Form 424B3 BIOCEPT INC

 

Filed Pursuant to Rule 424 (b) (3)

Registration No. 333-208683

                 

 

3,774,122 Shares

Common Stock

This prospectus relates to the sale of up to 3,774,122 shares of our common stock by Aspire Capital Fund, LLC.  Aspire Capital is also referred to in this prospectus as the selling stockholder. The prices at which the selling stockholder may sell the shares will be determined by the prevailing market price for the shares or in negotiated transactions. We will not receive proceeds from the sale of the shares by the selling stockholder.  However, we may receive proceeds of up to $15 million from the sale of our common stock to the selling stockholder, pursuant to a common stock purchase agreement entered into with the selling stockholder on December 21, 2015, including proceeds that we have already received thereunder.

The selling stockholder is an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. We will pay the expenses of registering these shares, but all selling and other expenses incurred by the selling stockholder will be paid by the selling stockholder.

Our common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the ticker symbol “BIOC.” On May 9, 2016, the last reported sale price per share of our common stock was $0.85 per share.  

You should read this prospectus, together with additional information described under the headings “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference” and “Where You Can Find More Information,” carefully before you invest in any of our securities.

 

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” on page 5 of this prospectus.

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

 

The date of this prospectus is May 10, 2016.

 

 

 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

We incorporate by reference important information into this prospectus. You may obtain the information incorporated by reference without charge by following the instructions under “Where You Can Find More Information.” You should carefully read this prospectus as well as additional information described under “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference,” before deciding to invest in our common stock. All references in this prospectus to “Biocept,” “the Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” mean Biocept, Inc., unless we state otherwise or the context otherwise requires.

 

We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information, and we take no responsibility for any other information others may give you. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We are not, and the underwriters are not, making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus.

 

We use in this prospectus our BIOCEPT logo, for which a United States trademark application has been filed, our mark CEE, which is a registered United States trademark, and our marks OncoCEE-BR, OncoCEE-LU, CEE-Selector, CEE-Cap, CEE-Enhanced, CEE-Sure, OncoCEE-GA, OncoCEE-PR, OncoCEE-ME, OncoCEE-CR and OncoCEE, which in the United States are unregistered trademarks. This prospectus also includes trademarks, tradenames and service marks that are the property of other organizations. Solely for convenience, trademarks and tradenames referred to in this prospectus appear (after the first usage) without the ^® and ™ symbols, but those references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or that the applicable owner will not assert its rights, to these trademarks and tradenames.

 

 

 

 

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SUMMARY

This summary highlights information contained elsewhere in this prospectus. This summary does not contain all of the information you should consider before investing in our common stock. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, especially the “Risk Factors” section of this prospectus before making an investment decision.

Our Company

We are an early commercial-stage molecular oncology diagnostics company that develops and commercializes proprietary circulating tumor cell, or CTC, and circulating tumor DNA, or ctDNA, assays utilizing a standard blood sample, or “liquid biopsy.” Our current breast, lung and gastric cancer assays provide, and our planned future assays would provide, information to oncologists and other physicians that enable them to select appropriate personalized treatment for their patients based on better, timelier and more-detailed data on the characteristics of their patients’ tumors.

Our current assays focus on all the key solid tumor indications and our planned future assays utilize our Target-Selector^TM offering for the biomarker analysis of CTCs and ctDNA from a standard blood sample. The Target-Selector offering is based on an internally developed and patented, microfluidics-based CTC capture and analysis platform, with enabling features that change how CTC testing can be used by clinicians by providing real-time biomarker detection and monitoring requiring only a standard blood sample. The ctDNA technology enables mutation detection with enhanced sensitivity and specificity and is applicable to nucleic acid from CTCs or other sample types, such as blood plasma. We believe the Target-Selector technology can be used as a stand-alone test for molecular biomarker screening and monitoring.

At our corporate headquarters facility located in San Diego, California, we operate a clinical laboratory that is certified under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988, or CLIA, and accredited by the College of American Pathologists. We manufacture our microfluidic channels, related equipment and certain reagents to perform our current assays and our planned future assays at this facility. CLIA certification is required before any clinical laboratory, including ours, may perform testing on human specimens for the purpose of obtaining information for the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of disease or the assessment of health. The assays we offer and intend to offer are classified as laboratory developed tests, or LDTs, under CLIA regulations.

 

Risks That We Face

An investment in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks summarized below. The risks are discussed more fully in the “Risk Factors” section of this prospectus immediately following this prospectus summary. These risks include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Company Information

We maintain our principal executive offices at 5810 Nancy Ridge Drive, San Diego, California 92121. Our telephone number is (858) 320-8200 and our website address is www.biocept.com. The information contained in, or that can be accessed through, our website is not incorporated into and is not part of this prospectus. We were incorporated in California on May 12, 1997 and reincorporated as a Delaware corporation on July 30, 2013.

Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company

As a company with less than $1.0 billion in revenue during our last fiscal year, we qualify as an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act, or JOBS Act, enacted in April 2012. An “emerging growth company” may take advantage of reduced reporting requirements that are otherwise applicable to public companies. These provisions include, but are not limited to:

 

 

 

 

We may take advantage of these provisions until December 31, 2019. However, if certain events occur prior to December 31, 2019, including if we become a “large accelerated filer,” our annual gross revenues exceed $1.0 billion or we issue more than $1.0 billion of non-convertible debt in any three-year period, we will cease to be an emerging growth company before such date.

We have elected to take advantage of certain of the reduced disclosure obligations and may elect to take advantage of other reduced reporting requirements in future filings. As a result, the information that we provide to our stockholders may be different than the information you might receive from other public reporting companies in which you hold equity interests.

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The Offering

 

 

On December 21, 2015, we entered into a common stock purchase agreement (referred to in this prospectus as the “Purchase Agreement”), with Aspire Capital Fund, LLC, an Illinois limited liability company (referred to in this prospectus as “Aspire Capital” or the “selling stockholder”), which provides that, upon the terms and subject to the conditions and limitations set forth therein, Aspire Capital is committed to purchase up to an aggregate of $15 million of our shares of common stock over the approximately 30-month term of the Purchase Agreement. In consideration for entering into the Purchase Agreement, concurrently with the execution of the Purchase Agreement, we issued to Aspire Capital 165,000 shares of our common stock as a commitment fee (referred to in this prospectus as the “Commitment Shares”). Upon execution of the Purchase Agreement, the Company sold to Aspire Capital 625,000 shares of common stock at $1.60 per share for proceeds of $1,000,000 (referred to in this prospectus as the “Initial Purchase Shares”). Concurrently with entering into the Purchase Agreement, we also entered into a registration rights agreement with Aspire Capital (referred to in this prospectus as the “Registration Rights Agreement”), in which we agreed to file one or more registration statements, including the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, as permissible and necessary to register under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, the sale of the shares of our common stock that have been and may be issued to Aspire Capital under the Purchase Agreement.

 

As of December 17, 2015, there were 18,880,054 shares of our common stock outstanding (16,480,183 shares held by non-affiliates) excluding the 3,774,122 shares offered that have been issued or may be issuable to Aspire Capital pursuant to the Purchase Agreement.  If all of such 3,774,122 shares of our common stock offered hereby were issued and outstanding as of the date hereof, such shares would represent 19.99% of the total common stock outstanding or 22.90% of the non-affiliate shares of common stock outstanding as of the date hereof. The number of shares of our common stock ultimately offered for sale by Aspire Capital is dependent upon the number of shares purchased by Aspire Capital under the Purchase Agreement.

 

Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement, we are registering 3,774,122 shares of our common stock under the Securities Act, which includes the Commitment Shares, the Initial Purchase Shares, and an additional 300,000 shares of common stock that have already been issued to Aspire Capital and 2,684,122 shares of common stock which we may issue to Aspire Capital after this registration statement is declared effective under the Securities Act. All 3,774,122 shares of common stock are being offered pursuant to this prospectus.

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After the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, has declared effective the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, on any trading day on which the closing sale price of our common stock exceeds $0.50, we have the right, in our sole discretion, to present Aspire Capital with a purchase notice (each, a “Purchase Notice”), directing Aspire Capital (as principal) to purchase up to 100,000 shares of our common stock per trading day, up to $15 million of our common stock in the aggregate at a per share price (the “Purchase Price”) calculated by reference to the prevailing market price of our common stock (as more specifically described below).

 

In addition, on any date on which we submit a Purchase Notice for 100,000 shares to Aspire Capital and the closing sale price of our stock is equal to or greater than $0.50 per share of Common Stock, we also have the right, in our sole discretion, to present Aspire Capital with a volume-weighted average price purchase notice (each, a “VWAP Purchase Notice”) directing Aspire Capital to purchase an amount of stock equal to up to 30% of the aggregate shares of the Company’s common stock traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market on the next trading day (the “VWAP Purchase Date”), subject to a maximum number of shares we may determine (the “VWAP Purchase Share Volume Maximum”) and a minimum trading price (the “VWAP Minimum Price Threshold”) (as more specifically described below). The purchase price per Purchase Share pursuant to such VWAP Purchase Notice (the “VWAP Purchase Price”) is calculated by reference to the prevailing market price of our common stock (as more specifically described below).

 

The Purchase Agreement provides that the Company and Aspire Capital shall not effect any sales under the Purchase Agreement on any purchase date where the closing sale price of our common stock is less than $0.50 per share (the “Floor Price”). This Floor Price and the respective prices and share numbers in the preceding paragraphs shall be appropriately adjusted for any reorganization, recapitalization, non-cash dividend, stock split, reverse stock split or other similar transaction. There are no trading volume requirements or restrictions under the Purchase Agreement, and we will control the timing and amount of any sales of our common stock to Aspire Capital. Aspire Capital has no right to require any sales by us, but is obligated to make purchases from us as we direct in accordance with the Purchase Agreement. There are no limitations on use of proceeds, financial or business covenants, restrictions on future fundings, rights of first refusal, participation rights, penalties or liquidated damages in the Purchase Agreement. Aspire Capital may not assign its rights or obligations under the Purchase Agreement. The Purchase Agreement may be terminated by us at any time, at our discretion, without any penalty or cost to us.

