SEC Company Response from CytomX Therapeutics, Inc. (CTMX) (CIK 0001501989) (CTMX) — Sep 22, 2015
CytomX Therapeutics, Inc. (CTMX) (CIK 0001501989)
Date: Sept. 22, 2015 · CIK: 0001501989 · Accession: 0001193125-15-324840
AI Filing Summary & Sentiment
File numbers found in text: 333-206658
Referenced dates: September 18, 2015
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CORRESP 1 filename1.htm Corresp Sidley Austin LLP 1001 Page Mill Road Building 1 Palo Alto, CA 94304 (650) 565 7000 (650) 565 7100 FAX BEIJING BOSTON BRUSSELS CENTURY CITY CHICAGO DALLAS GENEVA FOUNDED 1866 HONG KONG HOUSTON LONDON LOS ANGELES NEW YORK PALO ALTO SAN FRANCISCO SHANGHAI SINGAPORE SYDNEY TOKYO WASHINGTON, D.C. September 21, 2015 Via EDGAR and Courier Securities and Exchange Commission Division of Corporation Finance 100 F Street, N.E. Washington, DC 20549 Attn: Ruairi Regan/Pamela Howell Re: CytomX Therapeutics, Inc. Amendment No. 1 to Registration Statement on Form S-1 Filed September 11, 2015 Response dated September 18, 2015 File No. 333-206658 Ladies and Gentlemen: On behalf of CytomX Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”), we hereby respond (the “Response Letter”) to the supplemental comments raised by the staff (the “Staff”) of the Division of Corporation Finance of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) in its letter dated September 18, 2015 relating to the draft marked pages of the Company’s Amendment No. 3 (“Amendment No. 3”) to the registration statement on Form S-1 (the “Registration Statement”), which Registration Statement was filed under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), on August 28, 2015 and amended by Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on September 11, 2015. For your convenience, the Staff’s comments are included in this letter and are followed by the applicable responses. We are also providing draft marked pages to Amendment No. 3 in connection with this Response Letter that reflect (i) further revisions based on the responses set forth herein and (ii) certain other minor revisions to Amendment No. 3. The Offering, page 8 1. You disclose that the number of shares to be outstanding after the offering is based on 28,259,170 shares of common stock outstanding as of August 31, 2015 which includes the conversion of all shares of preferred stock and the net exercise of all outstanding warrants to purchase shares of preferred stock. Please tell us how you determined the amount of common shares to be outstanding in view of the 27,135,453 converted preferred shares and 65,884 purchase warrants reflected in footnote 1 to the table on page 11. Sidley Austin (CA) LLP is a Delaware limited liability partnership doing business as Sidley Austin LLP and practicing in affiliation with other Sidley Austin partnerships. September 21, 2015 Page 2 Response: The Company respectfully advises the Staff that the 28,259,170 shares presented on page 8 of Amendment No. 3 is calculated as the sum of 27,135,453 shares representing the preferred stock converted to shares of common stock in connection with the closing of the transaction, 65,884 shares representing the shares issuable upon net exercise of the warrants in connection with the closing of the transaction and 1,057,833 shares of common stock that were outstanding as of August 31, 2015. Dilution, page 58 2. You state that your historical net tangible book value per share is comprised of your total tangible assets less total liabilities, less preferred stock, divided by the number of your outstanding shares of common stock. Please specify the assets that you are excluding from your total tangible assets and provide your calculations that support your historical, pro forma and pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share as of June 30, 2015. Response: The Company has updated the disclosure in Amendment No. 3 regarding dilution to specify the exclusion of intangible assets and goodwill in its calculation of net tangible book value, and has revised its calculations accordingly. These calculations are attached hereto as Appendix A. Please see pages 58-59 of Amendment No. 3. Financial Statements 14. Stock Option Plans, page F-29 3. Your disclosures indicate that you granted 697,557 stock options in 2014 with a weighted average exercise price of $1.449 and an additional 1,290,705 stock options with a weighted average exercise price of $2.621 during the six months ended June 30, 2015. Please address the following points: • Provide us with further details for stock and options issued on dates within the last year including number of shares/options granted, grant dates, and exercise prices. • Tell us the methods used and the material assumptions involved in determining the fair value of the company’s shares in relation to the stock or options issued leading up to the offering. • To the extent estimated IPO price differs significantly from the most recent fair value determined for your common shares, please tell us the significant factors and events contributing to the changes in fair value of the underlying stock leading up to the expected IPO. September 21, 2015 Page 3 Response: The following table summarizes by grant date the number of shares of the Company’s common stock (“Common Stock”) underlying stock options granted by the Company during the twelve months preceding, and the period subsequent to, the