UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

(Amendment No.    )

 

 

Filed by the Registrant  ☒

Filed by a party other than the Registrant  ☐

Check the appropriate box:

 

Preliminary Proxy Statement

Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))

Definitive Proxy Statement

Definitive Additional Materials

Soliciting Material under §240.14a-12

AquaBounty Technologies, Inc.

(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)

Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box)all boxes that apply):

 

No fee required.

Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.

Fee computed on table in exhibit required by Item 25(b) per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.

 

 

 


LOGOLOGO

NOTICE OF ANNUALSPECIAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

MAY 17,OCTOBER 12, 2022

The 2022 annualA special meeting of stockholders (the “Special Meeting”) of AquaBounty Technologies, Inc. (“AquaBounty” or the “Company”) will be held on May 17,October 12, 2022, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. This year, the annual meetingThe Special Meeting will be held entirely online due to the continuing public health impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and to support the health and well-being of our partners, employees, and stockholders. You will be able to attend and participate in the annual meetingSpecial Meeting by visiting www.meetnow.global/MC57T9H,meetnow.global/MLKARJ9, where you will be able to listen to the meeting live, submit questions, and vote. This year’s meeting is being held for the following purposes:

 

To approve the ratification of the approval, filing and effectiveness of the certificate of amendment to elect eightour third amended and restated certificate of incorporation (our “Certificate of Incorporation”) filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware (the “Secretary of State”) on May 27, 2022 (the “Share Increase Amendment”) and the increase in the number of shares of our authorized common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”), effected thereby (the “Ratification”); and

To approve an adjournment of the Special Meeting, if necessary, to solicit additional proxies if there are not sufficient votes in favor of the Ratification (the “Adjournment Proposal”).

After careful consideration,the board of directors of the Company (the “Board”) recommends a vote “FOR” the Ratification (Proposal 1); and “FOR” the Adjournment Proposal (Proposal 2).

As described in the definitive proxy statement relating to serve on our Board of Directors for a one-year term of office until the nextCompany’s May 27, 2022 annual meeting of stockholders (the “2022 Annual Meeting”), which was filed with each directorthe SEC on April 14, 2022 (as supplemented by the additional definitive soliciting material filed with the SEC on May 16, 2022, the “2022 Annual Meeting Proxy Statement”), the Share Increase Amendment was proposed to hold office until hisincrease the authorized number of shares of Common Stock in order to, among other reasons, provide the Company with the future ability to raise the capital necessary to continue and grow its operations.

At the 2022 Annual Meeting, the Company’s stockholders voted on the Share Increase Amendment. Consistent with the applicable rules concerning the manner in which brokerage firms, banks, broker-dealers, or her successorother similar organizations (collectively, “brokers and/or other nominees”) may exercise discretionary authority to vote on “routine” matters, certain shares of Common Stock held by brokers and/or other nominees and with respect to which the beneficial owners had not provided their broker and/or other nominee with voting instructions were voted by the brokers and/or other nominees in favor of the approval of the Share Increase Amendment. Such votes, and others cast by the Company’s stockholders, were tabulated by the Company’s inspector of elections in accordance with the applicable NYSE rules and, based on the tabulation, the inspector of elections determined that the proposal to approve the Share Increase Amendment was adopted by the requisite vote of stockholders and certified that the proposal had passed. Following this approval, the Company filed the Share Increase Amendment with the Secretary of State on May 27, 2022, and it became effective on the same date.

On June 24, 2022, the Company received a letter on behalf of a stockholder alleging that disclosures in the 2022 Annual Meeting Proxy Statement regarding the authority of brokers and/or other nominees to vote on the Share Increase Amendment in the absence of instructions from the beneficial owners of the applicable shares were inconsistent with how votes were tabulated and counted. For this reason, the stockholder suggested that the votes of brokers and/or other nominees should not have been counted with respect to the Share Increase Amendment, and that the Board should deem the Share Increase Amendment ineffective and make appropriate disclosure of such determination, or seek valid stockholder approval of the Share Increase Amendment.


The Board believes it was and is duly electedappropriate to include the affirmative votes cast by brokers and/or other nominees pursuant to their discretionary authority in the tabulation of votes in favor of the Share Increase Amendment and, qualified or until his or her earlier resignation or removal;

thus, that the Share Increase Amendment was properly approved and is effective. However, to avoid potential future litigation risk, and to eliminate any uncertainty as to the Share Increase Amendment and the validity of shares of Common Stock that in the future may be issued by virtue of the Share Increase Amendment, the Board has determined that it is advisable and in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders to ratify the appointmentapproval, filing and effectiveness of Deloitte & Touche LLPthe Share Increase Amendment pursuant to Section 204 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”). In furtherance of this Ratification, the Board unanimously adopted the resolutions attached hereto as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022;

Appendix A on August 3, 2022, resolving, among other things, to approve an amendmentthe Ratification, subject to our Third Amendedstockholder approval, and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended (the “Charter”), to increaserecommend that stockholders approve the number of authorized shares of our common stock, $0.001 par value per share (“Common Stock”) from 80,000,000 to 200,000,000; and

to transact such other business as may properly come before the annual meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

Only stockholders of record at the close of business on March 30, 2022, the record date, are entitled to notice of and to vote at the annual meeting.Ratification.

Your vote is very important. Whether or not you plan to attend the annualSpecial Meeting online, the Company hopes you will submit a proxy to vote as soon as possible to ensure that your vote will be counted.

Only stockholders of record at the close of business on August 24, 2022 (the “Record Date”) are entitled to vote at the Special Meeting or at any postponement(s) or adjournment(s) thereof. The close of business on August 24, 2022 is also the Record Date for determining the stockholders of record entitled to notice of the Special Meeting. The Ratification is being submitted to stockholders pursuant to Section 204 of the DGCL, under which stockholders of record as of the close of business on March 30, 2022 (the record date for the 2022 Annual Meeting), other than stockholders whose identities or addresses cannot be determined from the Company’s records, will also receive notice of the Special Meeting, but are not entitled to attend the Special Meeting or vote on the Ratification or any other matter presented at the Special Meeting unless they were also stockholders of record as of the close of business on the Record Date.

This notice and the attached proxy statement constitute the notice required to be given to the Company’s stockholders under Section 204 of the DGCL in connection with the Ratification. Under Sections 204 and 205 of the DGCL, when a matter such as the Ratification is submitted for ratification at a stockholder meeting, any claim that a defective corporate act ratified under Section 204 is void or voidable due to the failure of authorization, or that the Delaware Court of Chancery should declare in its discretion that a ratification in accordance with Section 204 of the DGCL not be effective or be effective only on certain conditions, must be brought within 120 days from the time a certificate of validation in respect of the Ratification is filed with the Secretary of State and becomes effective. If the Ratification is approved by stockholders, the Company expects to file a certificate of validation promptly after the adjournment of the Special Meeting, and any claim that the filing and effectiveness of the Share Increase Amendment is void or voidable due to a failure of authorization, or that the Delaware Court of Chancery should declare, in its discretion, that the Share Increase Amendment not be effective or be effective only on certain conditions, must be brought within 120 days from the time a certificate of validation is filed with the Secretary of State and becomes effective in accordance with the DGCL.

Your vote is very important. Whether or not you plan to attend the Special Meeting online, we hope you will vote as soon as possible. Please vote before the annual meetingSpecial Meeting using the internet; telephone;Internet or telephone, or by signing, dating, and mailing the proxy card in the pre-paid envelope, to ensure that your vote will be counted. Please review the instructions on each of your voting options described in the accompanying proxy statement. Your proxy may be revoked before the vote at the annual meetingSpecial Meeting by following the procedures outlined in the accompanying proxy statement.

 

Sincerely,

Sylvia Wulf
President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director

Maynard, Massachusetts

April [14][•], 2022


Forward-Looking StatementsLOGO

This proxy statement contains “forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, that involve significant risks and uncertainties about AquaBounty. AquaBounty may use words such as “expect,” “anticipate,” “project,” “intend,” “plan,” “aim,” “believe,” “seek,” “estimate,” “can,” “focus,” “will,” and “may,” similar expressions and the negative forms of such expressions to identify such forward-looking statements. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are risks relating to, among other things, whether or not AquaBounty will be able to raise additional capital, market and other conditions, AquaBounty’s business and financial condition, and the impact of general economic, public health, industry or political conditions in the United States or internationally. For additional disclosure regarding these and other risks faced by AquaBounty, see disclosures contained in AquaBounty’s public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included in this proxy statement and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof, and AquaBounty undertakes no obligation to update such statements as a result of new information, except as required by law.

i


LOGO

2022 PROXY STATEMENT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

   Page 

VotingAbout the Special Meeting

   21 

Matters To Be Considered At Annualat the Special Meeting

   67 

Proposal 1 — Election of DirectorsRatification

   67 

Proposal 2 — Ratification of Independent Registered Public Accounting FirmAdjournment Proposal

   14

Proposal 3 — Approval of Increase in Authorized Shares

16

Other Matters

1710 

Ownership of Securities

   1810 

Executive Compensation and Other InformationMatters

   20

Related-Party Transactions, Policies, and Procedures

24

Audit Committee Report

27

Annual Report; Available Information

2911 

Appendix A – Board Resolutions

   A-1 

Appendix B – Sections 204 and 205 of the DGCL

B-1

Proxy CardsCard

  


LOGOLOGO

2 Mill & Main Place, Suite 395

Maynard, Massachusetts 01754

PROXY STATEMENT

FOR THE ANNUALSPECIAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

TO BE HELD ON MAY 17,OCTOBER 12, 2022

GeneralABOUT THE SPECIAL MEETING

This Proxy Statement and the accompanying form of proxy statement isare being furnished to our stockholders in connection with the solicitation of proxies by ourthe Board of Directors (the “Board”) of AquaBounty Technologies, Inc. (“Board”we,” “us,” “our,” “AquaBounty” or the “Company”) for use at our annualspecial meeting of stockholders (the “Special Meeting”) to be held on May 17,October 12, 2022, at 8:30 a.m., Eastern Time.Time, and any adjournments, continuations or postponements thereof. The meeting will be held via a live webcast available at www.meetnow.global/MC57T9H, formeetnow.global/MLKARJ9.

What is the purpose of the Special Meeting?

The purpose of the Special Meeting is to confirm certain matters that were previously approved by our stockholders. Specifically, at our Special Meeting, stockholders will act upon the following purposes:matters outlined in the notice of Special Meeting (the “Notice”):

 

To approve the ratification of the approval, filing and effectiveness of the certificate of amendment to elect eight directorsour third amended and restated certificate of incorporation (our “Certificate of Incorporation”) filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware (the “Secretary of State”) on May 27, 2022 (the “Share Increase Amendment”) and the increase in the number of shares of our authorized common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”), effected thereby (the “Ratification”); and

To approve an adjournment of the Special Meeting, if necessary, to serve onsolicit additional proxies if there are not sufficient votes in favor of the Ratification (the “Adjournment Proposal”).

After careful consideration,the Board recommends a vote “FOR” the Ratification (Proposal 1); and “FOR” the Adjournment Proposal (Proposal 2).

As described in this Proxy Statement, although our Board of Directors for a one-year term of office untilbelieves the nextShare Increase Amendment was properly approved at the Company’s May 27, 2022 annual meeting of stockholders with each director(the “2022 Annual Meeting”), was properly filed and is currently effective, because there may be uncertainty regarding the validity or effectiveness of the Share Increase Amendment, our Board is submitting the Ratification to hold office until histhe Company’s stockholders pursuant to Section 204 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”) to eliminate such uncertainty and risk of any litigation in connection therewith. Under Section 204 of the DGCL, stockholders of record as of March 30, 2022 (the record date of the 2022 Annual Meeting), other than holders whose identities or her successoraddresses cannot be determined from our records, are entitled to notice of the Special Meeting, but are not entitled to attend the Special Meeting or to vote on any matter presented at the Special Meeting unless they were also holders of our Common Stock as of the close of business on August 24, 2022 (the “Record Date”).

It is duly electedimportant to note that approval of the Ratification will:

NOT dilute your ownership in AquaBounty;

NOT change the total number of shares of Common Stock that are currently outstanding;

NOT change the number of shares of Common Stock that you currently own; and qualified or until his or her earlier resignation or removal;

NOT change the amount of Common Stock covered under the Share Increase Amendment.

The Ratification WILL merely confirm certain matters that were previously approved by our stockholders.

Why is the Company seeking stockholder approval of the Ratification (Proposal 1) under Section 204 of the DGCL, and what is the effect of that?

Our Board desires to ratify the appointmentShare Increase Amendment to eliminate any uncertainty related to the validity and effectiveness of Deloitte & Touche LLP (“Deloitte”such items. Section 204 of the DGCL provides that no defective corporate act will be void or voidable solely as a result of a failure of authorization of that defective corporate act if it is ratified as provided in Section 204 or validated by the Delaware Court of Chancery in a proceeding brought under Section 205 of the DGCL. Thus, Section 204 allows a Delaware corporation, by following specified procedures, to ratify an arguably defective corporate act . The effect of ratification under Section 204 is that the corporate act is validated retroactive to the date the corporate act was originally taken. Although the Board believes that the Share Increase Amendment was properly approved and is effective, ratification will eliminate all doubt.

What are the consequences if the Ratification (Proposal 1) is not approved by stockholders?

If the Ratification is not approved by the requisite vote of our stockholders, we will not be able to file a certificate of validation in respect of the Share Increase Amendment (the “Certificate of Validation”) as our independent registered public accounting firm forwith the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022;

Secretary of State and the Share Increase Amendment will not be ratified in accordance with Section 204 of the DGCL. The failure to approve an amendmentthe Ratification may leave us exposed to our Third Amendedpotential claims that (i) the Share Increase Amendment did not receive requisite stockholder approval at the 2022 Annual Meeting, and Restated Certificatetherefore was not validly filed with the Secretary of Incorporation,State and is not currently effective, (ii) as amended (the “Charter”), to increasea result, the number ofCompany does not have sufficient authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock to permit future issuances of Common Stock, including pursuant to outstanding warrants, stock options and other convertible securities, and (iii) actions taken by the Company in reliance on the effectiveness of the Share Increase Amendment were improperly effected, although the Company believes that any such claims would be without merit. In addition, the failure to approve the Ratification may preclude us from pursuing, or impair our common stock, $0.001 par value per share (“Common Stock”) from 80,000,000ability to 200,000,000;pursue, a wide range of potential corporate opportunities that might require working capital or additional financing, or otherwise be in the best interests of our stockholders, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and prospects.

to transact such other business as may properly come beforeWhere can I obtain proxy-related materials and/or what should I do if I received more than one copy of the annual meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

Proxy Materialsmaterials?

A copy of our proxy materials is available, free of charge, on www.envisionreports.com/AQB, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) website at www.sec.gov, and our corporate website at www.aquabounty.com. By referring to our website, we do not incorporate our website or any portion of that website by reference into this proxy statement.Proxy Statement. We intend to mail these proxy materials on or about April [14][•], 2022 to all stockholders of record entitled to vote at the annual meeting.Special Meeting. Pursuant to Section 204 of the DGCL, we are also providing notice of the Special Meeting to all stockholders of record as of March 30, 2022 (the record date of the 2022 Annual Meeting), other than holders whose identities or addresses cannot be determined from our records, but such holders are not entitled to attend the Special Meeting or to vote on any matter presented at the Special Meeting unless they were also holders of our Common Stock as of the close of business on the Record Date.

If your shares are held in more than one account at a brokerage firm, bank, broker-dealer, or other similar organization (a “broker and/or other nominee”), you may receive more than one copy of the proxy materials. Please follow the voting instructions on the proxy cards or voting instruction forms, as applicable, and vote all proxy cards or voting instruction forms, as applicable, to ensure that all of your shares are voted. We encourage you to have all accounts registered in the same name and address whenever possible. If you are a registered holder, you can accomplish this by contacting our transfer agent, Computershare, at (800) 736-3001 or in writing to Computershare, PO. Box 30170, College Station, Texas 77842. If your shares are held in an account at a brokerage firm, bank, broker-dealer, broker and/or other similar organization,nominee, you can accomplish this by contacting that organization.

Householding

This Proxy Statement and the accompanying form of Proxy Materialsproxy are expected to be first sent or given to our stockholders, as well as the other persons entitled to receive notice under Section 204 of the DGCL, on or about [•], 2022.

Why did multiple stockholders at my address receive only one copy of the proxy materials?

Some banks, brokers, and other nominee record holders may be participating in the practice of “householding” proxy statements and annual reports. This means that only one copy of the Proxy Statement and Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, as applicable,proxy materials is being delivered to multiple stockholders sharing an address unless we have received contrary instructions. We will promptly deliver a separate copy of

any of these documents to you if you write to us at 2 Mill & Main Place, Suite 395, Maynard, MA 01754, Attention: Corporate Secretary, or call us at (978) 648-6000. If you want to receive separate copies of the Proxy Statementproxy statements or Annual ReportReports on Form 10-K in the future, or if you are receiving multiple copies and would like to receive only one copy for your household, you should contact your bank, broker, or other nominee record holder, or you may contact us at the above address or telephone number.

Voting QuorumWhy am I receiving the notice for the Special Meeting and this Proxy Statement, but not voting materials?

You may be receiving the notice for the Special Meeting and this Proxy Statement because you were a record holder of Common Stock as of the record date of the 2022 Annual Meeting and, therefore, pursuant to Section 204 of the DGCL, are entitled to notice of the time, place, if any, and purpose of the Special Meeting. However, unless you were also a holder of Common Stock at the close of business on the Record Date, you are not entitled to attend or vote at the Special Meeting, and therefore voting materials have not been provided to you in connection with the notice for the Special Meeting and this Proxy Statement.

