As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 19, 2021

Registration No. 333-          

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

 

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

 

Versus Systems Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

British Columbia   7374   Not Applicable
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
  (Primary Standard Industrial
Classification Code Number)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

 

1558 West Hastings Street

Vancouver BC V6G 3J4 Canada

(604) 639-4457

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of Registrant’s principal executive offices)

 

 

 

Versus Systems Inc. 2017 Stock Option Plan

(Full title of the plans)

 

 

 

Matthew Pierce

Versus Systems Inc.

6701 Center Drive West, Suite 480

Los Angeles, CA 90445

(310) 242-0228

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

With a copy to:

M. Ali Panjwani, Esq.

Eric M. Hellige, Esq

Pryor Cashman LLP

7 Times Square

New York, NY 10036

Tel: (212) 421-4100

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer Accelerated filer
Non-accelerated filer Smaller reporting company
    Emerging growth company

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.

 

 

 

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

Title Of Securities To Be Registered(1)  Amount
To Be Registered
   Proposed Maximum
Offering Price
Per Share(2)
   Proposed Maximum
Aggregate
Offering Price
   Amount Of
Registration Fee
 
Common Shares, no par value (1)   2,007,473   $7.205   $14,463,843   $1,578.01 
Total:   2,007,473   $7.205   $14,463,843   $1,578.01 

 

(1) Represents Common Shares, no par value (the “Common Shares”) issuable under the Versus Systems Inc. 2017 Stock Option Plan.

 

(2) Pursuant to Rule 457(c) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), the proposed maximum offering price per share and the proposed maximum aggregate offering price are estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee, and are based on the average of the high and low sale prices of the Common Shares as quoted on the Nasdaq Capital Market on May 18, 2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

PART I

 

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

 

Item 1. Plan Information.*

 

Item 2. Registrant Information and Employee Plan Annual Information.*

 

*The documents containing the information specified in this Part I of Form S-8 (plan information and registration information and employee plan annual information) will be sent or given to employees as specified by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) pursuant to Rule 428(b)(1) of the Securities Act. Such documents are not required to be and are not filed with the Commission either as part of this registration statement (this “Registration Statement”) or as prospectuses or prospectus supplements pursuant to Rule 424. These documents and the documents incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement pursuant to Item 3 of Part II hereof, taken together, constitute a prospectus that meets the requirements of Section 10(a) of the Securities Act. The Registrant will provide a written statement to participants advising them of the availability without charge, upon written or oral request, of the documents incorporated by reference in Item 3 of Part II hereof and including the statement in the preceding sentence. The written statement to all participants will indicate the availability without charge, upon written or oral request, of other documents required to be delivered pursuant to Rule 428(b), and will include the address and telephone number to which the request is to be directed.

 

PART II

 

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

 

Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

 

The following documents filed with the Commission are hereby incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement:

 

  (a) The Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2020, filed with the Commission on May 5, 2021, containing the Registrant’s audited consolidated financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019.  

 

  (b) All other reports filed by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), since the end of the fiscal year covered by the Annual Report on Form 20-F referred to in (a) above (other than portions of those documents furnished or not otherwise deemed to be filed).  

 

  (c) The description of the Registrant’s Common Shares contained in the Registrant’s registration statement referred to in (a) above, and any amendments or reports filed with the Commission for the purpose of updating such description.  

 

All documents subsequently filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act and, to the extent specifically designated therein, Reports of Foreign Private Issuer on Form 6-K furnished by the Registrant to the Commission that are identified in such forms as being incorporated into this Registration Statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement indicating that all of the securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement and to be part hereof from the date of filing such documents.

 

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Item 4. Description of Securities.