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RISK FACTORS

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider the risk factors described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on March 10, 2016, which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus, and the other information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. The risks and uncertainties incorporated by reference are not the only risks we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may impair our future business operations. Our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected by any of these risks. In such case, the trading price of our common stock could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to This Offering

We will need to raise substantial additional capital in the future to fund our operations and we may be unable to raise such funds when needed and on acceptable terms.

We will need to raise substantial additional capital in the future to fund our operations. The extent to which we utilize the Purchase Agreement with Aspire Capital as a source of funding will depend on a number of factors, including the prevailing market price of our common stock, the volume of trading in our common stock and the extent to which we are able to secure funds from other sources. The number of shares that we may sell to Aspire Capital under the Purchase Agreement on any given day and during the term of the agreement is limited. See “The Aspire Capital Transaction” section of this prospectus for additional information. Additionally, we and Aspire Capital may not effect any sales of shares of our common stock under the Purchase Agreement during the continuance of an event of default or on any trading day that the closing sale price of our common stock is less than $0.50 per share. Even if we are able to access the full $15 million under the Purchase Agreement, we will still need additional capital to fully implement our business, operating and development plans.

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this prospectus, including statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, business strategy, prospective products, product approvals, timing and likelihood of success, plans and objectives of management for future operations, and future results of current and anticipated products are forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “could,” “intend,” “target,” “project,” “contemplates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. The forward-looking statements in this prospectus are only predictions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this prospectus and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions described under the section in this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus. Because forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified and some of which are beyond our control, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The events and circumstances reflected in our forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur and actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Moreover, we operate in an evolving environment. New risk factors and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all risk factors and uncertainties. Except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise. The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are excluded from the safe harbor protection provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Section 27A of the Securities Act.

This prospectus also contains estimates and other statistical data made by independent parties and by us relating to market size and growth and other data about our industry. This data involves a number of assumptions and limitations, and you are cautioned not to give undue weight to such estimates. In addition, projections, assumptions and estimates of our future performance and the future performance of the markets in which we operate are necessarily subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk.

 

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

This prospectus relates to shares of our common stock that may be offered and sold from time to time by Aspire Capital. We will not receive any proceeds upon the sale of shares by Aspire Capital. However, we may receive proceeds up to $15 million under the Purchase Agreement with Aspire Capital. The proceeds received from the sale of the shares under the Purchase Agreement will be used for working capital and general corporate purposes. This anticipated use of net proceeds from the sale of shares of our common stock to Aspire Capital under the Purchase Agreement represents our intentions based upon our current plans and business conditions.

DIVIDEND POLICY

We have never declared dividends on our equity securities, and currently do not plan to declare dividends on shares of our common stock in the foreseeable future. We expect to retain our future earnings, if any, for use in the operation and expansion of our business. Subject to the foregoing, the payment of cash dividends in the future, if any, will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon such factors as earnings levels, capital requirements, our overall financial condition and any other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors.

 

 

 

 

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THE ASPIRE CAPITAL TRANSACTION

General

On December 21, 2015, we entered into the Purchase Agreement which provides that, upon the terms and subject to the conditions and limitations set forth therein, Aspire Capital is committed to purchase up to an aggregate of $15 million of our shares of common stock over the term of the Purchase Agreement. Upon execution of the Purchase Agreement, the Company sold to Aspire Capital 625,000 Initial Purchase Shares for proceeds of $1,000,000. In consideration for entering into the Purchase Agreement, concurrently with the execution of the Purchase Agreement, we issued to Aspire Capital 165,000 Commitment Shares. Concurrently with entering into the Purchase Agreement, we also entered into the Registration Rights Agreement, in which we agreed to file one or more registration statements as permissible and necessary to register under the Securities Act, the sale of the shares of our common stock that have been and may be issued to Aspire Capital under the Purchase Agreement.

As of December 17, 2015, there were 18,880,054 shares of our common stock outstanding (16,480,183 shares held by non-affiliates) excluding the 3,774,122 shares offered that may be issuable to Aspire Capital pursuant to the Purchase Agreement.  If all of such 3,774,122 shares of our common stock offered hereby were issued and outstanding as of the date hereof, such shares would represent 19.99% of the total common stock outstanding or 22.90% of the non-affiliate shares of common stock outstanding as of the date hereof. The number of shares of our common stock ultimately offered for sale by Aspire Capital is dependent upon the number of shares purchased by Aspire Capital under the Purchase Agreement.

Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement, we are registering 3,774,122 shares of our common stock under the Securities Act, which includes the Commitment Shares, the Initial Purchase Shares, and an additional 300,000 shares of common stock that have already been issued to Aspire Capital and 2,684,122 shares of common stock which we may issue to Aspire Capital after this registration statement is declared effective under the Securities Act. All 3,774,122 shares of common stock are being offered pursuant to this prospectus. Under the Purchase Agreement, we have the right but not the obligation to issue more than the 3,774,122 shares of common stock included in this prospectus to Aspire Capital. As of the date hereof, we do not have any plans or intent to issue to Aspire Capital any shares of common stock in addition to the 3,774,122 shares of common stock offered hereby.

After the SEC has declared effective the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, on any trading day on which the closing sale price of our common stock is not less than $0.50 per share, we have the right, in our sole discretion, to present Aspire Capital with a Purchase Notice, directing Aspire Capital (as principal) to purchase up to 100,000 shares of our common stock per business day, up to $15 million of our common stock in the aggregate over the term of the Purchase Agreement, at a Purchase Price calculated by reference to the prevailing market price of our common stock over the preceding 10-business day period (as more specifically described below).

In addition, on any date on which we submit a Purchase Notice to Aspire Capital for 100,000 Purchase Shares and the closing price of our common stock is not less than $0.50 per share, we also have the right, in our sole discretion, to present Aspire Capital with a VWAP Purchase Notice directing Aspire Capital to purchase an amount of stock equal to up to 30% of the aggregate shares of the Company’s common stock traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market on the next trading day, subject to the VWAP Purchase Share Volume Maximum and the VWAP Minimum Price Threshold. The VWAP Purchase Price is calculated by reference to the prevailing market price of our common stock (as more specifically described below).

The Purchase Agreement provides that the Company and Aspire Capital shall not effect any sales under the Purchase Agreement on any purchase date where the closing sale price of our common stock is less than the Floor Price. There are no trading volume requirements or restrictions under the Purchase Agreement, and we will control the timing and amount of any sales of our common stock to Aspire Capital. Aspire Capital has no right to require any sales by us, but is obligated to make purchases from us as we direct in accordance with the Purchase Agreement. There are no limitations on use of proceeds, financial or business covenants, restrictions on future financings, rights of first refusal, participation rights, penalties or liquidated damages in the Purchase Agreement.

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Aspire Capital may not assign its rights or obligations under the Purchase Agreement. The Purchase Agreement may be terminated by us at any time, at our discretion, without any penalty or cost to us.  

 

Purchase Of Shares Under The Common Stock Purchase Agreement

Under the common stock Purchase Agreement, on any trading day selected by us on which the closing sale price of our common stock exceeds $0.50 per share, we may direct Aspire Capital to purchase up to 100,000 shares of our common stock per trading day. The Purchase Price of such shares is equal to the lesser of:

 

 

In addition, on any date on which we submit a Purchase Notice to Aspire Capital for purchase of 100,000 shares and on which the closing price of our common stock exceeds $0.50 per share, we also have the right to direct Aspire Capital to purchase an amount of stock equal to up to 30% of the aggregate shares of the our common stock traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market on the next trading day, subject to the VWAP Purchase Share Volume Maximum and the VWAP Minimum Price Threshold, which is equal to the greater of (a) 80% of the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the business day immediately preceding the VWAP Purchase Date or (b) such higher price as set forth by the Company in the VWAP Purchase Notice. The VWAP Purchase Price of such shares is the lower of:

 

 

 

 

The Purchase Price will be adjusted for any reorganization, recapitalization, non-cash dividend, stock split, or other similar transaction occurring during the trading day(s) used to compute the Purchase Price. We may deliver multiple Purchase Notices and VWAP Purchase Notices to Aspire Capital from time to time during the term of the Purchase Agreement, so long as the most recent purchase has been completed.

Minimum Share Price

Under the Purchase Agreement, we and Aspire Capital may not effect any sales of shares of our common stock under the Purchase Agreement on any trading day that the closing sale price of our common stock is less than $0.50 per share.

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Events of Default

Generally, Aspire Capital may terminate the Purchase Agreement upon the occurrence of any of the following, among other, events of default:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Termination Rights

The Purchase Agreement may be terminated by us at any time, at our discretion, without any penalty or cost to us.

No Short-Selling or Hedging by Aspire Capital

Aspire Capital has agreed that neither it nor any of its agents, representatives and affiliates shall engage in any direct or indirect short-selling or hedging of our common stock during any time prior to the termination of the Purchase Agreement.

Effect of Performance of the Purchase Agreement on Our Stockholders

The Purchase Agreement does not limit the ability of Aspire Capital to sell any or all of the 3,774,122 shares registered in this offering. It is anticipated that shares registered in this offering will be sold over a period of up to approximately 30 months from the date of this prospectus. The sale by Aspire Capital of a significant amount of shares registered in this offering at any given time could cause the market price of our common stock to decline and/or to be highly volatile. Aspire Capital may ultimately purchase all, some or none of the 2,684,122 shares of common stock not yet issued but registered in this offering. After it has acquired such shares, it may sell all, some or none of such shares. Therefore, sales to Aspire Capital by us pursuant to the Purchase Agreement also may result in substantial dilution to the interests of other holders of our common stock. However, we have the right to control the timing and amount of any sales of our shares to Aspire Capital and the Purchase Agreement may be terminated by us at any time at our discretion without any penalty or cost to us.