What is the quorum requirement to hold the Special Meeting?

Our outstanding Common Stock constitutes the only class of securities entitled to vote at the annual meeting.Special Meeting, and each share is entitled to one vote. Common stockholders of record at the close of business on March 30,August 24, 2022, the record dateRecord Date for the annual meeting,Special Meeting, are entitled to notice of and to vote at the annual meeting. On the record date, 71,109,701 shares of our Common Stock were issued and outstanding. Each share of Common Stock is entitled to one vote.Special Meeting. The presence at the annual meeting,Special Meeting, in person (via the live webcast) or by proxy, of the holders of a majority of the shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding on March 30,as of August 24, 2022 will constitute a quorum.

All votes will be tabulated by the Inspector of Elections appointed for the annual meeting, who will separately tabulate affirmative and negative votes, abstentions, and broker non-votes. Broker non-votes occur when a nominee, such as a brokerage firm or financial institution, that holds shares on behalf of a beneficial owner does not receive voting instructions from such owner regarding a matter for which such nominee does not have discretion to vote without such instructions. The rules applicable to brokerage firms and financial institutions permit nominees to vote in their discretion on routine matters in the absence of voting instructions from the beneficial holder. The ratification of the appointment of Deloitte as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022, is a routine matter. On non-routine matters, nominees cannot vote unless they receive instructions from the beneficial owner. The election of eight directors to serve on our Board and the approval of an amendment to the Charter are non-routine matters. Abstentions and broker non-votes are counted as present forFor purposes of determining whether there isthe presence or absence of a quorum, for the transaction of business. Broker non-votes will not be counted for purposes of determining whether a proposal has been approved. See “Voting Procedure-Beneficial Owners of Shares Held in Street Name” below.

The election of directors will be by plurality vote of our outstanding shares of Common Stock represented in person (via the live webcast) or by proxy at the annual meeting and entitled to vote, and the eight nominees receiving the highest number of affirmative votes will be elected. Votes marked “withhold”abstentions and broker non-votes will not affect the outcome of the election, although they will be counted as present. If a quorum is not present, the meeting may be adjourned until a quorum is obtained.

What is the vote required for purposes of determining whether there is a quorum.

Ratificationeach of the appointmentproposals?

Approval of Deloitte requiresProposal 1, the Ratification, will require the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the shares of our Common Stock represented in person or by proxy at the annual meeting and entitled to vote on the matter. Abstentions with respect to this proposal will count as votes against this proposal.

Approval of the amendment to the Charter, to increase the number of authorized shares of Common Stock available for issuance requires the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Common Stock.Stock entitled to vote at the Special Meeting. The approval of Proposal 2, the Adjournment Proposal, will require the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Common Stock present in person or represented by proxy at the Special Meeting and entitled to vote on the Adjournment Proposal and which have actually been voted.

Abstentions. Abstentions with respectwill have the same effect as a vote against Proposal 1, the Ratification. Abstentions will have no effect on the outcome of Proposal 2, the Adjournment Proposal, as abstentions are not considered votes “cast” under the DGCL.

Broker Non-Votes.If your shares are held in “street name” by a broker and/or other nominee, such firm is required to thisvote your shares according to your instructions, if provided. A broker non-vote occurs when a broker and/or other nominee has not received voting instructions from the beneficial owner of the shares and the broker and/or other nominee cannot vote the shares at its discretion because the matter is not considered a routine matter under NYSE rules for which brokers have discretionary authority to vote. As each proposal will count as votes against this proposal. Brokeris considered a routine matter, if you provide a proxy without giving specific voting instructions, the broker and/or other nominee is able to exercise discretion and vote uninstructed shares. We, therefore, do not expect that any broker non-votes will occur at the Special Meeting.

What are the procedures for voting?

Your vote is very important. Whether or not be counted for purposes of determining whether a proposal has been approved.you plan to attend the Special Meeting, please vote by proxy in accordance with the instructions on your proxy card or voting instruction card (from your broker and/or other nominee).

Voting Procedure

Stockholders of Record. If your shares are registered directly in your name with our transfer agent, Computershare, you are a stockholder of record and you received the proxy materials by mail with instructions regarding how to view our proxy materials on the internet,Internet, how to receive a paper or email copy of the proxy materials, and how to vote by proxy. You can vote via the live webcast of the annual meetingSpecial Meeting at www.meetnow.global/MC57T9Hmeetnow.global/MLKARJ9 or by proxy. There are three ways stockholders of record can vote by proxy: (1) by telephone (by following the instructions on the proxy card; (2) by internet (by following the instructions provided on the proxy card); or (3) by mail, (by completing and returning the proxy card enclosed in the proxy

(1)

by telephone (by following the instructions on the proxy card);

materials prior to the annual meeting).

(2)

by Internet (by following the instructions provided on the proxy card); or

(3)

by mail (by completing and returning the proxy card enclosed in the proxy materials).

Unless there are different instructions on the proxy card, all shares represented by valid proxies (and not revoked before they are voted) will be voted as follows at the annual meeting:Special Meeting: “FOR” Proposal 1, the Ratification, and “FOR” Proposal 2, the Adjournment Proposal. If you provide specific voting instructions, your shares will be voted as instructed. Telephone and Internet voting facilities for stockholders of record will be available 24 hours a day and will close at 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on October 11, 2022.

Beneficial Owners of Shares Held in Street Name. If your shares are held in an account at a broker and/or other nominee, then you are the beneficial owner of shares held in “street name,” and such organization forwarded to you the proxy materials. There are two ways beneficial owners of shares held in street name can vote by proxy in accordance with the instructions provided to you by your broker and/or other nominee:

 

(1)

by mail (by following the instructions on the voting instruction form); or

FOR

(2)

by Internet (by following the instructions on the voting instruction form).

Although we do not know of any business to be considered at the election ofSpecial Meeting other than the proposals described in this proxy statement, if any other business is presented at the Special Meeting, your signed proxy or your authenticated Internet or telephone proxy will give authority to each of the director nominees listed in Proposal One (unless the authoritySylvia Wulf, David A. Frank and Angela M. Olsen to vote foron such matters at his or her discretion.

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT. PLEASE VOTE WHETHER OR NOT YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THE SPECIAL MEETING IN PERSON VIA THE LIVE WEBCAST.

How do I attend the election of any such director nominee is withheld);meeting?

FORThis Special Meeting will be held virtually. To attend and participate in the ratificationSpecial Meeting, stockholders will need to access the live webcast of the appointment of Deloitte as our independent registered public accounting firm as described in Proposal Two; andmeeting. To do so, please visit meetnow.global/MLKARJ9.

FOR the approval of the amendment to the Charter to increase the number of authorized shares of our Common Stock available for issuance as described in Proposal Three.

If you are a stockholder of record, you do not need to register to attend the annual meetingSpecial Meeting via the live webcast. To attend, just follow the instructions on the notice or proxy card that you received. We encourage you to access the meeting prior to the start time, leaving ample time for the check in.

Beneficial Owners of Shares Held in Street Name. If your shares are held in an account at a brokerage firm, bank, broker-dealer, or other similar organization, then you are the beneficial owner of shares held in “street name,” and such organization forwarded to you the proxy materials by mail. There are two ways beneficial owners of shares held in street name can vote by proxy: (1) by mail, by following the instructions on the voting instruction form; or (2) by internet, by following the instructions provided herein. The organization holding your account is considered the stockholder of record for purposes of voting at the annual meeting. If you do not provide such organization with specific voting instructions, under the rules of the various national and regional securities exchanges, the organization that holds your shares may generally vote on routine matters but cannot vote on non-routine matters. If such organization does not receive instructions from you on how to vote your shares on a non-routine matter, the organization will inform our Inspector of Elections that it does not have the authority to vote on this matter with respect to your shares. This is generally referred to as a “broker non-vote.” A broker non-vote will have the effects described above under “Voting Quorum.”check-in.

If you are a beneficial owner of shares held in “street name” as of the Record Date and wish to attend the annual meeting,Special Meeting, whether you intend to vote your shares at the meeting or not, you must register in advance to do so. To register, you must submit proof of your proxy power (legal proxy)proxy from the broker and/or other nominee that holds your shares) reflecting your AquaBounty Technologies, Inc. holdings, along with your name and email address, to Computershare. Requests for registration must be labeled as “Legal Proxy” and be received no later than 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on May 15,October 11, 2022. You will receive a confirmation of your registration by email after Computershare receives your registration materials. Requests for registration should be directed to Computershare as follows:

By email

Forward the email from your broker, or attach an image of your legal proxy, to legalproxy@computershare.com

By mail

Computershare

AquaBounty Technologies, Inc. Legal Proxy

P.O. Box 43001

Providence, RI 02940-3001

To attend the annual meeting after you have registered,Special Meeting as a “street name” holder, following registration, visit www.meetnow.global/MC57T9Hmeetnow.global/MLKARJ9 and follow the instructions on the notice or proxy card that you received. We encourageAccess to the webcast will begin on October 12, 2022, at 8:15 a.m., Eastern Time, and you should allow ample time for check-in procedures.

Can I ask questions at the meeting?

If you wish to accesssubmit a question during the Special Meeting, and are entitled to do so as a stockholder of record or stockholder in “street name” as of the Record Date, you may log into, and submit a question on, the virtual meeting platform by following the instructions provided through the platform. All questions presented should relate directly to the proposals under discussion. Questions from multiple stockholders on the same topic or that are otherwise related to a particular topic may be grouped, summarized and answered together. If questions submitted are irrelevant to the business of the Special Meeting or are out of order or not otherwise suitable for the conduct of the Special Meeting, as determined by the Chair or Corporate Secretary in their reasonable judgment, we may choose to not address them. If there are any matters of individual concern to a stockholder and not of general concern to all stockholders, or if a question posed was not otherwise answered, such matters may be raised separately after the Special Meeting.

Our Special Meeting will be governed by the meeting’s Rules of Conduct, which will address the ability of stockholders to ask questions during the meeting and rules for how questions will be recognized and addressed. The meeting’s Rules of Conduct will be available on meetnow.global/MLKARJ9 prior to the Special Meeting.

What do I do if I experience technical issues during the meeting?

The virtual meeting platform is supported across browsers and devices running the most updated version of applicable software and plug-ins. Participants should give themselves plenty of time to log in and ensure they have a strong Internet connection and they can hear streaming audio prior to the start time leaving ample time forof the check in.meeting.

Although weApproximately 15 minutes prior to the start of and through the conclusion of the Special Meeting, a support team will be ready to assist stockholders with any technical difficulties they may have in accessing or hearing the virtual meeting. If you encounter technical difficulties with the virtual meeting platform on the meeting day, please call the technical support number that will be posted on the meeting website.

Additional information regarding technical and logistical issues, including technical support during the Special Meeting, will be available at meetnow.global/MLKARJ9, which stockholders should refer to in the event that the Special Meeting is adjourned in the event of a technical failure or similar issues.

How do not knowI revoke a proxy?

If you are a stockholder of any business to be considered at the annual meeting other than the proposals described in this proxy statement, if any other business is presented at the annual meeting, your signed proxy or your authenticated internet or telephone proxy will give authority to each of Sylvia Wulf, David A. Frank and Angela M. Olsen to vote on such matters at his or her discretion.

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT. PLEASE VOTE WHETHER OR NOT YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING IN PERSON VIA THE LIVE WEBCAST.

Yourecord, you may revoke your proxy at any time before it is actually voted at the annual meetingSpecial Meeting by:

 

delivering written notice of revocation to our Corporate Secretary at 2 Mill & Main Place, Suite 395, Maynard, Massachusetts 01754;01754, which must be received by our Corporate Secretary prior to the start of the Special Meeting;

 

submitting a later-dated proxy;proxy prior to the applicable cutoff times, as described above; or

attending the annual meeting via the live webcast available at www.meetnow.global/MC57T9H and voting.

attending the Special Meeting via the live webcast available at meetnow.global/MLKARJ9 and voting.

Your attendance at the annual meetingSpecial Meeting will not, by itself, constitute a revocation of your proxy. You may also be represented by another person attending the annual meetingSpecial Meeting by executing aan acceptable form of proxy designating that person to act on your behalf.

Shares may only be voted by or on behalf of the record holder of shares as of the Record Date, as indicated in our stock transfer records. If you are a beneficial owner of our shares, but thoseyour shares are held of record by another person such as a brokerage firm or bank,in “street name,” then you must provide voting instructions to the broker and/or other nominee, as the appropriate record holder, so that such person can vote the shares.shares in accordance with your preferences. In the absence of such voting instructions from you, the record holder may notwill be entitled to vote those shares.your shares on “routine” matters. Please contact your broker and/or other nominee if you would like directions on how you may change or revoke your voting instructions.

SolicitationWho is making this solicitation?

This solicitation is made on behalf of our Board and we will paybear the costs of solicitation.expenses associated with this solicitation, but we expect to be reimbursed by a third party for these out-of-pocket expenses. Copies of solicitation materials will be furnished to banks, brokerage firms, andbrokers and/or other custodians, nominees and fiduciaries holding shares in their names that are beneficially owned by others so that they may forward the solicitation material to such beneficial owners upon request. We will reimburse banks, brokerage firms, and other custodians, nominees, and fiduciariesthese parties for reasonable expenses incurred by them in sending proxy materials to our stockholders. In addition to the solicitation of proxies by mail, our directors, officers, and employees may solicit proxies by telephone, facsimile, or personal interview. No additional compensation will be paid to these individuals for any such services. If you chooseWe have hired Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. to accessassist us in the distribution of proxy materials or vote over the Internet, you are responsible for any Internet access charges that you may incur.

Stockholder Proposals for 2023 Annual Meeting

Stockholder proposals that are intendedmaterials. We have also retained Georgeson LLC to be presented at our 2023 annual meeting of stockholdersaid in and included in our proxy statementadvise on certain matters relating to the 2023 annualSpecial Meeting for a fee of approximately $30,000.

How can I find the voting results?

We plan to announce preliminary voting results at the meeting must be received by us no later than December [15], 2022, which is 120 calendar days before the anniversary of the dateand will publish final results in a Current Report on which this proxy statement was first distributed to our stockholders. If the date of the 2023 annual meeting is moved more than 30 days prior to, or more than 30 days after, May 17, 2023, the deadline for inclusion of proposals in our proxy statement for the 2023 annual meeting instead will be a reasonable time before we begin to print and mail our proxy materials. All stockholder proposals must be in compliance with applicable laws and regulations in orderForm 8-K to be considered for possible inclusion infiled with the proxy statement and form of proxy for the 2023 annual meeting.

If a stockholder wishes to present a proposal at our 2023 annual meeting of stockholders and the proposal is not intended to be included in our proxy statement relating to the 2023 annual meeting, the stockholder must give advance notice to us prior to the deadline (the “Bylaw Deadline”) for the annual meeting determined in accordance with our Amended and Restated Bylaws (“bylaws”) and comply with certain other requirements specified in our bylaws. Under our bylaws, in order to be deemed properly presented, the notice of a proposal must be delivered to our Corporate Secretary no later than February [28], 2023, which is 45 calendarSEC within four business days prior to the first anniversary of the date on which we mailed the proxy materials for the 2022 annual meeting.

However, if we change the date of the 2023 annual meeting so that it occurs more than 30 days prior to, or more than 30 days after, May 17, 2023, stockholder proposals intended for presentation at the 2023 annual meeting, but not intended to be included in our proxy statement relating to the 2023 annual meeting, must be delivered to or mailed and received by our Corporate Secretary at 2 Mill & Main Place, Suite 395, Maynard, Massachusetts 01754 no later than the close of business on the ninetieth calendar day prior to the 2023 annual meeting or the twentieth calendar day following the day on which public disclosure on the date of the 2023 annual meeting is first made (the “Alternate Date”). If a stockholder gives notice of such proposal after the Bylaw Deadline (or the Alternate Date, if applicable), the stockholder will not be permitted to present the proposal to the stockholders for a vote at the 2023 annual meeting. In addition, to comply with universal proxy rules (once effective), stockholders who intend to solicit proxies in support of director nominees other than the company’s nominees must provide notice that sets forth the information required by Rule 14a-19 under the Exchange Act no later than March 18, 2023.

All notices of stockholder proposals submitted pursuant to our bylaws must include the following: (i) a description in reasonable detail of the business desired to be brought before the annual meeting and the reasons for conducting such business at the annual meeting; (ii) the name and address of the stockholder proposing such business and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the proposal is made; (iii) the class or series and number of shares of the Common Stock of the Company that are owned by the stockholder proposing the business to be brought before the annual meeting; (iv) a description of all arrangements or understandings among the stockholder submitting the proposal, the beneficial owner on whose behalf the proposal is made, and any other person or persons in connection with the proposal and any material interest of such stockholder in the proposal; and (v) a representation that the stockholder submitting the proposal intends to appear in person or by proxy at the annual meeting to bring such business before the annual meeting.

We have not been notified by any stockholder of his or her intent to present a stockholder proposal from the floor at this annual meeting. The enclosed proxy grants the proxy holders discretionary authority to vote on any matter properly brought before the annual meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.Special Meeting.

MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED AT ANNUALTHE SPECIAL MEETING

PROPOSAL ONE:1:

ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Our Charter provides for the appointment to our Board of up to nine directors, who are elected for a one-year term to hold office until the next annual meeting of our stockholders or until removed from office in accordance with our bylaws. The nominees named below have agreed to serve if elected, and we have no reason to believe that they will be unavailable to serve. If, however, the nominees named below are unable to serve or decline to serve at the time of the annual meeting, the proxies will be voted for any nominee who may be designated by our Board. Theodore J. Fisher, Alana D. Kirk and James C. Turk, Jr. are not standing for re-election at the annual meeting, and as a result, their terms as directors will end at the annual meeting. Our Board has nominated Erin Sharp and Michael Stern to fill two of the three vacated director positions and is currently conducting a search for a third candidate. Unless a stockholder specifies otherwise, a returned, signed proxy will be voted FOR the election of each of the nominees listed below.

The following table sets forth information with respect to the persons nominated for re-election at the annual meeting:

Name

  Age   Director
Since
   

Position(s)

Richard J. Clothier

   76    2006   

Chairman

Ricardo J. Alvarez

   66    2021   

Director

Erin Sharp

   64    —     

Director nominee

Gail Sharps Meyers

   52    2021   

Director

Christine St.Clare

   71    2014   

Director

Rick Sterling

   58    2013   

Director

Michael Stern

   60   —     

Director nominee

Sylvia A. Wulf

   64    2019   

Director, Chief Executive Officer and President

Richard J. Clothier. Mr. Clothier has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of AquaBounty since April 2006. He has served as the Chairman of Robinson Plc (LSE:RBN)) from 2004 to 2018, of Spearhead International Ltd from 2005 to 2015. Mr. Clothier retired as Group Chief Executive of PGI Group Plc, an international agricultural products producer, following 20 years with Dalgety Plc, where he was chief executive officer of the genetics firm Pig Improvement Company until 1992 and then Group Chief Executive Officer until 1997. Since 2005 Mr. Clothier has served as an advisor to the board assessment company, Boardroom Review Ltd. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from Natal University and attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. Mr. Clothier’s extensive experience, both as an executive in the food industry and as a director of public and private companies, provides considerable operating, strategic, and policy knowledge to our Board of Directors.

Ricardo J. Alvarez. Dr. Alvarez joined the Board of AquaBounty in March 2021. He is currently the CEO of Passport Foods (SVC), LLC, a leading manufacturer of branded and private label Mexican and Asian food products to all channels of distribution. Prior to Passport Foods, he served as President and CEO of various food manufacturing companies, including Richelieu Foods Inc., Ruiz Foods, Anita’s Foods, Overhill Farms and Raymundo’s Food Products. In his 25 years as a leader in the packaged food industry, Dr. Alvarez has implemented growth strategies including new go-to-market initiatives, geographic expansion and innovations of both product and packaging. Dr. Alvarez also has extensive board experience, having served on the boards of Bush Brothers Inc., Clement Pappas Inc., Ruiz Foods and Clear Springs Foods. He currently serves on the board of Phelps Pet Products Inc. Dr. Alvarez brings operational and food industry experience to our Board of Directors.

Erin Sharp. Ms. Sharp is a director nominee to our Board and recently retired as Group Vice President of Manufacturing and Enterprise Sourcing for The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), where she was a Senior Officer having responsibility for companywide manufacturing, food safety and sourcing. Prior to her 10 years with The Kroger Co, Ms. Sharp had increasing leadership roles in operations and finance with several large consumer product companies; including Sara Lee, Nestle Dreyer’s and Frito Lay. She served as a board member for the national nonprofit organization Feeding America as well as several industry boards including American Bakers Association, where she was the first female Chair, MilkPEP and the International Dairy Association. Ms. Sharp earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Western Ontario and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Texas. Ms. Sharp brings operational and food industry experience to our Board of Directors.

Gail Sharps Meyers. Ms. Sharps Myers joined the Board of AquaBounty in May 2021. She has been Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Chief People Officer at Denny’s Corporation (NASDAQ:DENN) since February 2021. She previously served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Denny’s since September 2020 and as Senior Vice President and General Counsel from June 2020 to September 2020. Prior to joining Denny’s, she served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Secretary of American Tire Distributors, Inc. from May 2018 to May 2020, as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary at Snyder’s-Lance, Inc. (NASDAQ:LNCE) from January 2015 to March 2018 and as Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, Chief Compliance Counsel and Assistant Secretary from 2014 to 2015 at US Foods, Inc. She received her Doctor of Jurisprudence from The Washington College of Law at The American University, her Master’s in Business Administration from Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business and her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at Howard University. Ms. Sharps Meyers’ experience and background make her well suited to serve on our Board of Directors.

Christine St.Clare. Ms. St.Clare joined the Board of AquaBounty in May 2014. She is a former Audit Partner at KPMG LLP (“KPMG”) serving publicly traded companies until 2005, after which she transferred to the Advisory Practice, working in the Internal Audit, Risk and Compliance Practice until her retirement in 2010. She also served a four-year term on KPMG’s Board of Directors, where she chaired KPMG’s Audit and Finance Committee for three of the four years. She has served on the Board of Directors for Tilray, Inc. (“Tilray”) (NASDAQ:TLRY), from their 2018 IPO through April 2021. At Tilray, she chaired the Audit Committee and was a member of the Nominating & Governance Committee and the Compensation Committee. She formerly served on the boards of both Fibrocell Science, Inc. (“Fibrocell”), a company that specialized in the development of personalized biologics and Polymer Group, Inc. (“Polymer”), a global manufacturer of engineered materials. Fibrocell was a NASDAQ listed company and Polymer was a Blackstone portfolio company with publicly traded debt. For both Fibrocell and Polymer, Ms. St.Clare served as the Audit Committee Chair until their respective sales to strategic buyers. Ms. St.Clare holds a Bachelor of Science in accounting from California State University at Long Beach and has been a licensed Certified Public Accountant in California, Texas and Georgia. Ms. St.Clare’s background in accounting and support of publicly held companies, as well as her experience with biotechnology, makes her well suited for service on our Board of Directors.

Rick Sterling. Mr. Sterling has served on the Board of AquaBounty since September 2013. He served as the Chief Financial Officer at Precigen Inc. (NASDAQ:PGEN) (“Precigen”) from 2007 through March 2021, including leading them through their initial public offering in 2013. During his term at Precigen, Mr. Sterling was responsible for multiple private and public equity and debt capital raises, financial diligence for and integration of over a dozen acquisitions, SEC reporting and compliance, divestitures of businesses, budgeting, and negotiations of facility leases as well as oversight of human resource and information technology functions. Prior to joining Precigen, he was with KPMG where he worked in the audit practice for over 17 years, with a client base primarily in the healthcare, technology and manufacturing industries. He has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Virginia Tech and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant. Mr. Sterling’s background in audit and finance, as well as his experience with technology companies, make him well suited for service on our Board of Directors.

Michael Stern. Dr. Stern is a director nominee to our Board and the former CEO of The Climate Corporation and Digital Farming for Bayer Crop Science (“Bayer”) and a member of the Crop Sciences Executive Team. Before joining Bayer, Dr. Stern had a 30-year career at Monsanto Company (NYSE:MON) (“Monsanto”), where he was a member of Monsanto’s Executive Team and led their Row Crop Business in the Americas. In addition, Dr. Stern served in a variety of leadership roles at Monsanto, including Vice President of U.S. Seeds and Traits, President of American Seeds, CEO of Renessen LLC, a biotechnology joint venture with Cargill, and Director of Technology for Agricultural Productivity. Dr. Stern also serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Missouri Botanical Garden and served on the board of the Monsanto Fund and the board of Clara Foods, a San Francisco based company focused on developing novel animal proteins from cell culture. Dr. Stern received a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Princeton University, a MS in Chemistry from the University of Michigan and a BS degree from Denison University. Dr. Stern’s brings broad experience in the food industry and biotechnology to our Board of Directors.

Sylvia Wulf. Ms. Wulf was appointed Executive Director, President, and Chief Executive Officer of AquaBounty in January 2019. Prior to joining AquaBounty, Ms. Wulf served as a Senior Vice President of US Foods, Inc. (NYSE:USFD), where she had been President of the Manufacturing Division since June 2011. Prior to US Foods, Ms. Wulf held senior positions in Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN), Sara Lee Corporation, and Bunge Corp (NYSE:BG). She is also currently on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the National Fisheries Institute. Ms. Wulf received a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Western Illinois University and a Master’s in Business Administration from DePaul University. Ms. Wulf provides extensive experience in the food industry in North America, including its fish sector to our Board of Directors.

Corporate Governance Principles

We are committed to having sound corporate governance principles. Having such principles is essential to maintaining our integrity in the marketplace. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and the charters for each of the Audit, Compensation and Human Capital, and Nominating and Corporate Governance (“NCG”) Committees are available on the investor relations section of our corporate website (www.aquabounty.com). A copy of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and the committee charters may also be obtained upon request to Corporate Secretary, AquaBounty Technologies, Inc., 2 Mill & Main Place, Suite 395, Maynard, Massachusetts 01754.

Code of Ethics

Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applies to all of our employees, officers and directors, including, but not limited to, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. The Code of Business Conduct and Ethics constitutes our “code of ethics” within the meaning of Section 406 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and is our “code of conduct” within the meaning of the NASDAQ listing standards.

Policy on Trading, Pledging and Hedging of Our Common Stock

Certain transactions in our securities (such as purchases and sales of publicly traded put and call options, and short sales) create a heightened compliance risk or could create the appearance of misalignment between management and stockholders. In addition, securities held in a margin account or pledged as collateral may be sold without consent if the owner fails to meet a margin call or defaults on the loan, thus creating the risk that a sale may occur at a time when an officer or director is aware of material, non-public information or otherwise is not permitted to trade in Company securities. Our insider trading policy expressly prohibits short sales and derivative transactions of our stock by our employees, officers and directors, including short sales of our securities and the purchase or sale of puts, calls, or other derivative securities of the Company or any derivative securities that provide the economic equivalent of ownership. To our knowledge, each of our directors and executive officers complied with this policy during 2021.

Stockholder Communications with Directors

Stockholders may communicate with our directors by sending communications to the attention of the Chairman of the Board, the Chairperson of a committee of the Board, or an individual director via U.S. Mail or Expedited Delivery Services to our address at AquaBounty Technologies, Inc., 2 Mill & Main Place, Suite 395, Maynard, Massachusetts 01754. The Company will forward by U.S. Mail any such communication to the mailing address most recently provided by the Board member identified in the “Attention” line of the communication. All communications must be accompanied by the following information:

A statement of the type and amount of the securities of the Company that the submitting individual holds, if any;

Any special interest, other than in the capacity of security holder, of the submitting individual in the subject matter of the communication; and

The address, telephone number, and email address of the submitting individual.

Board Composition; Director Designation Rights

Our Board is comprised of up to nine directors who are elected for a one-year term to hold office until the next annual meeting of our stockholders or until removed from office in accordance with our bylaws. The authorized number of directors may be changed by resolution of the Board. The Board has the power, subject to the obligations described below related to certain director designation rights, to appoint any person as a director to fill a vacancy on the Board.

Through November 23, 2021, we were party to a Relationship Agreement (the “Relationship Agreement”) with TS Aquaculture LLC, (“TS Aquaculture”), a Virginia limited liability company that is managed by Third Security, LLC (“Third Security”). The Relationship Agreement set forth certain matters relating to TS Aquaculture’s relationship with us as a major stockholder. Pursuant to the Relationship Agreement, so long as the Relationship Agreement remained in effect and TS Aquaculture and its affiliates together controlled 25% or more of the voting rights exercisable at meetings of our stockholders, we would (a) nominate such number of TS Aquaculture nominees as may be designated by TS Aquaculture for election to our Board at each annual meeting of our stockholders so that TS Aquaculture would have representation on our Board proportional to TS Aquaculture’s percentage shareholding, rounded up to the nearest whole person, and (b) recommend that stockholders vote to elect such TS Aquaculture nominees at the next annual meeting of stockholders occurring after the date of nomination. The Relationship Agreement also specified that once TS Aquaculture and its affiliates together controlled less than 10% of the voting rights exercisable at meetings of our stockholders, the Relationship Agreement would terminate pursuant to its terms. As of November 23, 2021, TS Aquaculture and its affiliates held approximately 7.5% of our outstanding Common Stock and accordingly, the Relationship Agreement terminated pursuant to its terms.

Board Independence

As required by the Nasdaq listing rules, our Board evaluates the independence of its members at least once annually and at other appropriate times when a change in circumstances could potentially impact the independence or effectiveness of one of our directors.

In February 2022, our Board undertook a review of the composition of our Board and its committees and the independence of each director. Based upon information requested from and provided by each director concerning his or her background, employment, and affiliations, including family relationships, our Board has determined each of Mses. St.Clare and Sharps Meyers and Messrs. Clothier and Alvarez is an “independent director” as defined under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5605(a)(2) and that Rick Sterling will be an “independent director” as of the date of the 2022 Annual Shareholder Meeting.

Board Diversity

We strive to have a Board with race, ethnicity and gender diversity that represents our community and brings diverse ideas and backgrounds to the table.

The table below provides the Diversity Matrix for our Board:

Board Diversity Matrix (as of March 16, 2022)

 

Total Number of Directors

   9 
   Female   Male   Non-Binary   Did Not
Disclose
Gender
 

Part I: Gender Identity

  

Directors

   4    5    0    0 

Part II: Demographic Background

  

African American or Black

   1    0    0    0 

Alaskan Native or Native American

   0    0    0    0 

Asian

   0    0    0    0 

Hispanic or Latinx

   0    1    0    0 

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

   0    0    0    0 

White

   3    4    0    0 

Two or More Races or Ethnicities

   0    0    0    0 

LGBTQ+

   0 

Did Not Disclose Demographic Background

   0 

Board Leadership Structure

Our Board understands that board structures vary greatly among U.S. public corporations, and our Board does not believe that any one leadership structure is more effective at creating long-term stockholder value. Our Board believes that an effective leadership structure could be achieved either by combining or separating the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer positions, so long as the structure encourages the free and open dialogue of competing views and provides for strong checks and balances. Specifically, the Board believes that, to be effective, the governance structure must balance the powers of the Chief Executive Officer and the independent directors and ensure that the independent directors are fully informed, able to discuss and debate the issues that they deem important, and able to provide effective oversight of management.

Currently, Ms. Wulf serves as our Chief Executive Officer and President, and Mr. Clothier serves as our Chairman of the Board. Our Board believes that this leadership structure, which separates the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer roles, is appropriate for the company at this time because it allows Ms. Wulf to focus on operating and managing the company. At the same time, Mr. Clothier can focus on leadership of the Board, including calling and presiding over Board meetings and executive sessions of the independent directors, preparing meeting agendas in collaboration with the Chief Executive Officer, serving as a liaison and supplemental channel of communication between independent directors and the Chief Executive Officer, and serving as a sounding board and advisor to the Chief Executive Officer.

Nevertheless, the Board believes that “one size” does not fit all, and the decision of whether to combine or separate the positions of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer will vary from company to company and depend upon a company’s particular circumstances at a given point in time.

Board’s Role in Risk Oversight

Our Board is primarily responsible for assessing risks associated with our business. However, our Board delegates certain of such responsibilities to other groups. The Audit Committee is responsible for reviewing with

management our company’s policies and procedures with respect to risk assessment and risk management, including reviewing certain risks associated with our financial and accounting systems, accounting policies, investment strategies, regulatory compliance, insurance programs, and other matters. In addition, under the direction of our Board and certain of its committees, our legal department assists in the oversight of corporate compliance activities. The Compensation and Human Capital Committee also reviews certain risks associated with our overall compensation program for employees to help ensure that the program does not encourage employees to take excessive risks.

Board Meeting Attendance

During 2021, our Board met nine times and each director attended or participated in 75% or more of the aggregate of (i) the total number of meetings of the Board and (ii) the total number of meetings held by all committees of the Board on which such director served. Members of the Board and its committees also consulted informally with management from time to time. Additionally, non-management Board members met in executive sessions without the presence of management periodically during 2021. We do not have a formal policy regarding board members’ attendance at our annual meetings of stockholders, but encourage them to do so; all did in 2021.

Board CommitteesRATIFICATION

Our Board has three standing committees: the Audit Committee, the Compensation and Human Capital Committee, and the NCG Committee, each of which operate pursuant to a written charter adopted by our Board.

Audit Committee. Mses. St.Clare and Sharps Meyers and Mr. Alvarez serve as members of our Audit Committee, and Ms. St.Clare serves as its chair. Each member of the Audit Committee satisfies the special independence standards for such committee established by the SEC and Nasdaq, as applicable. Ms. St.Clare is an “audit committee financial expert,” as that term is defined by the SEC in Item 407(d) of Regulation S-K. Stockholders should understand that this designation is an SEC disclosure requirement relating to Ms. St.Clare’s experience and understanding of certain accounting and auditing matters, which the SEC has stated does not impose on the director so designated any additional duty, obligation, or liability than otherwise is imposed generally by virtue of serving on the Audit Committee and/or our Board. Our Audit Committee is responsible for, among other things, oversight of our independent auditors and the integrity of our financial statements. Our Audit Committee held six meetings in 2021.

Compensation and Human Capital Committee. Ms. Sharps Meyers and Mr. Alvarez serve as members of our Compensation and Human Capital Committee, and Ms. Sharps Meyers serves as its chair. Our Compensation and Human Capital Committee is responsible for, among other things, establishing and administering our policies, programs, and procedures for compensating our executive officers and board of directors. The Compensation and Human Capital Committee may only delegate its authority to subcommittees of its members. None of the members of our Compensation and Human Capital Committee is an officer or employee of our Company. None of our executive officers currently serves, or in the past year has served, as a member of the Board or compensation committee of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving on our Board or Compensation and Human Capital Committee. Our Compensation and Human Capital Committee held four meetings in 2021.

