability in our product mix from period-to-period as revenue from sales of our instruments relative to sales of our consumables may fluctuate or deviate significantly from expectations. For example, our revenue declined year-over-year in 2017 compared to 2016, but increased year-over-year in 2018 compared to 2017. Our revenue continued to increase year-over-year in 2019 compared to 2018, but we may not be able to achieve similar revenue growth in future periods. We are also increasingly dependent on our mass cytometry business, which is very capital intensive. Variability in our quarterly or annual results of operations, mix of product revenue, including any decline in our mass cytometry revenue, or variability in rates of revenue growth, if any, may lead to volatility in our stock price as research analysts and investors respond to these fluctuations. These fluctuations are due to numerous factors that are difficult to forecast, including: fluctuations in demand for our products; changes in customer budget cycles and capital spending; seasonal variations in customer operations; tendencies among some customers to defer purchase decisions to the end of the quarter; the large unit value of our systems, particularly our proteomics systems; changes in our pricing and sales policies or the pricing and sales policies of our competitors; our ability to design, manufacture, market, sell, and deliver products to our customers in a timely and cost-effective manner; fluctuations or reductions in revenue from sales of legacy instruments that may have contributed significant revenue in prior periods; quality control or yield problems in our manufacturing operations; our ability to timely obtain adequate quantities of the materials or components used in our products, which in certain cases are purchased through sole and single source suppliers; new product introductions and enhancements by us and our competitors; unanticipated increases in costs or expenses; our complex, variable and, at times, lengthy sales cycle; global economic conditions; and fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. Additionally, we have certain customers who have historically placed large orders in multiple quarters during a calendar year. A significant reduction in orders from one or more of these customers could adversely affect our revenue and operating results, and if these customers defer or cancel purchases or otherwise alter their purchasing patterns, our financial results and actual results of operations could be significantly impacted. Other unknown or unpredictable factors also could harm our results.

 

The foregoing factors, as well as other factors, could materially and adversely affect our quarterly and annual results of operations and rates of revenue growth, if any. We have experienced significant revenue growth in the past but we may not achieve similar growth rates in future periods. You should not rely on our operating results for any prior quarterly or annual period as an indication of our future operating performance. If we are unable to achieve adequate revenue growth, our operating results could suffer and our stock price could decline. In addition, a significant amount of our operating expenses are relatively fixed due to our manufacturing, research and development, and sales and general administrative efforts. Any failure to adjust spending quickly enough to compensate for a shortfall relative to our anticipated revenue could magnify the adverse impact of such shortfalls on our results of operations. We expect that our sales will continue to fluctuate on an annual and quarterly basis and that our financial results for some periods may be below those projected by securities analysts, which could significantly decrease the price of our common stock.

 

 

We have incurred losses since inception, and we may continue to incur substantial losses for the foreseeable future.

 

We have incurred significant losses in each fiscal year since our inception, including net losses of $64.8 million, $59.0 million, and $60.5 million during the years 2019, 2018, and 2017, respectively. As of December 31, 2019, we had an accumulated deficit of $623.6 million. These losses have resulted principally from costs incurred in our research and development programs, and from our manufacturing costs and selling, general, and administrative expenses. To date, we have funded our operations primarily through equity offerings, the issuance of debt instruments, and from sales of our products.

 

Until we are able to generate additional revenue to support our level of operating expenses, we will continue to incur operating and net losses and negative cash flow from operations. We believe that our continued investment in research and development, sales, and marketing is essential to our long-term competitive position and future revenue growth and, as a result, we may incur operating losses for the foreseeable future and may never achieve profitability.

 

The life science markets are highly competitive and subject to rapid technological change, and we may not be able to successfully compete.

 

The markets for our products are characterized by rapidly changing technology, evolving industry standards, changes in customer needs, emerging competition, new product introductions, and strong price competition. We compete with both established and development stage life science research companies that design, manufacture, and market instruments and consumables for gene expression analysis, single-cell targeted gene expression and protein expression analysis, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), digital PCR, flow cytometry, cell imaging, and additional applications using well established laboratory techniques, as well as newer technologies such as bead encoded arrays, microfluidics, next generation DNA sequencing, microdroplets, spatial protein expression, and photolithographic arrays. Most of our current competitors have significantly greater name recognition, greater financial and human resources, broader product lines and product packages, larger sales forces, larger existing installed bases, larger intellectual property portfolios, and greater experience and scale in research and development, manufacturing, and marketing than we do.

 

We consider Illumina, Inc., Agilent Technologies, Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (Thermo), Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., NanoString Technologies, Inc. (NanoString), and Agena Bioscience, Inc. to be our principal competitors in the microfluidics space. We believe that Cytek Biosciences, Inc. and Becton, Dickinson and Company are currently our principal competitors in the mass cytometry markets, and that IonPath Inc., Akoya Biosciences, Inc., and NanoString are our principal competitors in imaging mass cytometry. While the aforementioned principal competitors are the largest and most prevalent in their representative technology areas, the combined markets in which we compete have an additional 10 to 20 smaller competitors with competing approaches and technologies that we routinely face in selling situations.

 

 

Competitors may be able to respond more quickly and effectively than we can to new or changing opportunities, technologies, standards, or customer requirements. In light of these advantages, even if our technology is more effective than the product or service offerings of our competitors, current or potential customers might accept competitive products and services in lieu of purchasing our technology. We anticipate that we will continue to face increased competition in the future as existing companies and competitors develop new or improved products and as new companies enter the market with new technologies. Increased competition is likely to result in pricing pressures, which could reduce our profit margins and increase our sales and marketing expenses. In addition, mergers, consolidations, or other strategic transactions between two or more of our competitors, or between our competitor and one of our key customers, could change the competitive landscape and weaken our competitive position, adversely affecting our business.

 

Market opportunities may not develop as quickly as we expect, limiting our ability to successfully sell our products, or our product development and strategic plans may change and our entry into certain markets may be delayed, if it occurs at all.

 

The application of our technologies to high-throughput genomics, single-cell genomics and, particularly, mass cytometry applications are in many cases emerging market opportunities. We believe these opportunities will take several years to develop or mature and we cannot be certain that these market opportunities will develop as we expect. The future growth of our markets and the success of our products depend on many factors beyond our control, including recognition and acceptance by the scientific community, and the growth, prevalence, and costs of competing methods of genetic and protein analysis. Additionally, our success depends on the ability of our sales organization to successfully sell our products into these new markets. If we are not able to successfully market and sell our products, or to achieve the revenue or margins we expect, our operating results may be harmed and we may not recover our product development and marketing expenditures. In addition, our product development and strategic plans may change, which could delay or impede our entry into these markets.

 

If our products fail to achieve and sustain sufficient market acceptance, our revenue will be adversely affected.

 

Our success depends on our ability to develop and market products that are recognized and accepted as reliable, enabling and cost-effective. Most of our potential customers already use expensive research systems in their laboratories and may be reluctant to replace those systems. Market acceptance of our systems will depend on many factors, including our ability to convince potential customers that our systems are an attractive alternative to existing technologies. Compared to some competing technologies, our technology is relatively new, and most potential customers have limited knowledge of, or experience with, our products. Prior to adopting our systems, some potential customers may need to devote time and effort to testing and validating our systems. Any failure of our systems to meet these customer benchmarks could result in customers choosing to retain their existing systems or to purchase systems other than ours, and revenue from the sale of legacy instruments that may have contributed significant revenue in prior periods may decrease.

 

In addition, it is important that our systems be perceived as accurate and reliable by the scientific and medical research community as a whole. Historically, a significant part of our sales and marketing efforts has been directed at convincing industry leaders of the advantages of our systems and encouraging such leaders to publish or present the results of their evaluation of our system. If we are unable to continue to induce leading researchers to use our systems, or if such researchers are unable to achieve and publish or present significant experimental results using our systems, acceptance and adoption of our systems will be slowed and our ability to increase our revenue would be adversely affected.

 

 

We may experience development or manufacturing problems or delays that could limit the potential growth of our revenue or increase our losses.

 

We may encounter unforeseen situations in the manufacturing and assembly of our products that would result in delays or shortfalls in our production. For example, our production processes and assembly methods may have to change to accommodate any significant future expansion of our manufacturing capacity, which may increase our manufacturing costs, delay production of our products, reduce our product margin, and adversely impact our business. Conversely, if demand for our products shifts such that a manufacturing facility is operated below its capacity for an extended period, we may adjust our manufacturing operations to reduce fixed costs, which could lead to uncertainty and delays in manufacturing times and quality during any transition period.

 

Additionally, all of our integrated fluidic circuits (IFCs) for commercial sale are manufactured at our facility in Singapore. Production of the elastomeric block that is at the core of our IFCs is a complex process requiring advanced clean rooms, sophisticated equipment, and strict adherence to procedures. Any contamination of the clean room, equipment malfunction, or failure to strictly follow procedures can significantly reduce our yield in one or more batches. We have in the past experienced variations in yields due to such factors. A drop in yield can increase our cost to manufacture our IFCs or, in more severe cases, require us to halt the manufacture of our IFCs until the problem is resolved. Identifying and resolving the cause of a drop in yield can require substantial time and resources.

 

Furthermore, developing an IFC for a new application may require developing a specific production process for that type of IFC. While all of our IFCs are produced using the same basic processes, significant variations may be required to ensure adequate yield of any particular type of IFC. Developing such a process can be very time consuming, and any unexpected difficulty in doing so can delay the introduction of a product.

 

If our manufacturing activities are adversely impacted, or if we are otherwise unable to keep up with demand for our products by successfully manufacturing, assembling, testing, and shipping our products in a timely manner, our revenue could be impaired, market acceptance for our products could be adversely affected and our customers might instead purchase our competitors’ products.

 

If our research and product development efforts do not result in commercially viable products within anticipated timelines, if at all, our business and results of operations will be adversely affected.

 

Our business is dependent on the improvement of our existing products, our development of new products to serve existing markets, and our development of new products to create new markets and applications that were previously not practical with existing systems. We intend to devote significant personnel and financial resources to research and development activities designed to advance the capabilities of our technology. We have developed design rules for the implementation of our technology that are frequently revised to reflect new insights we have gained about the technology. In addition, we have discovered that biological or chemical reactions sometimes behave differently when implemented on our systems rather than in a standard laboratory environment. Furthermore, many such reactions take place within the confines of single cells, which have also demonstrated unexpected behavior when grown and manipulated within microfluidic environments. As a result, research and development efforts may be required to transfer certain reactions and cell handling techniques to our systems. In the past, product development projects have been significantly delayed when we encountered unanticipated difficulties in implementing a process on our systems. We may have similar delays in the future, and we may not obtain any benefits from our research and development activities. Any delay or failure by us to develop and release new products or product enhancements would have a substantial adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

 

 

Our products could have defects or errors, which may give rise to claims against us, adversely affect market adoption of our systems, and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

 

Our systems utilize novel and complex technology and such systems may develop or contain undetected defects or errors. We cannot assure you that material performance problems, defects, or errors will not arise, and as we increase the density and integration of our systems, these risks may increase. We generally provide warranties that our systems will meet performance expectations and will be free from defects. The costs incurred in correcting any defects or errors may be substantial and could adversely affect our operating margins. For example, we have experienced a performance issue with respect to certain IFCs used in our C1 systems due to the presence of more than one cell in an IFC chamber. Although we have redesigned such C1 IFCs, we may experience additional unexpected product defects or errors that could affect our ability to adequately address these performance issues.

 

In manufacturing our products, including our systems, IFCs, and assays, we depend upon third parties for the supply of various components, many of which require a significant degree of technical expertise to produce. In addition, we purchase certain products from third-party suppliers for resale. If our suppliers fail to produce components to specification or provide defective products to us for resale and our quality control tests and procedures fail to detect such errors or defects, or if we or our suppliers use defective materials or workmanship in the manufacturing process, the reliability and performance of our products will be compromised.

 

If our products contain defects, we may experience:

 

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a failure to achieve market acceptance or expansion of our product sales;

 

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loss of customer orders and delay in order fulfillment;

 

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damage to our brand reputation;

 

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increased cost of our warranty program due to product repair or replacement;

 

·

product recalls or replacements;

 

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inability to attract new customers;

 

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diversion of resources from our manufacturing and research and development departments into our service department; and

 

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legal claims against us, including product liability claims, which could be costly and time consuming to defend and result in substantial damages.

 

In addition, certain of our products are marketed for use with products sold by third parties. For example, certain of our systems are marketed as compatible with major next-generation DNA sequencing instruments. If such third-party products are not produced to specification, are produced in accordance with modified specifications, or are defective, they may not be compatible with our products. In such case, the reliability and performance of our products may be compromised.

 

 

The occurrence of any one or more of the foregoing could negatively affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

 

Our business depends on research and development spending levels of our customers, a reduction in which could limit our ability to sell our products and adversely affect our business.

 

We expect that our revenue in the foreseeable future will continue to be derived primarily from sales of our systems, IFCs, assays, and reagents to academic research institutions, translational research and medicine centers, cancer centers, clinical research laboratories biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, and plant and animal research companies, and contract research organizations worldwide. Our success will depend upon their demand for and use of our products. Accordingly, the spending policies of these customers could have a significant effect on the demand for our technology. These policies may be based on a wide variety of factors, including concerns regarding any future federal government budget sequestrations, the availability of resources to make purchases, the spending priorities among various types of equipment, policies regarding spending during recessionary periods, and changes in the political climate. In addition, academic, governmental, and other research institutions that fund research and development activities may be subject to stringent budgetary constraints that could result in spending reductions, reduced allocations, or budget cutbacks, which could jeopardize the ability of these customers to purchase our products. Our operating results may fluctuate substantially due to reductions and delays in research and development expenditures by these customers. For example, reductions in capital and operating expenditures by these customers may result in lower than expected sales of our systems, IFCs, assays, and reagents. These reductions and delays may result from factors that are not within our control, such as:

 

·

changes in economic conditions;

 

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natural disasters;

 

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changes in government programs that provide funding to research institutions and companies;

 

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changes in the regulatory environment affecting life science and plant and animal research companies engaged in research and commercial activities;

 

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differences in budget cycles across various geographies and industries;

 

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market-driven pressures on companies to consolidate operations and reduce costs;

 

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mergers and acquisitions in the life science and plant and animal research industries; and

 

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other factors affecting research and development spending.

 

Any decrease in our customers’ budgets or expenditures, or in the size, scope, or frequency of capital or operating expenditures, could materially and adversely affect our operations or financial condition.

 

 

If one or more of our manufacturing facilities become unavailable or inoperable, we will be unable to continue manufacturing our instruments, IFCs, assays and/or reagents and, as a result, our business will be harmed until we are able to secure a new facility.

 

We manufacture our genomics analytical and preparatory instruments and IFCs for commercial sale at our facility in Singapore and our mass cytometry instruments, assays, and reagents for commercial sale at our facility in Canada. No other manufacturing facilities are currently available to us, particularly facilities of the size and scope of our Singapore and Canada operations. Our facilities and the equipment we use to manufacture our instruments, IFCs, assays, and reagents would be costly to replace and could require substantial lead times to repair or replace. Our facilities may be harmed or rendered inoperable by natural or man-made disasters, which may render it difficult or impossible for us to manufacture our products for some period of time. If any of our facilities become unavailable to us, we cannot provide assurances that we will be able to secure a new manufacturing facility on acceptable terms, if at all. The inability to manufacture our products, combined with our limited inventory of manufactured supplies, may result in the loss of customers or harm our reputation, and we may be unable to reestablish relationships with those customers in the future. Although we possess insurance for damage to our property and the disruption of our business, this insurance may not be sufficient to cover all of our potential losses and may not continue to be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. If our manufacturing capabilities are impaired, we may not be able to manufacture and ship our products in a timely manner, which would adversely impact our business.

 

Disruption of our manufacturing facilities or other operations, or in the operations of our customers or business partners, due to earthquake, flood, other natural catastrophic events, health epidemics, or terrorism could result in cancellation of orders, delays in deliveries or other business activities, or loss of customers and could seriously harm our business.

 

We have significant manufacturing operations in Singapore and Canada and operations in the United States. In addition, our business is international in nature, with our sales, service and administrative personnel and our customers located in numerous countries throughout the world. Operations at our manufacturing facilities and our subcontractors, as well as our other operations and those of our customers, are subject to disruption for a variety of reasons, including work stoppages, acts of war, terrorism, health epidemics (including the outbreak caused by the novel coronavirus COVID-19), fire, earthquake, volcanic eruptions, energy shortages, flooding or other natural disasters. Such disruption could cause delays in, among other things, shipments of products to our customers, our ability to perform services requested by our customers, or the installation of our products at customer sites. We cannot provide any assurance that alternate means of conducting our operations (whether through alternate production capacity or service providers or otherwise) would be available if a major disruption were to occur or that, if such alternate means were available, they could be obtained on favorable terms.

 

We generate a substantial portion of our revenue internationally and our international business exposes us to business, regulatory, political, operational, financial, and economic risks associated with doing business outside of the United States.

