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The information in this preliminary prospectus supplement is not complete and may be changed. This preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are not an offer to sell these securities and we are not soliciting offers to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Registration No. 333-[•]

Subject to completion, dated October 21, 2024

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

(To the Prospectus dated October 21, 2024)

 

LOGO

4,250,000 Shares of Common Stock

 

 

We are offering 4,250,000 shares of our common stock.

Our common stock is listed on The New York Stock Exchange, or NYSE, under the symbol “ASPN.” On October 18, 2024, the last reported sale price of our common stock was $21.60 per share.

 

 

Our business and an investment in our common stock involve significant risks. These risks are described under the caption “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-10 of this prospectus supplement and under similar headings in the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus.

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

 

     Per
Share
     Total  

Public offering price

   $           $       

Underwriting discounts and commissions (1)

   $        $    

Proceeds, before expenses, to us

   $        $    

 

(1)

See the section titled “Underwriting” in this prospectus supplement for additional information regarding compensation payable to the underwriters.

We have granted the underwriters the option to purchase up to an additional 637,500 shares of our common stock at the public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions payable by us, within 30 days from the date of this prospectus supplement.

We expect that delivery of the common stock will be made to investors in book-entry form through The Depository Trust Company on or about   , 2024, subject to customary closing conditions.

 

 

Joint Book-Running Managers

 

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC   Morgan Stanley

Prospectus supplement dated   , 2024.


Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Prospectus Supplement

 

     PAGE  

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

     S-1  

TRADEMARKS, TRADE NAMES AND SERVICE MARKS

     S-2  

NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

     S-3  

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY

     S-4  

THE OFFERING

     S-8  

RISK FACTORS

     S-10  

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

     S-14  

USE OF PROCEEDS

     S-17  

DIVIDEND POLICY

     S-17  

CAPITALIZATION

     S-18  

DILUTION

     S-20  

MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME AND ESTATE TAX CONSIDERATIONS

     S-21  

UNDERWRITING

     S-26  

LEGAL MATTERS

     S-34  

EXPERTS

     S-34  

INCORPORATION OF INFORMATION BY REFERENCE

     S-34  

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

     S-35  

Prospectus dated October 21, 2024

 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

     1  

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

     2  

RISK FACTORS

     4  

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

     5  

USE OF PROCEEDS

     8  

DESCRIPTION OF COMMON STOCK

     9  

CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF DELAWARE LAW AND OF OUR RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION, AS AMENDED, AND AMENDED AND RESTATED BYLAWS

     10  

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED STOCK

     14  

DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

     15  

DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

     21  

DESCRIPTION OF RIGHTS

     23  

DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

     25  

SELLING STOCKHOLDERS

     27  

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

     28  

LEGAL MATTERS

     31  

EXPERTS

     31  

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

     31  

INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

     31  

 

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

This document is in two parts. The first part is this prospectus supplement, which contains specific information about the terms on which we are offering and selling our common stock and important business information about us, and also adds to and updates information contained in the accompanying prospectus dated October 21, 2024, which forms a part of an automatic shelf registration statement on Form S-3, and the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. The second part is the accompanying prospectus, which, among other things, gives more general information, some of which may not apply to this offering, and which contains and incorporates by reference important business and financial information about us and other information about this offering. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are part of the registration statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC. Generally, when we refer to this “prospectus,” we are referring to both documents combined.

To the extent there is a conflict between the information contained in this prospectus supplement, on the one hand, and the information contained in the accompanying prospectus or any document incorporated by reference herein that was filed with the SEC before the date of this prospectus supplement, on the other hand, you should rely on the information set forth in this prospectus supplement. If any statement in one of these documents is inconsistent with a statement in another document having a later date (for example, a subsequently filed document deemed incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement), the statement in the document having the later date modifies or supersedes the earlier statement. Any statement so modified or superseded will not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus supplement.

You should rely only on the information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and any related free writing prospectus filed by us with the SEC. We have not, and the underwriters have not, authorized anyone to provide you with information that is in addition to or different from that contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or contained in any permitted free writing prospectus we have authorized for use in connection with this offering. We and the underwriters take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may provide. We and the underwriters are not making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. This prospectus supplement does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the securities described in this prospectus supplement or an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy such securities in any circumstances in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful. The information contained in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference herein and any related free writing prospectus is accurate only as of their respective dates, regardless of the time of delivery of any such document or the time of any sale of shares of our common stock. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.

It is important for you to read and consider all information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering in making your investment decision. You should read this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, as well as the documents incorporated by reference herein, the additional information described under the section titled “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference” in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering, before investing in shares of our common stock.

We further note that the representations, warranties and covenants made by us in any agreement that is filed as an exhibit to any document that is incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying

 

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prospectus were made solely for the benefit of the parties to such agreement, including, in some cases, for the purpose of allocating risk among the parties to such agreements, and should not be deemed to be a representation, warranty or covenant to you. Moreover, such representations, warranties or covenants were accurate only as of the date when made. Accordingly, such representations, warranties and covenants should not be relied on as accurately representing the current state of our affairs.

As used in this prospectus, “Aspen,” the “Company,” “we,” “our” or “us” refers to Aspen Aerogels, Inc. and its subsidiaries. References to our “common stock” refer to the common stock of Aspen Aerogels, Inc.

TRADEMARKS, TRADE NAMES AND SERVICE MARKS

We own or have rights to trademarks or trade names that we use in connection with the operation of our business. Solely for convenience, the trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus are listed without the ® and TM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the rights of the applicable licensors to these trademarks and trade names. All other trademarks appearing in this prospectus supplement or accompanying prospectus are the property of their respective holders. Use or display by us of other parties’ trademarks, or products in this prospectus supplement or accompanying prospectus is not intended to, and does not, imply a relationship with, or endorsements or sponsorship of, us by the trademark.

 

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NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

This prospectus supplement includes a financial measure that is not prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”), including Adjusted EBITDA. This non-GAAP financial measure is not based on any comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles and should not be construed as an inference that our future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items. In addition, this non-GAAP financial measure should be read in conjunction with our financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. The reconciliations of our non-GAAP financial measure to the corresponding GAAP measure should be carefully evaluated.

Adjusted EBITDA

We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) before interest expense, taxes, depreciation, amortization, stock-based compensation expense and other items, which occur from time to time and which we do not believe are indicative of our core operating performance.

Management believes that this non-GAAP financial measure reflects our ongoing business in a manner that allows for meaningful comparisons and analysis of trends in its business, as it excludes expenses and gains not reflective of our ongoing operating results or that may be infrequent and/or unusual in nature. Management also believes that this non-GAAP financial measure provides useful information to investors in understanding and evaluating our operating results and future prospects in the same manner as management and in comparing financial results across accounting periods and to those of peer companies. This non-GAAP measure may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies.

Adjusted EBITDA should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for or superior to, financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. Adjusted EBITDA is not measurements of our financial performance under GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to net income or any other performance measures derived in accordance with GAAP and may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other businesses. Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as analytical tools, and you should not consider this measure in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our operating results as reported under GAAP. Furthermore, we compensate for the limitations described above by relying primarily on our GAAP results and using Adjusted EBITDA only for supplemental purposes. For additional information on Adjusted EBITDA, including a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss), the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, see the section titled “Prospectus Supplement Summary – Recent Developments” and the other information included in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement.

 

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PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY

The following is a summary of what we believe to be the most important aspects of our business and the offering of our securities under this prospectus. We urge you to read this entire prospectus, including the more detailed consolidated financial statements, notes to the consolidated financial statements and other information incorporated by reference from our other filings with the SEC. Investing in our securities involves risks. Therefore, carefully consider the risk factors set forth in our most recent annual and quarterly filings with the SEC, as well as other information in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein or therein, before purchasing our securities. Each of the risk factors could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition, as well as adversely affect the value of an investment in our securities.

Company Overview

We are actively developing a number of promising aerogel products and technologies for the electric vehicle (“EV”) market. We have developed and are commercializing our proprietary line of PyroThin® aerogel thermal barriers for use in battery packs in EVs. Our PyroThin product is an ultra-thin, lightweight and flexible thermal barrier designed with other functional layers to impede the propagation of thermal runaway across multiple lithium-ion battery system architectures. Our thermal barrier technology is designed to offer a unique combination of thermal management, mechanical performance and fire protection properties. These properties enable EV manufacturers to achieve critical battery performance and safety goals. In addition, we are seeking to leverage our patented carbon aerogel technology to develop industry-leading battery materials for use in lithium-ion battery cells. These battery materials have the potential to increase the energy density of the battery cells, thus enabling an increase in the driving range of EVs.

The commercial potential for our PyroThin thermal barriers and our carbon aerogel battery materials in the EV market is significant. Accordingly, we are hiring additional personnel, incurring additional operating expenses, incurring significant capital expenditures to expand aerogel manufacturing capacity, establishing an automated thermal barrier fabrication operation, enhancing research and development resources and expanding our battery material research facilities, among other items.

We have entered into production contracts with certain major Original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”), including General Motors LLC (“GM”), to supply fabricated, multi-part thermal barriers for use in the battery system of its next-generation EVs. Pursuant to the contracts with GM, we are obligated to supply the barriers at fixed annual prices and at volumes to be specified by the customer up to a daily maximum quantity through the term of the agreements, which expire at various times from 2026 through 2034. While GM has agreed to purchase its requirement for the barriers from us at locations to be designated from time to time, it has no obligation to purchase any minimum quantity of barriers under the contracts. In addition, GM may terminate the contracts any time and for any or no reason. All other terms of the contracts are generally consistent with GM’s standard purchase terms, including quality and warranty provisions customary in the automotive industry. GM represented 41% and 65% of our total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2023 and the six months ended June 30, 2024, respectively, and 60% and 74% of our accounts receivable as of December 31, 2023 and June 30, 2024, respectively. We have also entered into production contracts with Toyota, Scania, Audi, a luxury brand of the Volkswagen Group, ACC, a battery cell joint venture between Stellantis N.V, Saft-TotalEnergies and Mercedes-Benz, and a large EU battery manufacturer to supply a next generation vehicle platform of a major EU luxury sports car brand.

We also design, develop and manufacture innovative, high-performance aerogel insulation used primarily in the energy industrial and sustainable insulation materials markets. We believe our aerogel blankets deliver the best thermal performance of any widely used insulation product available on the market today and provide a combination of performance attributes unmatched by traditional insulation materials. Our end-user customers

 

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select our products where thermal performance is critical and to save money, improve resource efficiency, enhance sustainability, preserve operating assets and protect workers. Our insulation is used by oil producers and the owners and operators of refineries, petrochemical plants, liquefied natural gas (“LNG”) facilities, power generating assets and other energy industrial companies. Our Pyrogel® and Cryogel® product lines have undergone rigorous technical validation by industry leading end-users and achieved significant market adoption.

We also derive revenue from a number of other end markets. Customers in these markets use our products for applications as diverse as military and commercial aircraft, trains, buses, appliances, apparel, footwear and outdoor gear. As we continue to enhance our Aerogel Technology Platform®, we believe we will have additional opportunities to address high-value applications in the global insulation market, and in a number of new, high-value markets, including hydrogen energy, filtration, water purification, and gas sorption.

We market and sell our products primarily through a sales force based in North America, Europe and Asia. The efforts of our sales force are supported by a small number of sales consultants with extensive knowledge of a particular market or region. Our sales force is responsible for establishing and maintaining customer and partner relationships, delivering highly technical information and ensuring high-quality customer service.

Our salespeople work directly with end-user customers and engineering firms to promote the qualification, specification and acceptance of our aerogel and thermal barrier products. We also rely on an existing and well-established channel of qualified insulation distributors and contractors in more than 50 countries around the world to ensure rapid delivery of our aerogel products and strong end-user support.