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Mr. Clothier and Ms. St.Clare serve as members of our NCG Committee and Mr. Clothier serves as its chair. Our NCG Committee is responsible for, among other things, evaluating new director candidates and incumbent directors and recommending directors to serve as members of our Board committees. Our NCG Committee held five meetings in 2021.

Director Nominees

Our Board believes that the Board should be composed of individuals with varied, complementary backgrounds who have exhibited proven leadership capabilities within their chosen fields. Directors should have the ability to quickly grasp complex principles of business and finance, particularly those related to our industry. Directors should possess the highest personal and professional ethics, integrity, and values and should be committed to representing the long-term interests of our stockholders. When considering a candidate for director, the NCG Committee will take into account a number of factors, including, without limitation, the following: depth of understanding of our industry; education and professional background; judgment, skill, integrity, and reputation; existing commitments to other businesses as a director, executive, or owner; personal conflicts of interest, if any; diversity; and the size and composition of the existing Board. Although the Board does not have a policy with respect to consideration of diversity in identifying director nominees, among the many other factors considered by the NCG Committee are the benefits of diversity in board composition, including with respect to age, gender, race, and specialized background. When seeking candidates for director, the NCG Committee may solicit suggestions from incumbent directors, management, stockholders, and others. Additionally, the NCG Committee may use the services of third-party search firms to assist in the identification of appropriate candidates. During 2021, fees of $20,000 were paid to the National Association of Corporate Directors for such services in connection with the nomination of Ms. Sharps Meyers and fees of $160,000 were paid to Kincannon & Reed for such services in connection with the nominations of Ms. Sharp and Mr. Stern. The NCG Committee will also evaluate the qualifications of all candidates properly nominated by stockholders, in the same manner and using the same criteria. A stockholder desiring to nominate a person for election to the Board must comply with the stock holding and advance notice procedures of our Amended and Restated Bylaws, as described in the proxy statement under the heading “Stockholder Proposals for 2023 Annual Meeting.”

Director Compensation

We believe that the compensation we provide to our Board is both competitive and in line with that provided to boards of directors of similar companies in our industry.

For fiscal year 2021, the Chairman of our Board received annual compensation of £50,000 (approximately $67,550 using the pound sterling to U.S. Dollar spot exchange rate of 1.351 published in The Wall Street Journal as of December 31, 2021), payable in four quarterly installments. He also received an annual grant of restricted shares of our Common Stock valued at £20,000 (approximately $27,870 based on the fair market value on the date of grant), which vest daily over three years.

For fiscal year 2021, all non-employee directors received an annual cash retainer of $40,000 (prorated for time of service), payable in four quarterly installments. The Chair of the Audit Committee received an additional $25,000, the Chair of the Compensation and Human Capital Committee received an additional $15,000 (prorated for time of service), and members of a board committee received an additional $5,000 (prorated for time of service). All additional cash payments are paid in four quarterly installments. All non-employee directors serving on March 2, 2021 received an annual grant of options to purchase 2,500 shares of our Common Stock (with an exercise price equal to the fair market value on the date of grant), with vesting daily over one year. Mr. Alvarez received a prorated number of options.

The following table discloses all compensation provided to the non-employee directors for the most recently completed fiscal year ended December 31, 2021:

Director Summary Compensation Table

Name

  Fees earned or
paid in cash
($)
   Stock
Awards

($)
   Option
Awards

($)
   Total
($)
   Unvested
Restricted

Shares
   Unexercised
Stock

Options
 

R. Clothier

   67,550    27,870      95,420    70,163    —   

R. Alvarez (1)

   41,667      11,165    52,832    —      2,083 

T. Fisher

   40,000      13,401    53,401    —      4,500 

R. Huber (2)

   25,000      13,401    38,401    —      —   

A. Kirk

   40,000      13,401    53,401    —      4,500 

G. Sharps Meyers (3)

   34,167      —      34,167    —      —   

C. St.Clare

   70,000      13,401    83,401    —      18,300 

R. Sterling

   40,000      13,401    53,401    —      4,500 

J. Turk

   41,250      13,401    54,651    —      19,100 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

   399,634    27,870    91,571    519,075    70,163    52,983 

(1)

Mr. Alvarez was appointed to the Board on March 2, 2021.

(2)

Mr. Huber retired from the Board on May 28, 2021.

(3)

Ms. Sharps Meyers was elected to the Board on May 28, 2021.

Vote Required

The vote of a plurality of our outstanding shares of Common Stock represented in person (via the live webcast) or by proxy at the annual meeting and entitled to vote is required to elect the eight director nominees to serve on our Board for a one-year term, to hold office until the next annual meeting of our stockholders or until removed from office in accordance with our bylaws. The nominees receiving the highest number of affirmative votes will be elected.

Recommendation of the Board of Directors

Our Board recommends that the stockholders vote FOR the election of the director nominees listed above.

PROPOSAL TWO:

RATIFICATION OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

The Audit Committee of the Board has appointed the firm of Deloitte & Touche LLP (“Deloitte”) to serve as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022, and is asking the stockholders to ratify this appointment.

In July 2021, the Audit Committee dismissed Wolf & Company, P.C. (“Wolf”) as our independent registered public accounting firm and appointed Deloitte as our independent registered public accounting firm commencing with the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. The Audit Committee believes that the retention of Deloitte for the 2022 fiscal year is in the best interest of us and our shareholders. One or more representatives of Deloitte are expected to be present at the Annual Meeting with the opportunity to make a statement if they so desire and to be available to respond to appropriate questions.

In the event the stockholders fail to ratify the appointment of Deloitte as our independent registered public accounting firm, the Audit Committee may reconsider its selection.

Additional Information Regarding Change of Independent Registered Accounting Firms

The audit reports of Wolf on our financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020 did not contain any adverse opinion or disclaimer of opinion, nor were they qualified or modified as to uncertainty, audit scope, or accounting principles.

During the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020 and the subsequent interim period through March 31, 2021, there were no “disagreements,” as that term is defined in Item 304(a)(1)(iv) of Regulation S-K and the related instructions, between us and Wolf on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure, or auditing scope or procedures, which disagreements, if not resolved to the satisfaction of Wolf, would have caused Wolf to make reference in connection with their opinion to the subject matter of the disagreement.

During the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020 and the subsequent interim period through March 31, 2021, there were no “reportable events” as that term is defined in Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K.

During the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020 and the subsequent interim period through March 31, 2021, we did not, nor did anyone on our behalf, consult Deloitte with respect to: (i) the application of accounting principles to a specified transaction, either completed or proposed, or the type of audit opinion that might be rendered on our financial statements, and neither a written report was provided to us nor oral advice was provided to us that Deloitte concluded was an important factor considered by the us in reaching a decision as to the accounting, auditing or financial reporting issue; or (ii) any matter that was either the subject of a disagreement (as defined in Item 304(a)(1)(iv) of Regulation S-K and the related instructions) or a reportable event (as defined in Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K).

Principal Accountant Fees and Services

The following table summarizes the fees billed by Deloitte for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021:

   Year Ended
December 31, 2021
 

Audit Fees (1)

  $392,688 

Audit Related Fees (2)

   50,000 

Tax Fees (3)

   —   
  

 

 

 

Total

  $442,688 
  

 

 

 

(1)

Represents fees incurred for the audit of our consolidated financial statements and quarterly reviews.

(2)

Represents fees for services related to S-3 filings with the SEC.

(3)

Represents fees incurred for tax preparation and tax-related compliance services.

Policy on Audit Committee Pre-Approval of Audit and Permissible Non-Audit Services

Under its charter, the Audit Committee must pre-approve all engagements of our independent registered public accounting firm, unless an exception to such pre-approval exists under the Exchange Act or the rules of the SEC. The Audit Committee has delegated to its Chair the authority to evaluate and approve service engagements on behalf of the full Audit Committee in the event a need arises for specific pre-approval between Audit Committee meetings. All of the audit, audit-related, tax services, and all other services provided by our independent registered public accounting firm for the 2021 fiscal year were approved by the Audit Committee in accordance with the foregoing procedures.

Vote Required

The affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the shares of our Common Stock represented in person (via the live webcast) or by proxy at the annual meeting and entitled to vote on the matter is required to ratify the appointment of Deloitte to serve as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022.

Recommendation of the Board of Directors

Our Board recommends that the stockholders vote FOR the ratification of the appointment of Deloitte to serve as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022.

PROPOSAL THREE:

APPROVAL OF AN AMENDMENT TO OUR THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED CERTIFICATE

OF INCORPORATION, AS AMENDED, TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF AUTHORIZED SHARES

OF COMMON STOCK

Our Charter currently authorizes us to issue a total of 80,000,000 shares of Common Stock and 5,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock. Our Board has approved, and is seeking stockholder approval of, an amendment to the Charter (the “Amendment”) to implement an increase in the number of shares of authorized Common Stock from 80,000,000 shares to 200,000,000.

On March 1, 2022, our Board unanimously determined that the Amendmentit is advisable and in the best interests of the Company and our stockholders to ratify, pursuant to Section 204 of the DGCL, the approval, filing and recommended thateffectiveness of the certificate of amendment to our stockholders approve the Amendment. In accordanceCertificate of Incorporation filed with the General Corporation LawSecretary of the State of Delaware, we are hereby seeking approval of the Amendment by our stockholders.

No other changes to the Charter are being proposed,on May 27, 2022 (the “Share Increase Amendment”) and the Amendment will not modifyincrease in the number of shares held by, orof our authorized Common Stock effected thereby from 80,000,000 to 150,000,000 shares (the “Ratification”). This Ratification shall be retroactive to the rights of, existing stockholders.

The full texteffectiveness of the proposedfiling of the Share Increase Amendment is attached to thiswith the Secretary of State on May 27, 2022.

Background on the Ratification

As described in the definitive proxy statement as Appendix A.

Reasons forrelating to our 2022 Annual Meeting, which was filed with the Authorized SharesSEC on April 14, 2022 (as supplemented by the additional definitive soliciting material filed with the SEC on May 16, 2022, the “2022 Annual Meeting Proxy Statement”), the Share Increase Amendment

The Board is proposing the Amendment was proposed to increase the authorized number of authorized shares of our Common Stock in order to, among other reasons, provide the Company with the ability to raise the capital necessary to continue and grow its operations.

Of the 80,000,000 shares of Common Stock that are currently authorized to be issued under the Charter, as of March 16, 2022, 71,109,701 shares are issued and outstanding, 622,798 are reserved for issuance under our equity plans, and 418,441 are issuable upon the exercise of our outstanding warrants. Of the 5,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock that are currently authorized to be issued under the Charter, none are issued and outstanding, and there are currently no outstanding rights to acquire any Preferred Stock.

The Board believesbelieved that the current ratio of issued shares to authorized shares of 89% iswas potentially restrictive and not in line with similar agriculture-technology companies, which we believeand approved the Share Issuance Amendment to be in the range of 26% to 31%. The proposed increase in the number of authorized shares of Common Stock to 200,000,000 will lower our issued shares to authorized shares ratio to 36% and will provide sufficient reserves of authorized but unissued shares (i.e., 128,890,299 shares of Common Stock and 5,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock) to generally support our growth and to provide flexibility for future corporate needs, including but not limited to grants under equity compensation plans, stock splits, financings and potential strategic transactions, as well as other general corporate transactions. The additional authorized shares would enable us to issue shares in the future in a timely manner and under circumstances we consider favorable without incurring the risk, delay and potential expense incident to obtaining stockholder approval for a particular issuance.

IncreasingAt the number of authorized2022 Annual Meeting, the Company’s stockholders voted on the Share Increase Amendment. Consistent with the applicable rules concerning the manner in which brokerage firms, banks, broker-dealers, or other similar organizations (collectively, “brokers and/or other nominees”) may exercise discretionary authority to vote on “routine” matters, certain shares of Common Stock willheld by brokers and/or other nominees and with respect to which the beneficial owners had not alterprovided their broker and/or other nominee with voting instructions were voted by the numberbrokers and/or other nominees in favor of sharesthe approval of Common Stock presently issuedthe Share Increase Amendment. Such votes, and outstanding others cast by our stockholders, were tabulated by our inspector of elections in accordance with the applicable NYSE rules, and, based on the tabulation, our inspector of elections determined that the proposal to approve the Share Increase Amendment was adopted by the requisite vote of stockholders and certified that the proposal had passed. In particular, there were 27,376,357 votes cast by stockholders on the Share Increase Amendment, of which 25,606,826 were voted “FOR,” 1,568,694 were voted “AGAINST,” and 200,837 votes abstained. Brokers and/or reservedother nominees cast an additional 17,718,415 votes on the Share Increase Amendment, of which 14,811,907 were cast “FOR,” 2,646,023 were cast “AGAINST,” and 260,485 abstained. The affirmative vote for issuance and will not change the relative rights and privilegesShare Increase Amendment, at 57% of the shares of Common Stock previouslyoutstanding as of the record date for the 2022 Annual Meeting, was sufficiently in excess of the required approval of a majority of our outstanding shares of Common Stock to effect the Share Increase Amendment. Following this approval, we filed the Share Increase Amendment with the Secretary of State on May 27, 2022 and it became effective on the same date.

On June 24, 2022, the Company received a letter on behalf of a stockholder alleging that disclosures in the 2022 Annual Meeting Proxy Statement regarding the authority of brokers and/or other nominees to vote on the Share Increase Amendment in the absence of instructions were inconsistent with how votes were tabulated and counted. In particular, the stockholder observed that the 2022 Annual Meeting Proxy Statement identified the Share Increase Amendment as “non-routine” and stated that brokers and/or other nominees could not vote on this matter unless beneficial owners provided voting instructions. Although this stockholder did not claim to have been under a misimpression prior to the 2022 Annual Meeting and no other stockholder reported any confusion or made any inquiry with the Company regarding the language on this matter in the 2022 Annual Meeting Proxy Statement at any time prior to June 24, 2022, the stockholder stated that an unidentified and unspecified number of other stockholders might have been opposed to the Share Increase Amendment but, because they believed that providing no instruction would prevent their brokers and/or other nominees from casting an affirmative vote in favor of the proposal, declined to instruct their brokers and/or other nominees on the Share Increase Amendment rather than voting against the proposal. For this reason, the stockholder suggested that the votes of brokers and/or other nominees should not have been counted with respect to the Share Increase Amendment, and that the Board should deem the Share Increase Amendment ineffective and make appropriate disclosure of such determination, or seek valid stockholder approval of the Share Increase Amendment.

The Board believes it was and is appropriate to include the affirmative votes cast by brokers and/or other nominees pursuant to their discretionary authority in the tabulation of votes in favor of the Share Increase Amendment and, thus, that the Share Increase Amendment was properly approved and is effective. However, to avoid potential future litigation risk, and to eliminate any uncertainty as to the Share Increase Amendment and the validity of shares of Common Stock that in the future may be issued by virtue of the Share Increase Amendment, the Board has determined that it is advisable and in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders to ratify the approval, filing and effectiveness of the Share Increase Amendment pursuant to Section 204 of the DGCL. In furtherance of this Ratification, the Board unanimously adopted the resolutions attached hereto as Appendix A on August 3, 2022, resolving, among other things, to approve the ratification of the Share Increase Amendment, subject to stockholder ratification, and recommend that stockholders approve the ratification of the Share Increase Amendment. If the Ratification is approved by our stockholders and becomes effective, the ratification of the Share Increase Amendment will be retroactive to May 27, 2022, which was the date of the filing and effectiveness of the Share Increase Amendment with the Secretary of State.

The Ratification will provide the Company with certainty regarding the ability to raise the capital necessary to continue and grow its operations by providing sufficient reserves of authorized issuedbut unissued shares to generally support growth and outstanding.

Potential Adverse Effectsto provide flexibility for future corporate needs, including but not limited to grants under equity compensation plans, stock splits, financings, potential strategic transactions, as well as other general corporate transactions. No specific transaction was contemplated in connection with the Share Increase Amendment, and as of Proposedthis date, none of the shares authorized by the Share Increase Amendment

If this Amendment have been issued. Once the Ratification is adopted,approved, the additional authorized shares of Common Stock can be issued or reserved withpursuant to the Share Increase Amendment will enable us to issue shares in the future in a timely manner and under circumstances we consider favorable without incurring the risk, delay and potential expense incident to obtaining stockholder approval for a particular issuance.

Our Board recommends that you vote “FOR” the Ratification.

Matters Related to Section 204 of the DGCL

Sections 204 and 205 of the DGCL are attached hereto as Appendix B.

Section 204 of the DGCL allows a Delaware corporation, by following specified procedures, to ratify a corporate act retroactive to the date the corporate act was originally taken. Our Board at times, in amounts and upon termsbelieves that the Board may determine, without additional stockholder approval, exceptShare Increase Amendment was properly approved and is effective. However, to avoid potential future litigation risk and to eliminate any uncertainty as may be required by applicable law. The issuanceto the Share Increase Amendment and the validity of any of the additional authorized shares of Common Stock that in the future may dilutebe issued by virtue of the proportionate ownershipShare Increase Amendment, on August 3, 2022, our Board determined that it would be advisable and voting powerin the best interests of existingthe Company and its stockholders to ratify the approval, filing and effectiveness of the Share Increase Amendment pursuant to Section 204 of the DGCL and unanimously adopted the resolutions attached hereto as Appendix A (such resolutions are incorporated herein by reference) approving the Ratification. Our Board also recommended that our stockholders approve the Ratification for purposes of Section 204, and directed that the Ratification be submitted to our stockholders entitled to vote thereon for approval.