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Percentage of Outstanding Shares After Giving Effect to the Purchased Shares Issued to Aspire Capital

In connection with entering into the Purchase Agreement, we authorized the sale to Aspire Capital of up to $15 million of our shares of common stock. However, we estimate that we will sell no more than 2,684,122 shares to Aspire Capital under the Purchase Agreement (exclusive of the 165,000 Commitment Shares, the 625,000 Initial Purchase Shares, and the additional 300,000 shares of common stock that have already been issued to Aspire Capital), all of which are included in this offering. Subject to any required approval by our board of directors, we have the right but not the obligation to issue more than the 3,774,122 shares included in this prospectus to Aspire Capital under the Purchase Agreement. In the event we elect to issue more than 3,774,122 shares under the Purchase Agreement, we will be required to file a new registration statement and have it declared effective by the SEC. The number of shares ultimately offered for sale by Aspire Capital in this offering is dependent upon the number of shares purchased by Aspire Capital under the Purchase Agreement. The following table sets forth the number and percentage of outstanding shares to be held by Aspire Capital after giving effect to the sale of shares of common stock issued to Aspire Capital at varying purchase prices:

 

 

 

 

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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

Please see Item 7 in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 10, 2016, which is incorporated herein by reference, for a discussion of our financial condition and results of operations.

 

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BUSINESS

 

Please see Item 1 in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 10, 2016, which is incorporated herein by reference.

 

 

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MANAGEMENT 

 

Please see the sections entitled “Directors,” “Executive Officers,” “Corporate Governance” and “Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K/A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 25, 2016, which are incorporated herein by reference.

 

 

 

EXECUTIVE AND DIRECTOR COMPENSATION 

 

Please see the sections entitled “Executive Compensation” and “Director Compensation” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K/A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 25, 2016, which is incorporated herein by reference.

 

 

 

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

Please see the section entitled “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K/A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 25, 2016, which is incorporated herein by reference.

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PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS 

 

Please see the section entitled “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K/A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 25, 2016, which is incorporated herein by reference.

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DILUTION

The sale of our common stock to Aspire Capital pursuant to the Purchase Agreement will have a dilutive impact on our stockholders. As a result, our net income per share, if any, would decrease in future periods and the market price of our common stock could decline. In addition, the lower our stock price is at the time we exercise our right to sell shares to Aspire Capital, the more shares of our common stock we will have to issue to Aspire Capital pursuant to the Purchase Agreement and our existing stockholders would experience greater dilution.

After giving effect to the sale pursuant to the Purchase Agreement of 3,774,122 shares of common stock at an assumed average sale price of $0.95 per share (the closing price of our common stock on May 3, 2016), our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value as of December 31, 2015 would have been approximately $7.1 million, or $0.30 per share of common stock. This represents an immediate increase in pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value of $0.11 per share to our existing stockholders and an immediate dilution of $0.65 per share to our new stockholders.

 

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SELLING STOCKHOLDER

The selling stockholder may from time to time offer and sell any or all of the shares of our common stock set forth below pursuant to this prospectus. When we refer to the “selling stockholder” in this prospectus, we mean the entity listed in the table below, and its respective pledgees, donees, permitted transferees, assignees, successors and others who later come to hold any of the selling stockholder’s interests in shares of our common stock other than through a public sale.

The following table sets forth, as of the date of this prospectus, the name of the selling stockholder for whom we are registering shares for sale to the public, the number of shares of common stock beneficially owned by the selling stockholder prior to this offering, the total number of shares of common stock that the selling stockholder may offer pursuant to this prospectus and the number of shares of common stock that the selling stockholder will beneficially own after this offering. Except as noted below, the selling stockholder does not have, or within the past three years has not had, any material relationship with us or any of our predecessors or affiliates and the selling stockholder is not or was not affiliated with registered broker-dealers.

Based on the information provided to us by the selling stockholder, assuming that the selling stockholder sells all of the shares of our common stock beneficially owned by it that have been registered by us and does not acquire any additional shares during the offering, the selling stockholder will not own any shares other than those appearing in the column entitled “Beneficial Ownership After This Offering.” We cannot advise you as to whether the selling stockholder will in fact sell any or all of such shares of common stock. In addition, the selling stockholder may have sold, transferred or otherwise disposed of, or may sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of, at any time and from time to time, the shares of our common stock in transactions exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act after the date on which it provided the information set forth in the table below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

General

Our amended certificate of incorporation authorizes us to issue up to 40,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share.

As of May 4, 2016, there were 24,969,975 shares of common stock outstanding. As of April 27, 2016, there were 19,983,402  shares of common stock outstanding, held of record by 204  stockholders.

The following description of our capital stock is not complete and is subject to and qualified in its entirety by our amended certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, which are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and by the relevant provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law.  