We manufacture our products using our proprietary technology at our facility in East Providence, Rhode Island. We have operated the East Providence facility since 2008 and have increased our capacity in phases. To meet expected growth in demand for our aerogel products in the EV market, we have been in the process of expanding our aerogel blanket capacity by constructing a second manufacturing plant in Bulloch County, Georgia. However, in order to manage the development of the second plant so that its increased capacity comes online in a manner that aligns with our current expectations as to demand from our EV customers, we are extending the timeframe for construction and commissioning of the second plant until such time as its capacity is supported by increased demand. In the meantime, and until we ramp up construction, we believe that productivity improvements in our existing Rhode Island facility combined with our supplemental supply of our energy industrial products from an external manufacturing facility in China will permit us to achieve our target revenue capacity in 2024 and prior to the completion and start-up of the second plant. At present, we have engaged one third-party external manufacturing facility in China to produce certain of our Energy Industrial products. Pursuant to our supply contract with this contract manufacturer, they are obligated to deliver products to us as we issue purchase orders on an as-needed basis through the term of the agreement. The contract automatically renews year-to-year unless either party notifies the other of its intention not to renew the contract. While we have agreed to purchase our requirement for certain Energy Industrial products from the contract manufacturer, we have no obligation to purchase any minimum quantity under the contract and we may terminate the contract at any time and for any or no reason. Additionally, we have entered into a contract with Prodensa Servicios de Consultora (“Prodensa”) to establish OPE Manufacturer Mexico S de RL de CV, a maquiladora located in Mexico, (“OPE”) which manufactures thermal barrier PyroThin products and operates an automated fabrication facility for PyroThin. Pursuant to such contract, we pay Prodensa a management fee and have an option to purchase OPE from Prodensa after a period of 18 months.

Recent Developments

DOE Loan

In October 2024, we announced that we received a conditional commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) for a proposed loan of up to $670.6 million (the “Loan”) under the Advanced Technology Vehicles

 

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Manufacturing loan program within DOE’s Loan Programs Office for financing the construction of our planned second aerogel manufacturing facility in Register, Georgia (the “Register Plant”). Aspen Aerogels Georgia, LLC, our subsidiary, is the intended borrower of the Loan. The Loan would provide for repayment commencing upon project commissioning. The interest rate will be the applicable U.S. Treasury Rate at the time of each cash draw. While this conditional commitment indicates the DOE’s intent to finance the project, the DOE and we must satisfy certain technical, legal, environmental, and financial conditions before the DOE enters into definitive financing documents and funds the Loan.

The receipt by us of the conditional commitment from the DOE in respect of the Loan is not an assurance that definitive financing documents will be negotiated and entered into, that the terms and conditions of the Loan will be consistent with the terms contemplated in the conditional commitment, or that all technical, legal, environmental and financial conditions will be achieved and satisfied. The outcome of the process with the DOE relating to the Loan and our ability to draw and utilize such funds towards the construction of the Register Plant is dependent on whether the DOE determines to proceed with the definitive financing documents and under what conditions. There can be no assurance as to the outcome of these decisions and the terms and conditions of the financing documents that may be offered, if any. See the section titled “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Strategy—We are dependent upon our ability to close on and fully draw down on our proposed loan facility from the United States Department of Energy, which may restrict our ability to conduct our business.”

Q3 2024 Preliminary Financial Results

While we have not finalized our financial results for the third quarter of 2024, we expect to report that, for the three months ended September 30, 2024, our revenue was approximately $117 million, our net loss was approximately $13 million, and our Adjusted EBITDA was approximately $25 million, including a $27.5 million one-time charge from the extinguishment of our convertible note on August 19, 2024. We also expect to report that as of September 30, 2024, we had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $113 million. Adjusted EBITDA is not prepared in accordance with GAAP and should not be relied upon in isolation or as a substitute for financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. See the section titled “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” above. For a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss), the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, see the section titled “—Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to Net Loss” below.

These financial results are based solely on information currently available to management and are unaudited. As of the date hereof, we have not completed our quarter end procedures for the quarter ended September 30, 2024. During the course of our quarter-end review process, we may identify items that would require us to make adjustments, which may be material, to the information presented above. As a result our actual results for the quarter ended September 30, 2024 may vary materially from these preliminary estimates. This preliminary financial information does not represent a comprehensive statement of our financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2024 and remains subject to the completion of our financial closing procedures and internal reviews. This preliminary financial information should not be viewed as a substitute for full interim financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. KPMG LLP, our registered public accounting firm, has not audited, reviewed, compiled or performed any procedures with respect to the preliminary financial results. Accordingly, KPMG LLP does not express an opinion or any other form of assurance with respect thereto. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed on these preliminary financial results. See the section titled “Risk Factors—Risks Related to This Offering—Our preliminary financial estimates represent management’s current estimates and are subject to change.”

 

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Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to Net Loss

For the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023:

 

     (In millions)  

Net loss

   $ (13    $ (13

Depreciation and amortization

     5        5  

Stock-based compensation

     3        3  

Other expense (income)

     3        (2

Loss on extinguishment of debt

     27        —   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Adjusted EBITDA

   $ 25      $ (7
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Corporate Information and History

We are a corporation organized under the laws of Delaware.

Our principal office is located at 30 Forbes Road, Building B, Northborough, Massachusetts 01532, and our telephone number is (508) 691-1111. Our website address is https://www.aerogel.com. The information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not a part of this prospectus supplement or accompanying prospectus. We have included our website address in this prospectus supplement solely as an inactive textual reference.

 

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THE OFFERING

 

Common stock offered by us

     shares, or    shares if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of our common stock.

 

Option to Purchase Additional Shares

We have granted the underwriters an option to purchase up to an additional    shares of our common stock within 30 days of the date of this prospectus supplement.

 

Common stock to be outstanding immediately after this offering

     shares, or     shares if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of our common stock.

 

Use of Proceeds

We estimate that the net proceeds that we will receive from the sale of shares of our common stock in this offering will be approximately $    million (or approximately $     million if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full), after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

 

  We currently intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for working capital, capital expenditures and general corporate purposes. See the section titled “Use of Proceeds” on page S-17 of this prospectus supplement.

 

Risk Factors

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk, and the purchasers of our common stock may lose all or part of their investment. Before deciding to invest in our securities, please carefully read the section entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-10 of this prospectus supplement, the other information included in this prospectus supplement, and the other risks and uncertainties described in the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus for a discussion of factors to consider before deciding to invest in our common stock.

 

NYSE symbol

“ASPN”

The number of shares of our common stock shown above to be outstanding after this offering is based on 77,081,039 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2024, and excludes:

 

   

4,544,652 shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of options outstanding as of June 30, 2024 at a weighted average exercise price of $9.90 per share;

 

   

594,391 shares of our common stock issuable upon the vesting of restricted stock units outstanding as of June 30, 2024; and

 

   

2,110,000 shares of our common stock reserved for future grants under the 2023 Equity Incentive Plan, or the 2023 Equity Plan, as of June 30, 2024.

 

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Unless otherwise stated, information in this prospectus supplement assumes:

 

   

no exercises of options outstanding as of June 30, 2024;

 

   

no vesting of restricted stock units outstanding as of June 30, 2024; and

 

   

no exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase up to an additional    shares of our common stock.

 

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RISK FACTORS

An investment in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Before deciding whether to invest in our common stock, you should consider carefully the risks described below and discussed under the sections titled “Risk Factors” contained in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, as well as in any of our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or our Current Reports on Form 8-K, which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety, together with other information in this prospectus and the information and documents incorporated by reference that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering. The risks and uncertainties described below and incorporated by reference herein are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties that we are unaware of or that we deem immaterial may also become important factors that adversely affect our business. If any of these risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flow could be seriously harmed. This could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline, resulting in a loss of all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to Our Business and Strategy

We are dependent upon our ability to close on and fully draw down on our proposed loan facility from the United States Department of Energy, which may restrict our ability to conduct our business.

The receipt by us of the conditional commitment from the DOE in respect of the Loan is not an assurance that definitive financing documents will be negotiated and entered into, that the terms and conditions of the Loan will be consistent with the terms contemplated in the conditional commitment, or that all technical, legal, environmental and financial conditions will be achieved and satisfied. The outcome of the process with the DOE relating to the Loan and our ability to draw and utilize such funds towards the construction of the Register Plant is dependent on whether the DOE determines to proceed with the definitive financing documents and under what conditions. There can be no assurance as to the outcome of these decisions and the terms and conditions of the financing documents that may be offered, if any.

If and when definitive financing documents in respect of the Loan are entered into, the Loan and our ability to draw upon the Loan are expected to be conditional upon certain condition precedents and to include representations, warranties and covenants of us customary for financings of a similar nature by the U.S. Government or other public lending institutions, including relating to repayment obligations. Our failure to comply with or satisfy any or all of the conditions or to remain in compliance with the covenant regime under the Loan could result in a reduction of the size of the Loan made available to us and/or an event of default under the Loan, which could result in the termination of the Loan and/or cause any amounts outstanding under the Loan to become immediately due and payable, any of which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We have engaged third-party external manufacturing facilities in China to supplement our supply of our energy industrial products. If such external manufacturing facilities are unable to manufacture and deliver a sufficient quantity of high-quality products on a timely and cost-efficient basis, our net revenue and business operations may be harmed and our reputation may suffer.

We have engaged external manufacturing facilities in China for a supplemental supply of our energy industrial products, which we believe will enable us to achieve a target revenue capacity of approximately $650 million in the near-term and prior to the completion and start-up of our planned second manufacturing plant. If our external manufacturing facilities are unable to deliver the required aerogel product on a timely basis, we may experience delays in delivering our finished aerogel product to customers in the energy industrial market. In addition, because our third-party external manufacturing facilities have manufacturing facilities in China, their ability to provide us with adequate supplies of high-quality products on a timely and cost-efficient basis is subject to a number of additional risks and uncertainties, including political, social and economic instability and other factors that could impact the shipment of supplies. In 2022, the indirect parent of the external manufacturing facility we engaged in 2023 was added to the list of “Chinese military companies” that are “operating directly or indirectly

 

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in the United States” in accordance with Section 1260H of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. There are certain government contract related restrictions that are or will be imposed on Section 1260H list entities and their controlled affiliates. While we currently have no contracts that would be affected by these restrictions, and the legal impact of being included on the list is relatively limited, our work with a listed entity may have a material adverse effect on our reputation and our business opportunities. If our manufacturers are unable to provide us with adequate supplies of high-quality aerogel products on a timely and cost-efficient basis, our operations could be disrupted and our revenue and business operations may suffer. Moreover, if our third-party external manufacturing facilities cannot consistently produce high-quality products that are free of defects and/or violates applicable worker or product safety rules, regulations or laws, we may experience a loss of customers, which may also reduce our revenues and may harm our reputation and brand. Furthermore, our third-party external manufacturing facilities may become subject to various supply chain disruptions, including for key inputs into their manufacturing process such as methanol. Such disruptions could be the result of pandemics or public health crises, and/or geopolitical disputes and conflicts, any of which could slow or halt the delivery of products to us and increase the price of certain materials due to resulting increases in costs of raw materials and shipping costs.

At present, we have engaged one third-party external manufacturing facility in China to produce certain of our Energy Industrial products. Pursuant to our supply contract with this contract manufacturer, they are obligated to deliver products to us as we issue purchase orders on an as-needed basis through the term of the agreement. The contract automatically renews year-to-year unless either party notifies the other of its intention not to renew the contract. While we have agreed to purchase our requirement for certain Energy Industrial products from the contract manufacturer, we have no obligation to purchase any minimum quantity under the contract. In addition, we may terminate the contract at any time and for any or no reason.

Risks Related to Our Preliminary Financial Estimates

Our preliminary financial estimates represent management’s current estimates and are subject to change.

The preliminary financial information contained in “Prospectus Supplement Summary—Recent Developments” are only preliminary estimates and are based on information available to management as of the date of this prospectus supplement and these estimates could change. Our actual financial results as of, and for the three months ended, September 30, 2024 are subject to the completion of our financial statements as of such date, and for such period. Such actual financial results will not be available until after this offering is completed and, consequently, will not be available to you prior to investing in this offering. Our actual financial results as of, and for the three months ended, September 30, 2024 may differ materially from the preliminary financial results we have provided as a result of the completion of our final adjustments, review by our independent registered public accounting firm and other developments arising between now and the time that our financial results for such period are finalized, and you should not place undue reliance on these preliminary estimates. Our independent registered public accounting firm has not audited, reviewed or performed any procedures with respect to such preliminary estimates and accordingly does not express an opinion or any other form of assurance with respect thereto. Complete results as of, and for the three months ended, September 30, 2024 will be included in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended September 30, 2024. See the other risks described in this section and the section titled “Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements” for additional information regarding factors that could result in differences between these preliminary and the actual financial results we will report for the three months ended September 30, 2024.

Risks Related to this Offering and Our Common Stock

Our management will have broad discretion over the use of the proceeds from this offering, and you may not agree with how we use the proceeds and the proceeds may not be invested successfully.