Subject to the receipt of the required vote of our stockholders to approve the Ratification, we expect to file the Certificate of Validation with respect to the Share Increase Amendment with the Secretary of State promptly after the adjournment of the Special Meeting. The filing date of the Certificate of Validation with the Secretary of State will be the validation effective time of the Ratification within the meaning of Section 204 of the DGCL.

If the Ratification becomes effective, under the DGCL, any claim that (i) the Share Increase Amendment ratified pursuant to the Ratification is void or voidable due to a failure of authorization or (ii) the Delaware Court of Chancery should declare, in its discretion, that the Share Increase Amendment not be effective or be effective only on certain conditions must be brought within 120 days from the validation effective time in respect of the Ratification, which will occur upon the effectiveness of the filing of the Certificate of Validation with the Secretary of State. If the Ratification is approved at the Special Meeting, we expect to file the Certificate of Validation promptly after the adjournment of the Special Meeting.

stockholders, and their issuance, orConsequences if the possibility of their issuance, may depressRatification is Not Approved by Our Stockholders

If the market priceRatification is not approved by the requisite vote of our Common Stock. Other than pursuantstockholders, we will not be able to file the termsCertificate of our outstanding stock optionsValidation with the Secretary of State and warrants, we dothe Share Increase Amendment will not be ratified in accordance with Section 204 of the DGCL. The failure to approve the Ratification may leave us exposed to potential claims that (i) the Share Increase Amendment did not receive requisite stockholder approval at the 2022 Annual Meeting, and therefore was not validly filed with the Secretary of State and is not currently effective, (ii) as a result, the Company does not have any existing plans, proposals or arrangements, written or otherwise, to issue any of the additional authorized shares of Common Stock.

The availability of additionalsufficient authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock to permit future issuances of Common Stock, including pursuant to outstanding warrants, stock options and Preferred Stock may enable our Board to render it more difficult, or discourage an attempt to obtain controlother convertible securities, and (iii) actions taken by the Company in reliance on the effectiveness of the Share Increase Amendment were improperly effected, although the Company which may adversely affectbelieves that any such claims would be without merit. In addition, the market price of our Common Stock. If in the due exercise of its fiduciary obligations, for example, our Board werefailure to determine that a takeover proposal were not in our best interests, such shares could be issued by the Board without stockholder approval in (i) one or more private placements or other transactions that might prevent, render more difficult or make more costly the completion of any attempted takeover transaction by diluting voting or other rights of the proposed acquirer or insurgent stockholder group or creating a substantial voting bloc in institutional or other hands that might support the position of the incumbent Board or (ii) an acquisition that might complicate or preclude the takeover. This proposal is not prompted by any specific effort or takeover threat currently perceived by management.

Risks of Non-Approval

Given that approximately 90% of our currently authorized Common Stock as of March 16, 2022 were either issued and outstanding, or shares reserved for issuance, if the stockholders do not approve the Amendment, weRatification may be precludedpreclude us from pursuing, or impair our ability to pursue, a wide range of potential corporate opportunities that might require working capital or additional financing, or otherwise be in the best interests of our stockholders. Thisstockholders, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and prospects.

EffectivenessInterests of Directors and Executive Officers

Our directors and executive officers have no material interests, directly or indirectly, in the Authorized Shares Amendment

Ifmatters set forth in this proposal except to the Amendment is approved by our stockholders, it will become effective upon the acceptance by the Secretaryextent of Statetheir ownership of the State of Delaware of the filing of the Amendment. Such filing is expected to occur promptly after stockholder approval of this proposal. If the Amendment is not approved, the Charter would remain unchanged, and the number of authorized shares of our Common Stock they own and Preferred Stock would remain 80,000,000 and 5,000,000, respectively. Other than as described herein, this proposed Amendment effects no other changesequity awards granted to the Charter.them under our equity incentive plans.

Vote Required

The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of ourthe outstanding shares of Common Stock entitled to vote at the Special Meeting is required to amendapprove the Charter to increase the number of authorized shares of our Common Stock to 200,000,000.Ratification.

Recommendation of the Board

Our Board recommends that the stockholders vote “FOR” the Ratification.

PROPOSAL 2:

ADJOURNMENT PROPOSAL

Stockholders are being asked to consider and vote upon an adjournment by stockholders of Directorsthe Special Meeting from time to time, if necessary or advisable (as determined by the Company), to solicit additional proxies in the event there are not sufficient votes at the time of the Special Meeting to approve the Ratification as described in Proposal 1.

Vote Required

The approval of Proposal 2, the Adjournment Proposal, will require the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Common Stock present in person or represented by proxy at the Special Meeting and entitled to vote on the Adjournment Proposal and which have actually been voted.

Recommendation of the Board

Our Board recommends that the stockholders vote FOR the proposal to approve the amendment to the Charter to increase the number of authorized shares of Common Stock to 200,000,000.Adjournment.

OTHER MATTERS

We do not know of any matters to be presented at the 2022 annual meeting of stockholders other than those mentioned in this proxy statement. If any other matters properly come before the annual meeting, it is the intention of the persons named in the enclosed form of proxy to vote the shares they represent as our Board recommends.

OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES

The following table sets forth certain information known to us with respect to the beneficial ownership of our Common Stock as of MarchAugust 16, 2022, by (i) each person who, to our knowledge, beneficially owns 5% or more of the outstanding shares of our Common Stock, (ii) each of our current directors, and nominees for director, (iii) each named executive officer (as listed in the Summary Compensation Table which appears laterincluded in this proxy statement)the 2022 Annual Meeting Proxy Statement), and (iv) all current directors and executive officers as a group. None of the shares reported as beneficially owned by our directors or executive officers are currently pledged as security for any outstanding loan or indebtedness.

We have determined beneficial ownership in accordance with the rules of the SEC. These rules generally attribute beneficial ownership of securities to persons who possess sole or shared voting power or investment power with respect to those securities. Unless otherwise indicated, the persons or entities identified in this table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares shown as beneficially owned by them, subject to applicable community property laws. The table lists applicable percentage ownership based on 71,109,70171,110,713 shares of our Common Stock outstanding as of MarchAugust 16, 2022. The number of shares beneficially owned includes shares of our Common Stock that each person has the right to acquire within 60 days of MarchAugust 16, 2022, including upon the exercise of stock options or warrants. These stock options and warrants are deemed outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage of outstanding shares of our Common Stock owned by such person but are not deemed outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage of outstanding shares of our Common Stock owned by any other person.

 

Name and address of beneficial owner (1)

  Number of
Shares
Beneficially
Owned
   Percent
of Class
 

Randal J. Kirk (2)

   5,344,769    7.5

The Governor Tyler

1881 Grove Avenue

Radford, Virginia 24141

    

ARK Investment Management LLC (3)

   5,326,857    7.5

3 East 28th Street, 7th floor

New York, NY 10016

    

Blackrock, Inc. (4)

   3,937,596    5.5

40 East 52nd Street

New York, NY 10022

    

Richard J. Clothier

   85,763    * 

Ricardo Alvarez

   2,528    * 

Theodore J. Fisher

   5,568    * 

Alana D. Kirk (2)

   5,344,769    7.5

Gail Sharps Meyers

   1,931    * 

Christine St.Clare

   18,745    * 

Rick Sterling

   6,240    * 

James C. Turk

   36,974    * 

Sylvia Wulf

   401,792    * 

David Frank

   143,774    * 

Alejandro Rojas

   104,811    * 

Angela Olsen

   83,443    * 

Executive officers and directors as a group (12 persons)

   6,078,589    8.6
Name and address of beneficial owner (1)  Number of
Shares
Beneficially
Owned
   Percent
of Class
 

Randal J. Kirk (2)

The Governor Tyler

1881 Grove Avenue

Radford, Virginia 24141

   5,340,836    7.5

Richard J. Clothier

   85,763    * 

Ricardo Alvarez (3)

   3,556    * 

Erin Sharp

   —      * 

Gail Sharps Meyers (4)

   2,959    * 

Christine St.Clare (5)

   19,773    * 

Rick Sterling (6)

   7,268    * 

Michael Stern

   15,000    * 

Sylvia Wulf (7)

   412,386    * 

David Frank (8)

   149,517    * 

Angela Olsen (9)

   87,410    * 

Executive officers and directors as a group (11 persons) (10)

   892,608    1.2

*

Indicates beneficial ownership of less than one percent of the total outstanding shares of our Common Stock.

(1)

Unless otherwise indicated, the address for each beneficial owner is c/o AquaBounty Technologies, Inc., 2 Mill & Main Place, Suite 395, Maynard, MA 01754.

(2)

Based solely on a Schedule 13D/A filed on November 23,24, 2021 by Randal J. Kirk and Third Security, LLC (“Third Security”). As of November 23, 2021, Third Security ownshas sole voting and dispositive power with respect to 1,580,954 shares of our Common Stock or approximately 2.2% of our outstanding shares. In addition,and Mr. Kirk and entities controlled by him, other than Third Security, currently holdhave sole voting and dispositive power with respect to 3,756,711 shares of our Common Stock, or approximately 5.3% of our outstanding shares. Further, Alana Kirk, a member of the Company’s Board, is married to Randal J. Kirk and has reported that she beneficially owns 6,659 shares of our Common Stock, which includes 4,500Stock.

(3)

Includes for Dr. Alvarez 3,145 shares of Common Stock underlying outstanding stockissuable pursuant to vested but unexercised options that are or will be immediatelyand 411 shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to options exercisable within 60 days of MarchAugust 16, 2022, in her own name, which is less than one percent of our outstanding shares. Based on these holdings, Mr. Kirk, Third Security’s Chairman and Senior Managing Director, and Ms. Kirk have each reported control over approximately 7.5% of our outstanding shares. Mr. and Ms. Kirk each disclaim beneficial ownership of the shares owned directly by the other, and Ms. Kirk disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares deemed beneficially owned by Mr. Kirk, other than those that she owns directly.2022.

(3)

Based solely on a Schedule 13G filed on December 31, 2021, by ARK Investment Management LLC (“ARK”), ARK owns 5,326,857 shares of our Common Stock, or approximately 7.5% of our outstanding shares.

(4)

Based solely on a Schedule 13G filed on December 31, 2021, by Blackrock, Inc. (“Blackrock”), Blackrock owns 3,937,596Includes for Ms. Sharps Meyers 2,548 shares of our Common Stock or approximately 5.5%issuable pursuant to vested but unexercised options and 411 shares of our outstanding shares.Common Stock issuable pursuant to options exercisable within 60 days of August 16, 2022.

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION AND OTHER INFORMATION

AquaBounty Technologies, Inc. is an “emerging growth company,” as defined under the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012. As an emerging growth company, under SEC rules, we are not required to include a Compensation Discussion and Analysis section in this proxy statement and have elected to comply with the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies. We are evaluating the need for revisions to our executive compensation program to ensure our program is competitive with those of the companies with which we compete for executive talent and is appropriate for a public company.

Named Executive Officers

The tables and discussion below present compensation information for our chief executive officer and our two other most highly compensated officers for the year ended December 31, 2021 (“fiscal year 2021”); all of whom we refer to collectively as our named executive officers. These officers are:

 

Name

Age(5)

Positions

Sylvia A. Wulf

64

Chief Executive OfficerIncludes for Ms. St.Clare 19,362 shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to vested but unexercised options and President

David A. Frank

61

Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

Angela Olsen

53

General Counsel and Secretary411 shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to options exercisable within 60 days of August 16, 2022.

Summary Compensation Table

The following table provides certain summary information concerning the compensation paid to our named executive officers in the fiscal years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020.

Name and Position

  Year   Salary
($) (1)
   Bonus
($) (2)
   Stock
Awards
($) (3)
   Option
Awards
($) (3)
   All other
Compensation
($) (4)
   Total
($)
 

S. Wulf

   2021    396,298    38,625    61,800    43,134    8,384    548,241 

CEO and President

   2020    371,058    42,500    68,000    44,723    8,425    534,706 

D. Frank

   2021    290,091    24,838    39,742    27,739    8,703    391,113 

CFO and Treasurer

   2020    272,703    17,225    27,560    18,126    8,497    344,111 

A. Olsen

   2021    291,248    24,937    39,900    27,846    7,852    391,783 

GC and Secretary

   2020    275,865    —      —      —      8,161    284,026 

 

(1)(6)

Represents salaries before any employee contributions under our 401(k) plan.

(2)

Represents discretionary cash incentive awards during the applicable fiscal year.

(3)

The amounts in these columns represent the grant date fair valueIncludes for Mr. Sterling 5,562 shares of restrictedCommon Stock issuable pursuant to vested but unexercised options and 411 shares and stockof Common Stock issuable pursuant to options granted in 2021 and 2020, calculated in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718. For a discussionexercisable within 60 days of the assumptions used in calculating these values, see Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements in our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on March 10,August 16, 2022.

(4)

Amounts in this column reflect 401(k) matching contributions.

As of December 31, 2021, we paid base salaries to Ms. Wulf, Mr. Frank, and Ms. Olsen of $400,000, $292,384, and $293,550, respectively. As of December 31, 2020, the base salaries of Ms. Wulf, Mr. Frank, and Ms. Olsen were $386,250, $283,868, and $285,000, respectively. Base salaries are used to recognize the experience, skills, knowledge, and responsibilities required of all of our employees, including our named executive officers. Certain of our named executive officers are currently party to an employment agreement that provides for the continuation of certain compensation upon termination of employment. See “-Employment Agreements.”

Our Board may, at its discretion, award bonuses to our named executive officers from time to time. We typically establish bonus targets for our named executive officers and evaluate their performance based on the

achievement of specified company and individual goals and objectives. Our management may propose bonus awards to the Compensation and Human Capital Committee of the Board primarily based on such achievements. Our Board makes the final determination of the eligibility requirements for and the amounts of such bonus awards.

Although we do not have a formal policy with respect to the grant of equity incentive awards to our executive officers, or any formal equity ownership guidelines applicable to them, we believe that equity grants provide our executives with a strong link to our long-term performance, create an ownership culture, and help to align the ownership interests of our executives and our stockholders. In addition, we believe that equity grants with a time-based vesting feature promote executive retention because this feature incentivizes our executive officers to remain in our employment during the vesting period.

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End

The following table provides certain summary information concerning outstanding equity awards held by our named executive officers as of December 31, 2021.

     Option Awards  Stock Awards (1) 

Name and Position

 Grant Date  Number of
securities
underlying
unexercised
options (#)
exercisable
  Number of
securities
underlying
options (#)
unexercisable
  Option
Exercise
Price
  Option
Vesting Date
  Option
Expiration
Date
  Number of
shares or
units that
have not
vested (2)
  Market
value of
shares or
units of
stock that
have not
vested ($)
 

S. Wulf

  30-Apr-2019   150,000   $2.22   30-Apr-2020   30-Apr-2029   

CEO and President

  12-Mar-2020   19,047   12,602  $1.88   12-Mar-2023   12-Mar-2030   
  12-Mar-2020        12,056   25,318 
  10-Mar-2021   2,175   5,872  $6.72   10-Mar-2024   10-Mar-2031   
  10-Mar-2021        6,131   12,875 

D. Frank

  27-Apr-2013   6,667   $7.50   27-Apr-2016   27-Apr-2023   

CFO and Treasurer

  20-Jan-2014   6,667   $23.40   20-Jan-2017   20-Jan-2024   
  21-Apr-2017   10,000   $14.20   21-Apr-2020   21-Apr-2027   
  27-Feb-2018   15,152   $2.50   27-Feb-2019   27-Feb-2028   
  30-Apr-2019   20,000   $2.22   30-Apr-2020   30-Apr-2029   
  12-Mar-2020   7,720   5,107  $1.88   12-Mar-2023   12-Mar-2030   
  12-Mar-2020        4,886   10,261 
  10-Mar-2021   1,399   3,776  $6.72   10-Mar-2024   10-Mar-2031   
  10-Mar-2021        3,943   8,280 

A. Olsen

  1-Nov-2019   35,000   $2.37   1-Nov-2020   1-Nov-2029   

GC and Secretary

  10-Mar-2021   1,404   3,791  $6.72   10-Mar-2024   10-Mar-2031   
  10-Mar-2021        3,959   8,314 

 

(1)(7)

The market value ofIncludes for Ms. Wulf 184,703 shares of restricted stock that have notCommon Stock issuable pursuant to vested is based on the number of unvestedbut unexercised options and 4,194 shares of restricted stock outstanding times the closing price of our Common Stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on December 31, 2021.

(2)

Restricted stock grants vest 1/3 on the dateissuable pursuant to options exercisable within 60 days of grant, 1/3 after one year from the date of grant and 1/3 after two years from the date of grant.August 16, 2022.

Employment Agreements

(8)

Includes for Mr. Frank 74,688 shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to vested but unexercised options and 2,278 shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to options exercisable within 60 days of August 16, 2022.

(9)

Includes for Ms. Olsen 40,835 shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to vested but unexercised options and 1,581 shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to options exercisable within 60 days of August 16, 2022.

(10)

Includes for our directors and executive officers as a group 416,234 shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to vested but unexercised options and 11,348 shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to options exercisable within 60 days of August 16, 2022.