 

During the years 2019, 2018, and 2017, approximately 63%, 57%, and 55% respectively, of our product and service revenue was generated from sales to customers located outside of the United States. We believe that a significant percentage of our future revenue will continue to come from international sources as we expand our international operations and develop opportunities in other countries. Engaging in international business inherently involves a number of difficulties and risks, including:

 

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required compliance with existing and changing foreign regulatory requirements and laws that are or may be applicable to our business in the future, such as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation and other data privacy requirements, labor and employment regulations, anticompetition regulations, the U.K. Bribery Act of 2010 and other anticorruption laws, and the RoHS and WEEE directives, which regulate the use of certain hazardous substances in, and require the collection, reuse, and recycling of waste from, products we manufacture;

 

 

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required compliance with U.S. laws such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and other U.S. federal laws and regulations established by the office of Foreign Asset Control;

 

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export requirements and import or trade restrictions;

 

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laws and business practices favoring local companies;

 

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longer payment cycles and difficulties in enforcing agreements and collecting receivables through certain foreign legal systems;

 

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changes in social, economic, and political conditions or in laws, regulations and policies governing foreign trade, manufacturing, development, and investment both domestically as well as in the other countries and jurisdictions in which we operate and into which we sell our products, including as a result of the separation of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Brexit);

 

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potentially adverse tax consequences, tariffs, customs charges, bureaucratic requirements, and other trade barriers;

 

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difficulties and costs of staffing and managing foreign operations; and

 

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difficulties protecting or procuring intellectual property rights.

 

If one or more of these risks occurs, it could require us to dedicate significant resources to remedy, and if we are unsuccessful in finding a solution, our financial results will suffer.

 

We are subject to fluctuations in the exchange rate of the U.S. Dollar and foreign currencies.

 

A majority of our product sales are currently denominated in U.S. dollars and fluctuations in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to foreign currencies could decrease demand for our products and adversely impact our financial performance. For example, if the value of the U.S. dollar increases relative to foreign currencies, our products could become more costly to the international consumer and therefore less competitive in international markets, or if the value of the U.S. dollar decreases relative to the Singapore dollar or the Canadian dollar, it would become more costly in U.S. dollars for us to manufacture our products in Singapore and/or in Canada. Additionally, our expenses are generally denominated in the currencies of the countries in which our operations are located, which is primarily in the United States, with a portion of expenses incurred in Singapore and Canada where a significant portion of our manufacturing operations are located. Our results of operations and cash flows are, therefore, subject to fluctuations due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates. The volatility of exchange rates depends on many factors that we cannot forecast with reliable accuracy. We have experienced and will continue to experience fluctuations in our net income or loss as a result of transaction gains or losses related to revaluing certain current asset and current liability balances that are denominated in currencies other than the functional currency of the entities in which they are recorded. Fluctuations in currency exchange rates could have an adverse impact on our financial results in the future.

 

  

Any disruption or delay in the shipping or off-loading of our products, whether domestically or internationally, may have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

 

We rely on shipping providers to deliver products to our customers globally. Labor, tariff, or World Trade Organization-related disputes, piracy, physical damage to shipping facilities or equipment caused by severe weather or terrorist incidents, congestion at shipping facilities, inadequate equipment to load, dock, and offload our products, energy-related tie-ups, or other factors could disrupt or delay shipping or off-loading of our products domestically and internationally. Such disruptions or delays may have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

 

We are dependent on single and sole source suppliers for some of the components and materials used in our products, and the loss of any of these suppliers could harm our business.

 

We rely on single and sole source suppliers for certain components and materials used in our products. Additionally, several of our instruments are assembled at the facilities of contract manufacturers in Singapore. We do not have long term contracts with our suppliers of these components and materials or our assembly service providers. The loss of a single or sole source supplier of any of the following components and/or materials would require significant time and effort to locate and qualify an alternative source of supply, if at all:

 

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The IFCs used in our microfluidic systems are fabricated using a specialized polymer, and other specialized materials, that are available from a limited number of sources. In the past, we have encountered quality issues that have reduced our manufacturing yield or required the use of additional manufacturing processes.

 

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The electron multiplier detector included in the Hyperion/Helios systems and certain metal isotopes used with the Hyperion/Helios systems are purchased from sole source suppliers.

 

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The raw materials for our Delta Gene and SNP Type assays and Access Array target-specific primers are available from a limited number of sources.

 

Our reliance on single and sole source suppliers and assembly service providers also subjects us to other risks that could harm our business, including the following:

 

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we may be subject to increased component or assembly costs and

 

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we may not be able to obtain adequate supply or services in a timely manner or on commercially reasonable terms.

 

We have in the past experienced quality control and supply problems with some of our suppliers, such as manufacturing errors, and may again experience problems in the future. We may not be able to quickly establish additional or replacement suppliers, particularly for our single source components, or assembly service providers. Any interruption or delay in the supply of components or materials or assembly of our instruments, or our inability to obtain components, materials, or assembly services from alternate sources at acceptable prices in a timely manner, could impair our ability to meet the demand of our customers and cause them to cancel orders or switch to competitive products.

 

Our future success is dependent upon our ability to expand our customer base and introduce new applications.

 

Our customer base is primarily composed of academic research institutions, translational research and medicine centers, cancer centers, clinical research laboratories, biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, and plant and animal research companies, and contract research organizations that perform analyses for research and commercial purposes. Our success will depend, in part, upon our ability to increase our market share among these customers, attract additional customers outside of these markets, and market new applications to existing and new customers as we develop such applications. Attracting new customers and introducing new applications require substantial time and expense. For example, it may be difficult to identify, engage, and market to customers who are unfamiliar with the current applications of our systems. Any failure to expand our existing customer base or launch new applications would adversely affect our ability to increase our revenue.

 

 

We may not be able to develop new products or enhance the capabilities of our existing systems to keep pace with rapidly changing technology and customer requirements, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, revenue, financial condition, and operating results.

 

Our success depends on our ability to develop new products and applications for our technology in existing and new markets, while improving the performance and cost-effectiveness of our systems. New technologies, techniques, or products could emerge that might offer better combinations of price and performance than our current or future product lines and systems. Existing markets for our products, including high-throughput genomics, single-cell genomics and mass cytometry, as well as potential markets for our products such as high-throughput DNA sequencing and molecular applications, are characterized by rapid technological change and innovation. It is critical to our success for us to anticipate changes in technology and customer requirements and to successfully introduce new, enhanced, and competitive technology to meet our customers’ and prospective customers’ needs on a timely and cost-effective basis. Developing and implementing new technologies will require us to incur substantial development costs and we may not have adequate resources available to be able to successfully introduce new applications of, or enhancements to, our systems. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to maintain technological advantages over emerging technologies in the future. While we typically plan improvements to our systems, we may not be able to successfully implement these improvements. If we fail to keep pace with emerging technologies, demand for our systems will not grow and may decline, and our business, revenue, financial condition, and operating results could suffer materially. In addition, if we introduce enhanced systems but fail to manage product transitions effectively, customers may delay or forgo purchases of our systems and our operating results may be adversely affected by product obsolescence and excess inventory. Even if we successfully implement some or all of these planned improvements, we cannot guarantee that our current and potential customers will find our enhanced systems to be an attractive alternative to existing technologies, including our current products.

 

Our business operations depend upon the continuing efforts of our management team and other skilled and experienced personnel, and if we are unable to retain them or to recruit and train new key executives, scientists, and technical support personnel, we may be unable to achieve our goals.

 

Our success depends largely on the skills, experience, and performance of our management team and scientific and technical support personnel. The loss of the services of any key member of our management team or our scientific or technical support staff might significantly delay or prevent the development of our products or achievement of other business objectives by diverting management’s attention to transition matters and identification of suitable replacements, if any, and could have a material adverse effect on our business. Our research and product development efforts could also be delayed or curtailed if we are unable to attract, train, and retain highly skilled employees, particularly, senior scientists and engineers. We do not maintain fixed term employment contracts or significant key person life insurance with any of our employees.

 

 

Additionally, to expand our research and product development efforts, we need to retain and recruit scientists skilled in areas such as molecular and cellular biology, assay development, and manufacturing. We also need highly trained technical support personnel with the necessary scientific background and ability to understand our systems at a technical level to effectively support potential new customers and the expanding needs of current customers. Competition for these people is intense and we may face challenges in retaining and recruiting such individuals if, for example, our stock price declines, reducing the retention value of equity awards, or our business or technology is no longer perceived as leading in our field. Because of the complex and technical nature of our systems and the dynamic market in which we compete, any failure to attract and retain a sufficient number of qualified employees could materially harm our ability to develop and commercialize our technology.

 

Our business growth strategy involves the potential for significant acquisitions, and our operating results and prospects could be harmed if we are unable to integrate future acquisitions successfully.

 

We may acquire other businesses to improve our product offerings or expand into new markets. Our future acquisition strategy will depend on our ability to identify, negotiate, complete, and integrate acquisitions and, if necessary, to obtain satisfactory debt or equity financing to fund those acquisitions. Mergers and acquisitions are inherently risky, and any transaction we complete may not be successful. Any merger or acquisition we may pursue would involve numerous risks, including but not limited to the following:

 

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difficulties in integrating and managing the operations, technologies, and products of the companies we acquire;

 

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diversion of our management’s attention from normal daily operation of our business;

 

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our inability to maintain the key business relationships and the reputations of the businesses we acquire;

 

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our inability to retain key personnel of the acquired company;

 

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uncertainty of entry into markets in which we have limited or no prior experience and in which competitors have stronger market positions;

 

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our dependence on unfamiliar affiliates and customers of the companies we acquire;

 

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insufficient revenue to offset our increased expenses associated with acquisitions;

 

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our responsibility for the liabilities of the businesses we acquire, including those which we may not anticipate; and

 

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our inability to maintain internal standards, controls, procedures, and policies.

 

We may be unable to secure the equity or debt funding necessary to finance future acquisitions on terms that are acceptable to us. If we finance acquisitions by issuing equity or convertible debt securities, our existing stockholders will likely experience dilution, and if we finance future acquisitions with debt funding, we will incur interest expense and may have to comply with financial covenants and secure that debt obligation with our assets.

 

 

Security breaches, loss of data, cyberattacks, and other information technology failures could disrupt our operations, damage our reputation, and adversely affect our business, operations, and financial results.

 

We are dependent upon our data and information technology systems for the effective operation of our business and for the secure maintenance and storage of confidential data relating to our business and third-party businesses. Our information technology systems may be damaged, disrupted or shut down due to attacks by experienced programmers or hackers who may be able to penetrate our security controls and deploy computer viruses, cyberattacks, phishing schemes, or other malicious software programs, or due to employee error or malfeasance, power outages, hardware failures, telecommunication or utility failures, catastrophes or other unforeseen events, and our system redundancy and other disaster recovery planning may be ineffective or inadequate in preventing or responding to any of these circumstances. Any such compromise of our information technology systems could result in the unauthorized publication of our confidential business or proprietary information and unauthorized release of customer, supplier or employee data, any of which could expose us to a risk of legal claims or proceedings, liability under privacy or other laws, disruption of our operations and damage to our reputation, which could divert our management’s attention from the operation of our business and materially and adversely affect our business, revenues and competitive position. In addition, our liability insurance may not be sufficient in type or amount to cover us against claims related to security breaches, cyberattacks and other related breaches. The cost and operational consequences of implementing further data protection measures, either as a response to specific breaches or as a result of evolving risks, could be significant. In addition, our inability to use or access our information systems at critical points in time could adversely affect the timely and efficient operation of our business. Any delayed sales, significant costs or lost customers resulting from these technology failures could adversely affect our business, operations, and financial results.

 

We have implemented security controls to protect our information technology infrastructure but, despite our efforts, we are not fully insulated from technology disruptions that could adversely impact us. For example, in March 2019, we experienced a ransomware attack that infiltrated and encrypted certain of our information technology systems, including systems containing critical business data. Immediately following the attack, actions were taken to recover the compromised systems and we believe we were able to restore their operation without significant loss of business data. Based on the nature of the attack and its impact on our systems, we do not believe confidential data was lost or disclosed. If, however, confidential data is later determined to have been released in the course of this or any future event, it is possible that we could be the subject of actions by governmental authorities or claims from persons alleging they suffered damages from such a release. Although we believe we have contained the disruption from the March 2019 attack, we anticipate additional work and expense in the future as we continue to enhance our security processes and initiatives in response to ever-evolving information security threats.

 

In addition to risks affecting our own systems, we could also be negatively impacted by a data breach or cyber incident happening to a third party’s network and affecting us. Third parties with which we conduct business have access to certain portions of our sensitive data, including information pertaining to our customers and employees. In the event that these third parties do not adequately safeguard our data, security breaches could result and negatively impact our business, operations, and financial results.

 

 

 

Our efficiency and cost-savings initiatives could be disruptive to our operations and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition, and we may not realize some or all of the anticipated benefits of these initiatives in the time frame anticipated or at all.

 

Since 2017, we have implemented efficiency and cost-savings initiatives intended to stabilize our business operations and return to growth. These efficiency initiatives have included targeted workforce reductions, optimizing our facilities, and reducing excess space. Further actions such as these may be required on an ongoing basis to optimize our organization. For example, we may need to decrease or defer capital expenditures and development activities or implement further operating expense reduction measures. The implementation of these further efficiency and cost-savings initiatives could impair our ability to invest in developing, marketing and selling new and existing products, be disruptive to our operations, make it difficult to attract or retain employees, result in higher than anticipated charges, divert the attention of management, result in a loss of accumulated knowledge, impact our customer and supplier relationships, and otherwise adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. In addition, our ability to complete our efficiency and cost-savings initiatives and achieve the anticipated benefits within the expected time frame is subject to estimates and assumptions and may vary materially from our expectations, including as a result of factors that are beyond our control. Furthermore, our efforts to grow our business and become profitable may not be successful.

 

To use our products, our Biomark, EP1, Helios/CyTOF 2, and Hyperion systems in particular, customers typically need to purchase specialized reagents. Any interruption in the availability of these reagents for use in our products could limit our ability to market our products.

 

Our products, our Biomark, EP1, Helios, and Hyperion systems in particular, must be used in conjunction with one or more reagents designed to produce or facilitate the particular biological or chemical reaction desired by the user. Many of these reagents are highly specialized and available to the user only from a single supplier or a limited number of suppliers. Although we sell reagents for use with certain of our products, our customers may purchase these reagents directly from third-party suppliers, and we have no control over the supply of those materials. In addition, our products are designed to work with these reagents as they are currently formulated. We have no control over the formulation of reagents sold by third-party suppliers, and the performance of our products might be adversely affected if the formulation of these reagents is changed. If one or more of these reagents were to become unavailable or were reformulated, our ability to market and sell our products could be materially and adversely affected.

 

In addition, the use of a reagent for a particular process may be covered by one or more patents relating to the reagent itself, the use of the reagent for the particular process, the performance of that process, or the equipment required to perform the process. Typically, reagent suppliers, who are either the patent holders or their authorized licensees, sell the reagents along with a license or covenant not to sue with respect to such patents. The license accompanying the sale of a reagent often purports to restrict the purposes for which the reagent may be used. If a patent holder or authorized licensee were to assert against us or our customers that the license or covenant relating to a reagent precluded its use with our systems, our ability to sell and market our products could be materially and adversely affected. For example, our Biomark system involves real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) technology. Leading suppliers of reagents for real-time qPCR reactions include Life Technologies Corporation (now part of Thermo) and Roche Diagnostics Corporation, who are our direct competitors, and their licensees. These real-time qPCR reagents are typically sold pursuant to limited licenses or covenants not to sue with respect to patents held by these companies. We do not have any contractual supply agreements for these real-time qPCR reagents, and we cannot assure you that these reagents will continue to be available to our customers for use with our systems, or that these patent holders will not seek to enforce their patents against us, our customers, or suppliers.

 

 

If we elect to label and promote any of our products as medical devices, we would be required to obtain prior approval or clearance by the FDA, which would take significant time and expense and could fail to result in FDA clearance or approval for the intended uses we believe are commercially attractive.

 

Our products are currently labeled, promoted and sold to academic research institutions, translational research and medicine centers, cancer centers, clinical research laboratories, contract research organizations, and biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, and plant and animal research companies as “for research use only” (RUO) and are not designed, or intended to be used, for clinical diagnostic tests or as medical devices as currently marketed. If we elect to label and market our products for use as, or in the performance of, clinical diagnostics in the United States, thereby subjecting them to FDA regulation as medical devices, we would be required to obtain premarket 510(k) clearance or premarket approval from the FDA, unless an exception applies.

 

We may in the future register with the FDA as a medical device manufacturer and list some of our products with the FDA pursuant to an FDA Class I listing for general purpose laboratory equipment. While this regulatory classification is exempt from certain FDA requirements, such as the need to submit a premarket notification commonly known as a 510(k), and some of the requirements of the FDA’s Quality System Regulations (QSRs), we would be subject to ongoing FDA “general controls,” which include compliance with FDA regulations for labeling, inspections by the FDA, complaint evaluation, corrections and removals reporting, promotional restrictions, reporting adverse events or malfunctions for our products, and general prohibitions against misbranding and adulteration.

 

In addition, we may in the future submit 510(k) premarket notifications to the FDA to obtain FDA clearance of certain of our products on a selected basis. It is possible, in the event we elect to submit 510(k) applications for certain of our products, that the FDA would take the position that a more burdensome premarket application, such as a premarket approval application or a de novo application is required for some of our products. If such applications were required, greater time and investment would be required to obtain FDA approval. Even if the FDA agreed that a 510(k) was appropriate, FDA clearance can be expensive and time consuming. It generally takes a significant amount of time to prepare a 510(k), including conducting appropriate testing on our products, and several months to years for the FDA to review a submission. Notwithstanding the effort and expense, FDA clearance or approval could be denied for some or all of our products. Even if we were to seek and obtain regulatory approval or clearance, it may not be for the intended uses we believe are important or commercially attractive.