 

Not applicable

 

Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

 

Not applicable

 

Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

 

Under the BCBCA, a company may indemnify: (i) a current or former director or officer of that company; (ii) a current or former director or officer of another corporation if, at the time such individual held such office, the corporation was an affiliate of the company, or if such individual held such office at the company’s request; or (iii) an individual who, at the request of the company, held, or holds, an equivalent position in another entity, against all costs, charges and expenses, including an amount paid to settle an action or satisfy a judgment actually and reasonably incurred by him or her in respect of any legal proceeding or investigative action (whether current, threatened, pending or completed) in which he or she is involved because of that person’s position as an indemnifiable person, unless: (i) the individual did not act honestly and in good faith with a view to the best interests of such company or the other entity, as the case may be; or (ii) in the case of a proceeding other than a civil proceeding, the individual did not have reasonable grounds for believing that the individual’s conduct was lawful. A company cannot indemnify an indemnifiable person if it is prohibited from doing so under its articles or by applicable law. A company may pay, as they are incurred in advance of the final disposition of an eligible proceeding, the expenses actually and reasonably incurred by an indemnifiable person in respect of that proceeding only if the indemnifiable person has provided an undertaking that, if it is ultimately determined that the payment of expenses was prohibited, the indemnifiable person will repay any amounts advanced. Subject to the aforementioned prohibitions on indemnification, a company must, after the final disposition of an eligible proceeding, pay the expenses actually and reasonably incurred by an indemnifiable person in respect of such eligible proceeding if such indemnifiable person has not been reimbursed for such expenses, and was wholly successful, on the merits or otherwise, in the outcome of such eligible proceeding or was substantially successful on the merits in the outcome of such eligible proceeding. On application from us or from an indemnifiable person, a court may make any order the court considers appropriate in respect of an eligible proceeding, including the indemnification of penalties imposed or expenses incurred in any such proceedings and the enforcement of an indemnification agreement. As permitted by the BCBCA, our articles require us to indemnify our directors, former directors or alternate directors (and such individual’s respective heirs and legal representatives) and permit us to indemnify any person to the extent permitted by the BCBCA.

 

Item 7. Exemption from Registration Claimed.

 

Not applicable.

 

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Item 8. Exhibits.

 

The following exhibits are filed as part of this Registration Statement:

 

Exhibit
Number
  Description of Document
   
4.1   The Articles of Versus Systems Inc., as in effect on the date hereof (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F filed May 5, 2021).
     
4.2   Versus Systems Inc. Stock Option Plan dated May 17, 2017 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.7 of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F filed May 5, 2021).
     
5.1*   Opinion of Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, with respect to the legality of the securities being registered
     
23.1*   Consent of Davidson & Company LLP
     
23.2*   Consent of Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP (included in the opinion filed as Exhibit 5.1)
     
24.1*   Power of Attorney of the directors of the Registrant (contained in the signature pages hereto)

 

 

*Filed herewith.

 

Item 9. Undertakings.

 

(a)The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

 

(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made of securities registered hereby, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement which shall include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or any material change to such information in the Registration Statement;

 

(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof; and

 

(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

 

(b) The undersigned Registrant hereby further undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

(c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

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SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Vancouver, British Columbia on May 18, 2021.

 

  Versus Systems Inc.
   
  By: /s/ Matthew Pierce
    Matthew Pierce
    Chief Executive Officer

 

Each of the undersigned members of the board of directors of the Registrant, hereby severally constitutes and appoints Matthew Pierce and Craig Finster as his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and re-substitution for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement, and any subsequent registration statements pursuant to Rule 462 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorney-in-fact and agents, each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that each of said attorneys-in-fact or his or her substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

Signatures   Title   Date
         
/s/ Matthew Pierce   Director and Chief Executive Officer    
Matthew Pierce   (Principal Executive Officer)   May 18, 2021
         
/s/ Craig Finster   President and Chief Financial Officer    
Craig Finster   (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)   May 18, 2021
         
/s/ Keyvan Peymani   Director    
Keyvan Peymani       May 18, 2021
         
/s/ Brian Tingle   Director    
Brian Tingle       May 18, 2021
         
/s/ Michelle Gahagan   Director    
Michelle Gahagan       May 18, 2021
         
/s/ Paul Vlasic   Director    
Paul Vlasic       May 18, 2021

 

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Signature of Authorized U.S. Representative of Registrant

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the undersigned, the duly authorized representative in the United States of Versus Systems Inc., has signed this Registration Statement on May 18, 2021.

 

  By: /s/ Matthew Pierce
    Name: Matthew Pierce
    Title: Chief Executive Officer

 

 

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