OTHER MATTERS

We have entered into employment agreements with eachdo not know of Ms. Wulf, Mr. Frank and Ms. Olsen. Each agreement provides forany matters to be presented at the payment of a base salary; an annual bonus based on a percentageSpecial Meeting other than those mentioned in this Proxy Statement. If any other matters properly come before the Special Meeting, it is the intention of the executive’s salary, determined atpersons named in the discretionenclosed form of proxy to vote the shares they represent as our Board based on achievement of financial targets and other performance criteria; and certain other forms of benefits and compensation. Ms. Wulf’s agreement also included a one-time

grant of an option to purchase 150,000 shares of our Common Stock and restricted shares of our Common Stock worth $350,000. Ms. Olsen’s agreement included a one-time cash bonus of $28,500, a one-time option grant to purchase 35,000 shares of our Common Stock and restricted shares of our Common Stock worth $70,000. In addition, under each agreement, we may terminate the employee’s employment without notice or payment at any time for cause.

Sylvia Wulf

The employment agreement with Ms. Wulf will remain in effect unless and until terminated in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in the agreement. Ms. Wulf’s agreement provides that employment may be terminated by either us or Ms. Wulf with no less than thirty days’ notice to the other party. If Ms. Wulf’s employment is terminated by us without cause or by her for good reason, as those terms are defined in her employment agreement, Ms. Wulf would be paid one year of continued base salary, starting on the date of termination and a prorated earned bonus payment. Ms. Wulf’s agreement also provided for 100% acceleration of her stock option and restricted share grants upon the occurrence of a change in control (as such term is defined in her employment agreement).

David Frank

Mr. Frank’s agreement provides that employment may be terminated by either us or him after giving the other not less than twelve months’ notice. During these notice periods, we have the right to terminate employment prior to expiration of the notice period by paying Mr. Frank a sum equal to his base salary and benefits during the notice period.

Angela Olsen

Ms. Olsen’s agreement provides that employment may be terminated by either us or Ms. Olsen. If Ms. Olsen’s employment is terminated by us without cause, as those terms are defined in her employment agreement, Ms. Olsen would be paid one year of continued base salary and benefits, starting on the date of termination and a prorated earned bonus payment. Ms. Olsen’s agreement also provided for 100% acceleration of her stock option and restricted share grants upon the occurrence of a change in control (as such term is defined in her employment agreement).

401(k) Plan

We provide an employee retirement plan under Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code (the “401(k) plan”), to all U.S. employees who are eligible employees as defined in the 401(k) plan. Subject to annual limits set by the Internal Revenue Service, we match 50% of eligible employee contributions up to a maximum of 3% of an employee’s salary, and vesting in our match is immediate. We made contributions in connection with the 401(k) plan during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, of $80,925 and $72,333, respectively.

Registered Retirement Savings Plan

We also have a Registered Retirement Savings Plan for our Canadian employees. Subject to annual limits set by the Canadian government, we match 50% of eligible employee contributions up to a maximum of 3% of an employee’s salary, and vesting in our match is immediate. We made contributions in connection with this plan during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, of $38,336 and $31,939, respectively.

Indemnification of Officers and Directors

We have agreed to indemnify our directors and officers in certain circumstances. See “Related-Party Transactions, Policies, and Procedures- Agreements with Our Directors and Executive Officers.”

Compensation Risk Assessment

We believe that although a portion of the compensation provided to our executive officers and other employees is performance-based, our executive compensation program does not encourage excessive or unnecessary risk taking. This is primarily due to the fact that our compensation programs are designed to encourage our executive officers and other employees to remain focused on both short-term and long-term strategic goals, in particular in connection with our pay-for-performance compensation philosophy. As a result, we do not believe that our compensation programs are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on us.

RELATED-PARTY TRANSACTIONS, POLICIES, AND PROCEDURES

In addition to the director and executive compensation arrangements discussed above in the sections titled “Proposal 1 — Election of Directors” and “Executive Compensation and Other Information,” we have been a party to the following transactions since January 1, 2018, in which the amount involved exceeded or will exceed $120,000, and in which any director, executive officer, or holder of more than 5% of any class of our voting stock, or any member of the immediate family of or entities affiliated with any of them, had or will have a material interest. We also describe below certain transactions and series of similar transactions since January 1, 2018, with our directors, executive officers, holders of more than 5% of any class of our voting securities, or any member of the immediate family of or any entities affiliated with any of the foregoing persons to which we are party.

Agreements with Our Directors and Executive Officers

For more information regarding employment agreements with certain of our executive officers, see ‘‘Executive Compensation and Other Information- Employment Agreements.’’

We have entered into agreements to indemnify our directors and executive officers. These agreements will, among other things, require us to indemnify these individuals for certain expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines, and settlement amounts reasonably incurred by such person in any action or proceeding, including any action by or in our right, on account of any services undertaken by such person on behalf of our company or that person’s status as a member of our Board to the maximum extent allowed under Delaware law.

Relationship Agreement with TS Aquaculture

On October 29, 2019, Precigen and TS Aquaculture, a company that is managed by Third Security, entered into a stock purchase agreement, pursuant to which TS Aquaculture purchased from Precigen all shares of our Common Stock held by Precigen, and Precigen assigned to TS Aquaculture all of Precigen’s rights and obligations under a Relationship Agreement that Precigen entered into with us in December 2012 (the “Relationship Agreement”). The Relationship Agreement was entered into in connection with the acquisition in October 2012 by Precigen of 47.56% of our outstanding share capital from Linnaeus Capital Partners B.V. and Tethys, our former major stockholders.

The Relationship Agreement set forth certain matters relating to TS Aquaculture’s relationship with us as a major stockholder. Pursuant to the Relationship Agreement, so long as the Relationship Agreement remained in effect and TS Aquaculture and its affiliates together controlled 25% or more of the voting rights exercisable at meetings of our stockholders, we would (a) nominate such number of TS Aquaculture nominees as may be designated by TS Aquaculture for election to our Board at each annual meeting of our stockholders so that TS Aquaculture would have representation on our Board proportional to TS Aquaculture’s percentage shareholding, rounded up to the nearest whole person, and (b) recommend that stockholders vote to elect such TS Aquaculture nominees at the next annual meeting of stockholders occurring after the date of nomination.

The Relationship Agreement and related documents also provided for certain confidentiality obligations between the two parties. The Relationship Agreement would continue in full force and effect until TS Aquaculture and its affiliates ceased to control 10% or more of the voting rights exercisable at meetings of our stockholders. As of November 23, 2021, TS Aquaculture and its affiliates held approximately 7.5% of our outstanding Common Stock, and accordingly, the Relationship Agreement terminated pursuant to its terms.

Letter Agreement with TS Aquaculture

On July 30, 2021, the Company entered into a letter agreement (the “Letter Agreement”) with TS Aquaculture and certain of its affiliates that required us to file a registration statement to register the shares of Common Stock

held by TS Aquaculture and certain of its affiliates and keep it effective for a period of not less than 24 months. The registration statement was filed on August 5, 2021. TS Aquaculture agreed to pay all expenses incurred in connection with such registration statements. We and TS Aquaculture also agreed to modify the terms of the Relationship Agreement between us and TS Aquaculture so as to restrict assignments of the rights of TS Aquaculture thereunder.

The entry into the Letter Agreement constituted a “related party transaction” as defined by Item 404 of Regulation S-K because TS Aquaculture was an affiliate and has appointed three members of our board pursuant to the Relationship Agreement. Pursuant to our policy, the Audit Committee is responsible for the review and approval of any “related party transaction”, as such term is defined in Item 404 of Regulation S-K, after it has reviewed and considered all relevant facts and circumstances, including, but not limited to, whether the transaction is on terms comparable to those that could be obtained in an arm’s length transaction and the extent of the related party’s interest in the transaction. As a result, entry into the Letter Agreement and this transaction was approved by the disinterested members of our Board on July 27, 2021, upon the recommendation of the Audit Committee.

As of December 31, 2021, the registration statement filed pursuant to the Letter Agreement for the Common Stock held by TS Aquaculture and certain of its affiliates remained active.

Policies and Procedures for Review of Related Person Transactions

Our Board has adopted a written policy with respect to related person transactions. This policy governs the review, approval, and ratification of covered related person transactions. The Audit Committee of the Board manages this policy.

For purposes of this policy, a “related person transaction” is a transaction, arrangement, or relationship (or any series of similar transactions, arrangements, or relationships) in which we (or any of our subsidiaries) were, are, or will be a participant, and in which any related person had, has, or will have a direct or indirect interest. For purposes of determining whether a transaction is a related person transaction, the Audit Committee relies upon Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated under the Exchange Act.

A “related person” is defined as:

any person who is, or at any time since the beginning of our last fiscal year was, one of our directors or executive officers or a nominee to become one of our directors;

any person who is known to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of any class of our voting securities;

any immediate family member of any of the foregoing persons, which means any child, stepchild, parent, stepparent, spouse, sibling, mother-in-law,father-in-law,son-in-law,daughter-in-law,brother-in-law, or sister-in-law of the director, executive officer, nominee, or more- than-five-percent beneficial owner and any person (other than a tenant or employee) sharing the household of such director, executive officer, nominee, or more-than-five-percent beneficial owner; or

any firm, corporation, or other entity in which any of the foregoing persons is employed or is a general partner or principal or in a similar position or in which such person has a 10% or greater beneficial ownership interest.

The policy generally provides that we may enter into a related person transaction only if:

the Audit Committee pre-approves such transaction in accordance with the guidelines set forth in the policy;

the transaction is on terms comparable to those that could be obtained in arm’s-length dealings with an unrelated third party, and the Audit Committee (or the chairperson of the Audit Committee) approves or ratifies such transaction in accordance with the guidelines set forth in the policy;

the transaction is approved by the disinterested members of the Board; or

the transaction involves compensation approved by the Compensation Committee of the Board.

If a related person transaction is not pre-approved by the Audit Committee, and our management determines to recommend such related person transaction to the Audit Committee, such transaction must be reviewed by the Audit Committee. After review, the Audit Committee will approve or disapprove such transaction. In addition, the Audit Committee reviews the policy at least annually and recommends amendments to the policy to the Board from time to time.

The policy provides that all related person transactions will be disclosed to the Audit Committee and all material related person transactions will be disclosed to the Board. Additionally, all related person transactions requiring public disclosure will be properly disclosed in our public filings.

The Audit Committee will review all relevant information available to it about the related person transaction. The policy provides that the Audit Committee may approve or ratify the related person transaction only if the Audit Committee determines that, under all of the circumstances, the transaction is in, or is not inconsistent with, our best interests. The policy provides that the Audit Committee may, in its sole discretion, impose such conditions as it deems appropriate on us or the related person in connection with approval of the related person transaction.

AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

The following is the report of the Audit Committee with respect to our audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021, included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for that period.

Composition and Charter. The Audit Committee of our Board currently consists of three independent directors, as that term is defined in Rule 5605(a)(2) of the NASDAQ Marketplace Rules: Ms. St.Clare, who serves as Chair of the Audit Committee, and Mr. Alvarez and Ms. Sharps Meyers. The Audit Committee operates under a written charter adopted by our Board and is available on our corporate website (www.aquabounty.com) under “Investor Relations.” The Board and the Audit Committee review and assess the adequacy of the charter and the Audit Committee performance on an annual basis.

Responsibilities. The Audit Committee assists our Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities by reviewing the financial information that will be provided to our stockholders and others; reviewing our systems of internal control over financial reporting, disclosure controls and procedures, and our financial reporting process that management has established and the Board oversees; and endeavoring to maintain free and open lines of communication among the Audit Committee, our independent registered public accounting firm, and management. The Audit Committee is also responsible for the review of all critical accounting policies and practices to be used by us; the review and approval or disapproval of all proposed transactions or courses of dealings that are required to be disclosed by Item 404 of Regulation S-K that are not otherwise approved by a comparable committee or the entire Board; and establishing procedures for the receipt, retention, and treatment of complaints received by us regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters, and the confidential, anonymous submission by our employees of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters. The Audit Committee also has the authority to secure independent expert advice to the extent the Audit Committee determines it to be appropriate, including retaining independent counsel, accountants, consultants, or others, to assist the Audit Committee in fulfilling its duties and responsibilities.

In light of the Audit Committee’s responsibility for the engagement, evaluation and compensation of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, in 2021, the Audit Committee commenced a competitive and thorough process to select an independent auditor for the year ending December 31, 2021. The process included meetings with and proposals from three globally recognized audit firms, with the final decision, after considering expertise, quality, and reputation, to appoint Deloitte & Touche LLP (“Deloitte”) to serve as the Company’s independent auditor.

It is not the duty of the Audit Committee to plan or conduct audits or to prepare our consolidated financial statements. Management is responsible for preparing our consolidated financial statements and has the primary responsibility for assuring their accuracy and completeness, and the independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for auditing those consolidated financial statements and expressing its opinion as to their presenting fairly in accordance with GAAP our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. However, the Audit Committee does consult with management and our independent registered public accounting firm prior to the presentation of consolidated financial statements to stockholders and, as appropriate, initiates inquiries into various aspects of our financial affairs. In addition, the Audit Committee is responsible for the oversight of the independent registered public accounting firm; considering and approving the appointment of and approving all engagements of, and fee arrangements with, our independent registered public accounting firm; and the evaluation of the independence of our independent registered public accounting firm.

In the absence of their possession of information that would give them a reason to believe that such reliance is unwarranted, the members of the Audit Committee rely without independent verification on the information provided to them, and on the representations made, by our management and our independent registered public accounting firm. Accordingly, the Audit Committee’s oversight does not provide an independent basis to determine that management has maintained appropriate accounting and financial reporting principles or

appropriate internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures designed to assure compliance with accounting standards and applicable laws and regulations. The Audit Committee’s authority and oversight responsibilities do not independently assure that the audits of our consolidated financial statements are conducted in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States, or that our consolidated financial statements are presented in accordance with GAAP.

Review with Management and Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. The Audit Committee has reviewed and discussed the quality, not just the acceptability, of our accounting principles; the reasonableness of significant judgments; and the clarity of disclosures in the financial statements with our management and our independent registered public accounting firm, Deloitte. In addition, the Audit Committee has consulted with management and Deloitte prior to the presentation of our consolidated financial statements to stockholders. The Audit Committee has discussed with Deloitte the matters required to be discussed by PCAOB Auditing Standard No. 1301, Communications with Audit Committees. The Audit Committee has received the written disclosures and the letter from Deloitte required by applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding the independent accountant’s communications with the Audit Committee concerning independence and has discussed with Deloitte its independence from us, including whether its provision of non-audit services has compromised such independence.

Conclusion and Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. Based on the reviews and discussions referred to above in this report, the Audit Committee recommended to our Board that the audited consolidated financial statements be included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, for filing with the SEC.

Submitted by the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors:

Christine St.Clare (Chair)

Ricardo Alvarez

Gail Sharps Meyers

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in any of our previous or future filings under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Exchange Act that might incorporate this proxy statement or future filings made by us under those statutes, the Audit Committee report and reference to the independence of the Audit Committee members are not deemed filed with the SEC and shall not be deemed incorporated by reference into any of those prior filings or into any future filings made by us under those statutes.

ANNUAL REPORT; AVAILABLE INFORMATION

A copy of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on March 10, 2022, is available over the internet on our corporate website (www.aquabounty.com). The Annual Report on Form 10-K is not incorporated into this proxy statement and is not considered proxy solicitation material.

Stockholders may request a paper or email copy of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, free of charge, by following the instructions in the proxy materials. All reports and documents we file with the SEC are also available, free of charge, on our corporate website (www.aquabounty.com) under “Investor Relations.”recommends.

 

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF AQUABOUNTY TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

 

/s/ Sylvia Wulf

Sylvia Wulf

 President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director

Maynard, Massachusetts

April [14][•], 2022

Appendix A

CERTIFICATERESOLUTIONS OF AMENDMENT

TO THE

THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED CERTIFICATEBOARD OF INCORPORATION

DIRECTORS (the “Board”) OF

AQUABOUNTY TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

(a Delaware corporation, the “Corporation”)

August 3, 2022

AquaBounty Technologies, Inc.WHEREAS, the Board previously approved the amendment of the Third Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”), from 80,000,000 to 150,000,000 (the “Amendment”) and the Corporation sought stockholder approval of such amendment at the Corporation’s 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders”).

WHEREAS, the inspector of elections for the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders determined that the proposal to approve the Amendment was adopted by the requisite vote of stockholders and certified that the proposal had passed.

WHEREAS, the Corporation, after determining that it had received the requisite stockholder vote to adopt the Amendment, effected the Amendment by filing a corporation organizedCertificate of Amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation (the “Certificate of Amendment”) with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware (the “Secretary of State”) on May 27, 2022.

WHEREAS, the validity of the Amendment and existing underthe effectiveness of the Certificate of Amendment upon its filing with the Secretary of State on May 27, 2022 has been challenged in a stockholder demand letter, dated June 24, 2022, alleging that disclosures in the Proxy Statement for the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders regarding the authority of brokers and/or other nominees to cast votes on the Amendment without specific instructions from the beneficial holders of such stock were inconsistent with how such votes were tabulated and by virtuecounted, as the Proxy Statement for the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders identified the Amendment as “non-routine.”

WHEREAS, Section 204 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “Corporation”DGCL) does hereby certify:

FIRST: That, atprovides that no “defective corporate act” or “putative stock” shall be void or voidable solely as a meetingresult of a “failure of authorization” (as such terms are defined in subsection (h) of Section 204) if ratified as provided in Section 204 of the DGCL.

WHEREAS, Section 205 of the DGCL provides that no action asserting that a defective corporate act or putative stock ratified under Section 204 of the DGCL is void or voidable due to a failure of authorization identified in a resolution adopted in accordance with Section 204(b) of the DGCL, or that the Delaware Court of Chancery should declare in its discretion that the ratification thereof in accordance with Section 204 of the DGCL not be effective or be effective only on certain conditions, may be brought after 120 days from the later of the validation effective time and the time required to give notice of such ratification to a corporation’s stockholders pursuant to Section 204(g) of the DGCL.