Our management will have broad discretion as to the use of the proceeds from this offering and could use them for purposes other than those contemplated at the time of this offering. Accordingly, you are relying on the

 

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judgment of our management with regard to the use of these net proceeds, and you will not have the opportunity, as part of your investment decision, to assess whether the proceeds will be used appropriately. It is possible that the proceeds will be invested in a way that does not yield a favorable, or any, return for Aspen.

If you purchase shares in this offering, you will suffer immediate and substantial dilution in the book value per share of the common stock purchased in the offering.

If you purchase shares of our common stock in this offering, you will incur immediate and substantial dilution in the as adjusted net tangible book value of your stock of $    per share as of June 30, 2024, because the price that you will pay is substantially greater than the net tangible book value per share of the shares you acquire. You will experience additional dilution upon the exercise of options, vesting of restricted stock units, including those options and restricted stock units currently outstanding and those granted in the future, the issuance of restricted stock or other equity awards under our stock incentive plans, or upon conversion of any convertible notes that may be issued in the future. See the section titled “Dilution” on page S-20 of this prospectus supplement for a more detailed discussion of the dilution you will incur in connection with this offering. In addition, in the past, we have issued options to acquire common stock at prices below the public offering price per share and have granted restricted stock units. To the extent these outstanding options are ultimately exercised or these restricted stock units vest, you will incur additional dilution.

A significant portion of our total outstanding shares may be sold into the market at any time, which could cause the market price of our common stock to drop significantly, even if our business is doing well.

Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market could occur at any time. Such sales, or the perception in the market that the holders of a large number of such shares intend to sell, could reduce the market price of our common stock significantly. These sales, or the possibility that these sales may occur, also might make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities in the future at a time and at a price that we deem appropriate.

As of September 30, 2024, 77,155,896 shares of our common stock were outstanding. All shares sold in this offering will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), except for any common stock held by our affiliates, as that term is defined under Rule 144 of the Securities Act (“Rule 144”).

In connection with this offering, we, our directors and Section 16 officers have entered into lock-up agreements with Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, as representatives of the underwriters, that prohibit us, our Section 16 officers and directors, subject to certain exceptions or receipt of the prior written consent of Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, from disposing or pledging, or hedging against, our common stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of our common stock for a period from the date of this prospectus supplement continuing through the date that is 60 days after the date of this prospectus supplement. See the section titled “Underwriting” for a description of these lock-up agreements.

The availability for sale of shares of our common stock in the public market upon expiration of the aforementioned lock-up agreements, or the early release of any lock-up agreements, could increase the potential for stock price volatility or cause the price of our common stock to decline. Even if we put strategies in place to attempt to address potential or actual volatility, the effectiveness of such strategies is uncertain.

In addition, shares of our common stock subject to outstanding awards or reserved for future issuance under our 2023 Equity Plan will become eligible for sale in the public market once those shares are issued, subject to provisions relating to any vesting agreements.

In order to raise additional capital, we may also in the future offer additional shares of our common stock or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of our common stock at prices that may not be the

 

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same as the prices per share in this offering. We may sell shares or other securities in any other offering at a price per share that is less than the price per share paid by investors in this offering, and investors purchasing shares or other securities in the future could have rights superior to existing stockholders. The price per share at which we sell additional shares of our common stock, or securities convertible or exchangeable into shares of our common stock, in future transactions may be higher or lower than the price per share paid by investors in this offering.

Because we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our capital stock in the foreseeable future, capital appreciation, if any, will be your sole source of gain.

We have never paid or declared any cash dividends on our capital stock. We currently intend to retain earnings, if any, to finance the growth and development of our business and we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. As a result, it is likely that only appreciation of the price of our common stock will provide a return to our stockholders.

 

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein or therein, contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), that are intended to be covered by the “safe harbor” created by those sections. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations, can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as “believe,” “expect,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “seek,” “intend,” “plan,” “continue,” “estimate,” “anticipate” or other comparable terms. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein or therein regarding our strategies, prospects, financial condition, operations, costs, plans and objectives are forward-looking statements. Although we believe that we have a reasonable basis for each forward-looking statement contained in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and incorporated by reference herein and therein, we caution you that these statements are based on our projections of the future that are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, to differ. The sections in our periodic reports, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, titled “Business,” “Risk Factors,” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarterly periods ended March 31, 2024 and June 30, 2024 titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” as well as other sections in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents or reports incorporated by reference herein and therein, discuss some of the factors that could contribute to these differences. These forward-looking statements include, among others, statements about:

 

   

our expectation with respect to the receipt and funding of the Loan, including satisfaction of certain technical, legal, environmental, and financial conditions before the DOE enters into definitive financing documents and funds the loan;

 

   

our expectation with respect to the ability of the Loan to fully fund our remaining capital expenditure needed to complete the Register Plant;

 

   

our expectation and beliefs about the revenue creation from the Register Plant and creation of jobs from the construction and operation of the Register Plant;

 

   

our expectations and beliefs regarding the use of proceeds from the Loan, the flexibility and efficiency of the facility, the future cost of capital and availability of liquidity, and potential future sources of capital;

 

   

the expected future growth of the market for our aerogel products and our continued gain in market share, in particular in the EV market, the energy infrastructure insulation market, the lithium-ion battery thermal barrier markets, and other markets we target;

 

   

our beliefs in the appropriateness of our assumptions, the accuracy of our estimates regarding expenses, loss contingencies, future revenues, revenue capacity, future profits, uses of cash, available credit, capital requirements, and the need for additional financing to operate our business and for capital expenditures and to fund our planned strategic business initiatives;

 

   

the performance of our aerogel blankets;

 

   

our expectation that we will be successful in obtaining, enforcing and defending our patents against competitors and that such patents are valid and enforceable;

 

   

our expectations regarding the extended construction and commissioning timeframe for the Register Plant, our efforts to manage the construction of the Register Plant within our cost estimates and in alignment with our expectations of demand from EV customers;

 

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the anticipated aerogel capacity expansion as a result of the Register Plant and the expected commencement of production;

 

   

our estimates of annual production capacity;

 

   

beliefs about the commercial potential for our technology in the electric vehicle market;

 

   

beliefs about our ability to produce and deliver products to electric vehicle customers;

 

   

beliefs about our contracts with the major automotive manufacturers;

 

   

our expectations about the size and timing of awarded business in the electric vehicle market, future revenues and profit margins, arising from our supply relationship and contract with automotive OEMs and our ability to win more business and increase revenue in the electric vehicle market;

 

   

beliefs about the performance of our thermal barrier products in the battery systems of electric vehicles;

 

   

the current or future trends in the energy, energy infrastructure, chemical and refinery, liquid natural gas, or LNG, sustainable building materials, electric vehicle thermal barrier, electric vehicle battery materials or other markets and the impact of these trends on our business;

 

   

our investments in the electric vehicle market and Aerogel Technology Platform;

 

   

our beliefs about the financial metrics that are indicative of our core performance;

 

   

our expectations about the effect of manufacturing capacity on financial metrics such as Adjusted EBITDA;

 

   

our expectations about future revenues, expenses, gross profit, net income (loss), income (loss) per share and Adjusted EBITDA, sources and uses of cash, capital requirements and the sufficiency of our existing cash balance and available credit;

 

   

our beliefs about the outcome, effects or estimated costs of current or potential litigation or their respective timing, including expected legal expense in connection with our patent enforcement actions;

 

   

our expectations about future material costs and manufacturing expenses as a percentage of revenue, including the impact of engaging one or more external manufacturing facilities in China for supply of our energy industrial products;

 

   

our expectation about the ability of the Chinese external manufacturing facilities that we engage to consistently supply the aerogel product that we order in a timely manner;

 

   

our expectations of future gross profit and the effect of manufacturing expenses, manufacturing capacity and productivity on gross profit;

 

   

our expectations about our resources and other investments in new technology and related research and development activities and associated expenses;

 

   

our expectations about short and long term (a) research and development (b) general and administrative and (c) sales and marketing expenses;

 

   

our expectations of revenue growth, increased gross profit, and improving cash flows over the long term;

 

   

our intentions about managing capital expenditures and working capital balances; and

 

   

our expectations about potential sources of future financing.

We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements we make. We

 

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have included important cautionary statements in this prospectus or the documents incorporated by reference herein or therein, particularly in the “Risk Factors” section, that we believe could cause actual results or events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements that we make. For a summary of such factors, please refer to the section titled “Risk Factors” in this prospectus supplement and our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, as revised or supplemented by our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or our Current Reports on Form 8-K, as well as any amendments thereto, as filed with the SEC and which are incorporated herein by reference. The information contained in this prospectus supplement is believed to be current as of the date of this prospectus supplement. We do not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this prospectus supplement to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in our expectations, except as required by law.

In light of these assumptions, risks and uncertainties, the results and events discussed in the forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus supplement or in any document incorporated herein or therein by reference might not occur. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this prospectus supplement or the date of the document incorporated by reference herein or therein. We are not under any obligation, and we expressly disclaim any obligation, to update or alter any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. All subsequent forward-looking statements attributable to us or to any person acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We expect to receive approximately $    million in net proceeds from this offering (or $    million if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of our common stock), after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

We currently intend to use any net proceeds from the sale of common stock under this prospectus supplement for working capital, capital expenditures and general corporate purposes. The amounts and timing of our actual expenditures will depend on numerous factors, including those described under the section titled “Risk Factors” in this prospectus supplement and the documents incorporated by reference herein, as well as the amount of cash used in our operations. As a result, our management will have broad discretion to allocate the net proceeds, if any, we receive in connection with shares of our common stock we offer pursuant to this prospectus supplement for any purpose.

Pending application of the net proceeds as described above, we may initially invest the net proceeds in short-term, investment-grade, interest-bearing securities or apply them to the reduction of short-term indebtedness.

DIVIDEND POLICY

We have not paid dividends to our stockholders since our inception and we do not plan to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future. We currently intend to retain earnings, if any, to finance the development and expansion of our business.

 

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CAPITALIZATION

The following table presents our cash and cash equivalents and our capitalization as of June 30, 2024:

 

   

on an actual basis;

 

   

on an as adjusted basis, reflecting the August 2024 entry into the MidCap Loan Facility (defined below) and the repurchase of the convertible senior PIK toggle note due 2027 (the “Note”); and

 

   

on an as further adjusted basis to give effect to the issuance and sale of    shares of common stock we are offering, after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

The information in this table should be read in conjunction with the information presented under the caption “Use of Proceeds” in this prospectus supplement and under the caption “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and in the historical consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2024, which are incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement.

 

     AS OF
JUNE 30, 2024
 
     ACTUAL     AS
ADJUSTED
    AS
FURTHER
ADJUSTED
 
     (In thousands, except share
and per share data)
 

Cash and cash equivalents (1)(2)

   $ 91,381     $ 103,715     $        
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Debt:

      

Principal amount of convertible senior PIK note due 2027 (1)(3)

   $ 121,074     $ 0     $    

Principal amount of MidCap Loan Facility (4)

     0       162,363    
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total debt

   $ 121,074     $ 162,363     $    
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Stockholders’ equity:

      

Common stock, $0.00001 par value per share; 250,000,000 shares authorized, 77,081,039 shares issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted;    shares issued and outstanding as further adjusted (5)

     0       0    

Preferred stock, $0.00001 par value per share; 5,000,000 shares authorized, no shares issued and outstanding, actual, as adjusted and as further adjusted

     0       0    

Additional paid-in capital

     1,176,446       1,176,446    

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

     0       0    

Accumulated deficit

     (658,619     (687,574  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total stockholders’ equity

     517,827       488,872    
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total capitalization

   $ 517,827     $ 488,872     $    
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(1)

In accordance with ASU 2020-06, the Note is accounted for as a single unit of account and consists of the principal amount plus accrued interest less debt issuance costs, net of accumulated amortization.