Common Stock

The holders of our common stock are entitled to the following rights:

Voting Rights

Holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote per share in the election of directors and on all other matters on which stockholders are entitled or permitted to vote. Holders of our common stock are not entitled to cumulative voting rights.

Dividend Rights

Subject to the terms of any then outstanding series of preferred stock, the holders of our common stock are entitled to dividends in the amounts and at times as may be declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available therefor.

Liquidation Rights

Upon liquidation or dissolution, holders of our common stock are entitled to share ratably in all net assets available for distribution to stockholders after we have paid, or provided for payment of, all of our debts and liabilities, and after payment of any liquidation preferences to holders of any then outstanding shares of preferred stock.

Other Matters

Holders of our common stock have no redemption, conversion or preemptive rights. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to our common stock. The rights, preferences and privileges of the holders of our common stock are subject to the rights of the holders of shares of any series of preferred stock that we may issue in the future.

Preferred Stock

Our board of directors has the authority to issue preferred stock in one or more classes or series and to fix the designations, powers, preferences and rights, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, including dividend rights, conversion right, voting rights, terms of redemption, liquidation preferences and the number of shares constituting any class or series, without further vote or action by the stockholders. Although we have no present plans to issue any shares of preferred stock, the issuance of shares of preferred stock, or the issuance of rights to purchase such shares, could decrease the amount of earnings and assets available for distribution to the holders of common stock, could adversely affect the rights and powers, including voting rights, of the common stock, and could have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a change of control of us or an unsolicited acquisition proposal.

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Stock Options

As of May 4, 2016, we had outstanding options to purchase an aggregate of 2,261,899 shares of our common stock with exercise prices ranging from $1.34 to $9.11 per share, with an approximate weighted average exercise price of $3.50 per share.

 

Warrants

As of May 4, 2016, we had outstanding warrants to purchase shares of our common stock as follows:

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

Registration Rights

Under the terms of the warrants issued to certain designees of the representative of the underwriters in connection with our initial public offering, the holders have demand and piggyback registration rights. The holder(s) of at least 51% of the registrable securities, as defined in the warrants, have the right, subject to specified exceptions, to make one demand that we file a registration statement to register all or a portion of their shares. These demand registration rights expire on February 4, 2019, and a demand pursuant to such rights must be made prior to February 4, 2018.

In addition, the holder of each warrant has the right to include its shares in any registration statement we file. If we register any securities for public sale, the holder will have the right to include its shares in the registration statement, provided that the underwriters of any such underwritten offering will have the right to limit the number of shares to be included in the registration statement. These piggyback registration rights expire on February 4, 2021.

Under our amended and restated investor rights agreement dated October 31, 2011, two trusts affiliated with our major stockholder Claire K. T. Reiss and our landlord, have the right to include their shares in any registration statement we file. If we register any securities for public sale, these stockholders with registration rights will have the right to include their shares in the registration statement, provided that the underwriters of any such underwritten offering will have the right to limit the number of shares to be included in the registration statement. We will pay all expenses, including for the fees and costs of one counsel to the stockholders exercising their registration rights (not to exceed $25,000) relating to all piggyback registrations.

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The registration rights described above will terminate, as to a given stockholder, upon the earlier of (i) at any time when such holder can sell all of such holder’s shares pursuant to Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act during any three-month period and (ii) the date three years following the closing of our initial public offering.  

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

The provisions of Delaware law, our certificate of incorporation and our bylaws described below may have the effect of delaying, deferring or discouraging another party from acquiring control of us.

 

Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law

We are subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which prohibits a Delaware corporation from engaging in any business combination with any interested stockholder for a period of three years after the date that such stockholder became an interested stockholder, with the following exceptions:

 

 

 

In general, Section 203 defines business combination to include the following:

 

 

 

 

 

In general, Section 203 defines an “interested stockholder” as an entity or person who, together with the person’s affiliates and associates, beneficially owns, or within three years before the time of determination of interested stockholder status did own, 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation.

Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws

Our certificate of incorporation and/or bylaws provide that:

 

 

 

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Potential Effects of Authorized but Unissued Stock

We have shares of common stock and preferred stock available for future issuance without stockholder approval. We may utilize these additional shares for a variety of corporate purposes, including future public offerings to raise additional capital, to facilitate corporate acquisitions or payment as a dividend on the capital stock.

The existence of unissued and unreserved common stock and preferred stock may enable our board of directors to issue shares to persons friendly to current management or to issue preferred stock with terms that could render more difficult or discourage a third-party attempt to obtain control of us by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise, thereby protecting the continuity of our management. In addition, the board of directors has the discretion to determine designations, rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions, including voting rights, dividend rights, conversion rights, redemption privileges and liquidation preferences of each series of preferred stock, all to the fullest extent permissible under the Delaware General Corporation Law and subject to any limitations set forth in our certificate of incorporation. The purpose of authorizing the board of directors to issue preferred stock and to determine the rights and preferences applicable to such preferred stock is to eliminate delays associated with a stockholder vote on specific issuances. The issuance of preferred stock, while providing desirable flexibility in connection with possible financings, acquisitions and other corporate purposes, could have the effect of making it more difficult for a third-party to acquire, or could discourage a third-party from acquiring, a majority of our outstanding voting stock.