WHEREAS, although the Board believes it was and is appropriate to include the affirmative votes cast by brokers and/or other nominees pursuant to their discretionary authority in the tabulation of Directorsvotes in favor of the Amendment, and thus the Amendment was properly approved by the requisite stockholders of the Corporation, on March 1, 2022, a resolution was duly adopted setting forth a proposed amendmentto avoid potential future litigation risk and to eliminate any uncertainty as to the Third AmendedAmendment and Restated Certificatethe validity of Incorporationshares of Common Stock that in the future may be issued by virtue of the Amendment, the Board has determined that it is advisable and in the best interests of the Corporation as amended,and its stockholders to adopt the following resolutions in order to ratify the form set forth below (the “Amendment”)Potentially Defective Corporate Acts (as defined below) pursuant to Section 204 of the DGCL.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, declaringthat the Amendmentarguably defective corporate acts to be advisable and calling for considerationratified are the approval of said proposedthe Amendment by the stockholders of the Corporation.Corporation, the filing of the Certificate of Amendment with the Secretary of State and the effectiveness of the Certificate of Amendment following such filing (the “Potentially Defective Corporate Acts”).

RESOLVED, FURTHER, that having determinedthe date of the Potentially Defective Corporate Acts is May 27, 2022.

RESOLVED, FURTHER, that an increasethe nature of the potential failure of authorization in respect of the Potentially Defective Corporate Acts is that the disclosure set forth in the Corporation’s authorizedProxy Statement for the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders may not have accurately described (i) whether brokers and/or other nominees had discretionary authority to vote on the proposal that stockholders adopt the Amendment, in the absence of specific instructions from the beneficial owners of the shares of Common Stock at issue, and (ii) the effect of a failure by a beneficial owner of Common Stock to 200,000,000 shares is inprovide voting instructions to such beneficial owner’s broker and/or other nominee, such that the best interestapproval of the Amendment by the stockholders of the Corporation and itsthe filing and effectiveness of the Certificate of Amendment may not have been authorized and effected in manner consistent with the disclosures set forth in the Proxy Statement for the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and with Section 242 of the DGCL.

RESOLVED, FURTHER, that the Board hereby approves, adopts and authorizes, in all respects, the ratification of the Potentially Defective Corporate Acts.

RESOLVED, FURTHER, that the Board directs that the ratification of the Potentially Defective Corporate Acts be submitted to a vote of stockholders subjectat a special meeting of stockholders (the “Special Meeting”) to be held on October 12, 2022 (or at such other date or dates and time to which such meeting may be properly adjourned) for such purpose, which meeting will be held solely virtually by the considerationmeans of remote communication set forth in the Corporation’s Proxy Statement for the Special Meeting, and the Board hereby recommends that stockholders vote in favor of such ratification and any proposal to approve an adjournment of the Special Meeting, if necessary, to solicit additional proxies if there are not sufficient votes in favor of such ratification.

RESOLVED, FURTHER, that, following the approval of the Corporation’s stockholders, Article 4ratification of the Third Amended and Restated Certificate of IncorporationPotentially Defective Corporate Acts by the stockholders of the Corporation, as amended,the officers of the Corporation (the “Authorized Officers”) be, and iteach of them hereby is, amended to replace subsection (a) thereof in its entirety with the following:

4. (a) The Corporation is, authorized to issue two classesexecute a certificate of stockvalidation in respect of the Potentially Defective Corporate Acts, with such certificate of validation to be designated Commonin such form and filed at such time as any Authorized Officer may deem advisable (the advisability of which shall be conclusively evidenced by the execution and filing of such certificate of validation).

RESOLVED, FURTHER, that the record date for determining the Corporation’s stockholders that are entitled to notice of and to vote at the Special Meeting, or any adjournment thereof, shall be the close of business on August 24, 2022 (the “Record Date”) (unless the Board subsequently fixes a later record date for such purpose), and the Authorized Officers be, and hereby are, authorized and directed to notify the transfer agent for the Corporation’s capital stock and the Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”) of the Record Date.

RESOLVED, FURTHER, that each Authorized Officer be, and Preferred Stock. The Corporationeach of them hereby is, authorized, empowered and directed to (i) implement reasonable measures to verify that each person deemed present and permitted to vote at Special Meeting by means of remote communication is a stockholder or proxyholder, (ii) implement reasonable measures to provide such stockholders and proxyholders a reasonable opportunity to participate in the Special Meeting and to vote on matters submitted to the stockholders, including an opportunity to read or hear the proceedings of the Special Meeting substantially concurrently with such proceedings, and (iii) implement such other guidelines and procedures as any such Authorized Officer shall determine to be necessary or appropriate to hold the Special Meeting solely by means of remote communication, such implementation to be conclusive evidence of such determination.

RESOLVED, FURTHER, that the Authorized Officers be, and each of them hereby is, authorized to issue 200,000,000 sharesnotify and instruct Computershare Trust Company, N.A., as transfer agent for the Corporation, or Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. to commence the inquiry required by Rule 14a-13(a)(i) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of Common Stock,1934, as amended, in connection with the Special Meeting and that any such action taken prior to the date hereof be, and hereby is, ratified and confirmed and approved in all respects.

RESOLVED, FURTHER, that the Authorized Officers be, and each of them hereby is, authorized and directed, on behalf of the Corporation, to cause a par value of $0.001 per share, and 5,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock, with a par value of $0.01 per share.”

SECOND: That thereafter, pursuant to resolution of its Board of Directors, a special meetinglist of the stockholders of the Corporation as of the close of business on the Record Date to be prepared and made available as and to the extent required under Delaware law.

RESOLVED, FURTHER, that the Authorized Officers be, and each of them hereby is, directed to give notice of such means of remote communication, date, time, and the purpose of the Special Meeting, together with any other statements or notices required therein under Section 204 of the DGCL, not less than twenty (20) nor more than sixty (60) days prior to the date of the Special Meeting, to each stockholder of record of valid or putative stock as of the Record Date and, except for any holders whose identities or addresses cannot be determined from the records of the Corporation, to each stockholder of record of valid or putative stock as of the record date for the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

RESOLVED, FURTHER, that a representative from Computershare Trust Company, N.A., or designated affiliate thereof, be, and hereby is, appointed as the inspector of election for the Special Meeting and any continuation, adjournment or postponement thereof, with full power of substitution, to (i) ascertain the number of shares outstanding and the voting power of each; (ii) determine the shares represented at the Special Meeting; (iii) count all votes and ballots; (iv) determine and retain for a reasonable period a record of the disposition of any challenges made to any determination by the inspectors; (v) certify the determination of the number of shares represented at the Special Meeting and the count of all votes and ballots; and (vi) to take all such other actions consistent with the appointment to such position.

RESOLVED FURTHER, that Richard J. Clothier (or, in the absence of or at the direction of Richard J. Clothier, Sylvia Wulf or David Frank is hereby appointed to serve as the presiding officer of the Special Meeting and any continuation, adjournment or postponement thereof.

RESOLVED, FURTHER, that the Authorized Officers be, and each of them hereby is, authorized to prepare or cause to be prepared the preliminary and definitive Proxy Statements, a Proxy Card, a Notice of the Special Meeting and such other documents as the Authorized Officers, or any of them acting singly, shall deem necessary or appropriate (the “Proxy Materials”), with the approval and authorization thereof to be conclusively evidenced by the execution, distribution to stockholders or filing of such Proxy Materials.

RESOLVED, FURTHER, that the Authorized Officers be, and each of them hereby is, authorized and directed to file the Proxy Materials with the Securities and Exchange Commission and Nasdaq and to cause the Proxy Materials to be provided to all stockholders of the Corporation as of the Record Date or otherwise entitled to notice under Delaware law, in the manner required by the federal securities laws and Delaware law, together with any and all amendments and supplements thereto which any such Authorized Officers shall determine to be necessary or advisable, with the approval and authorization thereof to be conclusively evidenced by the execution, distribution to stockholders or filing of such amendments or supplements.

RESOLVED, FURTHER, that the Authorized Officers be, and each of them hereby is, authorized to adopt such rules of procedure for the Special Meeting as deemed necessary or advisable in order to maintain proper decorum at the Special Meeting.

RESOLVED, FURTHER, that Sylvia Wulf, David A. Frank and Angela M. Olsen, or any one of them acting in the absence of other, with full power of substitution and re-substitution, be, and each of them hereby is, appointed to act as proxy for the proxies solicited by the Board for the Special Meeting and any continuation, adjournment or postponement thereof.

RESOLVED, FURTHER, that the Board hereby authorizes the Authorized Officers to retain a proxy solicitor and pay any fees in connection therewith, if determined appropriate in any such Authorized Officer’s or Officers’ sole discretion, to assist such Authorized Officers in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the Special Meeting.

RESOLVED, FURTHER, that at any time prior to the validation effective time in respect of any Potentially Defective Corporate Act, notwithstanding approval of the ratification of the Potentially Defective Corporate Acts by the stockholders of the Corporation, the Board may abandon the ratification of any such Potentially Defective Corporate Acts without further action of the stockholders of the Corporation.

RESOLVED, FURTHER, that the Authorized Officers be, and each of them hereby is, authorized and empowered to take any and all such further action, to execute, deliver and file any and all such further agreements, instruments, documents, certificates and communications and to pay such expenses, in the name and on behalf of the Corporation, as such Authorized Officer may deem necessary or advisable to effectuate the purposes and intent of the resolutions hereby adopted, the taking of such actions, the execution, delivery, and filing of such agreements, instruments, documents, certificates or communications and the payment of such expenses by any such Authorized Officer to be conclusive evidence of his or her authorization hereunder and the necessity, advisability, and approval thereof.

RESOLVED, FURTHER, that all actions heretofore taken by any director, officer, or agent of the Corporation, for and on behalf of the Corporation, with respect to any of the matters referenced in the foregoing resolutions are hereby ratified, approved, and confirmed in all respects.

Appendix B

§ 204. RATIFICATION OF DEFECTIVE CORPORATE ACTS AND STOCK.

(a)Subject to subsection (f) of this section, no defective corporate act or putative stock shall be void or voidable solely as a result of a failure of authorization if ratified as provided in this section or validated by the Court of Chancery in a proceeding brought under § 205 of this title.

(b)(1)In order to ratify 1 or more defective corporate acts pursuant to this section (other than the ratification of an election of the initial board of directors pursuant to paragraph (b)(2) of this section), the board of directors of the corporation shall adopt resolutions stating:

(A)The defective corporate act or acts to be ratified;

(B)The date of each defective corporate act or acts;

(C)If such defective corporate act or acts involved the issuance of shares of putative stock, the number and type of shares of putative stock issued and the date or dates upon which such putative shares were purported to have been issued;

(D)The nature of the failure of authorization in respect of each defective corporate act to be ratified; and

(E)That the board of directors approves the ratification of the defective corporate act or acts.

Such resolutions may also provide that, at any time before the validation effective time in respect of any defective corporate act set forth therein, notwithstanding the approval of the ratification of such defective corporate act by stockholders, the board of directors may abandon the ratification of such defective corporate act without further action of the stockholders. The quorum and voting requirements applicable to the ratification by the board of directors of any defective corporate act shall be the quorum and voting requirements applicable to the type of defective corporate act proposed to be ratified at the time the board adopts the resolutions ratifying the defective corporate act; provided that if the certificate of incorporation or bylaws of the corporation, any plan or agreement to which the corporation was duly calleda party or any provision of this title, in each case as in effect as of the time of the defective corporate act, would have required a larger number or portion of directors or of specified directors for a quorum to be present or to approve the defective corporate act, such larger number or portion of such directors or such specified directors shall be required for a quorum to be present or to adopt the resolutions to ratify the defective corporate act, as applicable, except that the presence or approval of any director elected, appointed or nominated by holders of any class or series of which no shares are then outstanding, or by any person that is no longer a stockholder, shall not be required.

(2)In order to ratify a defective corporate act in respect of the election of the initial board of directors of the corporation pursuant to § 108 of this title, a majority of the persons who, at the time the resolutions required by this paragraph (b)(2) of this section are adopted, are exercising the powers of directors under claim and held uponcolor of an election or appointment as such may adopt resolutions stating:

(A)The name of the person or persons who first took action in the name of the corporation as the initial board of directors of the corporation;

(B)The earlier of the date on which such persons first took such action or were purported to have been elected as the initial board of directors; and

(C) That the ratification of the election of such person or persons as the initial board of directors is approved.

(c)Each defective corporate act ratified pursuant to paragraph (b)(1) of this section shall be submitted to stockholders for approval as provided in subsection (d) of this section, unless:

(1) (A) No other provision of this title, and no provision of the certificate of incorporation or bylaws of the corporation, or of any plan or agreement to which the corporation is a party, would have required stockholder approval of such defective corporate act to be ratified, either at the time of such defective corporate act or at the time the board of directors adopts the resolutions ratifying such defective corporate act pursuant to paragraph (b)(1) of this section; and 1 (B) such defective corporate act did not result from a failure to comply with §203 of this title 2 ; or

(2)As of the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to vote on the ratification of such defective corporate act, there are no shares of valid stock outstanding and entitled to vote thereon, regardless of whether there then exist any shares of putative stock.

(d)If the ratification of a defective corporate act is required to be submitted to stockholders for approval pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, due notice of the time, place, if any, and purpose of the meeting shall be given at least 20 days before the date of the meeting to each holder of valid stock and putative stock, whether voting or nonvoting, at the address of such holder as it appears or most recently appeared, as appropriate, on the records of the corporation. The notice shall also be given to the holders of record of valid stock and putative stock, whether voting or nonvoting, as of the time of the defective corporate act (or, in the case of any defective corporate act that involved the establishment of a record date for notice of or voting at any meeting of stockholders, for action by written consent of stockholders in lieu of a meeting, or for any other purpose, the record date for notice of or voting at such meeting, the record date for action by written consent, or the record date for such other action, as the case may be), other than holders whose identities or addresses cannot be determined from the records of the corporation. The notice shall contain a copy of the resolutions adopted by the board of directors pursuant to paragraph (b)(1) of this section or the information required by paragraphs (b)(1)(A) through (E) of this section and a statement that any claim that the defective corporate act or putative stock ratified hereunder is void or voidable due to the failure of authorization, or that the Court of Chancery should declare in its discretion that a ratification in accordance with Section 222this section not be effective or be effective only on certain conditions must be brought within 120 days from the applicable validation effective time. At such meeting, the quorum and voting requirements applicable to ratification of such defective corporate act shall be the quorum and voting requirements applicable to the type of defective corporate act proposed to be ratified at the time of the General Corporation Lawapproval of the Stateratification, except that:

(1)If the certificate of Delawareincorporation or bylaws of the corporation, any plan or agreement to which the corporation was a party or any provision of this title in effect as of the time of the defective corporate act would have required a larger number or portion of stock or of any class or series thereof or of specified stockholders for a quorum to be present or to approve the defective corporate act, the presence or approval of such larger number or portion of stock or of such class or series thereof or of such specified stockholders shall be required for a quorum to be present or to approve the ratification of the defective corporate act, as applicable, except that the presence or approval of shares of any class or series of which no shares are then outstanding, or of any person that is no longer a stockholder, shall not be required;

(2)The approval by stockholders of the ratification of the election of a director shall require the affirmative vote of the majority of shares present at the meeting and entitled to vote on [May 17, 2022],the election of such director, except that if the certificate of incorporation or bylaws of the corporation then in effect or in effect at the time of the defective election require or required a larger number or portion of stock or of any class or series thereof or of specified stockholders to elect such director, the affirmative vote of such larger number or portion of stock or of any class or series thereof or of such specified stockholders shall be required to ratify the election of such director, except that the presence or approval of shares of any class or series of which meetingno shares are then outstanding, or of any person that is no longer a stockholder, shall not be required; and

(3)In the necessaryevent of a failure of authorization resulting from failure to comply with the provisions of §203 of this title, the ratification of the defective corporate act shall require the vote set forth in §203(a)(3) of this title, regardless of whether such vote would have otherwise been required.

Shares of putative stock on the record date for determining stockholders entitled to vote on any matter submitted to stockholders pursuant to subsection (c) of this section (and without giving effect to any ratification that becomes effective after such record date) shall neither be entitled to vote nor counted for quorum purposes in any vote to ratify any defective corporate act.