most recent balance sheet date included in the Registration Statement, as well as the associated per Common Share exercise price and the estimated fair value per share of the Common Stock used to determine stock-based compensation expense for financial reporting purposes. Grant date Number of shares underlying Common Stock options granted Exercise price per share of Common Stock Estimated fair value per share of Common Stock October 9, 2014 249,549 $ 1.51 $ 1.51 February 9, 2015 736,026 $ 1.57 $ 2.77 (1) April 1, 2015 89,878 $ 1.57 $ 4.22 (1) May 7, 2015 464,801 $ 4.47 $ 5.35 (1) July 21, 2015 539,041 $ 6.61 $ 9.61 (2) August 7, 2015 9,237 $ 6.61 $ 15.0 (2) August 24, 2015 5,821 $ 6.61 $ 15.0 (2) August 26, 2015 986,172 $ 6.61 $ 15.0 (2) August 28, 2015 435,407 $ 6.61 $ 15.0 (2) (1) At the time of the option grants on February 9, 2015, April 1, 2015 and May 7, 2015, the Company’s board of directors determined the fair value of the Common Stock after taking into account the Company’s most recently available contemporaneous valuations of its Common Stock as of such grant date, as well as additional factors that may have changed since the date of such contemporaneous valuation through the date of grant. However, as described below, for financial reporting purposes the fair value of Common Stock at the date of these grants were adjusted in connection with a retrospective fair value assessment. (2) At the time of July 21, 2015, August 7, 2015, August 24, 2015, August 26, 2015 and August 28, 2015 stock option grants, the Company initially determined the estimated fair value of its Common Stock in connection with the grants based on its most recent available valuation as of June 30, 2015 . On August 28, 2015, subsequent to the grant dates, the underwriters selected by September 21, 2015 Page 4 the Company to conduct its initial public offering (“IPO”) presented a preliminary analysis of the proposed valuation of the Company. Based on the underwriters’ presentation and input from the Company’s management and board of directors, a preliminary price range of $15.00 to $17.00 per share of Common Stock (the “Preliminary IPO Price Range”) was derived. In light of the determination of the Preliminary IPO Price Range, for financial reporting purposes the Company retrospectively evaluated the fair value of its Common Stock with respect to the stock options granted in July and August 2015. In connection with this reassessment and the proximity to the proposed IPO, the Company has determined to utilize the lower end of the Preliminary IPO Price Range, $15.00 per share, as the fair value of its Common Stock for purposes of recording stock-based compensation expense for the grants made in August 2015. With respect to the July 21, 2015 grants, the Company considered the increase in the fair value of Common Stock between June 30, 2015 to August 28, 2015 and determined the July 21, 2015 value to be $9.61 using the ratable approach, as no single event was responsible for the increase in the fair value of the Company’s Common Stock between June 30, 2015 and August 28, 2015. Historical Determination of Fair Value of Common Stock on Grant Dates As previously disclosed, the Company determined the fair value of its Common Stock using methodologies, approaches and assumptions consistent with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Accounting and Valuation Guide, Valuation of Privately-Held-Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation (the “AICPA Practice Guide”). In addition, the Company’s board of directors also considered various objective and subjective factors, along with input from management and independent third-party valuations, to determine the fair value of its Common Stock as disclosed in the Registration Statement. As described in more detail in the Registration Statement, the Company utilized the probability-weighted expected return method (“PWERM”), and option pricing method (“OPM”), which are accepted valuation methods under the AICPA Practice Guide, for determining the fair value of its Common Stock. The PWERM method is appropriate for a company expecting a liquidity event, but where, due to market or other factors, the likelihood of completing the liquidity event is uncertain. The PWERM involves a forward-looking analysis of the possible future outcomes of the enterprise. The future outcomes considered under the PWERM included non-IPO market based outcomes as well as IPO scenarios. The fair value of the enterprise determined using the IPO and non-IPO scenarios would be weighted according to the Company’s board of directors’ estimate of the probability of each scenario. Over time, a combination of factors caused changes in the fair value of the Company’s Common Stock. The following summarizes the changes in value during the twelve months preceding, and the period subsequent to, the most recent balance sheet date included in the Registration Statement. September 21, 2015 Page 5 October 9, 2014. During the period leading to the October 9, 2014 grants, the Company continued to make progress in its pre-clinical product portfolio. In April 2014, the Company closed an additional tranche of Series B-1 preferred stock financing. In May 2014, the Company entered into a worldwide collaboration agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb (“BMS”) and granted BMS exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize Probodies for up to four oncology targets. The Company estimated the fair value of Common Stock based on the valuation of its Common Stock that indicated that the fair value of the Common Stock on that date was $1.51 per share. This contemporaneous valuation used the PWERM methodology to develop a probability weighted estimate of the value of the Company’s Common Stock based on the assessment of several possible future scenarios that were weighted at 10% for the IPO liquidity event, 50% for an M&A scenario and 40% potential dissolution scenario. Prior to the collaboration, the Company had less than one year of funding for operations. Based on the Company’s two major collaborations with Pfizer and BMS, as well as M&A trends in the biotechnology industry, the Company anticipated a lower probability of an exit through IPO compared to the M&A scenario. In light of the valuation and factors existing as of the grant date, the Company’s board of directors determined that the estimated fair value of the Company’s Common Stock of $1.51 per share to be reasonable. The Company also notes that it issued shares of its Series C preferred stock financing at $5.31 per share on December 21, 2014. The Series C preferred stock has certain additional rights, preferences and privileges relative the Company’s Common Stock, including a senior liquidation preference, preferential dividend rights, protective voting rights and conversion rights. Nonetheless, for sensitivity purposes, the Company submits that if the Series C preferred stock price was retrospectively used to estimate the fair value of the Common Stock underlying the October 9, 2014 grants, the incremental stock based compensation would be immaterial, amounting to less than $100,000 for the year ended December 31, 2014 with similar impact during the six months ended June 30, 2015. Reassessment of Fair Value in Connection With Preparation of Interim Financial Statements On June 28, 2015, subsequent to the closing of its Series D preferred stock financing, the Company held an organizational meeting relating to a proposed IPO. In connection with preparing for a proposed IPO and the preparation of the Company’s interim consolidated financial statements to be included in the Registration Statement, the Company reexamined the estimated fair value of its Common Stock associated with stock option issuances at February 9, 2015, April 1, 2015 and May 7, 2015, using revised probability weighting of liquidity events in light of the Company’s stage of development and its prospects for an IPO. September 21, 2015 Page 6 February 9, 2015. For purposes of the February 9, 2015 stock option grant issuance, the Company initially determined the estimated fair value of its Common Stock to be $1.57 per share, based on its December 31, 2014 valuation, the most recent available valuation. As a result of the reassessment, using a ratable approach for the increase in the fair value of Common Stock from December 31, 2014 through March 31, 2015 (discussed in further detail below), the Company determined the February 9, 2015 fair value at $2.77 per share for financial reporting purposes. April 1, 2015. The Company performed valuation of its Common Stock as of March 31, 2015 that indicated that the fair value of the Common Stock on that date was $4.22 per share. In this valuation, the Company used the PWERM methodology to develop a probability weighted estimate of the value of the Company’s Common Stock based on the assessment of several possible future scenarios, in which an IPO liquidity event was weighted at 25%, an M&A scenario was weighted at 50% and a potential dissolution scenario was weighted at 25%. The Company determined that an exit through an IPO became more likely relative to prior periods and that the exit values would be higher based on the fact that the market continued to be receptive to healthcare initial public offerings, with 13 transactions pricing in the first quarter of 2015 and the Nasdaq Biotech Index increasing during the same period. The Company’s board of directors considered several additional factors in its determination of the fair value of the Company’s Common Stock, including the following: • In January 2015, the Company hired Dr. Michael Kavanaugh as its Chief Scientific Officer. Prior to joining the Company, Dr. Kavanaugh led the growth of the therapeutic pipelines at Five Prime Therapeutics, Novartis Institutes of Biomedical Research and Chiron Corporation. Hiring Dr. Kavanaugh was the key to the Company’s plans for successful product development and expanding partnerships with pharmaceutical companies. • In January and February 2015, the Company generated preclinical proof of concept for several of its targets. For PD-L1 target, Company generated proof of concept data for both tumor efficacy and safety models. For targets CD166, CD71 and ITGA3, the Company generated proof of concept data for the tumor efficacy models. • In March 2015, the Company received confirmation of intact Probody expression in the Chinese Hamster Ovary or CHO system. This system is a widely-used standard for manufacturing antibodies. This was an important progress to ensure feasibility and efficiency of the manufacturing process. In light of these developments, the Company’s board of directors determined that the estimated fair value of the Company’s Common Stock ha