(2)

Does not reflect the DOE’s proposed Loan of up to $670.6 million for financing the construction of the Register Plant, for which we received a conditional commitment from the DOE in October 2024. The Loan is subject to us satisfying certain technical, legal, environmental, and financial conditions before the DOE enters into definitive financing documents and funds the Loan. The receipt by us of the conditional

 

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  commitment from the DOE in respect of the Loan is not an assurance that definitive financing documents will be negotiated and entered into, that the terms and conditions of the Loan will be consistent with the terms contemplated in the conditional commitment, or that all technical, legal, environmental and financial conditions will be achieved and satisfied. The outcome of the process with the DOE relating to the Loan and our ability to draw and utilize such funds towards the construction of the Register Plant is dependent on whether the DOE determines to proceed with the definitive financing documents and under what conditions. There can be no assurance as to the outcome of these decisions and the terms and conditions of the financing documents that may be offered, if any. See the section titled “Prospectus Supplement Summary—Recent Developments—DOE Loan”.
(3)

Pursuant to the note purchase and sale agreement entered into on August 19, 2024 between us and Wood River Capital, LLC, we repurchased the Note for a total purchase price of $150,028,886 in cash funded partially with the proceeds of the MidCap Loan Facility (see footnote (4)). The difference between the purchase price and capitalized principal amount was charged to the results of operations for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2024.

(4)

On August 19, 2024, the Company and Aspen Aerogels Rhode Island, LLC, a Rhode Island limited liability company (“Aspen RI” and, together with the Company, each, a “Borrower” and collectively, the “Borrowers”) entered into a Credit, Security and Guaranty Agreement (the “Credit Agreement” and the facilities provided thereunder, collectively, the “MidCap Loan Facility”), by and among the Borrowers, MidCap Funding IV Trust, as agent, MidCap Financial Trust, as term loan servicer, the financial institutions or other entities from time to time party thereto as lenders, and the other parties party thereto as additional guarantors and/or borrowers from time to time. At closing of the MidCap Loan Facility, we drew $125.0 million from the term loan facility and $43.0 million from the revolving loan facility. Proceeds of the MidCap Loan Facility were used in connection with the repurchase of the Note for $150.0 million, the payment of related fees and expenses of $5.6 million and for working capital of the Company and its subsidiaries. Loans borrowed under the MidCap Loan Facility mature on August 19, 2029.

(5)

The number of shares of our common stock outstanding as of June 30, 2024 excludes the following:

 

   

4,544,652 shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of options outstanding as of June 30, 2024 at a weighted average exercise price of $9.90 per share;

 

   

594,391 shares of our common stock issuable upon the vesting of restricted stock units outstanding as of June 30, 2024; and

 

   

2,110,000 shares of our common stock reserved for future grants under the 2023 Equity Plan, as of June 30, 2024.

The number of shares of our common stock outstanding as of June 30, 2024 assumes:

 

   

no exercises of options outstanding as of June 30, 2024;

 

   

no exercises of options outstanding as of June 30, 2024; and

 

   

no exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase up to an additional     shares of our common stock from us.

 

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DILUTION

If you invest in our common stock in this offering, your ownership interest will be diluted immediately to the extent of the difference between the public offering price per share and the as adjusted net tangible book value per share of our common stock immediately after this offering.

As of June 30, 2024, our net tangible book value was $517.8 million or $6.72 per share of our common stock. Net tangible book value per share represents the amount of our tangible assets less our liabilities divided by 77,081,039, the total number of shares of our common stock outstanding as of June 30, 2024.

After giving effect to the sale of    shares of our common stock by us at the public offering price of $    per share and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, our as adjusted net tangible book value as of June 30, 2024 would have been approximately $    million, or approximately $    per share of common stock. This amount would represent an immediate increase in net tangible book value of $    per share to our existing stockholders and an immediate dilution in net tangible book value of approximately $    per share to new investors in this offering. The following table illustrates this calculation on a per share basis.

 

Public offering price per share

      $      

Net tangible book value per share as of June 30, 2024

   $ 6.72     

Increase in net tangible book value per share attributable to this offering

   $       

As adjusted net tangible book value per share as of June 30, 2024 after this offering

      $    

Dilution per share to new investors participating in this offering

      $    

For purposes of calculating as adjusted net tangible book value, the above table is based on 77,081,039 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2024. The number of shares outstanding as of June 30, 2024 excludes:

 

   

4,544,652 shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of options outstanding as of June 30, 2024 at a weighted average exercise price of $9.90 per share;

 

   

594,391 shares of our common stock issuable upon the vesting of restricted stock units outstanding as of June 30, 2024; and

 

   

2,110,000 shares of our common stock reserved for future grants under the 2023 Equity Plan, as of June 30, 2024.

In addition, the amounts in the table above assume no exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase additional shares of our common stock.

To the extent that outstanding options are exercised or outstanding restricted stock units, vest, investors purchasing our common stock in this offering will experience further dilution. In addition, subject to the terms of our lock-up agreement with Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, as described in the section titled “Underwriting,” we may choose to raise additional capital due to market conditions or strategic considerations even if we believe we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or equity-linked securities, the issuance of these securities could result in further dilution to our stockholders.

 

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MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME AND ESTATE TAX CONSIDERATIONS

The following discussion describes certain material United States federal income and estate tax considerations relating to the purchase, ownership, and disposition of shares of our common stock by a non-U.S. holder (as defined below) that acquires our common stock in this offering and holds it as a capital asset. This discussion is based on the tax laws of the United States, including the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), U.S. Treasury regulations promulgated or proposed thereunder (“Treasury Regulations”), and administrative and judicial interpretations thereof, all as in effect on the date of this prospectus supplement. These tax laws are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect, and subject to differing interpretations that could affect the tax consequences described herein.

For purposes of this discussion, a “non-U.S. holder” is a beneficial owner of our common stock that, for United States federal income tax purposes, is:

 

   

a non-resident alien individual;

 

   

a foreign corporation (or other entity taxable as a foreign corporation);

 

   

an estate the income of which is not subject to United States federal income taxation regardless of its source; or

 

   

a trust that does not have in effect a valid election under the Treasury Regulations to be treated as a United States person and either (1) no court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the trust’s administration or (2) United States persons do not have the authority to control all substantial decisions of that trust.

This discussion does not address all aspects of United States federal income and estate taxation that may be applicable to non-U.S. holders in light of their particular circumstances or status, including, for example, banks or other financial institutions, investment funds, broker-dealers or traders in securities, insurance companies, persons subject to alternative minimum tax, partnerships or other pass-through entities, corporations that accumulate earnings to avoid United States federal income tax, certain United States expatriates, tax-exempt organizations, pension plans, persons that have elected to mark securities to market or that hold shares of our common stock as part of a straddle, hedge or other integrated investment, controlled foreign corporations, passive foreign investment companies, and foreign governments or agencies.

If a partnership (including any entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for United States federal income tax purposes) purchases, owns, or disposes of our common stock, the tax treatment of a person treated as a partner in the partnership for United States federal income tax purposes generally will depend on the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Partnerships (and other entities or arrangements so treated for United States federal income tax purposes) and their partners should consult their own tax advisors.

This discussion addresses only non-U.S. holders and does not discuss any tax considerations other than United States federal income tax and certain United States federal estate tax considerations. For example, this discussion does not address any gift tax considerations or the Medicare tax on net investment income. Prospective investors are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the United States federal, state and local, and non-United States tax consequences of the purchase, ownership, and disposition of our common stock, including the effect of any applicable income or estate tax treaty.

Dividends

We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock. We anticipate that we will retain all earnings, if any, to support our operations and to finance the growth and development of our business for the foreseeable future.

 

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If we do make a distribution of cash or property (other than certain pro rata distributions of our stock) with respect to our common stock, any such distribution generally will constitute a dividend for United States federal income tax purposes to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under United States federal income tax principles. Subject to the discussion below under “FATCA Withholding” and “Information Reporting and Backup Withholding,” any such dividend paid to a non-U.S. holder generally will be subject to withholding tax at a 30% rate or at a lower rate under an applicable income tax treaty between the United States and the non-U.S. holder’s country of residence. In order to receive a reduced treaty withholding tax rate, a non-U.S. holder must furnish to the applicable withholding agent a properly executed Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) Form W-8BEN or Form W-8BEN-E (or other applicable form) prior to payment of the dividend, certifying under penalties of perjury that the non-U.S. holder is entitled to a reduction in withholding under an applicable income tax treaty. A non-U.S. holder that holds our common stock through a financial institution or other agent will generally be required to provide appropriate documentation to the financial institution or other agent, which then will generally be required to provide certification to the applicable withholding agent either directly or through other intermediaries. A non-U.S. holder that is eligible for a reduced rate of withholding tax pursuant to an income tax treaty may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld by timely filing a refund claim with the IRS.

A non-U.S. holder is exempt from the withholding tax described above if the dividend is “effectively connected” with the conduct of a trade or business in the United States of the non-U.S. holder (and, if an applicable income tax treaty so requires, attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the non-U.S. holder in the United States) and the non-U.S. holder furnishes to the applicable withholding agent an IRS Form W-8ECI (or applicable successor form), certifying under penalties of perjury that the dividend is effectively connected with the non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business in the United States and includible in the non-U.S. holder’s gross income. “Effectively connected” dividends will generally be subject to United States federal income tax at the rates that also apply to U.S. persons. A corporate non-U.S. holder may, under certain circumstances, be subject to an additional branch profits tax at a 30% rate (or at a lower rate under an applicable income tax treaty) with respect to its “effectively connected” dividends.

Any distribution (or portion thereof) in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits will be treated, first, as a tax-free return of the non-U.S. holder’s capital, up to the holder’s adjusted tax basis in shares of our common stock, and thereafter, as capital gain subject to the tax treatment described below in “Gain on Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition”.

Gain on Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition

Subject to the discussion below under “FATCA Withholding” and “Information Reporting and Backup Withholding,” a non-U.S. holder generally will not be subject to United States federal income tax or withholding tax on gain realized upon a sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of shares of our common stock (including a redemption, but only if the redemption would be treated as a sale or exchange rather than a distribution for United States federal income tax purposes) unless:

 

   

the gain is “effectively connected” with the conduct of a trade or business of the non-U.S. holder in the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the non-U.S. holder in the United States), in which case the non-U.S. holder generally will be subject to United States federal income tax on a net income basis with respect to such gain in the same manner as if such holder were a resident of the United States and, if the non-U.S. holder is a corporation for United States federal income tax purposes, may be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” with respect to such gain at a 30% rate (or at a lower rate under an applicable income tax treaty);

 

   

the non-U.S. holder is an individual who is present in the United States for 183 or more days in the taxable year of the disposition and meets certain other conditions, in which case the non-U.S. holder generally will be subject to United States federal income tax at a 30% rate (or at a lower rate under an

 

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applicable income tax treaty) on the gain derived from the disposition, which gain may be offset by U.S.-source capital losses for the year even though the individual is not considered a resident of the United States; or

 

   

we are or have been a “United States real property holding corporation” (“USRPHC”) at any time within the shorter of the five-year period preceding the disposition and the non-U.S. holder’s holding period for our common stock (the “relevant period”) and the non-U.S. holder (i) disposes of our common stock during a calendar year when our common stock is no longer regularly traded on an established securities market or (ii) owned (directly, indirectly, and constructively) more than 5% of our common stock at any time during the relevant period, in which case such a non-U.S. holder will be subject to tax on the gain on the disposition of shares of our common stock generally as if the gain were effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business in the United States, except that the “branch profits tax” will not apply. We believe we currently are not, and we do not anticipate becoming, a USRPHC for United States federal income tax purposes. However, such determination is factual in nature and subject to change and no assurance can be provided as to whether we will be a “USRPHC” for United States federal income tax purposes in the future. Generally, a corporation is a USRPHC only if the fair market value of its United States real property interests (as defined in the Code) equals or exceeds 50% of the sum of the fair market value of its worldwide real property interests and its other assets used or held for use in a trade or business.

FATCA Withholding

Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code and the Treasury Regulations issued thereunder (commonly referred to as the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”)) impose a 30% withholding tax on dividends paid on our common stock to, and (subject to the proposed Treasury Regulations discussed below) the gross proceeds derived from the sale or other disposition of our common stock by, a foreign entity if the foreign entity is:

 

   

a “foreign financial institution” (as defined under FATCA) that does not furnish proper documentation, typically on IRS Form W-8BEN-E, evidencing either (i) an exemption from FATCA withholding or (ii) its compliance (or deemed compliance) with specified due diligence, reporting, withholding and certification obligations under FATCA or (iii) residence in a jurisdiction that has entered into an intergovernmental agreement with the United States relating to FATCA and compliance with the diligence and reporting requirements of the intergovernmental agreement and local implementing rules; or

 

   

a “non-financial foreign entity” (as defined under FATCA) that does not provide sufficient documentation, typically on IRS Form W-8BEN-E, evidencing either (i) an exemption from FATCA withholding or (ii) adequate information regarding substantial United States beneficial owners of such entity (if any).