 

If we sought and received regulatory clearance or approval for certain of our products, we would be subject to ongoing FDA obligations and continued regulatory oversight and review, including the general controls listed above and the FDA’s QSRs for our development and manufacturing operations. In addition, we would be required to obtain a new 510(k) clearance before we could introduce subsequent modifications or improvements to such products. We could also be subject to additional FDA post-marketing obligations for such products, any or all of which would increase our costs and divert resources away from other projects. If we sought and received regulatory clearance or approval and are not able to maintain regulatory compliance with applicable laws, we could be prohibited from marketing our products for use as, or in the performance of, clinical diagnostics and/or could be subject to enforcement actions, including warning letters and adverse publicity, fines, injunctions, and civil penalties; recall or seizure of products; operating restrictions; and criminal prosecution.

 

 

In addition, we could decide to seek regulatory clearance or approval for certain of our products in countries outside of the United States. Sales of such products outside the United States will likely be subject to foreign regulatory requirements, which can vary greatly from country to country. As a result, the time required to obtain clearances or approvals outside the United States may differ from that required to obtain FDA clearance or approval and we may not be able to obtain foreign regulatory approvals on a timely basis or at all. In Europe, we would need to comply with the new Medical Device Regulation 2017/745 and In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation 2017/746, which became effective May 26, 2017, with application dates of May 26, 2020 and May 26, 2022 respectively. This will increase the difficulty of regulatory approvals in Europe in the future. In addition, the FDA regulates exports of medical devices. Failure to comply with these regulatory requirements or obtain and maintain required approvals, clearances and certifications could impair our ability to commercialize our products for diagnostic use outside of the United States.

 

Our products could become subject to regulation as medical devices by the FDA or other regulatory agencies even if we do not elect to seek regulatory clearance or approval to market our products for diagnostic purposes, which would adversely impact our ability to market and sell our products and harm our business.

 

As products that are currently labeled, promoted and intended as RUO, our products are not currently subject to regulation as medical devices by the FDA or comparable agencies of other countries. However, the FDA or comparable agencies of other countries could disagree with our conclusion that our products are currently intended for research use only or deem our current sales, marketing and promotional efforts as being inconsistent with research use only products. For example, our customers may independently elect to use our research use only labeled products in their own laboratory developed tests (LDTs) for clinical diagnostic use. The FDA has historically exercised enforcement discretion in not enforcing the medical device regulations against laboratories offering LDTs. However, on October 3, 2014, the FDA issued two draft guidance documents that set forth the FDA’s proposed risk-based framework for regulating LDTs, which are designed, manufactured, and used within a single laboratory. The draft guidance documents provide the anticipated details through which the FDA would propose to establish an LDT oversight framework, including premarket review for higher-risk LDTs, such as those that have the same intended use as FDA-approved or cleared companion diagnostic tests currently on the market. In January 2017, the FDA announced that it would not issue final guidance on the oversight of LDTs and LDT manufacturers, but would seek further public discussion on an appropriate oversight approach, and give Congress an opportunity to develop a legislative solution. More recently, the FDA has issued warning letters to certain genomics labs for illegally marketing genetic tests that claim to predict patients’ responses to specific medications, noting that the FDA has not created a legal “carve-out” for LDTs and retains discretion to take action when appropriate, such as when certain genomic tests raise significant public health concerns. As manufacturers develop more complex genetic tests and diagnostic software, the FDA may increase its regulation of LDTs. Any future legislative or administrative rule making or oversight of LDTs and LDT manufacturers, if and when finalized, may impact the sales of our products and how customers use our products, and may require us to change our business model in order to maintain compliance with these laws. We cannot predict how these various efforts will be resolved, how Congress or the FDA will regulate LDTs in the future, or how that regulatory system will impact our business.

 

Additionally, on November 25, 2013, the FDA issued Final Guidance “Distribution of In Vitro Diagnostic Products Labeled for Research Use Only.” The guidance emphasizes that the FDA will review the totality of the circumstances when it comes to evaluating whether equipment and testing components are properly labeled as RUO. The final guidance states that merely including a labeling statement that the product is for research purposes only will not necessarily render the device exempt from the FDA’s clearance, approval, and other regulatory requirements if the circumstances surrounding the distribution, marketing and promotional practices indicate that the manufacturer knows its products are, or intends for its products to be, used for clinical diagnostic purposes. These circumstances may include written or verbal sales and marketing claims or links to articles regarding a product’s performance in clinical applications and a manufacturer’s provision of technical support for clinical applications.

 

 

If the FDA determines our products or related applications should be subject to additional regulation as in vitro diagnostic devices based upon customers’ use of our products for clinical diagnostic or therapeutic purposes, our ability to market and sell our products could be impeded and our business, prospects, results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected. In addition, the FDA could consider our products to be misbranded or adulterated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and subject to recall and/or other enforcement action.

 

Compliance or the failure to comply with current and future regulations affecting our products and business operations worldwide, such as environmental regulations enacted in the European Union, could cause us significant expense and adversely impact our business.

 

We are subject to many federal, state, local, and foreign regulations relating to various aspects of our business operations. Governmental entities at all levels are continuously enacting new regulations, and it is difficult to identify all applicable regulations and anticipate how such regulations will be implemented and enforced. We continue to evaluate the necessary steps for compliance with applicable regulations. To comply with applicable regulations, we have and will continue to incur significant expense and allocate valuable internal resources to manage compliance-related issues. In addition, such regulations could restrict our ability to expand or equip our facilities, or could require us to acquire costly equipment or to incur other significant expenses to comply with the regulations. For example, the Restriction on the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (RoHS) and the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE), both enacted in the European Union, regulate the use of certain hazardous substances in, and require the collection, reuse, and recycling of waste from, products we manufacture. Certain of our products sold in these countries are subject to WEEE and RoHS. These and similar regulations that have been or are in the process of being enacted in other countries may require us to redesign our products, use different types of materials in certain components, or source alternative components to ensure compliance with applicable standards, and may reduce the availability of parts and components used in our products by negatively impacting our suppliers’ ability to source parts and components in a timely and cost-effective manner.

 

Any such redesigns, required use of alternative materials, or limited availability of parts and components used in our products may detrimentally impact the performance of our products, add greater testing lead times for product introductions, reduce our product margins, or limit the markets for our products, and if we fail to comply with any present and future regulations, we could be subject to future fines, penalties, and restrictions, such as the suspension of manufacturing of our products or a prohibition on the sale of products we manufacture. Any of the foregoing could adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

 

If we fail to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting in the future, the accuracy and timing of our financial reporting may be impaired, which could adversely affect our business and our stock price.

 

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. In particular, we must perform system and process evaluation and testing of our internal control over financial reporting to allow management to report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Our testing may reveal deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses.

 

 

Our compliance with Section 404 requires that we incur substantial accounting expense and expend significant management time on compliance-related issues. We currently do not have an internal audit group, and we continue to evaluate our need for additional accounting and financial staff with appropriate public company experience and technical accounting knowledge. Moreover, if we do not comply with the requirements of Section 404, or if we or our independent registered public accounting firm identify deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses, the market price of our stock could decline and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by Nasdaq, the SEC, or other regulatory authorities, which would require additional financial and management resources.

 

Impairment of our goodwill or other intangible assets could materially and adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition.

 

As of December 31, 2019, we had approximately $153.2 million of goodwill and net intangible assets, including approximately $104.1 million of goodwill and $49.1 million of net intangible assets. These assets represent a significant portion of the assets recorded on our consolidated balance sheet and relate primarily to our acquisition of DVS Sciences, Inc. (DVS) in February 2014. In addition, if in the future we acquire additional businesses, technologies, or other intangible assets, a substantial portion of the value of such assets may be recorded as goodwill or intangible assets. In the fourth quarter of 2019, we concluded that certain of our patents and licenses were impaired and reduced the applicable carrying value to zero, recognizing a charge of $0.4 million, which is reflected in accumulated amortization.

 

The carrying amounts of goodwill and intangible assets are affected whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying amounts may not be recoverable. We review goodwill and indefinite lived intangible assets for impairment at least annually and more frequently under certain circumstances. Other intangible assets that are deemed to have finite useful lives will continue to be amortized over their useful lives but must be reviewed for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of these assets may not be recoverable. Events or changes in circumstances that could affect the likelihood that we will be required to recognize an impairment charge include declines in our stock price or market capitalization, declines in our market share or revenues, an increase in our losses, rapid changes in technology, failure to achieve the benefits of capacity increases and utilization, significant litigation arising out of an acquisition, or other matters. In particular, these or other adverse events or changes in circumstances may affect the estimated undiscounted future operating cash flows expected to be derived from our goodwill and intangible assets. Any impairment charges could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and net asset value in the quarter in which we recognize the impairment charge. We cannot provide assurances that we will not in the future be required to recognize impairment charges.

 

Our future capital needs are uncertain and we may need to raise additional funds in the future, which may cause dilution to stockholders or may be upon terms that are not favorable to us.

 

We believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents and availability under our $15.0 million revolving senior credit facility (Revolving Credit Facility) will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash requirements for at least the next 18 months. We have continued to experience losses and, if that trend continues, we may need to seek additional sources of financing. In addition, we may need to raise substantial additional capital for various purposes, including:

 

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expanding the commercialization of our products;

 

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funding our operations;

 

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furthering our research and development; and

 

 

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acquiring other businesses or assets and licensing technologies.

 

Our future funding requirements will depend on many factors, including:

 

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market acceptance of our products;

 

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the cost of our research and development activities;

 

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the cost of filing and prosecuting patent applications;

  

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the cost of defending any litigation including intellectual property, employment, contractual or other litigation;

 

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the cost and timing of regulatory clearances or approvals, if any;

 

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the cost and timing of establishing additional sales, marketing, and distribution capabilities;

 

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the cost and timing of establishing additional technical support capabilities;

 

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fluctuations in cash demands (e.g., due to interest or principal payments or payouts under existing cash compensation plans);

 

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variability in sales and timing of related cash collections;

 

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the effectiveness of our recent efficiency and cost-savings initiatives;

 

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the effect of competing technological and market developments; and

 

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the extent to which we acquire or invest in businesses, products, and technologies, although we currently have no commitments or agreements relating to any of these types of transactions.

 

To the extent we draw on our Revolving Credit Facility or otherwise incur additional indebtedness, the risks described above could increase. Further, if we increase our indebtedness, our actual cash requirements in the future may be greater than expected. Our cash flow from operations may not be sufficient to repay all of the outstanding debt as it becomes due, and we cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain additional funds on acceptable terms, or at all. If we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities, our stockholders may experience dilution. Debt financing in addition to the Revolving Credit Facility, if available, may involve covenants restricting our operations or our ability to incur additional debt. Any additional debt or equity financing that we raise may contain terms that are not favorable to us or our stockholders. If we raise additional funds through collaboration and licensing arrangements with third parties, it may be necessary to relinquish some rights to our technologies or our products, or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us. If we do not have or are unable to raise adequate funds, we may have to liquidate some or all of our assets, delay development or commercialization of our products, or license to third parties the rights to commercialize products or technologies that we would otherwise seek to commercialize. We also may have to reduce marketing, customer support, research and development, or other resources devoted to our products, or cease operations. Any of these factors could harm our operating results.

 

 

If we fail to comply with the covenants and other obligations under our Revolving Credit Facility, the lenders may be able to accelerate amounts owed under the facilities and may foreclose upon the assets securing our obligations.

 

In August 2018, we entered into the Revolving Credit Facility, which provides for secured revolving loans in an aggregate amount of up to $15.0 million. The Revolving Credit Facility is secured by substantially all of our assets, other than intellectual property. The Revolving Credit Facility contains customary affirmative and negative covenants which, unless waived by the bank, limit our ability to, among other things, incur additional indebtedness, grant liens, make investments, repurchase stock, pay dividends, transfer assets, enter into affiliate transactions, undergo a change of control, or engage in merger and acquisition activity, including merging or consolidating with a third party. If we fail to comply with the covenants and our other obligations under the Revolving Credit Facility, the lenders would be able to accelerate the required repayment of amounts due under the 2018 Credit Agreement and, if they are not repaid, could foreclose upon the assets securing our obligations under the Revolving Credit Facility.

 

We are subject to risks related to taxation in multiple jurisdictions and if taxing authorities disagree with our interpretations of existing tax laws or regulations, our effective income tax rate could be adversely affected and we could have additional tax liability.

 

We are subject to income taxes in both the United States and certain foreign jurisdictions. Significant judgments based on interpretations of existing tax laws or regulations are required in determining the provision for income taxes. For example, we have made certain interpretations of existing tax laws or regulations based upon the operations of our business internationally and we have implemented intercompany agreements based upon these interpretations and related transfer pricing analyses. If the U.S. Internal Revenue Service or other taxing authorities disagree with the positions, our effective income tax rate could be adversely affected and we could have additional tax liability, including interest and penalties. From time to time, we may review our corporate structure and tax positions in the various international jurisdictions in which we operate and such review may result in changes to how we structure our international business operations, which may adversely impact our effective income tax rate. Our effective income tax rate could also be adversely affected by changes in the mix of earnings in tax jurisdictions with different statutory tax rates, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, changes in existing tax laws or tax rates, changes in the level of non-deductible expenses (including share-based compensation), changes in our future levels of research and development spending, mergers and acquisitions, or the result of examinations by various tax authorities. Payment of additional amounts as a result of changes in applicable tax law or upon final adjudication of any disputes could have a material impact on our results of operations and financial position.

 

Our ability to use net operating loss carryforwards to offset future taxable income for U.S. federal income tax purposes and other tax benefits may be limited.

 

Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code), imposes an annual limitation on the amount of taxable income that may be offset by net operating loss carryforwards (NOLs) if a corporation experiences an “ownership change.” As provided in Section 382 of the Code, an “ownership change” occurs when a company’s “five-percent shareholders” collectively increase their ownership in the company by more than 50 percentage points (by value) over a rolling three-year period. Various states also have limitations on the use of state NOLs following an ownership change.

 

Future changes in our stock ownership, some of which are outside our control, could result in an ownership change under Section 382 of the Code. If we experience an ownership change, our ability to use our NOLs or other tax benefits could be substantially limited, which could significantly impair their value.  There is no assurance that we will be able to fully utilize our NOLs or other tax benefits, which could adversely impact our results of operations.

 

 

We believe that these tax benefits are a valuable asset for us and we monitor our stock ownership to determine whether our NOLs are at material risk of limitation based on an ownership change pursuant to Section 382. If our board of directors determines a potential risk exists that our NOLs could be limited, it could elect to adopt a tax benefit preservation plan in an effort to protect our tax benefits. Adoption of a tax benefit preservation plan could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire, or could discourage a third party from acquiring, us or a large block of our common stock.

 

Adverse conditions in the global economy and disruption of financial markets may significantly harm our revenue, profitability, and results of operations.

  

The global credit and financial markets have in recent years experienced volatility and disruptions, including diminished liquidity and credit availability, increased concerns about inflation and deflation, and the downgrade of U.S. debt and exposure risks on other sovereign debts, decreased consumer confidence, lower economic growth, volatile energy costs, increased unemployment rates, and uncertainty about economic stability. In addition, certain geopolitical events, including the United States government’s adoption and expansion of trade restrictions and the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union, have caused significant economic, market, political and regulatory uncertainty in some of our markets. Volatility and disruption of financial markets could limit our customers’ ability to obtain adequate financing or credit to purchase and pay for our products in a timely manner or to maintain operations, which could result in a decrease in sales volume that could harm our results of operations. General concerns about the fundamental soundness of domestic and international economies may also cause our customers to reduce their purchases. Changes in governmental banking, monetary, and fiscal policies to address liquidity and increase credit availability may not be effective. Significant government investment and allocation of resources to assist the economic recovery of sectors which do not include our customers may reduce the resources available for government grants and related funding for life science, plant and animal research, and clinical research and development. Continuation or further deterioration of these financial and macroeconomic conditions could significantly harm our sales, profitability, and results of operations.

  

If we are unable to expand our direct sales and marketing force or distribution capabilities to adequately address our customers’ needs, our business may be adversely affected.

  

We may not be able to market, sell, and, distribute our products effectively enough to support our planned growth. We sell our products primarily through our own sales force and through distributors in certain territories. Our future sales will depend in large part on our ability to continue to develop and substantially expand our direct sales force and to increase the scope of our marketing efforts. Our products are technically complex and used for highly specialized applications. As a result, we believe it is necessary to continue to develop a direct sales force that includes people with specific scientific backgrounds and expertise, and a marketing group with technical sophistication. Competition for such employees is intense. In addition, we have experienced significant changes in our sales organization in recent quarters due to reorganizations and changes in leadership. We may not be able to attract and retain personnel or be able to build an efficient and effective sales and marketing force, which would negatively impact sales of our products and reduce our revenue and profitability.

  

In addition, we may continue to enlist one or more sales representatives and distributors to assist with sales, distribution, and customer support globally or in certain regions of the world. If we do seek to enter into such arrangements, we may not be successful in attracting desirable sales representatives and distributors, or we may not be able to enter into such arrangements on favorable terms. If our sales and marketing efforts, or those of any third-party sales representatives and distributors, are not successful, our technologies and products may not gain market acceptance, which would materially and adversely impact our business operations.