Limitations of Director Liability and Indemnification of Directors, Officers and Employees

Our certificate of incorporation limits the liability of directors to the maximum extent permitted by Delaware law. Delaware law provides that directors of a corporation will not be personally liable for monetary damages for breach of their fiduciary duties as directors, except for liability for any:

 

 

 

 

These limitations of liability do not apply to liabilities arising under the federal or state securities laws and do not affect the availability of equitable remedies such as injunctive relief or rescission.

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Our bylaws provide that we will indemnify our directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by law, and may indemnify employees and other agents. Our bylaws also provide that we are obligated to advance expenses incurred by a director or officer in advance of the final disposition of any action or proceeding.  

We have obtained a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance.

We enter into separate indemnification agreements with our directors and officers. These agreements, among other things, require us to indemnify our directors and officers for any and all expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees, retainers, court costs, transcript costs, fees of experts, witness fees, travel expenses, duplicating costs, printing and binding costs, telephone charges, postage, delivery service fees) judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such directors or officers or on his or her behalf in connection with any action or proceeding arising out of their services as one of our directors or officers, or any of our subsidiaries or any other company or enterprise to which the person provides services at our request provided that such person follows the procedures for determining entitlement to indemnification and advancement of expenses set forth in the indemnification agreement. We believe that these bylaw provisions and indemnification agreements are necessary to attract and retain qualified persons as directors and officers.

The limitation of liability and indemnification provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against directors for breach of their fiduciary duties. They may also reduce the likelihood of derivative litigation against directors and officers, even though an action, if successful, might provide a benefit to us and our stockholders. Our results of operations and financial condition may be harmed to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against directors and officers pursuant to these indemnification provisions.

 

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us, we have been informed that, in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.

At present, there is no pending litigation or proceeding involving any of our directors or officers as to which indemnification is required or permitted, and we are not aware of any threatened litigation or proceeding that may result in a claim for indemnification.

Transfer Agent

The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. Its address is 17 Battery Place, 8th Floor, New York, New York 10004 and its telephone number is (212) 509-4000.

Listing

Our common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “BIOC.”

 

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

The common stock offered by this prospectus is being offered by Aspire Capital, the selling stockholder. The common stock may be sold or distributed from time to time by the selling stockholder directly to one or more purchasers or through brokers, dealers, or underwriters who may act solely as agents at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to the prevailing market prices, at negotiated prices, or at fixed prices, which may be changed. The sale of the common stock offered by this prospectus may be effected in one or more of the following methods:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In order to comply with the securities laws of certain states, if applicable, the shares may be sold only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. In addition, in certain states, the shares may not be sold unless they have been registered or qualified for sale in the state or an exemption from the registration or qualification requirement is available and complied with.

The selling stockholder may also sell shares of common stock under Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act, if available, rather than under this prospectus. In addition, the selling stockholder may transfer the shares of common stock by other means not described in this prospectus.

Brokers, dealers, underwriters, or agents participating in the distribution of the shares as agents may receive compensation in the form of commissions, discounts, or concessions from the selling stockholder and/or purchasers of the common stock for whom the broker-dealers may act as agent. Aspire Capital has informed us that each such broker-dealer will receive commissions from Aspire Capital which will not exceed customary brokerage commissions.

Aspire Capital is an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act.

Neither we nor Aspire Capital can presently estimate the amount of compensation that any agent will receive. We know of no existing arrangements between Aspire Capital, any other stockholder, broker, dealer, underwriter, or agent relating to the sale or distribution of the shares offered by this prospectus. At the time a particular offer of shares is made, a prospectus supplement, if required, will be distributed that will set forth the names of any agents, underwriters, or dealers and any compensation from the selling stockholder, and any other required information.

We will pay all of the expenses incident to the registration, offering, and sale of the shares to the public other than commissions or discounts of underwriters, broker-dealers, or agents. We have agreed to indemnify Aspire Capital and certain other persons against certain liabilities in connection with the offering of shares of common stock offered hereby, including liabilities arising under the Securities Act or, if such indemnity is unavailable, to contribute amounts required to be paid in respect of such liabilities. Aspire Capital has agreed to indemnify us against liabilities under the Securities Act that may arise from certain written information furnished to us by Aspire Capital specifically for use in this prospectus or, if such indemnity is unavailable, to contribute amounts required to be paid in respect of such liabilities.

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Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers, and controlling persons, we have been advised that in the opinion of the SEC this indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore, unenforceable.  

Aspire Capital and its affiliates have agreed not to engage in any direct or indirect short selling or hedging of our common stock during the term of the Purchase Agreement.