Withholding under FATCA generally applies to payments of dividends on our common stock and to payments of gross proceeds from a sale or other disposition of our common stock. Withholding agents may, however, rely on proposed Treasury Regulations that would no longer require FATCA withholding on payments of gross proceeds.

A withholding agent such as a broker, and not us, will determine whether or not to implement gross proceeds FATCA withholding. If a dividend payment is both subject to withholding under FATCA and subject to the withholding tax discussed above under “Dividends,” an applicable withholding agent may credit the withholding under FATCA against, and therefore reduce, such other withholding tax.

Holders of our common stock should consult their own tax advisors regarding these requirements and whether they may be relevant to their ownership and disposition of our common stock.

 

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Under certain circumstances, a non-U.S. holder will be eligible for refunds or credits of withholding taxes imposed under FATCA by filing a United States federal income tax return. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the effect of FATCA on their ownership and disposition of our common stock.

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

Except as described below, a non-U.S. holder generally will be exempt from backup withholding and information reporting requirements with respect to dividend payments and the payment of the proceeds from the sale of shares of our common stock effected at a United States office of a broker, as long as the payor or broker does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that the holder is a United States person, and the holder has furnished to the payor or broker:

 

   

a valid IRS Form W-8BEN or Form W-8BEN-E on which the non-U.S. holder certifies, under penalties of perjury, that it is a non-United States person; or

 

   

other documentation upon which it may rely to treat the payments as made to a non-United States person in accordance with Treasury Regulations,

or the non-U.S. holder otherwise establishes an exemption.

However, payors must report annually to the IRS and to non-U.S. holders the amount of distributions paid to non-U.S. holders and the tax withheld with respect to such distributions, regardless of whether withholding was required. Copies of the information returns reporting such distributions and withholding may also be made available to the tax authorities in the country in which the respective non-U.S. holder resides under the provisions of an applicable income tax treaty.

Payment of the proceeds from the sale of our common stock effected at a foreign office of a broker generally will not be subject to information reporting or backup withholding. However, a sale of our common stock by a non-U.S. holder that is effected at a foreign office of a broker will be subject to information reporting and may be subject to backup withholding if:

 

   

the proceeds are transferred to an account maintained by the non-U.S. holder in the United States;

 

   

the payment of proceeds or the confirmation of the sale is mailed to the non-U.S. holder at a United States address; or

 

   

the sale has some other specified connection with the United States as provided in the Treasury Regulations,

unless the broker does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that the holder is a United States person and the documentation requirements described above are met or the non-U.S. holder otherwise establishes an exemption.

In addition, a sale of shares of our common stock will be subject to information reporting if it is effected at a foreign office of a broker that is:

 

   

a United States person;

 

   

a “controlled foreign corporation” for United States federal income tax purposes;

 

   

a foreign person 50% or more of whose gross income is effectively connected with the conduct of a United States trade or business for a specified three-year period; or

 

   

a foreign partnership, if at any time during its tax year (a) one or more of its partners are “U.S. persons”, as defined in the Treasury Regulations, who in the aggregate hold more than 50% of the income or capital interest in the partnership, or (b) such foreign partnership is engaged in the conduct of a trade or business in the United States,

 

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unless the broker does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that the holder is a United States person and the documentation requirements described above are met or an exemption is otherwise established. Backup withholding will apply if the sale is subject to information reporting and the broker has actual knowledge that the holder is a United States person.

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. A non-U.S. holder generally may obtain a refund of any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules that exceed the non-U.S. holder’s income tax liability by timely filing a refund claim with the IRS.

Federal Estate Taxes

The estates of nonresident alien decedents generally are subject to United States federal estate tax on property with a United States situs. Because we are a United States corporation, our common stock will be United States situs property and therefore will be included in the taxable estate of a nonresident alien decedent at the time of the decedent’s death, unless an applicable estate tax treaty between the United States and the decedent’s country of residence provides otherwise. An estate tax credit is available to reduce the net tax liability of a nonresident alien’s estate, but the estate tax credit for a nonresident alien is generally much smaller than the applicable credit for computing the estate tax of a United States resident. Nonresident aliens should consult their personal tax advisors regarding the United States federal estate tax consequences of owning our common stock.

 

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UNDERWRITING

Under the terms and subject to the conditions in an underwriting agreement dated the date of this prospectus supplement, the underwriters named below, for whom Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC are acting as representatives, have severally agreed to purchase, and we have agreed to sell to them, the number of shares indicated below:

 

Underwriter    Number of
Shares
 

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC

            

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

  
  

 

 

 

Total

  
  

 

 

 

The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the underwriters are subject to certain conditions precedent and that the underwriters have agreed, severally and not jointly, to purchase all of the shares sold under the underwriting agreement if any of these shares are purchased, other than those shares covered by the option to purchase additional shares described below. If an underwriter defaults, the underwriting agreement provides that the purchase commitments of the non-defaulting underwriters may be increased or the underwriting agreement may be terminated.

We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against specified liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make in respect thereof.

The underwriters are offering the shares, subject to prior sale, when, as and if issued to and accepted by them, subject to approval of legal matters by their counsel and other conditions specified in the underwriting agreement. The underwriters reserve the right to withdraw, cancel or modify offers to the public and to reject orders in whole or in part.

Option to Purchase Additional Shares. We have granted to the underwriters an option to purchase up to additional shares of common stock at the public offering price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions. This option is exercisable for a period of 30 days. To the extent that the underwriters exercise this option, the underwriters will purchase additional shares in approximately the same proportion as shown in the table above.

Discounts and Commissions. The following table shows the public offering price, underwriting discounts and commissions and proceeds before offering expenses to us. These amounts are shown assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares.

We estimate that the total expenses of the offering, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions, will be approximately $    and are payable by us. We have agreed to reimburse the underwriters for up to $    for their FINRA counsel fee.

 

     Total  
     Per Share      Without Option      With Option  

Public offering price

        

Underwriting discounts and commissions (1)

        

Proceeds, before expenses, to us

        

 

(1)

We have agreed to reimburse the underwriters for certain expenses in connection with this offering.

The underwriters propose to offer the shares of common stock to the public at the public offering price set forth on the cover of this prospectus supplement. The underwriters may offer the shares of common stock to securities

 

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dealers at the public offering price less a concession not in excess of $     per share. If all of the shares are not sold at the public offering price, the underwriters may change the offering price and other selling terms.

Our common stock is listed on the NYSE under the symbol “ASPN”.

Stabilizing, Short Sales, Purchases to Cover Short Sales. In connection with the offering, the underwriters may purchase and sell shares of common stock in the open market. These transactions may include short sales, stabilizing transactions and purchases to cover positions created by short sales. Short sales involve the sale by the underwriters of a greater number of shares than they are required to purchase in the offering, and a short position represents the amount of such sales that have not been covered by subsequent purchases. A “covered short position” is a short position that is not greater than the amount of additional shares for which the underwriters’ option described above may be exercised. The underwriters may cover any covered short position by either exercising their option to purchase additional shares or purchasing shares in the open market. In determining the source of shares to cover the covered short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of shares available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase additional shares pursuant to the option described above. “Naked” short sales are any short sales that create a short position greater than the amount of additional shares for which the option described above may be exercised. The underwriters must cover any such naked short position by purchasing shares in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the common stock in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering. Stabilizing transactions consist of various bids for or purchases of common stock made by the underwriters in the open market prior to the completion of the offering.

The underwriters may also impose a penalty bid. This occurs when a particular underwriter repays to the underwriters a portion of the underwriting discount received by it because the representatives have repurchased shares sold by or for the account of such underwriter in stabilizing or short covering transactions.

Purchases to cover a short position and stabilizing transactions, as well as other purchases by the underwriters for their own accounts, may have the effect of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the company’s stock, and together with the imposition of the penalty bid, may stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the market price of the common stock. As a result, the price of the common stock may be higher than the price that otherwise might exist in the open market. The underwriters are not required to engage in these activities and may end any of these activities at any time. These transactions may be effected on the NYSE, in the over-the-counter market or otherwise.

Lock-Up Agreements. Pursuant to certain ‘‘lock-up’’ agreements, we, our Section 16 officers and directors, have agreed, subject to certain exceptions, not to and will not cause or direct any of its affiliates to offer, sell, assign, transfer, pledge, contract to sell, or otherwise dispose of or announce the intention to otherwise dispose of, or enter into, or announce the intention to enter into any swap, hedge or similar agreement or arrangement (including, without limitation, the purchase or sale of, or entry into, any put or call option, or combination thereof, forward, swap or any other derivative transaction or instrument, however described or defined) that transfers, is designed to transfer or reasonably could be expected to transfer (whether by the stockholder or someone other than the stockholder) that transfers, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly the economic consequence of ownership of, directly or indirectly, or make any demand or request or exercise any right with respect to the registration of, or file with the SEC a registration statement under the Securities Act relating to, any common stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for any common stock without the prior written consent of Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC for a period of 60 days after the date of the pricing of the offering.

This lock-up provision applies to common stock and to securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for common stock. The exceptions permit us, among other things and subject to restrictions, to: (a) issue shares of common stock pursuant to the underwriting agreement, (b) issue shares of common stock or options, shares of

 

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common stock underlying options granted and other securities pursuant to director or employee benefit plans, (b) issue common stock upon the conversion of outstanding securities or exercise of outstanding warrants, (c) issue securities in connection with an acquisition, joint venture, development agreement or license by the us or one or more of its subsidiaries of or with the business, assets, securities or property of another person or entity, whether through merger, asset acquisition, stock purchase, license, joint venture or otherwise; provided that in the case of this clause (c), the aggregate number of shares issued in all such acquisitions and transactions does not exceed 5.0% of our common stock then outstanding and each recipient of such shares executes a lock-up agreement, or (d) adopt a new equity incentive plan and file registration statements on Form S-8. The exceptions permit parties to the ‘‘lock-up’’ agreements, among other things and subject to restrictions, to transfers: (a) as one or more bona fide gifts or charitable contributions, or for bona fide estate planning purposes, (b) upon death by will, testamentary document or intestate succession, (c) if the party is a natural person, to any member of the party’s immediate family or to any trust for the direct or indirect benefit of the party or the party’s immediate family or, if the party is a trust, to a trustor or beneficiary of the trust or the estate of a beneficiary of such trust, (d) to a partnership, limited liability company or other entity of which the party and the party’s immediate family are the legal and beneficial owner of all of the outstanding equity securities or similar interests, (e) to a nominee or custodian of a person or entity to whom a disposition or transfer would be permissible under clauses (a) through (d) above, (f) if the party is a corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other business entity, (1) to another corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other business entity that is an affiliate (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) of the party, or to any investment fund or other entity which fund or entity is controlled or managed by the party or affiliates of the party, or (2) as part of a distribution by the party to its stockholders, partners, members or other equityholders or to the estate of any such stockholders, partners, members or other equityholders, (g) by operation of law, such as pursuant to a qualified domestic order, divorce settlement, divorce decree or separation agreement, (h) to us from an employee of us upon death, disability or termination of employment, in each case, of such employee, (i) if the party is not an officer or director of us, in connection with a sale of the party’s shares of common stock acquired (1) from the underwriters in this offering or (2) in open market transactions after the closing date of this offering, (j) to us in connection with the vesting, settlement or exercise of restricted stock units, options, warrants or other rights to purchase shares of common stock (including, in each case, by way of “net” or “cashless” exercise) that are scheduled to expire or automatically vest during the 60-day period, including any transfer to us for the payment of tax withholdings or remittance payments due as a result of the vesting, settlement or exercise of such restricted stock units, options, warrants or other rights, or in connection with the conversion of convertible securities, in all such cases pursuant to equity awards granted under a stock incentive plan or other equity award plan, or pursuant to the terms of convertible securities, (k) pursuant to a trading plan that complies with Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act that is existing as of the date of the “lock-up” agreement, (l) to the underwriters pursuant to the terms of the underwriting agreement and (m) pursuant to a bona fide third-party tender offer, merger, consolidation or other similar transaction that is approved by the board of directors of us and made to all holders of our capital stock involving a change of control of us. In addition, the “lock-up” agreements will not prohibit the party from entering into a written plan meeting the requirements of Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act, subject to certain restrictions.

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, in their sole discretion, may release our common stock and other securities subject to the lock-up agreements described above in whole or in part at any time.