(e)If a defective corporate act ratified pursuant to this section would have required under any other section of this title the filing of a certificate in accordance with §103 of this title, then, whether or not a certificate was previously filed in respect of such defective corporate act and in lieu of filing the certificate otherwise required by this title, the corporation shall file a certificate of validation with respect to such defective corporate act in accordance with §103 of this title. A separate certificate of validation shall be required for each defective corporate act requiring the filing of a certificate of validation under this section, except that (i) 2 or more defective corporate acts may be included in a single certificate of validation if the corporation filed, or to comply with this title would have filed, a single certificate under another provision of this title to effect such acts, and (ii) 2 or more overissues of shares of any class, classes or series of stock may be included in a single certificate of validation, provided that the increase in the number of authorized shares of each such class or series set forth in the certificate of validation shall be effective as of the date of the first such overissue. The certificate of validation shall set forth:

(1)Each defective corporate act that is the subject of the certificate of validation (including, in the case of any defective corporate act involving the issuance of shares of putative stock, the number and type of shares of putative stock issued and the date or dates upon which such putative shares were purported to have been issued), the date of such defective corporate act, and the nature of the failure of authorization in respect of such defective corporate act;

(2)A statement that such defective corporate act was ratified in accordance with this section, including the date on which the board of directors ratified such defective corporate act and the date, if any, on which the stockholders approved the ratification of such defective corporate act; and

(3)Information required by statute were voted in favor1 of the Amendment.following paragraphs:

THIRD: Thata. If a certificate was previously filed under §103 of this title in respect of such defective corporate act and no changes to such certificate are required to give effect to such defective corporate act in accordance with this section, the Amendmentcertificate of validation shall set forth (x) the name, title and filing date of the certificate previously filed and of any certificate of correction thereto and (y) a statement that a copy of the certificate previously filed, together with any certificate of correction thereto, is attached as an exhibit to the certificate of validation;

b. If a certificate was dulypreviously filed under §103 of this title in respect of the defective corporate act and such certificate requires any change to give effect to the defective corporate act in accordance with this section (including a change to the date and time of the effectiveness of such certificate), the certificate of validation shall set forth (x) the name, title and filing date of the certificate so previously filed and of any certificate of correction thereto, (y) a statement that a certificate containing all of the information required to be included under the applicable section or sections of this title to give effect to the defective corporate act is attached as an exhibit to the certificate of validation, and (z) the date and time that such certificate shall be deemed to have become effective pursuant to this section; or

c. If a certificate was not previously filed under §103 of this title in respect of the defective corporate act and the defective corporate act ratified pursuant to this section would have required under any other section of this title the filing of a certificate in accordance with §103 of this title, the certificate of validation shall set forth (x) a statement that a certificate containing all of the information required to be included under the applicable section or sections of this title to give effect to the defective corporate act is attached as an exhibit to the certificate of validation, and (y) the date and time that such certificate shall be deemed to have become effective pursuant to this section.

A certificate attached to a certificate of validation pursuant to paragraph (e)(3)b. or c. of this section need not be separately executed and acknowledged and need not include any statement required by any other section of this title that such instrument has been approved and adopted in accordance with the provisions of Section 242such other section.

(f)From and after the validation effective time, unless otherwise determined in an action brought pursuant to §205 of this title:

(1) Subject to the last sentence of subsection (d) of this section, each defective corporate act ratified in accordance with this section shall no longer be deemed void or voidable as a result of the General Corporation Lawfailure of authorization described in the resolutions adopted pursuant to subsection (b) of this section and such effect shall be retroactive to the time of the State of Delaware.defective corporate act; and

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Corporation has caused this Certificate of Amendment(2) Subject to the Third Amendedlast sentence of subsection (d) of this section, each share or fraction of a share of putative stock issued or purportedly issued pursuant to any such defective corporate act shall no longer be deemed void or voidable and Restated Certificateshall be deemed to be an identical share or fraction of Incorporationa share of outstanding stock as of the Corporationtime it was purportedly issued.

(g) In respect of each defective corporate act ratified by the board of directors pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, prompt notice of the ratification shall be given to all holders of valid stock and putative stock, whether voting or nonvoting, as of the date the board of directors adopts the resolutions approving such defective corporate act, or as of a date within 60 days after such date of adoption, as established by the board of directors, at the address of such holder as it appears or most recently appeared, as appropriate, on the records of the corporation. The notice shall also be given to the holders of record of valid stock and putative stock, whether voting or nonvoting, as of the time of the defective corporate act, other than holders whose identities or addresses cannot be determined from the records of the corporation. The notice shall contain a copy of the resolutions adopted pursuant to subsection (b) of this section or the information specified in paragraphs (b)(1)(A) through (E) or paragraphs (b)(2)(A) through (C) of this section, as applicable, and a statement that any claim that the defective corporate act or putative stock ratified hereunder is void or voidable due to the failure of authorization, or that the Court of Chancery should declare in its discretion that a ratification in accordance with this section not be effective or be effective only on certain conditions must be brought within 120 days from the later of the validation effective time or the time at which the notice required by this subsection is given. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (i) no such notice shall be required if notice of the ratification of the defective corporate act is to be signedgiven in accordance with subsection (d) of this daysection, and (ii) in the case of , 2022.a corporation that has a class of stock listed on a national securities exchange, the notice required by this subsection and the second sentence of subsection (d) of this section may be deemed given if disclosed in a document publicly filed by the corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to §13, § 14 or § 15(d) (15 U.S.C. § 78m, § 77n or § 78o(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, or the corresponding provisions of any subsequent United States federal

AquaBounty Technologies, Inc.
BY:
Authorized Officer

Title: President and Chief Executive Officer

Name: Sylvia Wulf

LOGOsecurities laws, rules or regulations. If any defective corporate act has been approved by stockholders acting pursuant to §228 of this title, the notice required by this subsection may be included in any notice required to be given pursuant to §228(e) of this title and, if so given, shall be sent to the stockholders entitled thereto under §228(e) and to all holders of valid and putative stock to whom notice would be required under this subsection if the defective corporate act had been approved at a meeting other than any stockholder who approved the action by consent in lieu of a meeting pursuant to §228 of this title or any holder of putative stock who otherwise consented thereto in writing. Solely for purposes of subsection (d) of this section and this subsection, notice to holders of putative stock, and notice to holders of valid stock and putative stock as of the time of the defective corporate act, shall be treated as notice to holders of valid stock for purposes of §§222 and 228, 229, 230, 232 and 233 of this title.

(h)As used in this section and in §205 of this title only, the term:

(1)”Defective corporate act” means an overissue, an election or appointment of directors that is void or voidable due to a failure of authorization, or any act or transaction purportedly taken by or on behalf of the corporation that is, and at the time such act or transaction was purportedly taken would have been, within the power of a corporation under subchapter II of this chapter (without regard to the failure of authorization identified in § 204(b)(1)(D) of this title), but is void or voidable due to a failure of authorization;

(2)”Failure of authorization” means: (i) the failure to authorize or effect an act or transaction in compliance with (A) the provisions of this title, (B) the certificate of incorporation or bylaws of the corporation, or (C) any plan or agreement to which the corporation is a party or the disclosure set forth in any proxy or consent solicitation statement, if and to the extent such failure would render such act or transaction void or voidable; or (ii) the failure of the board of directors or any officer of the corporation to authorize or approve any act or transaction taken by or on behalf of the corporation that would have required for its due authorization the approval of the board of directors or such officer;

(3)”Overissue” means the purported issuance of:

a. Shares of capital stock of a class or series in excess of the number of shares of such class or series the corporation has the power to issue under § 161 of this title at the time of such issuance; or

b. Shares of any class or series of capital stock that is not then authorized for issuance by the certificate of incorporation of the corporation;

(4)”Putative stock” means the shares of any class or series of capital stock of the corporation (including shares issued upon exercise of options, rights, warrants or other securities convertible into shares of capital stock of the corporation, or interests with respect thereto that were created or issued pursuant to a defective corporate act) that:

a. But for any failure of authorization, would constitute valid stock; or

b. Cannot be determined by the board of directors to be valid stock;

(5)”Time of the defective corporate act” means the date and time the defective corporate act was purported to have been taken;

(6)”Validation effective time” with respect to any defective corporate act ratified pursuant to this section means the latest of:

a. The time at which the defective corporate act submitted to the stockholders for approval pursuant to subsection (c) of this section is approved by such stockholders or if no such vote of stockholders is required to approve the ratification of the defective corporate act, the time at which the board of directors adopts the resolutions required by paragraph (b)(1) or (b)(2) of this section;

b. Where no certificate of validation is required to be filed pursuant to subsection (e) of this section, the time, if any, specified by the board of directors in the resolutions adopted pursuant to paragraph (b)(1) or (b)(2) of this section, which time shall not precede the time at which such resolutions are adopted; and

c. The time at which any certificate of validation filed pursuant to subsection (e) of this section shall become effective in accordance with §103 of this title.

(7)”Valid stock” means the shares of any class or series of capital stock of the corporation that have been duly authorized and validly issued in accordance with this title.

In the absence of actual fraud in the transaction, the judgment of the board of directors that shares of stock are valid stock or putative stock shall be conclusive, unless otherwise determined by the Court of Chancery in a proceeding brought pursuant to §205 of this title.

(i)Ratification under this section or validation under §205 of this title shall not be deemed to be the exclusive means of ratifying or validating any act or transaction taken by or on behalf of the corporation, including any defective corporate act, or any issuance of stock, including any putative stock, or of adopting or endorsing any act or transaction taken by or in the name of the corporation prior to the commencement of its existence, and the absence or failure of ratification in accordance with either this section or validation under §205 of this title shall not, of itself, affect the validity or effectiveness of any act or transaction or the issuance of any stock properly ratified under common law or otherwise, nor shall it create a presumption that any such act or transaction is or was a defective corporate act or that such stock is void or voidable.

§ 205. PROCEEDINGS REGARDING VALIDITY OF DEFECTIVE CORPORATE ACTS AND STOCK.

(a) Subject to subsection (f) of this section, upon application by the corporation, any successor entity to the corporation, any member of the board of directors, any record or beneficial holder of valid stock or putative stock, any record or beneficial holder of valid or putative stock as of the time of a defective corporate act ratified pursuant to §204 of this title, or any other person claiming to be substantially and adversely affected by a ratification pursuant to §204 of this title, the Court of Chancery may:

(1) Determine the validity and effectiveness of any defective corporate act ratified pursuant to §204 of this title;

(2) Determine the validity and effectiveness of the ratification of any defective corporate act pursuant to §204 of this title;

(3) Determine the validity and effectiveness of any defective corporate act not ratified or not ratified effectively pursuant to §204 of this title;

(4) Determine the validity of any corporate act or transaction and any stock, rights or options to acquire stock; and

(5) Modify or waive any of the procedures set forth in §204 of this title to ratify a defective corporate act.

(b) In connection with an action under this section, the Court of Chancery may:

(1)

Declare that a ratification in accordance with and pursuant to §204 of this title is not effective or shall only be effective at a time or upon conditions established by the Court;

(2)

Validate and declare effective any defective corporate act or putative stock and impose conditions upon such validation by the Court;

(3)

Require measures to remedy or avoid harm to any person substantially and adversely affected by a ratification pursuant to §204 of this title or from any order of the Court pursuant to this section, excluding any harm that would have resulted if the defective corporate act had been valid when approved or effectuated;

(4)

Order the Secretary of State to accept an instrument for filing with an effective time specified by the Court, which effective time may be prior or subsequent to the time of such order, provided that the filing date of such instrument shall be determined in accordance with §103(c)(3) of this title;

(5)

Approve a stock ledger for the corporation that includes any stock ratified or validated in accordance with this section or with §204 of this title;

(6)

Declare that shares of putative stock are shares of valid stock or require a corporation to issue and deliver shares of valid stock in place of any shares of putative stock;

(7)

Order that a meeting of holders of valid stock or putative stock be held and exercise the powers provided to the Court under §227 of this title with respect to such a meeting;

(8)

Declare that a defective corporate act validated by the Court shall be effective as of the time of the defective corporate act or at such other time as the Court shall determine;

(9)

Declare that putative stock validated by the Court shall be deemed to be an identical share or fraction of a share of valid stock as of the time originally issued or purportedly issued or at such other time as the Court shall determine; and

(10)

Make such other orders regarding such matters as it deems proper under the circumstances.

(c) Service of the application under subsection (a) of this section upon the registered agent of the corporation shall be deemed to be service upon the corporation, and no other party need be joined in order for the Court of Chancery to adjudicate the matter. In an action filed by the corporation, the Court may require notice of the action be provided to other persons specified by the Court and permit such other persons to intervene in the action

(d) In connection with the resolution of matters pursuant to subsections (a) and (b) of this section, the Court of Chancery may consider the following:

(1)

Whether the defective corporate act was originally approved or effectuated with the belief that the approval or effectuation was in compliance with the provisions of this title, the certificate of incorporation or bylaws of the corporation;

(2)

Whether the corporation and board of directors has treated the defective corporate act as a valid act or transaction and whether any person has acted in reliance on the public record that such defective corporate act was valid;

(3)

Whether any person will be or was harmed by the ratification or validation of the defective corporate act, excluding any harm that would have resulted if the defective corporate act had been valid when approved or effectuated;

(4)

Whether any person will be harmed by the failure to ratify or validate the defective corporate act; and

(5)

Any other factors or considerations the Court deems just and equitable.

(e) The Court of Chancery is hereby vested with exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine all actions brought under this section.

(f) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, no action asserting:

(1)

That a defective corporate act or putative stock ratified in accordance with §204 of this title is void or voidable due to a failure of authorization identified in the resolution adopted in accordance with 204(b) of this title; or

(2)

That the Court of Chancery should declare in its discretion that a ratification in accordance with §204 of this title not be effective or be effective only on certain conditions, may be brought after the expiration of 120 days from the later of the validation effective time and the time notice, if any, that is required to be given pursuant to §204(g) of this title is given with respect to such ratification, except that this subsection shall not apply to an action asserting that a ratification was not accomplished in accordance with §204 of this title or to any person to whom notice of the ratification was required to have been given pursuant to §204(d) or (g) of this title, but to whom such notice was not given.

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AquaBounty Vote 000004 ENDORSEMENT_LINE______________ SACKPACK_____________ MR A SAMPLE
DESIGNATION (IF ANY) ADD 1 ADD 2 ADD 3 ADD 4 ADD 5 ADD 6 C123456789 000000000.000000     ext 000000000.000000 ext 000000000.000000     ext 000000000.000000 ext 000000000.000000     ext 000000000.000000 ext Your vote matters – here’s how to vote! You may vote online or by phone instead of mailing this card. Online Go to www.envisionreports.com/AQB or scan the QR code — login details are located in the shaded bar below. Phone Call toll free 1-800-652-VOTE (8683) within the USA, US territories and Canada Save paper, time and money! Sign up for electronic delivery at www.envisionreports.com/AQB Using a black ink pen, mark your votes with an X as shown in this example. Please do not write outside the designated areas. AnnualSpecial Meeting Proxy Card 1234 5678 9012 345 qIFIF VOTING BY MAIL, SIGN, DETACH AND RETURN THE BOTTOM PORTION IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE. q A     Proposals — The Board of Directors recommendrecommends a vote FOR all the nominees listed and FOR Proposals 2 and 3.each proposal. For Against Abstain 1. To elect eight directors to serve on our Boardapprove the ratification of Directors for a one-year term of office until the next annual meeting of stockholders, with each director to hold office until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified or until his or her earlier resignation or removal. + For Withhold For Withhold For Withhold 01—Richard J. Clothier 02—Ricardo J. Alvarez 03—Erin Sharp 04—Gail Sharps Meyers 05—Christine St.Clare 06—Rick Sterling 07—Michael Stern 08—Sylvia A. Wulf For Against Abstainincrease in authorized shares For Against Abstain 2. To ratify the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as our 3. To approve an amendment to our charter to increaseadjournment of the independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal number of shares of authorized common stock from year ending December 31, 2022. 80,000,000 to 200,000,000.Special Meeting (if necessary) B Authorized Signatures — This section must be completed for your vote to count. Please date and sign below. Please sign exactly as name(s) appears hereon. Joint owners should each sign. When signing as attorney, executor, administrator, corporate officer, trustee, guardian, or custodian, please give full title. Date (mm/dd/yyyy) — Please print date below. Signature 1 �� Please keep signature within the box. Signature 2 — Please keep signature within the box. C 1234567890                J N T MR A SAMPLE (THIS AREA IS SET UP TO ACCOMMODATE 140 CHARACTERS) MR A SAMPLE AND MR A SAMPLE AND MR A SAMPLE AND MR A SAMPLE AND MR A SAMPLE AND 1UPX 550525 MR A SAMPLE AND MR A SAMPLE AND MR A SAMPLE AND + 03OHRB


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The 2022 AnnualSpecial Meeting of Stockholders of AquaBounty Technologies, Inc. will be held on Tuesday, May 17,Wednesday, October 12, 2022 at 8:30 A.M., EDT, virtually via the internet at meetnow.global/MC57T9H.MLKARJ9. To access the virtual meeting, you must have the information that is printed in the shaded bar located on the reverse side of this form. Important notice regarding the Internet availability of proxy materials for the AnnualSpecial Meeting of Stockholders. The material is available at: www.envisionreports.com/AQB Small steps make an impact. Help the environment by consenting to receive electronic delivery, sign up at www.envisionreports.com/AQB qIFIF VOTING BY MAIL, SIGN, DETACH AND RETURN THE BOTTOM PORTION IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE. q AquaBounty Technologies, Inc. + Notice of AnnualSpecial Meeting of Stockholders Proxy Solicited by Board of Directors for the 2022 AnnualSpecial Meeting — May 17,October 12, 2022 Sylvia Wulf, David A. Frank, Angela M. Olsen, or any of them, each with the power of substitution, are hereby authorized to represent and vote the shares of the undersigned, with all the powers that the undersigned would possess if personally present, at the AnnualSpecial Meeting of Stockholders of AquaBounty Technologies, Inc., which will be held on May 17,October 12, 2022, at 8:30 a.m. EDT virtually via the internet, or at any postponement or adjournment thereof. Shares represented by this proxy will be voted by the stockholder. If no such directions are indicated, the Proxies will have authority to vote FOR items 1 2 and 3.2. In their discretion, the Proxies are authorized to vote upon such other business as may properly come before the meeting. (Items to be voted appear on reverse side) C Non-Voting Items Change of Address — Please print new address below. Comments — Please print your comments below. Meeting Attendance Mark box to the right if you plan to attend the Annual Meeting.