  

 

If we seek to implement a company-wide enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, such implementation could adversely affect our business and results of operations or the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting.

  

We have considered implementing a company-wide ERP system to handle the business and financial processes within our operations and corporate functions. ERP implementations are complex and time-consuming projects that involve substantial expenditures on system software and implementation activities that can continue for several years. ERP implementations also require transformation of business and financial processes in order to reap the benefits of the ERP system. If we decide to implement a company-wide ERP system, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected if we experience operating problems and/or cost overruns during the ERP implementation process, or if the ERP system and the associated process changes do not give rise to the benefits that we expect. If we do not effectively implement the ERP system as planned or if the system does not operate as intended, our business, results of operations, and internal controls over financial reporting could be adversely affected.

  

Changes in accounting principles, or interpretations thereof, could have a significant impact on our financial position and results of operations.

  

We prepare our consolidated financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP). These principles are subject to interpretation by the SEC and various bodies formed to interpret and create appropriate accounting principles. A change in these principles can have a significant effect on our reported results and may even retroactively affect previously reported transactions. Additionally, the adoption of new or revised accounting principles may require that we make significant changes to our systems, processes and controls.

  

For example, the U.S.-based Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) is currently working together with the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), on several projects to further align accounting principles and facilitate more comparable financial reporting between companies who are required to follow U.S. GAAP under SEC regulations and those who are required to follow International Financial Reporting Standards outside of the United States. These efforts by the FASB and IASB may result in different accounting principles under U.S. GAAP that may result in materially different financial results for us in areas including, but not limited to, principles for recognizing revenue and lease accounting. Additionally, significant changes to U.S. GAAP resulting from the FASB’s and IASB’s efforts may require that we change how we process, analyze and report financial information and that we change financial reporting controls. Additionally, the FASB issued new guidance (ASU 2014-09) Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) which supersedes nearly all existing U.S. GAAP revenue recognition guidance. The new guidance was effective for our fiscal year 2018. We adopted ASU 2014-09 in the first quarter of 2018 using the modified retrospective method. Under the modified retrospective method, periods prior to the adoption of ASU 2014-09 are not restated and the cumulative effect of initially applying the new standard is reflected in the opening balance of accumulated deficit as of January 1, 2018. To date, the adoption has not had a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. Additional disclosures are required for significant differences between the reported results under the new standard and those that would have been reported under the legacy standard, which required us to make certain changes to our business processes and controls to support revenue recognition and disclosure under the new standard.

  

 

The FASB also issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) (ASU 2016-02). The core principle is that lessees should recognize the assets and liabilities arising from leases on the balance sheet. Under the new standard, lessees will be required to recognize lease assets and liabilities for all leases, with certain exceptions, on their balance sheets. We adopted ASU 2016-02 as of January 1, 2019. The adoption of this standard had a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. We continue to identify the appropriate changes to our business processes, systems, and controls to support the new lease standard and the required disclosures under the new standard.

 

It is not clear if or when potential changes in accounting principles may become effective, whether we have the proper systems and controls in place to accommodate such changes and the impact that any such changes may have on our financial position and results of operations.

  

We have a significant amount of outstanding indebtedness, and our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected if we do not efficiently manage our liabilities.

  

We have significant outstanding convertible debt. As of December 31, 2019, we had outstanding $1.1 million aggregate principal amount of our 2.75% Senior Convertible Notes due 2034 (the 2014 Notes) and $55.0 million aggregate principal amount of our 5.25% convertible senior notes due 2024 (the 2019 Notes). The 2014 Notes will mature on February 1, 2034, unless earlier converted, redeemed, or repurchased in accordance with the terms of the 2014 Notes. Holders of the 2014 Notes may require us to repurchase all or a portion of their 2014 Notes on each of February 6, 2021, February 6, 2024, and February 6, 2029 at a repurchase price in cash equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Notes plus accrued and unpaid interest. The 2019 Notes will mature on December 1, 2024, unless earlier converted, or repurchased in accordance with the terms of the 2019 Notes. If we undergo a fundamental change (as defined in the terms of the indenture governing either the 2014 Notes or the 2019 Notes (collectively, the Convertible Notes)), holders of the applicable series of Convertible Notes may require us to repurchase such Convertible Notes in whole or in part for cash at a repurchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the applicable series of Convertible Notes plus accrued and unpaid interest. If we refinance the debt owed under the 2014 Notes or 2019 Notes, we may issue additional convertible notes or other debt, which could include additional company obligations and represent more dilution to existing stockholders and noteholders.

  

This significant amount of debt has important risks to us and our investors, including:

  

·

requiring a portion of our cash flow from operations to make interest payments on this debt;

  

·

increasing our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions;

  

·

reducing the cash flow available to fund capital expenditures and other corporate purposes and to grow our business;

  

·

limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry; and

  

·

limiting our ability to borrow additional funds as needed or take advantage of business opportunities as they arise.

  

In addition, to the extent we draw on our Revolving Credit Facility or otherwise incur additional indebtedness, the risks described above could increase. Further, if we increase our indebtedness, our actual cash requirements in the future may be greater than expected. Our cash flow from operations may not be sufficient to repay all of the outstanding debt as it becomes due, and we may not be able to borrow money, sell assets or otherwise raise funds on acceptable terms, or at all, to refinance our debt.

  

  

Risks Related to Intellectual Property

  

Our ability to protect our intellectual property and proprietary technology through patents and other means is uncertain.

  

Our commercial success depends in part on our ability to protect our intellectual property and proprietary technologies. We rely on patent protection, where appropriate and available, as well as a combination of copyright, trade secret, and trademark laws, and nondisclosure, confidentiality, and other contractual restrictions to protect our proprietary technology. However, these legal means afford only limited protection and may not adequately protect our rights or permit us to gain or keep any competitive advantage. We apply for patents covering our products and technologies and uses thereof, as we deem appropriate. However, we may fail to apply for patents on important products and technologies in a timely fashion or at all. Our pending U.S. and foreign patent applications may not issue as patents or may not issue in a form that will be sufficient to protect our proprietary technology and gain or keep our competitive advantage. Any patents we have obtained or do obtain may be subject to re-examination, reissue, opposition, or other administrative proceeding, or may be challenged in litigation, and such challenges could result in a determination that the patent is invalid or unenforceable. In addition, competitors may be able to design alternative methods or devices that avoid infringement of our patents. Both the patent application process and the process of managing patent disputes can be time consuming and expensive.

  

Furthermore, the laws of some foreign countries may not protect our intellectual property rights to the same extent as do the laws of the United States, and many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending such rights in foreign jurisdictions. Proceedings to enforce our patent rights in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial cost and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business. Changes in either the patent laws or in interpretations of patent laws in the United States or other countries may diminish the value of our intellectual property. We cannot predict the breadth of claims that may be allowed or enforced in our patents or in third-party patents. For example:

  

·

we might not have been the first to make the inventions covered by each of our pending patent applications;

  

·

we might not have been the first to file patent applications for these inventions;

  

·

the patents of others may have an adverse effect on our business; and

  

·

others may independently develop similar or alternative products and technologies or duplicate any of our products and technologies.

  

To the extent our intellectual property, including licensed intellectual property, offers inadequate protection, or is found to be invalid or unenforceable, our competitive position and our business could be adversely affected.

  

 

We may be involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents and proprietary rights, to determine the scope, coverage and validity of others’ proprietary rights, or to defend against third party claims of intellectual property infringement, any of which could be time-intensive and costly and may adversely impact our business or stock price.

 

Litigation may be necessary for us to enforce our patent and proprietary rights, determine the scope, coverage, and validity of others’ proprietary rights, and/or defend against third party claims of intellectual property infringement against us as well as against our suppliers, distributors, customers, and other entities with whom we do business. Litigation could result in substantial legal fees and could adversely affect the scope of our patent protection. The outcome of any litigation or other proceeding is inherently uncertain and might not be favorable to us, and we might not be able to obtain licenses to technology that we require. Even if such licenses are obtainable, they may not be available at a reasonable cost. We could therefore incur substantial costs related to royalty payments for licenses obtained from third parties, which could negatively affect our product margins or financial position. Further, we could encounter delays in product introductions, or interruptions in product sales, as we develop alternative methods or products.

 

As we move into new markets and applications for our products, incumbent participants in such markets may assert their patents and other proprietary rights against us as a means of impeding our entry into such markets or as a means to extract substantial license and royalty payments from us. Our commercial success may depend in part on our non-infringement of the patents or proprietary rights of third parties. Numerous significant intellectual property issues have been litigated, and will likely continue to be litigated, between existing and new participants in our existing and targeted markets. For example, some of our products provide for the testing and analysis of genetic material, and patent rights relating to genetic materials remain a developing area of patent law. A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision held, among other things, that claims to isolated genomic DNA occurring in nature are not patent eligible, while claims relating to synthetic DNA may be patent eligible. We expect the ruling will result in additional litigation in our industry. In addition, third parties may assert that we are employing their proprietary technology without authorization, and if they are successful in making such claims, we may be forced to enter into license agreements, pay additional royalties or license fees, or enter into settlements that include monetary obligations or restrictions on our business.

  

Our customers have been sued for various claims of intellectual property infringement in the past, and we expect that our customers will be involved in additional litigation in the future. In particular, our customers may become subject to lawsuits claiming that their use of our products infringes third-party patent rights, and we could become subject to claims that we contributed to or induced our customer’s infringement. In addition, our agreements with some of our suppliers, distributors, customers, and other entities with whom we do business may require us to defend or indemnify these parties to the extent they become involved in infringement claims against us, including the claims described above. We could also voluntarily agree to defend or indemnify third parties in instances where we are not obligated to do so if we determine it would be important to our business relationships. If we are required or agree to defend or indemnify any of these third parties in connection with any infringement claims, we could incur significant costs and expenses that could adversely affect our business, operating results, or financial condition.

  

We may be subject to damages resulting from claims that we or our employees have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of our employees’ former employers or other institutions or third parties with whom such employees may have been previously affiliated.

 

Many of our employees were previously employed at universities or other life science or plant and animal research companies, including our competitors or potential competitors. In the future, we may become subject to claims that our employees, or we, have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed trade secrets or other proprietary information of their former employers or other third parties or institutions with whom our employees may have been previously affiliated. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims. For example, we were a defendant in litigation brought against us and one of our non-executive employees by Thermo alleging, among other claims, misappropriation of proprietary information and breach of contractual and fiduciary obligations. While we resolved our dispute with Thermo in July 2017, if we fail in defending against similar claims brought in the future we could be subject to injunctive relief against us. A loss of key research personnel work product could hamper or prevent our ability to commercialize certain potential products or a loss of or inability to hire key marketing, sales or research and development personnel could adversely affect our future product development, sales and revenues, any of which could severely harm our business. Even if we are successful in defending against any similar claims brought in the future, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management.

 

 

We depend on certain technologies that are licensed to us. We do not control these technologies and any loss of our rights to them could prevent us from selling our products, which would have an adverse effect on our business. 

 

We rely on licenses in order to be able to use various proprietary technologies that are material to our business, including our core IFC, multi-layer soft lithography, and mass cytometry technologies. In some cases, we do not control the prosecution, maintenance, or filing of the patents to which we hold licenses, or the enforcement of these patents against third parties. Additionally, our business and product development plans anticipate and may substantially depend on future in-license agreements with additional third parties, some of which are currently in the early discussion phase. For example Fluidigm Canada Inc. (Fluidigm Canada), an Ontario corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of Fluidigm Sciences, was party to an interim license agreement, now expired, with Nodality, Inc. (Nodality), under which Nodality granted Fluidigm Canada a worldwide, non-exclusive, research use only, royalty bearing license to certain cytometric reagents, instruments, and other products. While we were able to secure a license under a new license agreement with Nodality, we cannot provide assurances that we will always be able to obtain suitable license rights to technologies or intellectual property of other third parties on acceptable terms, if at all.

 

In-licensed intellectual property rights that are fundamental to the business being operated present numerous risks and limitations. For example, all or a portion of the license rights granted may be limited for research use only, and in the event we attempt to expand into diagnostic applications, we would be required to negotiate additional rights, which may not be available to us on commercially reasonable terms, if at all.

 

Our rights to use the technology we license are also subject to the negotiation and continuation of those licenses. Certain of our licenses contain provisions that allow the licensor to terminate the license upon specific conditions. Our rights under the licenses are subject to our continued compliance with the terms of the license, including the payment of royalties due under the license. Because of the complexity of our products and the patents we have licensed, determining the scope of the license and related royalty obligation can be difficult and can lead to disputes between us and the licensor. An unfavorable resolution of such a dispute could lead to an increase in the royalties payable pursuant to the license. If a licensor believed we were not paying the royalties due under the license or were otherwise not in compliance with the terms of the license, the licensor might attempt to revoke the license. If such an attempt were successful and the license is terminated, we might be barred from marketing, producing, and selling some or all of our products, which would have an adverse effect on our business. Potential disputes between us and one of our existing licensors concerning the terms or conditions of the applicable license agreement could result, among other risks, in substantial management distraction; increased expenses associated with litigation or efforts to resolve disputes; substantial customer uncertainty concerning the direction of our product lines; potential infringement claims against us and/or our customers, which could include efforts by a licensor to enjoin sales of our products; customer requests for indemnification by us; and, in the event of an adverse determination, our inability to operate our business as currently operated. Termination of material license agreements could prevent us from manufacturing and selling our products unless we can negotiate new license terms or develop or acquire alternative intellectual property rights that cover or enable similar functionality. Any of these factors would be expected to have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition and could result in a substantial decline in our stock price.

 

  

We are subject to certain manufacturing restrictions related to licensed technologies that were developed with the financial assistance of U.S. governmental grants.

  

We are subject to certain U.S. government regulations because we have licensed technologies that were developed with U.S. government grants. In accordance with these regulations, these licenses provide that products embodying the technologies are subject to domestic manufacturing requirements. If this domestic manufacturing requirement is not met, the government agency that funded the relevant grant is entitled to exercise specified rights, referred to as “march-in rights,” which if exercised would allow the government agency to require the licensors or us to grant a non-exclusive, partially exclusive, or exclusive license in any field of use to a third party designated by such agency. All of our microfluidic systems revenue is dependent upon the availability of our IFCs, which incorporate technology developed with U.S. government grants. Our genomics instruments, including microfluidic systems, and IFCs are manufactured at our facility in Singapore. The federal regulations allow the funding government agency to grant, at the request of the licensors of such technology, a waiver of the domestic manufacturing requirement. Waivers may be requested prior to any government notification. We have assisted the licensors of these technologies with the analysis of the domestic manufacturing requirement, and, in December 2008, the sole licensor subject to the requirement applied for a waiver of the domestic manufacturing requirement with respect to the relevant patents licensed to us by this licensor. In July 2009, the funding government agency granted the requested waiver of the domestic manufacturing requirement for a three-year period commencing in July 2009. In June 2012, the licensor requested a continued waiver of the domestic manufacturing requirement with respect to the relevant patents, but the government agency has not yet taken any action in response to this request. If the government agency does not grant the requested waiver or the government fails to grant additional waivers of such requirement that may be sought in the future, then the U.S. government could exercise its march-in rights with respect to the relevant patents licensed to us. In addition, the license agreement under which the relevant patents are licensed to us contains provisions that obligate us to comply with this domestic manufacturing requirement. We are not currently manufacturing instruments and IFCs in the United States that incorporate the relevant licensed technology. If our lack of compliance with this provision constituted a material breach of the license agreement, the license of the relevant patents could be terminated or we could be compelled to relocate our manufacturing of microfluidic systems and IFCs to the United States to avoid or cure a material breach of the license agreement. Any of the exercise of march-in rights, the termination of our license of the relevant patents or the relocation of our manufacturing of microfluidic systems and IFCs to the United States could materially adversely affect our business, operations and financial condition.

 

 

We are subject to certain obligations and restrictions relating to technologies developed in cooperation with Canadian government agencies.

 

Some of our Canadian research and development is funded in part through government grants and by government agencies. The intellectual property developed through these projects is subject to rights and restrictions in favor of government agencies and Canadians generally. In most cases the government agency retains the right to use intellectual property developed through the project for non-commercial purposes and to publish the results of research conducted in connection with the project. This may increase the risk of public disclosure of information relating to our intellectual property, including confidential information, and may reduce its competitive advantage in commercializing intellectual property developed through these projects. In certain projects, we have also agreed to use commercially reasonable efforts to commercialize intellectual property in Canada, or more specifically in the province of Ontario, for the economic benefit of Canada and the province of Ontario. These restrictions will limit our choice of business and manufacturing locations, business partners and corporate structure and may, in certain circumstances, restrict our ability to achieve maximum profitability and cost efficiency from the intellectual property generated by these projects. In one instance, a dispute with the applicable government funded entity may require mediation, which could lead to unanticipated delays in our commercialization efforts to that project. One of our Canadian government funded projects is also subject to certain limited “march-in” rights in favor of the government of the Province of Ontario, under which we may be required to grant a license to our intellectual property, including background intellectual property developed outside the scope of the project, to a responsible applicant on reasonable terms in circumstances where the government determines that such a license is necessary in order to alleviate emergency or extraordinary health or safety needs or for public use. In addition, we must provide reasonable assistance to the government in obtaining similar licenses from third parties required in connection with the use of its intellectual property. Instances in which the government of the Province of Ontario has exercised similar “march-in” rights are rare; however, the exercise of such rights could materially adversely affect our business, operations and financial condition.