Selling Restrictions

Canada. The common stock may be sold only to purchasers purchasing, or deemed to be purchasing, as principal that are accredited investors, as defined in National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions or subsection 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), and are permitted clients, as defined in National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations. Any resale of the common stock must be made in accordance with an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the prospectus requirements or the accompanying prospectus of applicable securities laws.

 

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Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if this prospectus supplement (including any amendment thereto) contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory. The purchaser should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.

Pursuant to section 3A.3 of National Instrument 33-105 Underwriting Conflicts (NI 33-105), the underwriters are not required to comply with the disclosure requirements of NI 33-105 regarding underwriter conflicts of interest in connection with this offering.

Switzerland. The securities will not be offered, directly or indirectly, to the public in Switzerland and this prospectus does not constitute a public offering prospectus as that term is understood pursuant to article 652a or 1156 of the Swiss Federal Code of Obligations.

European Economic Area. In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area (each, a “Member State”), no shares have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the offering to the public in that Member State prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the shares which has been approved by the competent authority in that Member State or, where appropriate, approved in another Member State and notified to the competent authority in that Member State, all in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation, except that shares may be offered to the public in that Member State at any time:

A. to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under Article 2 the Prospectus Regulation;

B. to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under Article 2 the Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the representatives for any such offer; or

C. in any other circumstances falling within Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation,

provided that no such offer of the shares shall require us or any of the representatives to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the Prospectus Regulation.

For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to shares in any Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any shares to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any shares, and the expression “Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.

United Kingdom. No shares have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the offering to the public in the United Kingdom prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the shares which has been approved by the Financial Conduct Authority, except that the shares may be offered to the public in the United Kingdom at any time:

A. to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation;

B. to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the representatives for any such offer; or

C. in any other circumstances falling within Section 86 of the FSMA,

provided that no such offer of the shares shall require the Issuer or any Manager to publish a prospectus pursuant to Section 85 of the FSMA or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the UK Prospectus Regulation.

 

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For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to the shares in the United Kingdom means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any shares to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any shares and the expression “UK Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.

Hong Kong. The shares have not been offered or sold and will not be offered or sold in Hong Kong, by means of any document, other than (a) to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571 of the Laws of Hong Kong) (the “SFO”) of Hong Kong and any rules made thereunder; or (b) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” as defined in the Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 32) of Hong Kong) (the “CO”), or which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the CO. No advertisement, invitation or document relating to the shares has been or may be issued or has been or may be in the possession of any person for the purposes of issue, whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere, which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public of Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to shares which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” as defined in the SFO and any rules made thereunder.

Singapore. Each underwriter has acknowledged that this prospectus has not been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, each underwriter has represented and agreed that it has not offered or sold any shares or caused the shares to be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase and will not offer or sell any shares or cause the shares to be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, and has not circulated or distributed, nor will it circulate or distribute, this prospectus or any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the shares, whether directly or indirectly, to any person in Singapore other than:

A. to an institutional investor (as defined in Section 4A of the Securities and Futures Act (Chapter 289) of Singapore, as modified or amended from time to time (the “SFA”)) pursuant to Section 274 of the SFA;

B. to a relevant person (as defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA) pursuant to Section 275(1) of the SFA, or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A) of the SFA, and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA; or

C. otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA.

Where the shares are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is:

A. a corporation (which is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA)) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or

b. a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary of the trust is an individual who is an accredited investor,

securities or securities-based derivatives contracts (each term as defined in Section 2(1) of the SFA) of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest (however described) in that trust shall not be transferred within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the shares pursuant to an offer made under Section 275 of the SFA except:

(i) to an institutional investor or to a relevant person, or to any person arising from an offer referred to in Section 275(1A) or Section 276(4)(i)(B) of the SFA;

 

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(ii) where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer;

(iii) where the transfer is by operation of law;

(iv) as specified in Section 276(7) of the SFA; or

(v) as specified in Regulation 37A of the Securities and Futures (Offers of Investments) (Securities and Securities-based Derivatives Contracts) Regulations 2018.

Singapore SFA Product Classification — In connection with Section 309B of the SFA and the CMP Regulations 2018, unless otherwise specified before an offer of shares, we have determined, and hereby notify all relevant persons (as defined in Section 309A(1) of the SFA), that the shares are “prescribed capital markets products” (as defined in the CMP Regulations 2018) and Excluded Investment Products (as defined in MAS Notice SFA 04-N12: Notice on the Sale of Investment Products and MAS Notice FAA-N16: Notice on Recommendations on Investment Products).

Israel. In the State of Israel this prospectus supplement shall not be regarded as an offer to the public to purchase shares of common stock under the Israeli Securities Law, 5728 – 1968, which requires a prospectus to be published and authorized by the Israel Securities Authority, if it complies with certain provisions of Section 15 of the Israeli Securities Law, 5728–1968, including, inter alia, if: (i) the offer is made, distributed or directed to not more than 35 investors, subject to certain conditions (the “Addressed Investors”); or (ii) the offer is made, distributed or directed to certain qualified investors defined in the First Addendum of the Israeli Securities Law, 5728 – 1968, subject to certain conditions (the “Qualified Investors”). The Qualified Investors shall not be taken into account in the count of the Addressed Investors and may be offered to purchase securities in addition to the 35 Addressed Investors. The company has not and will not take any action that would require it to publish a prospectus in accordance with and subject to the Israeli Securities Law, 5728 – 1968. We have not and will not distribute this prospectus or make, distribute or direct an offer to subscribe for our common stock to any person within the State of Israel, other than to Qualified Investors and up to 35 Addressed Investors.

Qualified Investors may have to submit written evidence that they meet the definitions set out in of the First Addendum to the Israeli Securities Law, 5728 – 1968. In particular, we may request, as a condition to be offered common stock, that Qualified Investors will each represent, warrant and certify to us and/or to anyone acting on our behalf: (i) that it is an investor falling within one of the categories listed in the First Addendum to the Israeli Securities Law, 5728 – 1968; (ii) which of the categories listed in the First Addendum to the Israeli Securities Law, 5728 – 1968 regarding Qualified Investors is applicable to it; (iii) that it will abide by all provisions set forth in the Israeli Securities Law, 5728 – 1968 and the regulations promulgated thereunder in connection with the offer to be issued common stock; (iv) that the shares of common stock that it will be issued are, subject to exemptions available under the Israeli Securities Law, 5728 – 1968: (a) for its own account; (b) for investment purposes only; and (c) not issued with a view to resale within the State of Israel, other than in accordance with the provisions of the Israeli Securities Law, 5728 – 1968; and (v) that it is willing to provide further evidence of its Qualified Investor status. Addressed Investors may have to submit written evidence in respect of their identity and may have to sign and submit a declaration containing, inter alia, the Addressed Investor’s name, address and passport number or Israeli identification number.

We have not authorized and do not authorize the making of any offer of securities through any financial intermediary on our behalf, other than offers made by the underwriters and their respective affiliates, with a view to the final placement of the securities as contemplated in this document. Accordingly, no purchaser of the shares, other than the underwriters, is authorized to make any further offer of shares on our behalf or on behalf of the underwriters.

Japan: The securities have not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act of Japan (Act No. 25 of 1948, as amended), or the FIEA. The securities may not be offered or sold, directly or

 

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indirectly, in Japan or to or for the benefit of any resident of Japan (including any person resident in Japan or any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan) or to others for reoffering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to or for the benefit of any resident of Japan, except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the FIEA and otherwise in compliance with any relevant laws and regulations of Japan.

Australia: No placement document, prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document has been lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (“ASIC”), in relation to the offering. This prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus does not constitute a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act 2001 (the “Corporations Act”), and does not purport to include the information required for a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act.

Any offer in Australia of the shares of common stock may only be made to persons (the “Exempt Investors”) who are “sophisticated investors” (within the meaning of section 708(8) of the Corporations Act), “professional investors” (within the meaning of section 708(11) of the Corporations Act) or otherwise pursuant to one or more exemptions contained in section 708 of the Corporations Act so that it is lawful to offer the shares of common stock without disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act.

The shares of common stock applied for by Exempt Investors in Australia must not be offered for sale in Australia in the period of 12 months after the date of allotment under the offering, except in circumstances where disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act would not be required pursuant to an exemption under section 708 of the Corporations Act or otherwise or where the offer is pursuant to a disclosure document which complies with Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act. Any person acquiring shares of common stock must observe such Australian on-sale restrictions.

This prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus contains general information only and does not take account of the investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any particular person. It does not contain any securities recommendations or financial product advice. Before making an investment decision, investors need to consider whether the information in this prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus is appropriate to their needs, objectives and circumstances, and, if necessary, seek expert advice on those matters.

Dubai International Financial Centre (“DIFC”): This prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relates to an Exempt Offer in accordance with the Offered Securities Rules of the Dubai Financial Services Authority (“DFSA”). This prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus is intended for distribution only to persons of a type specified in the Offered Securities Rules of the DFSA. It must not be delivered to, or relied upon by, any other person. The DFSA has no responsibility for reviewing or verifying any documents in connection with Exempt Offers. The DFSA has not approved this prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus nor taken steps to verify the information set forth herein and has no responsibility for the prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus. The shares of common stock to which this prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relate may be illiquid and/or subject to restrictions on their resale. Prospective purchasers of the shares of common stock offered should conduct their own due diligence on the shares of common stock. If you do not understand the contents of this prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus you should consult an authorized financial advisor.

Electronic Offer, Sale and Distribution of Shares. A prospectus in electronic format may be made available on the websites maintained by one or more of the underwriters or selling group members, if any, participating in this offering and one or more of the underwriters participating in this offering may distribute prospectuses electronically. The representatives may agree to allocate a number of shares to underwriters and selling group members for sale to their online brokerage account holders. Internet distributions will be allocated by the underwriters and selling group members that will make internet distributions on the same basis as other allocations. Other than the prospectus in electronic format, the information on these websites is not part of this

 

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prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, has not been approved or endorsed by us or any underwriter in its capacity as underwriter, and should not be relied upon by investors.

Other Relationships. The underwriters and certain of their affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, financing and brokerage activities. Certain of the underwriters and their affiliates have provided, and may in the future provide, various investment banking, commercial banking and other financial services for us and our affiliates for which they have received, and may in the future receive, customary fees. In the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriters and certain of their affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers, and such investment and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of the issuer or its affiliates. If the underwriters and certain of their affiliates have a lending relationship with us, certain of those underwriters or their affiliates routinely hedge, and certain other of those underwriters and their affiliates may hedge, their credit exposure to us consistent with their customary risk management policies. Typically, the underwriters and certain of their affiliates would hedge such exposure by entering into transactions which consist of either the purchase of credit default swaps or the creation of short positions in our securities or the securities of our affiliates, including potentially the shares of common stock offered hereby. Any such credit default swaps or short positions could adversely affect future trading prices of the shares of common stock offered hereby. The underwriters and certain of their affiliates may also communicate independent investment recommendations, market color or trading ideas and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.

 

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LEGAL MATTERS

The validity of the common stock being offered hereby will be passed upon for us by Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C., Boston, Massachusetts. Certain matters will be passed upon for the underwriters by Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, New York, New York.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements of Aspen Aerogels, Inc. as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 and for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2023, and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023 have been incorporated by reference herein and in the registration statement in reliance upon the reports of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated by reference herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

INCORPORATION OF INFORMATION BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” information that we file with them. Incorporation by reference allows us to disclose important information to you by referring you to those other documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus, and information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information. We filed registration statement on Form S-3 under the Securities Act with the SEC with respect to the securities we may offer pursuant to this prospectus. This prospectus omits certain information contained in the registration statement, as permitted by the SEC. You should refer to the registration statement, including the exhibits, for further information about us and the securities we may offer pursuant to this prospectus. Statements in this prospectus regarding the provisions of certain documents filed with, or incorporated by reference in, the registration statement is not necessarily complete and each statement is qualified in all respects by that reference. Copies of all or any part of the registration statement, including the documents incorporated by reference or the exhibits, may be obtained upon payment of the prescribed rates at the offices of the SEC listed below in “Where You Can Find More Information.” The documents we are incorporating by reference are:

 

   

our Annual Report on  Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 that we filed with the SEC on March 7, 2024 (including the portions of our definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A filed with the SEC on April 10, 2024 that are incorporated by reference therein);

 

   

our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2024 and June 30, 2024, filed with the SEC on May 2, 2024 and  August 8, 2024;

 

   

our Current Reports on Form 8-K that we filed with the SEC on  March 7, 2024May 31, 2024August 15, 2024August 19, 2024, September 3, 2024, and October 16, 2024 (Item 8.01 only);

 

   

the description of our common stock included in our registration statement on  Form 8-A, filed with the SEC on June 6, 2014, as updated or amended in any amendment or report filed for such purpose; and

 

   

all reports and documents (other than information furnished pursuant to Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K or as otherwise permitted by SEC rules) filed after the date of this prospectus supplement and prior to the termination or completion of the offering hereunder pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

The SEC file number for each of the documents listed above is 001-36481.