We have advised Aspire Capital that while it is engaged in a distribution of the shares included in this prospectus it is required to comply with Regulation M promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. With certain exceptions, Regulation M precludes the selling stockholder, any affiliated purchasers, and any broker-dealer or other person who participates in the distribution from bidding for or purchasing, or attempting to induce any person to bid for or purchase any security which is the subject of the distribution until the entire distribution is complete. Regulation M also prohibits any bids or purchases made in order to stabilize the price of a security in connection with the distribution of that security. All of the foregoing may affect the marketability of the shares offered hereby this prospectus.

We may suspend the sale of shares by Aspire Capital pursuant to this prospectus for certain periods of time for certain reasons, including if the prospectus is required to be supplemented or amended to include additional material information.

This offering will terminate on the date that all shares offered by this prospectus have been sold by Aspire Capital.

 

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LEGAL MATTERS

The validity of the shares of common stock being offered by this prospectus has been passed upon for us by Cooley LLP, San Diego, California. Aspire Capital is being represented by Morrison & Foerster LLP, Washington, D.C.

EXPERTS

Mayer Hoffman McCann P.C., our independent registered public accounting firm, has audited our balance sheets as of December 31, 2014 and 2015, and the related statements of operations and comprehensive loss, changes in shareholders’ deficit and cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2015, as set forth in their report. Our financial statements have been incorporated in this prospectus and in this registration statement by reference in reliance on the report of Mayer Hoffman McCann P.C. given on their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

MARKET AND INDUSTRY DATA

Unless otherwise indicated, information contained in this prospectus concerning the pharmaceutical industry, including our market opportunity, is based on information from independent industry analysts, third-party sources and management estimates. Management estimates are derived from publicly-available information released by independent industry analysts and third-party sources, as well as data from our internal research, and are based on assumptions made by us based on such data and our knowledge of such industry and market, which we believe to be reasonable. In addition, while we believe the market opportunity information included in this prospectus is generally reliable and is based on reasonable assumptions, such data involves risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various factors, including those discussed under the heading “Risk Factors.”

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act with respect to the shares of common stock being offered by this prospectus. This prospectus does not contain all of the information in the registration statement and its exhibits. For further information with respect to us and the common stock offered by this prospectus, we refer you to the registration statement and its exhibits. Statements contained in this prospectus as to the contents of any contract or any other document referred to are not necessarily complete, and in each instance, we refer you to the copy of the contract or other document filed as an exhibit to the registration statement. Each of these statements is qualified in all respects by this reference.

You can read our SEC filings, including the registration statement, over the Internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. You may also read and copy any document we file with the SEC at its public reference facilities at 100 F Street NE, Washington, D.C. 20549. You may also obtain copies of these documents at prescribed rates by writing to the Public Reference Section of the SEC at 100 F Street N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the operation of the public reference facilities. You may also request a copy of these filings, at no cost, by writing us at 5810 Nancy Ridge Drive, San Diego, California 92121 or telephoning us at (858) 320-8200.

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We are subject to the information and periodic reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, and we file periodic reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. These periodic reports, proxy statements and other information are available for inspection and copying at the public reference room and website of the SEC referred to above. We maintain a website at http://www.biocept.com. You may access our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act with the SEC free of charge at our website as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. The information contained in, or that can be accessed through, our website is not incorporated by reference in, and is not part of, this prospectus.  

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INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN information BY REFERENCE

 

The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference the information and reports we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to these documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus. We are incorporating by reference the documents listed below, which we have already filed with the SEC, and any future filings we will make with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (i) after the date of the filing of the post-effective amendment to which this prospectus relates and before its effectiveness and (ii) after the date of this prospectus until the termination of the offering of the shares covered by this prospectus (other than information furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K):

 

 

Any statement contained in this prospectus or in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference into this prospectus will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus or any other subsequently filed document that is deemed to be incorporated by reference into this prospectus modifies or supersedes the statement. Any statements so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus.

  

Upon written or oral request, we will provide, without charge, to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a copy of this prospectus is delivered a copy of the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus. You may request a copy of these filings, and any exhibits we have specifically incorporated by reference as an exhibit in this prospectus, at no cost by writing or telephoning us at the following address:

 

Biocept, Inc.

5810 Nancy Ridge Drive

San Diego, California 92121

Telephone: (858) 320-8200

 

You also may access these filings on our Internet site at http://biocept.com. Our web site and the information contained on that site, or connected to that site, are not incorporated into this prospectus or the registration statement.

 

This prospectus is part of a registration statement we filed with the SEC. We have incorporated exhibits into this registration statement. You should read the exhibits carefully for provisions that may be important to you.

 

You should rely only on the information incorporated by reference or provided in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. We are not making an offer of these securities in any state where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus or in the documents incorporated by reference is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus or those documents.

 

 

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biocept, INC. 

 

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

Please see Exhibit 99.1 in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 10, 2016, which is incorporated herein by reference, for our financial statements.

 

 

 

F-1

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3,774,122 Shares

Common Stock

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PROSPECTUS

____________________

May 10, 2016

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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