 

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

 

Our stock price may fluctuate significantly, particularly if holders of substantial amounts of our stock attempt to sell, and holders may have difficulty selling their shares based on current trading volumes of our stock. In addition, numerous other factors could result in substantial volatility in the trading price of our stock.

  

Our stock is currently traded on Nasdaq, but we can provide no assurance that we will be able to maintain an active trading market on Nasdaq or any other exchange in the future. The trading volume of our stock tends to be low relative to our total outstanding shares, and we have several stockholders who hold substantial blocks of our stock. As of December 31, 2019, we had 69,956,397 shares of common stock outstanding, and stockholders holding at least 5% of our stock, individually or with affiliated persons or entities, collectively beneficially owned or controlled approximately 46.3% of such shares and one stockholder beneficially owned approximately 9.8% of our outstanding common stock. Sales of large numbers of shares by any of our large stockholders could adversely affect our trading price, particularly given our relatively small historic trading volumes. If stockholders holding shares of our common stock sell, indicate an intention to sell, or if it is perceived that they will sell, substantial amounts of their common stock in the public market, the trading price of our common stock could decline. Moreover, if there is no active trading market or if the volume of trading is limited, holders of our common stock may have difficulty selling their shares. In addition, the concentration of ownership of our outstanding common stock (approximately 46.3% held by our top six stockholders) means that a relatively small number of stockholders have significant control over the outcomes of stockholder voting.

 

In addition, the trading price of our common stock may be highly volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control. These factors include:

  

·

actual or anticipated quarterly variation in our results of operations or the results of our competitors;

 

·

announcements or communications by us or our competitors relating to, among other things, new commercial products, technological advances, significant contracts, commercial relationships, capital commitments, acquisitions or sales of businesses, and/or misperceptions in or speculation by the market regarding such announcements or communications;

 

·

issuance of new or changed securities analysts’ reports or recommendations for our stock;

 

  

·

developments or disputes concerning our intellectual property or other proprietary rights;

 

·

commencement of, or our involvement in, litigation;

 

·

market conditions in the life science, plant and animal research, and CRO sectors;

  

·

failure to complete significant sales;

  

·

manufacturing disruptions that could occur if we are unable to successfully expand our production in our current or an alternative facility;

  

·

any future sales of our common stock or other securities in connection with raising additional capital or otherwise;

  

·

any major change to the composition of our board of directors or management; and

  

·

general economic conditions and slow or negative growth of our markets.

  

The stock market in general, and market prices for the securities of technology-based companies like ours in particular, have from time to time experienced volatility that often has been unrelated to the operating performance of the underlying companies. These broad market and industry fluctuations may adversely affect the market price of our common stock regardless of our operating performance. In several recent situations where the market price of a stock has been volatile, holders of that stock have instituted securities class action litigation against the company that issued the stock. If any of our stockholders were to bring a lawsuit against us, the defense and disposition of the lawsuit could be costly and divert the time and attention of our management and harm our operating results.

  

If securities or industry analysts publish unfavorable research about our business or cease to cover our business, our stock price and/or trading volume could decline.

  

The trading market for our common stock may rely, in part, on the research and reports that equity research analysts publish about us and our business. We do not have any control of the analysts or the content and opinions included in their reports. The price of our stock could decline if one or more equity research analysts downgrade our stock or issue other unfavorable commentary or research. If one or more equity research analysts ceases coverage of our company or fails to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our stock could decrease, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.

  

Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of us, which may be beneficial to our stockholders, more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management and limit the market price of our common stock.

 

Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control or changes in our management, including provisions that:

  

·

authorize our board of directors to issue, without further action by the stockholders, up to 10,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock;

 

·

require that any action to be taken by our stockholders be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting and not by written consent;

  

 

·

specify that special meetings of our stockholders can be called only by our board of directors, the chairman of the board, the chief executive officer or the president;

  

·

establish an advance notice procedure for stockholder approvals to be brought before an annual meeting of our stockholders, including proposed nominations of persons for election to our board of directors;

  

·

establish that our board of directors is divided into three classes, Class I, Class II, and Class III, with each class serving staggered three-year terms;

  

·

provide that our directors may be removed only for cause;

  

·

provide that vacancies on our board of directors may be filled only by a majority of directors then in office, even though less than a quorum;

  

·

specify that no stockholder is permitted to cumulate votes at any election of directors; and

 

·

require a super-majority of votes to amend certain of the above-mentioned provisions.

 

These provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our board of directors, which is responsible for appointing the members of our management. In addition, because we are incorporated in Delaware, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which limits the ability of stockholders owning in excess of 15% of our outstanding voting stock to merge or combine with us.

 

We have never paid cash dividends on our capital stock, and we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

 

We have paid no cash dividends on any of our classes of capital stock to date and currently intend to retain our future earnings to fund the development and growth of our business. In addition, we cannot pay any cash dividends on any of our classes of common stock without approval from the lender under our Revolving Credit Facility, and may become subject to covenants under future debt arrangements that place restrictions on our ability to pay dividends. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our common stock will be stockholders’ sole source of gain for the foreseeable future.

 

Any conversions of the 2014 Notes or 2019 Notes will dilute the ownership interest of our existing stockholders and may otherwise depress the price of our common stock.

 

Any conversion of some or all of the 2014 Notes or 2019 Notes will dilute the ownership interests of our existing stockholders. Any sales in the public market of our common stock issuable upon such conversion could also adversely affect prevailing market prices of our common stock. In addition, holders of the 2014 Notes or 2019 Notes may hedge their position in such Convertible Notes by entering into short positions with respect to the underlying common stock. As a result, any anticipated conversion of the 2014 Notes or 2019 Notes could depress the market price of our common stock and impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities.

 

 

 

Risks Relating to this Offering

  

We will have broad discretion over the use of the proceeds to us from this offering and may apply it to uses that do not improve our operating results or the value of your securities.

  

We will have broad discretion to use the net proceeds to us from this offering, and investors will be relying solely on the judgment of our board of directors and management regarding the application of these proceeds. We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for general corporate purposes and working capital. We may also use a portion of the net proceeds of this offering to fund possible investments in or acquisitions of complementary businesses, products, or technologies. As of the date of this prospectus supplement, we have no agreements or commitments to complete any such transaction. We have not allocated these net proceeds for any specific purposes. Investors will not have the opportunity, as part of their investment decision, to assess whether the proceeds are being used appropriately. Our use of the proceeds may not improve our operating results or increase the value of the securities being offered hereby.

 

You may experience immediate and substantial dilution.

 

The offering price per share in this offering may exceed the net tangible book value per share of our common stock outstanding prior to this offering. Assuming that an aggregate of 15,873,016 shares of our common stock are sold at a price of $3.15 per share, the last reported sale price of our common stock on The Nasdaq Global Select Market on March 3, 2020, for aggregate gross proceeds of $50.0 million, and after deducting commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, you would experience immediate dilution of $2.58 per share, representing the difference between our as-adjusted net tangible book value per share as of December 31, 2020 after giving effect to this offering and the assumed public offering price. To the extent that any stock options are exercised, restricted stock units vest, new equity incentive awards are issued under our equity incentive plans, additional shares of common stock are sold under our employee stock purchase plan, our 2014 Notes convert to common stock, our 2019 Notes convert to common stock, or we otherwise issue additional shares of common stock in the future, there will be further dilution to investors participating in this offering. See the section titled “Dilution” below for a more detailed illustration of the dilution you may incur if you participate in this offering.

  

The actual number of common shares we will issue under the sales agreement, at any one time or in total, is uncertain.

  

Subject to certain limitations in the sales agreement and compliance with applicable law, we have the discretion to deliver a placement notice to Jefferies at any time throughout the term of the sales agreement. The number of common shares that are sold by Jefferies after delivering a placement notice will fluctuate based on the market price of the common shares during the sales period and limits we set with Jefferies. Because the price per share of each common share sold will fluctuate based on the market price of our common shares during the sales period, it is not possible at this stage to predict the number of common shares that will be ultimately issued.

  

The common shares offered hereby will be sold in “at the market offerings,” and investors who buy common shares at different times will likely pay different prices.

 

Investors who purchase common shares in this offering at different times will likely pay different prices, and so may experience different outcomes in their investment results. We will have discretion, subject to market demand, to vary the timing, prices, and numbers of common shares sold, and there is no minimum or maximum sales price. Investors may experience a decline in the value of their common shares as a result of common share sales made at prices lower than the prices they paid.

 

 

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the information incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus includes and incorporates by reference forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act, that are based on our management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. Forward-looking statements include information concerning our possible or assumed future results of operations, business strategies, financing plans, competitive position, industry environment, potential growth opportunities and the effects of competition. Forward-looking statements include statements that are not historical facts and can be identified by terms such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “could,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “potential,” “predicts,” “projects,” “should,” “will,” “would” or similar expressions and the negatives of those terms. Although we believe that we have a reasonable basis for each forward-looking statement contained and incorporated by reference included in this prospectus supplement, we caution you that these statements are based on our projections of the future that are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, to differ. The sections in this prospectus supplement entitled “Risk Factors,” in “Part I—Item 1A—Risk Factors” of our most recent report on Form 10-K or “Part II—Item 1A—Risk Factors” in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement as well as other disclosures included in this prospectus supplement, discuss some of the factors that could contribute to these differences.

 

Other unknown or unpredictable factors also could harm our results. Consequently, actual results or developments anticipated by us may not be realized or, even if substantially realized, may not have the expected consequences to, or effects on, us. Given these uncertainties, prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this prospectus supplement.

  

This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, and the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement contain market data that we obtained from industry sources, including independent industry publications. In presenting this information, we have also made assumptions based on such data and other similar sources and on our knowledge of, and our experience to date in, the markets for our products. This data involves a number of assumptions and limitations, and you are cautioned not to give undue weight to such estimates. While we believe the market data included in this prospectus supplement is generally reliable, such information is inherently imprecise. In addition, projections, assumptions and estimates of our future performance and the future performance of the industry in which we operate are necessarily subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described under the heading “Risk Factors” in this prospectus supplement and “Item 1A—Risk Factors” of our most recent report on Form 10-K or 10-Q which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement. These and other factors could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in the estimates made by the independent parties and by us.

 

  

All forward-looking statements are based on information available to us on the date of this prospectus supplement and we will not update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this prospectus supplement, except as required by law. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in this prospectus supplement. The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus supplement, and other written and oral forward-looking statements made by us from time to time, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, those discussed in the following discussion and within the section of this prospectus supplement captioned “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-5 and in our most recently filed annual report on Form 10-K and in our most recently filed quarterly report on Form 10-Q, as well as any amendments thereto reflected in subsequent filings with the SEC, which are incorporated by reference into this prospectus in their entirety.

 

In addition, statements that “we believe” and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject.  These statements are based upon information available to us as of the date of this prospectus, and although we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted a thorough inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information.  These statements are inherently uncertain and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements.

 

 

USE OF PROCEEDS

 

We plan to use the net proceeds of this offering for general corporate purposes and working capital. We may also use a portion of the net proceeds from this offering to fund possible investments in or acquisitions of complementary businesses, products, or technologies. As of the date of this prospectus supplement, we have no agreements or commitments to complete any such transaction.

 

We cannot specify with certainty all of the particular uses for the net proceeds to be received from this offering. In addition, the amount, allocation and timing of our actual expenditures will depend upon numerous factors, including market acceptance of our products, the cost of our research and development activities, the cost of filing and prosecuting patent applications, the cost associated with litigation or disputes relating to intellectual property rights or otherwise, the cost and timing of regulatory clearances or approvals, if any, the cost and timing of establishing additional sales, marketing, and distribution capabilities, the cost and timing of establishing additional technical support capabilities, the effect of competing technological and market developments, the effectiveness of our efficiency and cost reduction initiatives, and the extent to which we acquire or invest in businesses, products and technologies, although we currently have no commitments or agreements relating to any of these types of transactions. Accordingly, we will have broad discretion in using these proceeds. Pending their uses, we plan to invest the net proceeds of this offering in short-term money market funds, certificates of deposit, or U.S. government and agency securities.

 

 

DILUTION

 

Purchasers of common stock offered by this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus may suffer immediate and substantial dilution in the net tangible book value per share of common stock. Our net tangible book value as of December 31, 2019 was approximately $0.4 million, or approximately $0.01 per share of common stock. Net tangible book value per share represents the amount of total tangible assets less total liabilities, divided by the number of shares of our common stock outstanding as of December 31, 2019.

  

Dilution in net tangible book value per share represents the difference between the amount per share paid by purchasers in this offering and the net tangible book value per share of our common stock immediately after this offering. After giving effect to the assumed sale of 15,873,016 shares of common stock in the aggregate amount of $50.0 million at an assumed public offering price of $3.15 per share, the last reported sale price of our common stock on March 3, 2020, and after deduction of commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, our as adjusted net tangible book value as of December 31, 2019 would have been approximately $48.8 million, or $0.57 per share of common stock. This would represent an immediate increase in net tangible book value of $0.56 per share of common stock to our existing stockholders and an immediate dilution in net tangible book value of $2.58 per share of common stock to investors participating in this offering. The following table illustrates this dilution on a per share basis:

  

Assumed public offering price per share			$3.15
Net tangible book value per share as of December 31, 2019	$0.01
Increase per share attributable to this offering	$0.56
As adjusted net tangible book value per share as of December 31, 2019, after giving effect to this offering			$0.57
Dilution per share to new investors participating in this offering			$2.58

 

Changes in the assumed public offering price of $3.15 per share would not affect our as adjusted net tangible book value after this offering because this offering is currently limited to $50.0 million of shares of our common stock. However, each $1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed public offering price of $3.15 per share would (decrease) increase our as adjusted per share net tangible book value after this offering by approximately $0.55 per share, and increase (decrease) the dilution per share to new investors by approximately $2.59 per share, assuming that the aggregate dollar amount of shares offered by us, as set forth above, remains at $50.0 million and after deducting the commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. We may also increase or decrease the aggregate dollar amount of shares we are offering from the amount set forth above. The information discussed above is illustrative only and will adjust based on the actual public offering price, the actual number of shares that we offer in this offering, and other terms of this offering determined at the time of each offer and sale.

 

The above discussion and table are based on 69,956,397 shares of our common stock outstanding as of December 31, 2019 and excludes as of that date:

 

·

2,026,936 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of options outstanding as of December 31, 2019, at a weighted-average exercise price of $7.78 per share;

 

·

2,550,880 shares of common stock issuable upon the vesting of restricted stock units with service-only vesting conditions outstanding as of December 31, 2019;

  

·

610,669 shares of common stock issuable upon the vesting of restricted stock units with performance conditions outstanding as of December 31, 2019;

 

 

·

5,713,341 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under stock-based compensation plans, including 5,312,076 shares of common stock reserved for issuance under our 2011 Equity Incentive Plan and 401,265 shares of common stock reserved for issuance under our 2017 Employee Stock Purchase Plan;

  

·

the shares of common stock reserved for issuance upon conversion of our 2014 Notes; and

 

·

the shares of common stock reserved for issuance upon conversion of our 2019 Notes.

  

To the extent that any options are exercised, new equity incentive awards are issued under our equity incentive plans, additional shares of common stock are sold under our employee stock purchase plan, our 2014 Notes convert to common stock, our 2019 Notes convert to common stock, or we otherwise issue additional shares of common stock in the future, there will be further dilution to investors participating in this offering.

 

 

DIVIDEND POLICY

 

We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our capital stock. We currently intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings, if any, for the operation and expansion of our business and, therefore, we do not anticipate declaring or paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future. In addition, our Loan and Security Agreement with Silicon Valley Bank restricts, and future debt arrangements may restrict, our ability to pay dividends. The payment of dividends, if any, will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our results of operations, capital requirements, financial condition, prospects, contractual arrangements, any limitations on payment of dividends present in our current and future debt agreements, and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant.

 

 

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 supplement and the accompanying 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 our 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 supplement 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 equal to 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. 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 $250,000. 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 on Nasdaq on the day following each day on which our 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 proceeds to us.

  

In connection with the sale of our 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 upon 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 a current report on Form 8-K filed under the Exchange Act and incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement.

 

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

 

A prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus in electronic format may be made available on a website maintained by Jefferies, and Jefferies may distribute the prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus electronically.

 

 

LEGAL MATTERS

 

The validity of the securities offered hereby will be passed upon for us by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation, Palo Alto, California. Latham & Watkins LLP is counsel for Jefferies in connection with this offering.

 

EXPERTS

 

The financial statements and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting (which is included in Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting) incorporated in this prospectus supplement by reference to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 have been so incorporated in reliance on the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

  

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

  

We file annual, quarterly and other 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. Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K, including any amendments to those reports, and other information that we file with or furnish to the SEC pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act can also be accessed free of charge from our website at http://www.fluidigm.com. These filings will be available as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. Information contained on our website is not part of this prospectus supplement.

 

You should rely only on the information provided in, and incorporated by reference in, this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and the registration statement. We have not authorized anyone else to provide you with different information. Our securities are not being offered in any state where the offer is not permitted. The information contained in documents that are incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement is accurate only as of the dates of those documents. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.

