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Preferred Units
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2018
Equity [Abstract]  
Preferred Units

(11)

Preferred Units

Prior to the 2017 Reorganization, the Company had one class of contingently redeemable preferred units and two classes of convertible preferred units. Pursuant to the 2015 Reorganization, each share of the Company’s Series A Preferred Stock and Series A Contingently Redeemable Preferred Stock was exchanged for a like type and number of the Company’s Class A Preferred Units and Contingently Redeemable Class A Preferred Units, respectively.

In February 2016, Synlogic issued and sold 2,005,348 units of Class A-3 Preferred Units and 361,884 units of Contingently Redeemable Class A-3 Preferred Stock at $7.23 per unit to investors for net proceeds of approximately $17.1 million. There were no issuance costs related to these transactions.

In February 2016, Synlogic also issued and sold 1,029,850 units of Class B Preferred Units at $13.53 per unit to investors for net proceeds of approximately $13.6 million. Issuance costs related to this transaction of approximately $0.3 million were recorded as a reduction of proceeds within Class B Preferred Units (together with the Class A Preferred Units, Contingently Redeemable Class A Preferred Units, Class A-2 Preferred Units, Class A-2 Contingently Redeemable Preferred Units, Class A-3 Preferred Units and Contingently Redeemable Class A-3 Preferred Units, the “Preferred Units”).

Rights and Preferences

The Preferred Units had substantially similar rights and preferences as were conferred upon the preferred stock as follows:

 

(i)

Voting

The holders of the Preferred Units were entitled to vote, together with the holders of the Company’s common units as a single class, on all matters submitted to unit holders for a vote. In addition, holders of at least a majority of the outstanding Preferred Units and common units voting as a single class were entitled to take any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the members, unless a different vote is required by the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act or the Company’s operating agreement.

 

(ii)

Distributions

Distributions were governed by the Company’s operating agreement (Note 13). No distributions were made in either of the years ended December 31, 2018 or December 31,2017.

 

(iii)

Liquidation Preference

In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, the assets of the Company would have been distributed, after the payout or provision for payment of all creditors of the Company, in accordance with the same order of priority as distributions (Note 13).

 

(iv)

Par Value

The Preferred Units did not have a par value.

 

(v)

Redemption

The Preferred Units were not redeemable except upon a deemed liquidation event. Deemed liquidation events included the merger, acquisition or sale of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets. All holders of equally and more subordinated equity instruments of the Company would have been entitled to receive the same form of consideration upon the occurrence of a deemed liquidation event, consequently, the Preferred Units were classified as permanent equity.

In September 2014, the Company entered into a letter agreement with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (“the Gates Foundation”) (Note 10) with respect to the Gates Foundation purchase of 781,693 shares of the Company’s Series A Preferred Stock. The Gates Foundation investment was made in three tranches of 201,163 shares in September 2014, 218,646 shares in May 2015 and 361,884 units in February 2016. The first two tranches, totaling 419,809 shares were exchanged for Class A Preferred Units pursuant to the 2015 Reorganization in July 2015. As a result, 781,693 units of Class A Preferred Units with a cost of approximately $5.0 million were classified as Contingently Redeemable Preferred Units in mezzanine equity, as of December 31, 2016.

 

(vi)

Participation Rights

Holders of Class A Preferred Units had the right and obligation to participate in additional closings of Class A Preferred Units upon the achievement of certain milestones by the Company. If any holder of Class A Preferred Units did not purchase the number of Class A Preferred Units required to be purchased by it at any such additional closing, then each Class A Preferred Unit held by such member would have automatically been converted into common units at the applicable adjustment ratio in effect with respect to such units immediately prior to such closing. All holders of Class A Preferred Units participated in additional closings at the required levels. Holders of Class B Preferred Units had the right and obligation to participate in additional closings of Class B Preferred Units upon the achievement of certain milestones by the Company. If any holder of Class B Preferred Units did not purchase the number of Class B Preferred Units required to be purchased by it at any such additional closing, then each Class B Preferred Unit held by such member would have automatically been converted into common units at the applicable adjustment ratio in effect with respect to such units immediately prior to such closing.

 

(vii)

Initial Public Offering

In connection with preparation for an initial public offering, upon request of holder of at least 70% of the Preferred Units, all unit holders would have been required to have taken appropriate steps to implement a reorganization of the Company that may have included, for example, contribution of their units to a newly formed corporation.