 

 

 

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE

 

The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference the information we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document that we have filed separately with the SEC. You should read the information incorporated by reference because it is an important part of this prospectus supplement. We incorporate by reference the following information or documents that we have filed with the SEC (excluding those portions of any Form 8-K that are not deemed “filed” pursuant to the General Instructions of Form 8-K):

 

·

our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 filed with the SEC on February 27, 2020;

 

·

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

 

·

the description of our common stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A (File No. 001-34180) filed with the SEC on February 7, 2011, pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act, including any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description.

 

We also incorporate by reference into this prospectus supplement additional documents that we may file with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the completion or termination of the offering, including all such documents we may file with the SEC after the date of the initial registration statement and prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement, but excluding any information deemed furnished and not filed with the SEC. Any statements contained in a previously filed document incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement is deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus supplement to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus supplement, or in a subsequently filed document also incorporated by reference herein, modifies or supersedes that statement.

 

This prospectus supplement may contain information that updates, modifies or is contrary to information in one or more of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement. You should rely only on the information incorporated by reference or provided in this prospectus supplement. We have not authorized anyone else to provide you with different information. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus supplement is accurate as of any date other than the date of this prospectus supplement or the date of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement.

 

We will provide to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom this prospectus supplement is delivered, upon written or oral request, at no cost to the requester, a copy of any and all of the information that is incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement.

 

 

Until March 13, 2020, requests for such documents should be directed to:

 

Fluidigm Corporation 

Attn: Investor Relations 

7000 Shoreline Court, Suite 100 

South San Francisco, CA 94080 

(650) 266-6000

  

After March 13, 2020, requests for such documents should be directed to:

  

Fluidigm Corporation 

Attn: Investor Relations 

Two Tower Place 

South San Francisco, CA 94080 

(650) 266-6000

 

You may also access the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement through our website at www.fluidigm.com. Except for the specific incorporated documents listed above, no information available on or through our website shall be deemed to be incorporated in this prospectus supplement or the registration statement of which it forms a part.

 

 

 

PROSPECTUS

 

$125,000,000

 

 

Fluidigm Corporation may offer, from time to time,

 

	•       common stock	•       preferred stock
	•       warrants	•       debt securities

 

All of the securities listed above may be sold separately or as units with other securities.

 

We may from time to time in one or more offerings offer and sell common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants to purchase common stock or preferred stock or debt securities, or any combination of the foregoing, either individually or as units comprised of one or more of the other securities.

 

The aggregate offering price of the securities sold pursuant to this prospectus will not exceed $125,000,000.

 

This prospectus may not be used to sell securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement, which will describe the method and the terms of the offering. We will provide you with the specific amount, price and terms of the applicable offered securities in one or more supplements to this prospectus. You should read this prospectus and any supplement carefully before you purchase any of our securities.

 

Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “FLDM.” On February 13, 2020, the last reported sale price on the Nasdaq Global Select Market was $3.64 per share. There is currently no market for the other securities we may offer.

 

 

Investing in our securities involves risks. Please carefully read the information under the headings “Risk Factors” beginning on page 5 of this prospectus and “Item 1A—Risk Factors” of our most recent report on Form 10-K or 10-Q which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus before you invest in our securities.

 

WE MAY AMEND OR SUPPLEMENT THIS PROSPECTUS FROM TIME TO TIME BY FILING AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS AS REQUIRED. WE URGE YOU TO READ THE ENTIRE PROSPECTUS, ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS, ANY FREE WRITING PROSPECTUSES, AND ANY DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU MAKE YOUR INVESTMENT DECISION.

 

NEITHER THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION NOR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED OF THESE SECURITIES OR DETERMINED IF THIS PROSPECTUS IS TRUTHFUL OR COMPLETE. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.

 

These securities may be offered and sold to or through one or more underwriters, dealers and agents, or directly to purchasers, on a continuous or delayed basis. If underwriters, dealers, or agents are used to sell the securities, we will name them and describe their compensation in a prospectus supplement. In addition, the underwriters may overallot a portion of the securities.

 

 

The date of this prospectus is February 14, 2020.

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

	Page
About This Prospectus	1
Prospectus Summary	2
Risk Factors	5
Forward-Looking Statements	5
Use of Proceeds	6
Dividend Policy	6
Description of Our Capital Stock	7
Description of the Debt Securities	11
Description of the Warrants	20
Plan of Distribution	21
Legal Matters	25
Experts	25
Where You Can Find More Information	25
Information Incorporated by Reference	26

 

 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

 

This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, using a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may, from time to time, offer or sell any combination of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings up to a total amount of $125,000,000.

 

This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we sell securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering. The prospectus supplement may also add to, update or change information contained in this prospectus and, accordingly, to the extent inconsistent, information in this prospectus is superseded by the information in the prospectus supplement.

 

No person has been authorized to give any information or make any representations in connection with this offering other than those contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus in connection with the offering described herein and therein. Neither this prospectus nor any prospectus supplement nor any related issuer free writing prospectus shall constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy offered securities in any jurisdiction in which it is unlawful for such person to make such an offering or solicitation. This prospectus does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. For a more complete understanding of the offering of the securities, you should refer to the registration statement, including its exhibits.

 

You should read the entire prospectus and any prospectus supplement and any related issuer free writing prospectus, as well as the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus or any prospectus supplement or any related issuer free writing prospectus, before making an investment decision. Neither the delivery of this prospectus or any prospectus supplement or any issuer free writing prospectus nor any sale made hereunder shall under any circumstances imply that the information contained or incorporated by reference herein or in any prospectus supplement or issuer free writing prospectus is correct as of any date subsequent to the date hereof or of such prospectus supplement or issuer free writing prospectus, as applicable. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or any document incorporated by reference is accurate only as of the date of the applicable documents, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any sale of securities. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.

 

 

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

 

This summary highlights information contained elsewhere in this prospectus or incorporated herein by reference. This summary is not complete and does not contain all of the information that you should consider before deciding to invest in our securities. We urge you to read this entire prospectus and the information incorporated by reference in this prospectus carefully, including the “Risk Factors” section. In this prospectus, unless the context indicates otherwise, the terms “company,” “Fluidigm”, “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Fluidigm Corporation and its subsidiaries.

 

Fluidigm Corporation

 

Overview

 

Fluidigm is a global company that improves life through comprehensive health insight. Our innovative technologies and multi-omic tools are used by researchers to reveal meaningful insights into health and disease, identify biomarkers to inform decisions, and accelerate the development of more effective therapies. We create, manufacture, and market a range of products and services, including instruments, reagents and software that are used by researchers worldwide.

 

Our focus is on the most pressing needs in translational and clinical research, including cancer, immunology and immunotherapy. We use proprietary CyTOF® and microfluidics technologies to develop innovative end-to-end solutions that have the flexibility required to meet the needs of translational research and the robustness to support high-impact clinical research studies.

 

Our mass cytometry Helios™ system deeply profiles cell phenotype and function. Referenced by hundreds of peer-reviewed publications around the world, mass cytometry is setting a new standard in human immune profiling. Transforming biological imaging, our Hyperion™ Imaging System enables highly multiplexed protein biomarker detection in tissues and tumors while still preserving tissue architecture and cellular morphology information using Imaging Mass Cytometry™ (IMC™). Our microfluidic systems complement our mass cytometry offerings by providing highly scalable and automated workflows for quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), gene expression, copy number variation analysis, and next-generation sequencing library preparation. Used to detect somatic and genomic variations from a range of different sample types, these automated systems provide the cost efficiencies, flexibility and proven analytical performance that customers need to meet the increasing demands of molecular biomarker analysis.

 

We are a trusted partner of leading academic, government, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and plant and animal research laboratories worldwide and we strive to increase the quality of life for all.

 

Corporate Information

 

We were incorporated in California in May 1999 as Mycometrix Corporation, changed our name to Fluidigm Corporation in April 2001 and reincorporated in Delaware in July 2007. Our principal executive offices are located at 7000 Shoreline Court, Suite 100, South San Francisco, California 94080 until March 13, 2020, and thereafter will be located at Two Tower Place, South San Francisco, California 94080. Our telephone number is (650) 266-6000. We maintain an Internet website at www.fluidigm.com. We have not incorporated the information on our website by reference into this prospectus, and you should not consider it to be a part of this prospectus.

 

 

Fluidigm®, the Fluidigm logo, 48.Atlas™, Acculift™, Access Array™, Advanta™, Biomark™, Bringing new insights to life™, C1™, Callisto™, Cell-ID™, CyTOF®, D3™, Delta Gene™, Direct™, Digital Array™, Dynamic Array™, EP1™, EQ™, FC1™, Flex Six™, Helios™, High-Precision 96.96 Genotyping™, Hyperion™, IMC™, Imaging Mass Cytometry™, Immune Profiling Assay™, Juno™, Maxpar®, MCD™, MSL®, Nanoflex™, Open App™, Pathsetter™, Polaris™, qdPCR 37K™, Script Builder™, Script Hub™, Singular™, SNP Trace™, and SNP Type™ are trademarks or registered trademarks of Fluidigm Corporation. Other service marks, trademarks and trade names appearing in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus are the property of their respective owners.

 

The Securities We May Offer

 

We may offer or sell common stock, preferred stock, debt securities and warrants in one or more offerings and in any combination either individually or as units comprised of one or more of the other securities. The aggregate offering price of the securities sold pursuant to this prospectus will not exceed $125,000,000. Each time we offer securities with this prospectus, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will describe the specific amounts, prices and terms of the securities being offered.

 

We may sell the securities to or through underwriters, dealers or agents or directly to purchasers or as otherwise set forth below under “Plan of Distribution.” We, as well as any agents acting on our behalf, reserve the sole right to accept and to reject in whole or in part any proposed purchase of securities. Each prospectus supplement will set forth the names of any underwriters, dealers, agents or other entities involved in the sale of securities described in that prospectus supplement and any applicable fee, commission or discount arrangements with them.

 

Common Stock

 

We may offer shares of our common stock, par value $0.001 per share, either alone or underlying other registered securities convertible into our common stock. Holders of our common stock are entitled to receive dividends declared by our board of directors out of funds legally available for the payment of dividends, subject to rights, if any, of preferred stockholders. Currently, we do not pay a cash dividend. Each holder of common stock is entitled to one vote per share. The holders of common stock have no preemptive rights.

 

Preferred Stock

 

We may issue preferred stock in one or more series. Our board of directors or a committee designated by the board will determine the dividend, voting and conversion rights and other provisions at the time of sale. Each series of preferred stock will be more fully described in the particular prospectus supplement that will accompany this prospectus, including redemption provisions, rights in the event of liquidation, dissolution or the winding up of Fluidigm Corporation, voting rights and rights to convert into common stock.

 

Warrants

 

We may issue warrants for the purchase of common stock, preferred stock or debt securities. We may issue warrants independently or together with other securities.

 

 

Debt Securities

 

We may offer secured or unsecured obligations in the form of one or more series of debt securities, which may be senior, senior subordinated or subordinated obligations. Any subordinated debt securities generally will be entitled to payment only after payment of our senior debt. Senior debt generally includes all debt for money borrowed by us, except debt that is stated in the instrument governing the terms of that debt to be not senior to, or to have the same rank in right of payment as, or to be expressly junior to, the subordinated debt securities. We may issue debt securities that are convertible into shares of our common stock.

 

The debt securities will be issued under an indenture, as supplemented by a resolution of our board of directors, an officer’s certificate or a supplemental indenture, between us and a trustee. We have summarized the general features of the debt securities to be governed by the indenture. The indenture has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. We encourage you to read the indenture. Instructions on how you can get copies of this document are provided under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.”

 

Units

 

We may issue units comprised of one or more of the other classes of securities issued by us as described in this prospectus in any combination. Each unit will be issued so that the holder of the unit is also the holder of each security included in the unit.

 

 

RISK FACTORS

 

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. The prospectus supplement applicable to each offering of our securities will contain a discussion of the risks applicable to an investment in our securities. Prior to making a decision about investing in our securities, you should carefully consider the specific factors discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in the applicable prospectus supplement, together with all of the other information contained or incorporated by reference in the prospectus supplement or appearing or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. You should also consider the risks, uncertainties and assumptions discussed under “Part I—Item 1A—Risk Factors” of our most recent annual report on Form 10-K or “Part II—Item 1A—Risk Factors” in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q which are incorporated herein by reference, and may be amended, supplemented or superseded from time to time by other reports we file with the SEC in the future and any prospectus supplement related to a particular offering. The risks and uncertainties we have described are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our operations.

 

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

This prospectus includes and incorporates by reference forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or Exchange Act, that are based on our management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. Forward-looking statements include information concerning our possible or assumed future results of operations, business strategies, financing plans, competitive position, industry environment, potential growth opportunities and the effects of competition. Forward-looking statements include statements that are not historical facts and can be identified by terms such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “could,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “potential,” “predicts, “projects,” “should,” “will,” “would” or similar expressions and the negatives of those terms. Although we believe that we have a reasonable basis for each forward-looking statement contained and incorporated by reference included in this prospectus, we caution you that these statements are based on our projections of the future that are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, to differ. The sections in this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors,” in “Part I—Item 1A—Risk Factors” of our most recent report on Form 10-K or “Part II—Item 1A—Risk Factors” in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus as well as other disclosures included in this prospectus or the supplement hereto, discuss some of the factors that could contribute to these differences.

 

Other unknown or unpredictable factors also could harm our results. Consequently, actual results or developments anticipated by us may not be realized or, even if substantially realized, may not have the expected consequences to, or effects on, us. Given these uncertainties, prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this prospectus.

 

This prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus contain market data that we obtained from industry sources, including independent industry publications. In presenting this information, we have also made assumptions based on such data and other similar sources and on our knowledge of, and our experience to date in, the markets for our products. This data involves a number of assumptions and limitations, and you are cautioned not to give undue weight to such estimates. While we believe the market data included in this prospectus is generally reliable, such information is inherently imprecise. In addition, projections, assumptions and estimates of our future performance and the future performance of the industry in which we operate are necessarily subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described under the heading “Risk Factors” in this prospectus and “Item 1A—Risk Factors” of our most recent report on Form 10-K or 10-Q which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus. These and other factors could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in the estimates made by the independent parties and by us.

 

 

USE OF PROCEEDS

 

Unless we state otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, we expect to use the net proceeds that we will receive from the sale of the securities for general corporate purposes, including working capital, capital expenditures, and continued research and development with respect to products and technologies. We may also use a portion of the net proceeds to fund possible investments in or acquisitions of complementary businesses, products, or technologies. As of the date of this prospectus, we have no agreements or commitments to complete any such transaction. Pending these uses, we may invest our net proceeds from this offering primarily in investment-grade, interest-bearing instruments.

 

The specific allocations of the proceeds we receive from the sale of our securities will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

DIVIDEND POLICY

 

We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our capital stock. We currently intend to retain all future earnings for the operation and expansion of our business and, therefore, we do not anticipate declaring or paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future. In addition, we are subject to covenants under debt arrangements that place restrictions on our ability to pay dividends. The payment of dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our results of operations, capital requirements, financial condition, prospects, contractual arrangements, any limitations on payment of dividends present in our current and future debt agreements, and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant.

 

 

DESCRIPTION OF OUR CAPITAL STOCK

 

The following is a summary of the material provisions of the common stock and the preferred stock contained in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws. For more detailed definition, please refer to our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, each as amended.

 

General

 

Our authorized capital stock consists of 210,000,000 shares, all with a par value of $0.001 per share, of which:

 

·

200,000,000 shares are designated as common stock; and

·

10,000,000 shares are designated as preferred stock.

 

As of January 31, 2020, we had outstanding 70,445,622 shares of common stock held of record by 87 stockholders. In addition, as of January 31, 2020, 5,130,377 shares of our common stock were subject to outstanding awards under our equity incentive plans, of which 1,997,517 shares of common stock were issuable upon exercise of options outstanding as of January 31, 2020, at a weighted average exercise price of $7.81 per share and 3,132,860 shares of common stock were issuable upon the vesting of restricted stock units and performance-based restricted stock units outstanding as of January 31, 2020.

 

Common Stock

 

The holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote per share on all matters to be voted on by our stockholders. Subject to preferences that may be applicable to any outstanding shares of preferred stock, holders of common stock are entitled to receive ratably such dividends as may be declared by our board of directors out of funds legally available for that purpose. In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, the holders of common stock are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining after the payment of liabilities, subject to the prior distribution rights of preferred stock then outstanding. Holders of common stock have no preemptive, conversion or subscription rights. There are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to the common stock.

 

Preferred Stock

 

No shares of preferred stock are outstanding. Our board of directors has the authority, without further action by our stockholders, to designate and issue up to 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series. Our board of directors may also designate the rights, preferences and privileges of each such series of preferred stock, any or all of which may be greater than or senior to those of the common stock. The actual effect of any such issuance on the rights of the holders of common stock will not be known until our board of directors determines the specific rights of the holders of preferred stock; however, the potential effects of such an issuance include:

 

·

diluting the voting power of the holders of common stock;

 

·

reducing the likelihood that holders of common stock will receive dividend payments;

 

 

·

reducing the likelihood that holders of common stock will receive payments in the event of our liquidation, dissolution, or winding up; and

 

·

delaying, deterring or preventing a change-in-control or other corporate takeover.

 

Voting Rights

 

Under the provisions of our certificate of incorporation, holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share of common stock held by such holder on any matter submitted to a vote at a meeting of stockholders. In addition, our certificate of incorporation provides that certain corporate actions require the approval of our stockholders. These actions, and the vote required, are as follows:

 

·

the removal of a director requires the vote of a majority of the voting power of our issued and outstanding capital stock entitled to vote in the election of directors; and

 

·

the amendment of provisions of our certificate of incorporation relating to blank check preferred stock, the classification of our directors, the removal of directors, the filling of vacancies on our board of directors, cumulative voting, annual and special meetings of our stockholders and the amendment provision in our certificate of incorporation require the vote of 66 2/3% of our then outstanding voting securities.

 

Anti Takeover Effects of Delaware Law and Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws

 

Certain provisions of Delaware law and our certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that could have the effect of delaying, deferring or discouraging another party from acquiring control of us. These provisions, which are summarized below, are expected to discourage certain types of coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids. These provisions are also designed in part to encourage anyone seeking to acquire control of us to first negotiate with our board of directors. We believe that the advantages gained by protecting our ability to negotiate with any unsolicited and potentially unfriendly acquirer outweigh the disadvantages of discouraging such proposals, including those priced above the then-current market value of our common stock, because, among other reasons, the negotiation of such proposals could improve their terms.

 

Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws

 

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws include provisions that:

 

·

authorize our board of directors to issue, without further action by the stockholders, up to 10,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock;

 

·

require that any action to be taken by our stockholders be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting and not by written consent;

 

·

specify that special meetings of our stockholders can be called only by our board of directors, the chairman of the board, the chief executive officer or the president;

 

·

establish an advance notice procedure for stockholder approvals to be brought before an annual meeting of our stockholders, including proposed nominations of persons for election to our board of directors;

 

 

·

provide that directors may be removed only for cause;

 

·

provide that vacancies on our board of directors may be filled only by a majority of directors then in office, even though less than a quorum;

 

·

establish that our board of directors is divided into three classes, Class I, Class II, and Class III, with each class serving staggered terms;

 

·

specify that no stockholder is permitted to cumulate votes at any election of the board of directors; and

 

·

require a super majority of votes to amend certain of the above-mentioned provisions.

 

Delaware Anti-Takeover Statute

 

We are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law regulating corporate takeovers. In general, Section 203 prohibits a publicly-held Delaware corporation from engaging, under certain circumstances, in a business combination with an interested stockholder for a period of three years following the date the person became an interested stockholder unless:

 

·

prior to the date of the transaction, the board of directors of the corporation approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;

 

·

upon completion of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the voting stock outstanding, but not for determining the outstanding voting stock owned by the interested stockholder, (1) shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers, and (2) shares owned by employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer; or

 

·

at or subsequent to the date of the transaction, the business combination is approved by the board of directors of the corporation and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding voting stock which is not owned by the interested stockholder.

 

Generally, a business combination includes a merger, asset or stock sale, or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. An interested stockholder is a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns or, within three years prior to the determination of interested stockholder status, did own 15% or more of a corporation’s outstanding voting stock. We expect the existence of this provision to have an anti-takeover effect with respect to transactions our board of directors does not approve in advance. We also anticipate that Section 203 may discourage business combinations or other attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for the shares of common stock held by our stockholders.

 

The provisions of Delaware law and our certificate of incorporation and bylaws could have the effect of discouraging others from attempting hostile takeovers and, as a consequence, they may also inhibit temporary fluctuations in the market price of our common stock that often result from actual or rumored hostile takeover attempts. These provisions may also have the effect of preventing changes in our management. It is possible that these provisions could make it more difficult to accomplish transactions that stockholders may otherwise deem to be in their best interests.

  

 

Transfer Agent and Registrar

 

The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Computershare Trust Company, N.A. The transfer agent’s address is 462 South 4th Street, Suite 1600, Louisville, KY 40202, and its telephone number is (800) 662-7232 or (781) 575-2879.

 

Nasdaq Global Select Market Listing

 

Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “FLDM.”

 

 

 DESCRIPTION OF THE DEBT SECURITIES

 

The following description, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes certain general terms and provisions of the debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus. When we offer to sell a particular series of debt securities, we will describe the specific terms of the series in a supplement to this prospectus. We will also indicate in the supplement to what extent the general terms and provisions described in this prospectus apply to a particular series of debt securities.

 

We may issue debt securities either separately, or together with, or upon the conversion or exercise of or in exchange for, other securities described in this prospectus. Debt securities may be our senior, senior subordinated or subordinated obligations and, unless otherwise specified in a supplement to this prospectus, the debt securities will be our direct, unsecured obligations and may be issued in one or more series.

 

The debt securities will be issued under an indenture between us and a trustee to be named in a prospectus supplement. We have summarized select portions of the indenture below. The summary is not complete. The form of the indenture has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement and you should read the indenture for provisions that may be important to you. In the summary below, we have included references to the section numbers of the indenture so that you can easily locate these provisions. Capitalized terms used in the summary and not defined herein have the meanings specified in the indenture.

 

General

 

The terms of each series of debt securities will be established by or pursuant to a resolution of our board of directors and set forth or determined in the manner provided in a resolution of our board of directors, in an officer’s certificate or by a supplemental indenture. The particular terms of each series of debt securities will be described in a prospectus supplement relating to such series (including any pricing supplement or term sheet).

 

We can issue an unlimited amount of debt securities under the indenture that may be in one or more series with the same or various maturities, at par, at a premium, or at a discount. We will set forth in a prospectus supplement (including any pricing supplement or term sheet) relating to any series of debt securities being offered, the aggregate principal amount and the following terms of the debt securities, if applicable:

 

·

the title and ranking of the debt securities (including the terms of any subordination provisions);

 

·

the price or prices (expressed as a percentage of the principal amount) at which we will sell the debt securities;

 

·

any limit on the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities;

 

·

the date or dates on which the principal of the securities of the series is payable;

 

·

the rate or rates (which may be fixed or variable) per annum or the method used to determine the rate or rates (including any commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index) at which the debt securities will bear interest, the date or dates from which interest will accrue, the date or dates on which interest will commence and be payable and any regular record date for the interest payable on any interest payment date;

 

 

·

the place or places where principal of, and interest, if any, on the debt securities will be payable (and the method of such payment), where the securities of such series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange, and where notices and demands to us in respect of the debt securities may be delivered;

 

·

the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which we may redeem the debt securities;

 

·

any obligation we have to redeem or purchase the debt securities pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provisions or at the option of a holder of debt securities and the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and in the terms and conditions upon which securities of the series shall be redeemed or purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation;

  

·

the dates on which and the price or prices at which we will repurchase debt securities at the option of the holders of debt securities and other detailed terms and provisions of these repurchase obligations;

 

·

the denominations in which the debt securities will be issued, if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof;

 

·

whether the debt securities will be issued in the form of certificated debt securities or global debt securities;

 

·

the portion of principal amount of the debt securities payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity date, if other than the principal amount;

 

·

the currency of denomination of the debt securities, which may be United States Dollars or any foreign currency, and if such currency of denomination is a composite currency, the agency or organization, if any, responsible for overseeing such composite currency;

 

·

the designation of the currency, currencies or currency units in which payment of principal of, premium and interest on the debt securities will be made;

 

·

if payments of principal of, premium or interest on the debt securities will be made in one or more currencies or currency units other than that or those in which the debt securities are denominated, the manner in which the exchange rate with respect to these payments will be determined;

 

·

the manner in which the amounts of payment of principal of, premium, if any, or interest on the debt securities will be determined, if these amounts may be determined by reference to an index based on a currency or currencies or by reference to a commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index;

 

·

any provisions relating to any security provided for the debt securities;

 

·

any addition to, deletion of or change in the Events of Default described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities and any change in the acceleration provisions described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities;

 

·

any addition to, deletion of or change in the covenants described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities;

 

 

·

any depositaries, interest rate calculation agents, exchange rate calculation agents or other agents with respect to the debt securities;

 

·

the provisions, if any, relating to conversion or exchange of any debt securities of such series, including if applicable, the conversion or exchange price and period, provisions as to whether conversion or exchange will be mandatory, the events requiring an adjustment of the conversion or exchange price and provisions affecting conversion or exchange;

 

·

any other terms of the debt securities, which may supplement, modify or delete any provision of the indenture as it applies to that series, including any terms that may be required under applicable law or regulations or advisable in connection with the marketing of the securities; and

 

·

whether any of our direct or indirect subsidiaries will guarantee the debt securities of that series, including the terms of subordination, if any, of such guarantees.

 

We may issue debt securities that provide for an amount less than their stated principal amount to be due and payable upon declaration of acceleration of their maturity pursuant to the terms of the indenture. We will provide you with information on the federal income tax considerations and other special considerations applicable to any of these debt securities in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

If we denominate the purchase price of any of the debt securities in a foreign currency or currencies or a foreign currency unit or units, or if the principal of and any premium and interest on any series of debt securities is payable in a foreign currency or currencies or a foreign currency unit or units, we will provide you with information on the restrictions, elections, general tax considerations, specific terms and other information with respect to that issue of debt securities and such foreign currency or currencies or foreign currency unit or units in the applicable prospectus supplement.

  

Transfer and Exchange

 

Each debt security will be represented by either one or more global securities registered in the name of a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act (the “Depositary”) or a nominee of the Depositary (we will refer to any debt security represented by a global debt security as a “book-entry debt security”), or a certificate issued in definitive registered form (we will refer to any debt security represented by a certificated security as a “certificated debt security”) as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. Except as set forth under the heading “Global Debt Securities and Book-Entry System” below, book-entry debt securities will not be issuable in certificated form.

 

Certificated Debt Securities. You may transfer or exchange certificated debt securities at any office we maintain for this purpose in accordance with the terms of the indenture. No service charge will be made for any transfer or exchange of certificated debt securities, but we may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection with a transfer or exchange.

 

You may effect the transfer of certificated debt securities and the right to receive the principal of, premium and interest on certificated debt securities only by surrendering the certificate representing those certificated debt securities and either reissuance by us or the trustee of the certificate to the new holder or the issuance by us or the trustee of a new certificate to the new holder.

 

 

Global Debt Securities and Book-Entry System. Each global debt security representing book-entry debt securities will be deposited with, or on behalf of, the Depositary, and registered in the name of the Depositary or a nominee of the Depositary.

 

Covenants

 

We will set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement any restrictive covenants applicable to any issue of debt securities.

 

No Protection in the Event of a Change of Control

 

Unless we state otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the debt securities will not contain any provisions which may afford holders of the debt securities protection in the event we have a change in control or in the event of a highly leveraged transaction (whether or not such transaction results in a change in control) which could adversely affect holders of debt securities.

 

Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets

 

We may not consolidate with or merge with or into, or convey, transfer or lease all or substantially all of our properties and assets to any person (a “successor person”) unless:

 

·

we are the surviving corporation or the successor person (if other than us) is a corporation organized and validly existing under the laws of any U.S. domestic jurisdiction and expressly assumes our obligations on the debt securities and under the indenture; and

 

·

immediately after giving effect to the transaction, no Default or Event of Default, shall have occurred and be continuing.

 

Notwithstanding the above, any of our subsidiaries may consolidate with, merge into or transfer all or part of its properties to us.

  

Events of Default

 

“Event of Default” means with respect to any series of debt securities, any of the following:

 

·

default in the payment of any interest upon any debt security of that series when it becomes due and payable, and continuance of such default for a period of 30 days (unless the entire amount of the payment is deposited by us with the trustee or with a paying agent prior to the expiration of the 30-day period);

 

·

default in the payment of principal of any security of that series at its maturity;

 

·

default in the performance or breach of any other covenant or warranty by us in the indenture (other than a covenant or warranty that has been included in the indenture solely for the benefit of a series of debt securities other than that series), which default continues uncured for a period of 60 days after we receive written notice from the trustee, or we and the trustee receive written notice from the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series as provided in the indenture;

 

 

·

certain voluntary or involuntary events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization of us; and

 

·

any other Event of Default provided with respect to debt securities of that series that is described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

No Event of Default with respect to a particular series of debt securities (except as to certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization) necessarily constitutes an Event of Default with respect to any other series of debt securities. The occurrence of certain Events of Default or an acceleration under the indenture may constitute an event of default under certain indebtedness of ours or our subsidiaries outstanding from time to time.

 

We will provide the trustee written notice of any Default or Event of Default within 30 days of becoming aware of the occurrence of such Default or Event of Default, which notice will describe in reasonable detail the status of such Default or Event of Default and what action we are taking or propose to take in respect thereof.

 

If an Event of Default with respect to debt securities of any series at the time outstanding occurs and is continuing, then the trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series may, by a notice in writing to us (and to the trustee if given by the holders), declare to be due and payable immediately the principal of (or, if the debt securities of that series are discount securities, that portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms of that series) and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all debt securities of that series. In the case of an Event of Default resulting from certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization, the principal (or such specified amount) of and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all outstanding debt securities will become and be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the trustee or any holder of outstanding debt securities. At any time after a declaration of acceleration with respect to debt securities of any series has been made, but before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained by the trustee, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series may rescind and annul the acceleration if all Events of Default, other than the non-payment of accelerated principal and interest, if any, with respect to debt securities of that series, have been cured or waived as provided in the indenture. We refer you to the prospectus supplement relating to any series of debt securities that are discount securities for the particular provisions relating to acceleration of a portion of the principal amount of such discount securities upon the occurrence of an Event of Default.

 

The indenture provides that the trustee may refuse to perform any duty or exercise any of its rights or powers under the indenture unless the trustee receives indemnity satisfactory to it against any cost, liability or expense which might be incurred by it in performing such duty or exercising such right or power. Subject to certain rights of the trustee, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the trustee with respect to the debt securities of that series.

   

No holder of any debt security of any series will have any right to institute any proceeding, judicial or otherwise, with respect to the indenture or for the appointment of a receiver or trustee, or for any remedy under the indenture, unless:

 

·

that holder has previously given to the trustee written notice of a continuing Event of Default with respect to debt securities of that series; and

 

 

·

the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series have made written request, and offered indemnity or security satisfactory to the trustee, to the trustee to institute the proceeding as trustee, and the trustee has not received from the holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series a direction inconsistent with that request and has failed to institute the proceeding within 60 days.

 

Notwithstanding any other provision in the indenture, the holder of any debt security will have an absolute and unconditional right to receive payment of the principal of, premium and any interest on that debt security on or after the due dates expressed in that debt security and to institute suit for the enforcement of payment.

 

The indenture requires us, within 120 days after the end of our fiscal year, to furnish to the trustee a statement as to compliance with the indenture. If a Default or Event of Default occurs and is continuing with respect to the securities of any series and if it is known to a responsible officer of the trustee, the trustee shall send to each Securityholder of the securities of that series notice of a Default or Event of Default within 90 days after it occurs or, if later, after a responsible officer of the trustee has knowledge of such Default or Event of Default. The indenture provides that the trustee may withhold notice to the holders of debt securities of any series of any Default or Event of Default (except in payment on any debt securities of that series) with respect to debt securities of that series if the trustee determines in good faith that withholding notice is in the interest of the holders of those debt securities.

 

Modification and Waiver

 

We and the trustee may modify, amend or supplement the indenture or the debt securities of any series without the consent of any holder of any debt security:

 

·

to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency;

 

·

to comply with covenants in the indenture described above under the heading “Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets”;

 

·

to provide for uncertificated securities in addition to or in place of certificated securities;

 

·

to add guarantees with respect to debt securities of any series or secure debt securities of any series;

 

·

to surrender any of our rights or powers under the indenture;

 

·

to add covenants or events of default for the benefit of the holders of debt securities of any series;

 

·

to comply with the applicable procedures of the applicable depositary;

 

·

to make any change that does not adversely affect the rights of any holder of debt securities;

 

 

·

to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of debt securities of any series as permitted by the indenture;

 

·

to effect the appointment of a successor trustee with respect to the debt securities of any series and to add to or change any of the provisions of the indenture to provide for or facilitate administration by more than one trustee; or

 

·

to comply with requirements of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualification of the indenture under the Trust Indenture Act.

 

We may also modify and amend the indenture with the consent of the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each series affected by the modifications or amendments. We may not make any modification or amendment without the consent of the holders of each affected debt security then outstanding if that amendment will:

 

·

reduce the amount of debt securities whose holders must consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver;

 

·

reduce the rate of or extend the time for payment of interest (including default interest) on any debt security;

 

·

reduce the principal of or premium on or change the fixed maturity of any debt security or reduce the amount of, or postpone the date fixed for, the payment of any sinking fund or analogous obligation with respect to any series of debt securities;

 

·

reduce the principal amount of discount securities payable upon acceleration of maturity;

 

·

waive a default in the payment of the principal of, premium or interest on any debt security (except a rescission of acceleration of the debt securities of any series by the holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding debt securities of that series and a waiver of the payment default that resulted from such acceleration);

 

·

make the principal of or premium or interest on any debt security payable in currency other than that stated in the debt security;

 

·

make any change to certain provisions of the indenture relating to, among other things, the right of holders of debt securities to receive payment of the principal of, premium and interest on those debt securities and to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment and to waivers or amendments; or

 

·

waive a redemption payment with respect to any debt security.

 

 

Except for certain specified provisions, the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may on behalf of the holders of all debt securities of that series waive our compliance with provisions of the indenture. The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may on behalf of the holders of all the debt securities of such series waive any past default under the indenture with respect to that series and its consequences, except a default in the payment of the principal of, premium or any interest on any debt security of that series; provided, however, that the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may rescind an acceleration and its consequences, including any related payment default that resulted from the acceleration.

 

Defeasance of Debt Securities and Certain Covenants in Certain Circumstances

 

Legal Defeasance. The indenture provides that, unless otherwise provided by the terms of the applicable series of debt securities, we may be discharged from any and all obligations in respect of the debt securities of any series (subject to certain exceptions). We will be so discharged upon the irrevocable deposit with the trustee, in trust, of money and/or U.S. government obligations or, in the case of debt securities denominated in a single currency other than U.S. Dollars, government obligations of the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency, that, through the payment of interest and principal in accordance with their terms, will provide money or U.S. government obligations in an amount sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank to pay and discharge each installment of principal, premium and interest on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of the debt securities of that series on the stated maturity of those payments in accordance with the terms of the indenture and those debt securities.

 

This discharge may occur only if, among other things, we have delivered to the trustee an opinion of counsel stating that we have received from, or there has been published by, the United States Internal Revenue Service a ruling or, since the date of execution of the indenture, there has been a change in the applicable United States federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion shall confirm that, the holders of the debt securities of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit, defeasance and discharge and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the deposit, defeasance and discharge had not occurred.

 

Defeasance of Certain Covenants. The indenture provides that, unless otherwise provided by the terms of the applicable series of debt securities, upon compliance with certain conditions:

 

·

we may omit to comply with the covenant described under the heading “Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets” and certain other covenants set forth in the indenture, as well as any additional covenants which may be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement; and

 

·

any omission to comply with those covenants will not constitute a Default or an Event of Default with respect to the debt securities of that series (“covenant defeasance”).

 

The conditions include:

 

·

depositing with the trustee money and/or U.S. government obligations or, in the case of debt securities denominated in a single currency other than U.S. Dollars, government obligations of the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency, that, through the payment of interest and principal in accordance with their terms, will provide money in an amount sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank to pay and discharge each installment of principal of, premium and interest on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of the debt securities of that series on the stated maturity of those payments in accordance with the terms of the indenture and those debt securities;

 

 

·

such deposit will not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under the indenture or any other agreement to which we are a party;

 

·

no default or event of default with respect to the applicable series of debt securities shall have occurred or is continuing on the date of such deposit; and

 

·

delivering to the trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect that we have received from, or there has been published by, the United States Internal Revenue Service a ruling or, since the date of execution of the indenture, there has been a change in the applicable United States federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion shall confirm that, the holders of the debt securities of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit and related covenant defeasance and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the deposit and related covenant defeasance had not occurred.

 

No Personal Liability of Directors, Officers, Employees or Stockholders

 

None of our past, present or future directors, officers, employees or stockholders, as such, will have any liability for any of our obligations under the debt securities or the indenture or for any claim based on, or in respect or by reason of, such obligations or their creation. By accepting a debt security, each holder waives and releases all such liability. This waiver and release is part of the consideration for the issue of the debt securities. However, this waiver and release may not be effective to waive liabilities under U.S. federal securities laws, and it is the view of the SEC that such a waiver is against public policy.

 

Governing Law

 

The indenture and the debt securities, including any claim or controversy arising out of or relating to the indenture or the securities, will be governed by the laws of the State of New York.

 

The indenture will provide that we, the trustee and the holders of the debt securities (by their acceptance of the debt securities) irrevocably waive, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to the indenture, the debt securities or the transactions contemplated thereby.

 

The indenture will provide that any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or based upon the indenture or the transactions contemplated thereby may be instituted in the federal courts of the United States of America located in the City of New York or the courts of the State of New York in each case located in the City of New York, and we, the trustee and the holder of the debt securities (by their acceptance of the debt securities) irrevocably submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of such courts in any such suit, action or proceeding. The indenture will further provide that service of any process, summons, notice or document by mail (to the extent allowed under any applicable statute or rule of court) to such party’s address set forth in the indenture will be effective service of process for any suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court. The indenture will further provide that we, the trustee and the holders of the debt securities (by their acceptance of the debt securities) irrevocably and unconditionally waive any objection to the laying of venue of any suit, action or other proceeding in the courts specified above and irrevocably and unconditionally waive and agree not to plead or claim any such suit, action or other proceeding has been brought in an inconvenient forum.

 

 

DESCRIPTION OF THE WARRANTS

 

We may issue warrants for the purchase of common stock, preferred stock or debt securities or any combination thereof. Warrants may be issued independently or together with common stock, preferred stock or debt securities and may be attached to or separate from any offered securities. Each series of warrants will be issued under a separate warrant agreement. This summary of some provisions of the warrants is not complete. You should refer to the warrant agreement relating to the specific warrants being offered for the complete terms of the warrants.

 

The particular terms of any issue of warrants will be described in the prospectus supplement relating to the issue. Those terms may include:

 

·

the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock purchasable upon the exercise of warrants to purchase such shares and the price at which such number of shares may be purchased upon such exercise;

 

·

the designation, stated value and terms (including, without limitation, liquidation, dividend, conversion and voting rights) of the series of preferred stock purchasable upon exercise of warrants to purchase preferred stock;

 

·

the principal amount of debt securities that may be purchased upon exercise of a debt warrant and the exercise price for the warrants, which may be payable in cash, securities or other property;

 

·

the date on which the right to exercise the warrants will commence and the date on which the right will expire;

 

·

United States Federal income tax consequences applicable to the warrants; and

 

·

any additional terms of the warrants, including terms, procedures, and limitations relating to the exchange, exercise and settlement of the warrants.

 

Holders of equity warrants will not be entitled:

 

·

to vote, consent or receive dividends;

 

·

receive notice as stockholders with respect to any meeting of stockholders for the election of our directors or any other matter; or

 

·

exercise any rights as stockholders of Fluidigm.

 

Debt warrant certificates may be exchangeable for new debt warrant certificates of different denominations. Debt warrants may be exercised at the corporate trust office of the warrant agent or any other office indicated in the prospectus supplement. Prior to the exercise of their debt warrants, holders of debt warrants will not have any of the rights of holders of the debt securities purchasable upon exercise and will not be entitled to payment of principal or any premium, if any, or interest on the debt securities purchasable upon exercise.

 

 

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

 

We may sell the securities offered through this prospectus (1) to or through underwriters or dealers, (2) directly to purchasers, including our affiliates, (3) through agents, or (4) through a combination of any of these methods. The securities may be distributed at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed, market prices prevailing at the time of sale, prices related to the prevailing market prices, or negotiated prices. The prospectus supplement will include the following information:

 

·

the terms of the offering;

 

·

the names of any underwriters or agents;

 

·

the name or names of any managing underwriter or underwriters;

 

·

the purchase price of the securities;

 

·

the net proceeds from the sale of the securities;

 

·

any delayed delivery arrangements;

 

·

any underwriting discounts, commissions or agency fees and other items constituting underwriters’ or agents’ compensation;

 

·

any initial price to public;

 

·

any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers; and

 

·

any commissions paid to agents.

 

We may issue to the holders of our common stock on a pro rata basis for no consideration, subscription rights to purchase shares of our common stock or preferred stock. These subscription rights may or may not be transferable by stockholders. The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the specific terms of any offering of our common or preferred stock through the issuance of subscription rights, including the terms of the subscription rights offering, the terms, procedures and limitations relating to the exchange and exercise of the subscription rights and, if applicable, the material terms of any standby underwriting or purchase arrangement entered into by us in connection with the offering of common or preferred stock through the issuance of subscription rights.

 

Sale through Underwriters or Dealers

 

If underwriters are used in the sale, the underwriters will acquire the securities for their own account, including through underwriting, purchase, security lending or repurchase agreements with us. The underwriters may resell the securities from time to time in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions. Underwriters may sell the securities in order to facilitate transactions in any of our other securities (described in this prospectus or otherwise), including other public or private transactions and short sales. Underwriters may offer securities to the public either through underwriting syndicates represented by one or more managing underwriters or directly by one or more firms acting as underwriters. Unless otherwise indicated in the prospectus supplement, the obligations of the underwriters to purchase the securities will be subject to certain conditions, and the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all the offered securities if they purchase any of them (other than any securities purchased upon exercise of any option to purchase additional securities). In connection with any offering of common stock pursuant to this prospectus, underwriters may have an option to purchase additional shares of common stock from us. We will provide information regarding any such option to purchase additional shares of common stock from us in the applicable prospectus supplement. The underwriters may change from time to time any initial public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers. The prospectus supplement will include the names of the principal underwriters, the respective amount of securities underwritten, the nature of the obligation of the underwriters to take the securities and the nature of any material relationship between an underwriter and us.

 

 

If dealers are used in the sale of securities offered through this prospectus, we will sell the securities to them as principals. They may then resell those securities to the public at varying prices determined by the dealers at the time of resale. The prospectus supplement will include the names of the dealers and the terms of the transaction.

 

Direct Sales and Sales through Agents

 

We may sell the securities offered through this prospectus directly. In this case, no underwriters or agents would be involved. Such securities may also be sold through agents designated from time to time. The prospectus supplement will name any agent involved in the offer or sale of the offered securities and will describe any commissions payable to the agent by us. Unless otherwise indicated in the prospectus supplement, any agent will agree to use its reasonable best efforts to solicit purchases for the period of its appointment.

 

We may sell the securities directly to institutional investors or others who may be deemed to be underwriters within the meaning of the Securities Act with respect to any sale of those securities. The terms of any such sales will be described in the prospectus supplement.

 

Delayed Delivery Contracts

 

If the prospectus supplement indicates, we may authorize agents, underwriters or dealers to solicit offers from certain types of institutions to purchase securities at the public offering price under delayed delivery contracts. These contracts would provide for payment and delivery on a specified date in the future. The contracts would be subject only to those conditions described in the prospectus supplement. The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the commission payable for solicitation of those contracts.

 

At-the-Market Offerings

 

To the extent that we make sales through one or more underwriters or agents in at-the-market offerings, we will do so pursuant to the terms of a sales agency financing agreement or other at-the-market offering arrangement between us, on one hand, and the underwriters or agents, on the other. If we engage in at-the-market sales pursuant to any such agreement, we will issue and sell our securities through one or more underwriters or agents, which may act on an agency basis or a principal basis. During the term of any such agreement, we may sell securities on a daily basis in exchange transactions or otherwise as we agree with the underwriters or agents in each case in a manner that constitutes an “at the market” offering as defined in Rule 415(a)(4) of the Securities Act. Any such agreement will provide that any securities sold will be sold at prices related to the then prevailing market prices for our securities. Therefore, exact figures regarding proceeds that will be raised or commissions to be paid cannot be determined as of the date of this prospectus. Pursuant to the terms of the agreement, we may agree to sell, and the relevant underwriters or agents may agree to solicit offers to purchase, blocks of our common stock or other securities. The terms of any such agreement will be set forth in more detail in the applicable prospectus or prospectus supplement.

 

 

Market Making, Stabilization and Other Transactions

 

Unless the applicable prospectus supplement states otherwise, each series of offered securities will be a new issue and will have no established trading market. We may elect to list any series of offered securities on an exchange. Any underwriters that we use in the sale of offered securities may make a market in such securities, but may discontinue such market making at any time without notice. Therefore, we cannot assure you that the securities will have a liquid trading market.

 

Any underwriter may also engage in stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids in accordance with Rule 104 under the Exchange Act. Over-allotment or short sales involve sales by persons participating in the offering of more securities than were sold to them. In these circumstances, these persons would cover such over-allotments or short positions by making purchases in the open market or by exercising their over-allotment option, if any. Stabilizing transactions involve bids to purchase the underlying security in the open market for the purpose of pegging, fixing or maintaining the price of the securities. Syndicate covering transactions involve purchases of the securities in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover syndicate short positions.

 

Penalty bids permit the underwriters to reclaim a selling concession from a syndicate member when the securities originally sold by the syndicate member are purchased in a syndicate covering transaction to cover syndicate short positions. Stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids may cause the price of the securities to be higher than it would be in the absence of the transactions. The underwriters may, if they commence these transactions, discontinue them at any time.

 

Derivative Transactions and Hedging

 

We, the underwriters or other agents may engage in derivative transactions involving the securities. These derivatives may consist of short sale transactions and other hedging activities. The underwriters or agents may acquire a long or short position in the securities, hold or resell securities acquired and purchase options or futures on the securities and other derivative instruments with returns linked to or related to changes in the price of the securities. In order to facilitate these derivative transactions, we may enter into security lending or repurchase agreements with the underwriters or agents. The underwriters or agents may effect the derivative transactions through sales of the securities to the public, including short sales, or by lending the securities in order to facilitate short sale transactions by others. The underwriters or agents may also use the securities purchased or borrowed from us or others (or, in the case of derivatives, securities received from us in settlement of those derivatives) to directly or indirectly settle sales of the securities or close out any related open borrowings of the securities.

 

Electronic Auctions

 

We may also make sales through the Internet or through other electronic means. Since we may from time to time elect to offer securities directly to the public, with or without the involvement of agents, underwriters or dealers, utilizing the Internet or other forms of electronic bidding or ordering systems for the pricing and allocation of such securities, you will want to pay particular attention to the description of that system we will provide in a prospectus supplement.

 

Such electronic system may allow bidders to directly participate, through electronic access to an auction site, by submitting conditional offers to buy that are subject to acceptance by us, and which may directly affect the price or other terms and conditions at which such securities are sold. These bidding or ordering systems may present to each bidder, on a so-called “real-time” basis, relevant information to assist in making a bid, such as the clearing spread at which the offering would be sold, based on the bids submitted, and whether a bidder’s individual bids would be accepted, prorated or rejected. For example, in the case of debt security, the clearing spread could be indicated as a number of “basis points” above an index treasury note. Of course, many pricing methods can and may also be used.

 

 

Upon completion of such an electronic auction process, securities will be allocated based on prices bid, terms of bid or other factors. The final offering price at which securities would be sold and the allocation of securities among bidders would be based in whole or in part on the results of the Internet or other electronic bidding process or auction.

 

General Information

 

Agents, underwriters, and dealers may be entitled, under agreements entered into with us, to indemnification by us against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Our agents, underwriters, and dealers, or their affiliates, may be customers of, engage in transactions with or perform services for us, in the ordinary course of business. In no event will the total amount of compensation paid to the agents, underwriters and dealers upon completion of any offering exceed 8.0% of the gross proceeds of such offering.

 

 

LEGAL MATTERS

 

Certain legal matters will be passed upon for us by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation, Palo Alto, California. Additional legal matters may be passed on for us, or any underwriters, dealers or agents, by counsel that we will name in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

EXPERTS

 

The financial statements and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting (which is included in Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting) 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 of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

 

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

 

We file annual, quarterly and other 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. Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K, including any amendments to those reports, and other information that we file with or furnish to the SEC pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act can also be accessed free charge through the investor relations page of our website located at http://investors.fluidigm.com/sec.cfm. These filings will be available as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. Information contained on our website is not part of this prospectus.

 

 

INFORMATION INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

 

The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference the information we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document that we have filed separately with the SEC. You should read the information incorporated by reference because it is an important part of this prospectus. We incorporate by reference the following information or documents that we have filed with the SEC (excluding those portions of any Form 8-K that are not deemed “filed” pursuant to the General Instructions of Form 8-K):

 

	·	our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 filed with the SEC on March 18, 2019, including the information specifically incorporated by reference into the Form 10-K from our definitive proxy statement for the 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders filed on April 23, 2019;
	·	our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2019 filed on May 7, 2019;
	·	our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2019 filed on August 7, 2019;
	·	our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended September 30, 2019 filed on November 8, 2019;
	·	the description of our common stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A (File No. 001-34180) filed with the SEC on February 7, 2011, pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act, including any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description; and
	·	our Current Reports on Form 8-K, but only to the extent that the information set forth therein is “filed” rather than “furnished” under the SEC’s rules, filed on February 7, 2019 (excluding information furnished thereunder), February 14, 2019, February 21, 2019, February 28, 2019, March 22, 2019, April 24, 2019, June 5, 2019, July 25, 2019 (as amended September 6, 2019), and November 22, 2019.

 

All reports and other documents we subsequently file pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the termination of this offering, including all such documents we may file with the SEC after the date of the initial registration statement and prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement, but excluding any information furnished to, rather than filed with, the SEC, will also be incorporated by reference into this prospectus and deemed to be part of this prospectus from the date of the filing of such reports and documents.

 

Any statement contained in any document incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement 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 prospectus.

 

Under no circumstances will any information furnished under current items 2.02 or 7.01 of Form 8-K be deemed incorporated herein by reference unless such Form 8-K expressly provides to the contrary.

 

 

We will provide without charge to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom this prospectus is delivered, upon written or oral request, a copy of any or all documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus, but not delivered with the prospectus, other than exhibits to such documents unless such exhibits are specifically incorporated by reference into the documents that this prospectus incorporates. You should direct written requests to: Fluidigm Corporation, 7000 Shoreline Court, Suite 100, South San Francisco, CA 94080, Attention: Investor Relations, or you may call us at (650) 266-6000.

 

 

 

$50,000,000

 

 

 

Common Stock

 

 

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

 

 

Jefferies

 

March 4, 2020