Information in this prospectus supplement supersedes related information in the documents listed above, and information in subsequently filed documents supersedes related information in each of this prospectus supplement and the incorporated documents.

 

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We will promptly provide, without charge to you, upon written or oral request, a copy of any or all of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, other than the exhibits, unless the exhibits are specifically incorporated by reference. Requests should be directed to:

Aspen Aerogels, Inc.

Attn: Investor Relations

30 Forbes Road, Building B

Northborough, Massachusetts, 01532

Telephone: (508) 691-1111

You may also access these documents, free of charge on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or on our website at www.aerogel.com. Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus, and you should not consider any information on, or that can be accessed from, our website as part of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus.

You should rely only on the information incorporated by reference or provided in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. 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 supplement and the accompanying prospectus or the documents incorporated by reference is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus supplement or those documents.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We are subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act, and in accordance therewith, file periodic reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. SEC filings are available at the SEC’s web site at http://www.sec.gov.

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are part of registration statement on Form S-3 that we have filed with the SEC under the Securities Act, and therefore omits certain information contained in the registration statement. We have also filed exhibits and schedules with the registration statement that are excluded from this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, and you should refer to the applicable exhibit or schedule for a complete description of any statement referring to any contract or other document.

We also maintain a website at www.aerogel.com through which you can access our SEC filings. The information set forth on our website is not part of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus.

 

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PROSPECTUS

Aspen Aerogels, Inc.

 

 

LOGO

COMMON STOCK

PREFERRED STOCK

DEBT SECURITIES

WARRANTS

RIGHTS

UNITS

 

 

We may offer and sell securities from time to time in one or more offerings. This prospectus may also be used to offer shares of our common stock for the accounts of persons other than us, whom we refer to in this prospectus as “selling stockholders.” This prospectus describes the general terms of these securities and the general manner in which these securities will be offered. This prospectus will allow us to issue, from time to time at prices and on terms to be determined at or prior to the time of the offering, any combination of the securities described in this prospectus, either individually or in units. We may also offer common stock or preferred stock upon conversion of or exchange for the debt securities; common stock upon conversion of or exchange for the preferred stock; or common stock, preferred stock or debt securities upon the exercise of warrants or rights.

This prospectus describes the general terms of these securities and the general manner in which these securities will be offered. We will provide you with the specific terms of any offering in one or more supplements to this prospectus. In a prospectus supplement relating to any sales by the selling stockholders, we will identify the selling stockholders and the number of shares of our common stock that the selling stockholders will be selling. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale, if any, of common stock by the selling stockholders. The prospectus supplements will also describe the specific manner in which these securities will be offered and may also supplement, update or amend information contained in this document. You should read this prospectus and any prospectus supplement, as well as any documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus or any prospectus supplement, carefully before you invest.

Our securities may be sold directly by us to you, through agents designated from time to time or to or through underwriters or dealers. For additional information on the methods of sale, you should refer to the section titled “Plan of Distribution” in this prospectus and in the applicable prospectus supplement. If any underwriters or agents are involved in the sale of our securities with respect to which this prospectus is being delivered, the names of such underwriters or agents and any applicable fees, commissions or discounts and over-allotment options will be set forth in a prospectus supplement. The price to the public of such securities and the net proceeds that we expect to receive from such sale will also be set forth in a prospectus supplement.

Our common stock is listed on The New York Stock Exchange, or NYSE, under the symbol “ASPN.” On October 18, 2024, the last reported sale price of our common stock was $21.60 per share. The applicable prospectus supplement will contain information, where applicable, as to any other listing, if any, on NYSE or any securities market or other securities exchange of the securities covered by the prospectus supplement. Prospective purchasers of our securities are urged to obtain current information as to the market prices of our securities, where applicable.

 

 

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before deciding whether to invest in our securities, you should consider carefully the risks that we have described on page 4 of this prospectus under the caption “Risk Factors.” We may include specific risk factors in supplements to this prospectus under the caption “Risk Factors.” This prospectus may not be used to sell our securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

The date of this prospectus is October 21, 2024.


Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

     1  

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

     2  

RISK FACTORS

     4  

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

     5  

USE OF PROCEEDS

     8  

DESCRIPTION OF COMMON STOCK

     9  

CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF DELAWARE LAW AND OF OUR RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION, AS AMENDED, AND AMENDED AND RESTATED BYLAWS

     10  

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED STOCK

     14  

DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

     15  

DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

     21  

DESCRIPTION OF RIGHTS

     23  

DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

     25  

SELLING STOCKHOLDERS

     27  

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

     28  

LEGAL MATTERS

     31  

EXPERTS

     31  

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

     31  

INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

     31  

 

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of an automatic shelf registration statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, as a “well-known seasoned issuer” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, which we refer to as the Securities Act, utilizing an automatic “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we or the selling stockholders may from time to time offer shares of our common stock and preferred stock, various series of debt securities and/or warrants or rights to purchase any of such securities described in this prospectus, either individually or in units, in one or more offerings, at prices and on terms to be set forth in one or more supplements to this prospectus at the time of an offering. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we or the selling stockholders may offer. Each time we or the selling stockholders, as applicable, offer a type or series of securities under this prospectus, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering. We may also authorize one or more free writing prospectuses to be provided to you that may contain material information relating to these offerings.

This prospectus does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. For a more complete understanding of the offering of the securities, you should refer to the registration statement, including its exhibits and the prospectus supplement, as applicable. The prospectus supplement or any applicable free writing prospectus may also add, update or change information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. However, no prospectus supplement will offer a security that is not registered and described in this prospectus at the time of its effectiveness. This prospectus, together with the applicable prospectus supplements, any applicable free writing prospectuses and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus, includes all material information relating to the offering of securities under this prospectus. You should carefully read this prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement, any applicable free writing prospectus, the information and documents incorporated herein by reference and the additional information under the headings “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Documents by Reference” before making an investment decision.

You should rely only on the information provided or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectuses prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. Neither we nor the selling stockholders have authorized anyone to provide you with information different from that contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. No dealer, salesperson or other person is authorized to give any information or to represent anything not contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or any applicable free writing prospectus. You must not rely on any unauthorized information or representation. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the securities offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. You should assume that the information in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or any applicable free writing prospectus is accurate only as of the date on the front of the document and that any information we have incorporated herein by reference is accurate only as of the date of the document incorporated by reference, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any sale of a security.

We further note that the representations, warranties and covenants made by us or any selling stockholder in any agreement that is filed as an exhibit to any document that is incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement were made solely for the benefit of the parties to such agreement, including, in some cases, for the purpose of allocating risk among the parties to such agreements, and should not be deemed to be a representation, warranty or covenant to you. Moreover, such representations, warranties or covenants were accurate only as of the date when made. Accordingly, such representations, warranties and covenants should not be relied on as accurately representing the current state of our affairs.

This prospectus may not be used to consummate sales of our securities unless it is accompanied by a prospectus supplement. To the extent there are inconsistencies between any prospectus supplement, this prospectus and any documents incorporated by reference, the document with the most recent date will control.

Unless the context otherwise requires, “Aspen Aerogels,” “the Company,” “we,” “us,” “our” and similar terms refer to Aspen Aerogels, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

 

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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

The following is a summary of what we believe to be the most important aspects of our business and the offering of our securities under this prospectus. We urge you to read this entire prospectus, including the more detailed consolidated financial statements, notes to the consolidated financial statements and other information incorporated by reference from our other filings with the SEC or included in any applicable prospectus supplement. Investing in our securities involves risks. Therefore, carefully consider the risk factors set forth in this prospectus, in any prospectus supplements and in our most recent annual and quarterly filings with the SEC, as well as other information in this prospectus and any prospectus supplements and the documents incorporated by reference herein or therein, before purchasing our securities. Each of the risk factors could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition, as well as adversely affect the value of an investment in our securities.

Overview of Aspen

We are actively developing a number of promising aerogel products and technologies for the electric vehicle (“EV”) market. We have developed and are commercializing our proprietary line of PyroThin® aerogel thermal barriers for use in battery packs in EVs. Our PyroThin product is an ultra-thin, lightweight and flexible thermal barrier designed with other functional layers to impede the propagation of thermal runaway across multiple lithium-ion battery system architectures. Our thermal barrier technology is designed to offer a unique combination of thermal management, mechanical performance and fire protection properties. These properties enable EV manufacturers to achieve critical battery performance and safety goals. In addition, we are seeking to leverage our patented carbon aerogel technology to develop industry-leading battery materials for use in lithium-ion battery cells. These battery materials have the potential to increase the energy density of the battery cells, thus enabling an increase in the driving range of EVs.

The commercial potential for our PyroThin thermal barriers and our carbon aerogel battery materials in the EV market is significant. Accordingly, we are hiring additional personnel, incurring additional operating expenses, incurring significant capital expenditures to expand aerogel manufacturing capacity, establishing an automated thermal barrier fabrication operation, enhancing research and development resources and expanding our battery material research facilities, among other items.

We have entered into production contracts with certain major original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”), including General Motors LLC (“GM”), to supply fabricated, multi-part thermal barriers for use in the battery system of its next-generation EVs. Pursuant to the contracts with GM, we are obligated to supply the barriers at fixed annual prices and at volumes to be specified by the customer up to a daily maximum quantity through the term of the agreements, which expire at various times from 2026 through 2034. While GM has agreed to purchase its requirement for the barriers from us at locations to be designated from time to time, it has no obligation to purchase any minimum quantity of barriers under the contracts. In addition, GM may terminate the contracts any time and for any or no reason. All other terms of the contracts are generally consistent with GM’s standard purchase terms, including quality and warranty provisions customary in the automotive industry. We have also entered into production contracts with Toyota, Scania, Audi, a luxury brand of the Volkswagen Group, ACC, a battery cell joint venture between Stellantis N.V, Saft-TotalEnergies and Mercedes-Benz, and a large EU battery manufacturer to supply a next generation vehicle platform of a major EU luxury sports car brand.

We also design, develop and manufacture innovative, high-performance aerogel insulation used primarily in the energy industrial and sustainable insulation materials markets. We believe our aerogel blankets deliver the best thermal performance of any widely used insulation product available on the market today and provide a combination of performance attributes unmatched by traditional insulation materials. Our end-user customers select our products where thermal performance is critical and to save money, improve resource efficiency,

 

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enhance sustainability, preserve operating assets and protect workers. Our insulation is used by oil producers and the owners and operators of refineries, petrochemical plants, liquefied natural gas (“LNG”) facilities, power generating assets and other energy industrial companies. Our Pyrogel® and Cryogel® product lines have undergone rigorous technical validation by industry leading end-users and achieved significant market adoption.

We also derive revenue from a number of other end markets. Customers in these markets use our products for applications as diverse as military and commercial aircraft, trains, buses, appliances, apparel, footwear and outdoor gear. As we continue to enhance our Aerogel Technology Platform®, we believe we will have additional opportunities to address high-value applications in the global insulation market, and in a number of new, high-value markets, including hydrogen energy, filtration, water purification, and gas sorption.

We market and sell our products primarily through a sales force based in North America, Europe and Asia. The efforts of our sales force are supported by a small number of sales consultants with extensive knowledge of a particular market or region. Our sales force is responsible for establishing and maintaining customer and partner relationships, delivering highly technical information and ensuring high-quality customer service.

Our salespeople work directly with end-user customers and engineering firms to promote the qualification, specification and acceptance of our aerogel and thermal barrier products. We also rely on an existing and well-established channel of qualified insulation distributors and contractors in more than 50 countries around the world to ensure rapid delivery of our aerogel products and strong end-user support.

Additional Information

For additional information related to our business and operations, please refer to the reports incorporated herein by reference, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and subsequent reports filed with the SEC, as described under the caption “Incorporation of Documents by Reference” on page 31 of this prospectus.

Our Corporate Information

We are a corporation organized under the laws of Delaware.

Our principal office is located at 30 Forbes Road, Building B, Northborough, Massachusetts 01532, and our telephone number is (508) 691-1111. Our website address is https://www.aerogel.com. The information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not a part of this prospectus. We have included our website address in this prospectus solely as an inactive textual reference.

Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and all amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), are available free of charge through the investor relations page of our internet website as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC.

All trademarks appearing in this prospectus are the property of their respective holders. Use or display by us of other parties’ trademarks, or products in this prospectus is not intended to, and does not, imply a relationship with, or endorsements or sponsorship of, us by the trademark.

This prospectus may not be used to consummate a sale of any securities unless it is accompanied by a prospectus supplement.

 

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RISK FACTORS

Investing in our securities involves significant risk. The prospectus supplement applicable to each offering of our securities will contain a discussion of the risks applicable to an investment in Aspen Aerogels, Inc. Prior to making a decision about investing in our securities, you should carefully consider the specific factors discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in the applicable prospectus supplement, together with all of the other information contained or incorporated by reference in the prospectus supplement or appearing or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. You should also consider the risks, uncertainties and assumptions discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” included in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K, as revised or supplemented by our subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or our subsequent current reports on Form 8-K that we have filed with the SEC, all of which are incorporated herein by reference, and which may be amended, supplemented or superseded from time to time by other reports we file with the SEC in the future. The risks and uncertainties we have described are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our operations. The occurrence of any of these risks might cause you to lose all or part of your investment in the offered securities.

 

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus include forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act that relate to future events or to our future operations or financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Words such as, but not limited to, “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “seek,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “targets,” “likely,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “continue,” and similar expressions or phrases, or the negative of those expressions or phrases, are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Although we believe that we have a reasonable basis for each forward-looking statement contained in this prospectus and incorporated by reference in this prospectus, we caution you that these statements are based on our projections of the future that are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, to differ from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statement. The sections in our periodic reports, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, entitled “Business,” “Risk Factors,” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” as well as other sections in this prospectus and the documents or reports incorporated by reference in this prospectus, discuss some of the factors that could contribute to these differences. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements about:

 

   

the expected future growth of the market for our aerogel products and our continued gain in market share, in particular in the electric vehicle market, the energy infrastructure insulation market, the lithium-ion battery thermal barrier markets, and other markets we target;

 

   

our beliefs in the appropriateness of our assumptions, the accuracy of our estimates regarding expenses, loss contingencies, future revenues, revenue capacity, future profits, uses of cash, available credit, capital requirements, and the need for additional financing to operate our business and for capital expenditures and to fund our planned strategic business initiatives;

 

   

the performance of our aerogel blankets;

 

   

our expectation that we will be successful in obtaining, enforcing and defending our patents against competitors and that such patents are valid and enforceable;

 

   

our expectations regarding the investment to open a second manufacturing facility in Georgia, the extended construction and commissioning timeframe for the planned second manufacturing facility, our efforts to manage the construction of the second plant to align with our expectations of demand from EV customers;

 

   

the anticipated aerogel capacity expansion as a result of the planned second manufacturing facility in Georgia and the expected commencement of production;

 

   

our estimates of annual production capacity;

 

   

our beliefs about the Department of Energy loan application process;

 

   

our beliefs about the commercial potential for our technology in the electric vehicle market;

 

   

our beliefs about our ability to produce and deliver products to electric vehicle customers;

 

   

our beliefs about out contracts with the major automotive manufacturers;

 

   

our expectations about the size and timing of awarded business in the electric vehicle market, future revenues and profit margins, arising from our supply relationship and contract with automotive OEMs and our ability to win more business and increase revenue in the electric vehicle market;

 

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beliefs about the performance of our thermal barrier products in the battery systems of electric vehicles;

 

   

the current or future trends in the energy, energy infrastructure, chemical and refinery, liquid natural gas, or LNG, sustainable building materials, electric vehicle thermal barrier, electric vehicle battery materials or other markets and the impact of these trends on our business;

 

   

our investments in the electric vehicle market and Aerogel Technology Platform;

 

   

our beliefs about the financial metrics that are indicative of our core performance;

 

   

our expectations about the effect of manufacturing capacity on financial metrics such as Adjusted EBITDA;

 

   

our expectations about future revenues, expenses, gross profit, net income (loss), income (loss) per share and Adjusted EBITDA, sources and uses of cash, capital requirements and the sufficiency of our existing cash balance and available credit;

 

   

our beliefs about the outcome, effects or estimated costs of current or potential litigation or their respective timing, including expected legal expense in connection with our patent enforcement actions;

 

   

our expectations about future material costs and manufacturing expenses as a percentage of revenue, including the impact of engaging one or more external manufacturing facilities in China for supply of our energy industrial products;

 

   

our expectation about the ability of the Chinese external manufacturing facilities that we engage to consistently supply the aerogel product that we order in a timely manner;

 

   

our expectations of future gross profit and the effect of manufacturing expenses, manufacturing capacity and productivity on gross profit;

 

   

our expectations about our resources and other investments in new technology and related research and development activities and associated expenses;

 

   

our expectations about short and long term (a) research and development (b) general and administrative and (c) sales and marketing expenses;

 

   

our expectations of revenue growth, increased gross profit, and improving cash flows over the long term;

 

   

our intentions about managing capital expenditures and working capital balances; and

 

   

our expectations about potential sources of future financing.

We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements we make. We have included important cautionary statements in this prospectus or in the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, particularly in the “Risk Factors” section, that we believe could cause actual results or events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements that we make. For a summary of such factors, please refer to the section entitled “Risk Factors” in this prospectus, as updated and supplemented by the discussion of risks and uncertainties under “Risk Factors” contained in any supplements to this prospectus and in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K, as revised or supplemented by our subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or our current reports on Form 8-K, as well as any amendments thereto, as filed with the SEC and which are incorporated herein by reference. The information contained in this document is believed to be current as of the date of this document. We do not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this document to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in our expectations, except as required by law.

 

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In light of these assumptions, risks and uncertainties, the results and events discussed in the forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus or in any document incorporated herein by reference might not occur. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this prospectus or the date of the document incorporated by reference in this prospectus. We are not under any obligation, and we expressly disclaim any obligation, to update or alter any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. All subsequent forward-looking statements attributable to us or to any person acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we intend to use any net proceeds from the sale of securities under this prospectus for other general corporate purposes, including, but not limited to, working capital, capital expenditures, repayment of any existing indebtedness, investments and acquisitions. We have not determined the amounts we plan to spend on any of the areas listed above or the timing of these expenditures. As a result, our management will have broad discretion to allocate the net proceeds, if any, we receive in connection with securities offered pursuant to this prospectus for any purpose. Additional information on the use of net proceeds from the sale of securities covered by this prospectus may be set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to the specific offering. Pending application of the net proceeds as described above, we may initially invest the net proceeds in short-term, investment-grade, interest-bearing securities or apply them to the reduction of short-term indebtedness.

We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of any shares of common stock offered and sold by the selling stockholders. Any selling stockholder may pay any underwriting discounts and commissions and expenses incurred by such selling stockholder for brokerage, accounting, tax, or legal services or any other expenses incurred by such selling stockholder in disposing of the shares. We may bear all other costs, fees and expenses incurred in effecting the registration of the shares covered by this prospectus, including, without limitation, all registration and filing fees, and fees and expenses of our counsel and our accountants.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF COMMON STOCK

We are authorized to issue 250,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.00001 per share. As of September 30, 2024, there were 77,155,896 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding. As of September 30, 2024, we had approximately 31 record holders of our capital stock.

The following summary of certain provisions of our common stock does not purport to be complete. You should refer to our restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, and our amended and restated bylaws, both of which are included as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. The summary below is also qualified by provisions of applicable law.

General

Holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders, and do not have cumulative voting rights. Subject to preferences that may be applicable to any outstanding shares of preferred stock, holders of common stock are entitled to receive ratably such dividends, if any, as may be declared from time to time by our board of directors out of funds legally available for dividend payments. All shares of common stock outstanding as of the date of this prospectus and, upon issuance and sale, all shares of common stock that we may offer pursuant to this prospectus, will be fully paid and nonassessable. The holders of common stock have no preferences or rights of conversion, exchange, pre-emption or other subscription rights. There is no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to the common stock. In the event of any liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of our affairs, holders of common stock will be entitled to share ratably in our assets that are remaining after payment or provision for payment of all of our debts and obligations and after liquidation payments to holders of outstanding shares of preferred stock, if any. The rights, preferences and privileges of holders of common stock are subject to and may be adversely affected by the rights of the holders of shares of any series of then outstanding preferred stock.

Transfer Agent and Registrar

The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Computershare Trust Company, N.A., P.O. Box 30170, College Station, Texas 77842.

Stock Exchange Listing

Our common stock is listed for trading on NYSE under the symbol “ASPN.”

 

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CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF DELAWARE LAW AND OF OUR RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION, AS AMENDED, AND AMENDED AND RESTATED BYLAWS

Anti-Takeover Provisions

The provisions of Delaware law, our restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, and our amended and restated bylaws discussed below could discourage or make it more difficult to accomplish a proxy contest or other change in our management or the acquisition of control by a holder of a substantial amount of our voting stock. It is possible that these provisions could make it more difficult to accomplish, or could deter, transactions that stockholders may otherwise consider to be in their best interests or in our best interests. These provisions are intended to enhance the likelihood of continuity and stability in the composition of our board of directors and in the policies formulated by the board of directors and to discourage certain types of transactions that may involve an actual or threatened change of our control. These provisions are designed to reduce our vulnerability to an unsolicited acquisition proposal and to discourage certain tactics that may be used in proxy fights. Such provisions also may have the effect of preventing changes in our management.

Delaware Statutory Business Combinations Provision

We are subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. This statute regulating corporate takeovers prohibits a Delaware corporation from engaging in any business combination with any interested stockholder for three years following the date that the stockholder became an interested stockholder, unless:

 

   

prior to the date of the transaction, the board of directors of the corporation approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;

 

   

upon completion of the transaction that resulted in the interested stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the number of shares outstanding (a) shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers, and (b) shares owned by employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer; or

 

   

on or subsequent to the date of the transaction, the business combination is approved by the board of directors and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding voting stock which is not owned by the interested stockholder.

Generally, a business combination includes a merger, asset or stock sale, or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. An interested stockholder is any person who, together with such person’s affiliates and associates (i) owns 15% or more of a corporation’s voting securities or (ii) is an affiliate or associate of a corporation and was the owner of 15% or more of the corporation’s voting securities at any time within the three year period immediately preceding a business combination of the corporation governed by Section 203. We expect the existence of this provision to have an anti-takeover effect with respect to transactions our board of directors does not approve in advance. We also anticipate that Section 203 may discourage takeover attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for the shares of common stock held by our stockholders.

Classified Board of Directors; Removal of Directors for Cause

Our restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, and our amended and restated bylaws provide that our board of directors be divided into three classes, with the term of office of the first class to expire at the first annual meeting of stockholders following the initial classification of directors, the term of office of the second class to expire at the second annual meeting of stockholders following the initial classification of directors and

 

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the term of office of the third class to expire at the third annual meeting of stockholders following the initial classification of directors. At each annual meeting of stockholders, directors elected to succeed those directors whose terms expire will be elected for a three-year term of office. All directors elected to our classified board of directors will serve until the election and qualification of their respective successors or their earlier resignation or removal. The board of directors is authorized to create new directorships and to fill such positions so created and is permitted to specify the class to which any such new position is assigned. The person filling such position would serve for the term applicable to that class. The board of directors, or its remaining members, even if less than a quorum, is also empowered to fill vacancies on the board of directors occurring for any reason for the remainder of the term of the class of directors in which the vacancy occurred. Members of the board of directors may only be removed for cause and only by the affirmative vote of at least 75% of our outstanding voting stock. These provisions are likely to increase the time required for stockholders to change the composition of the board of directors. For example, at least two annual meetings will be necessary for stockholders to effect a change in a majority of the members of the board of directors.

Advance Notice Provisions for Stockholder Proposals and Stockholder Nominations of Directors

Our amended and restated bylaws provide that, for nominations to the board of directors or for other business to be properly brought by a stockholder before a meeting of stockholders, the stockholder must first have given timely notice of the proposal in writing to our Secretary. For an annual meeting, a stockholder’s notice generally must be delivered not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the anniversary of the previous year’s annual meeting. For a special meeting, the notice must generally be delivered not earlier than the 90th day prior to the meeting and not later than the later of (1) the 60th day prior to the meeting or (2) the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the meeting is first made. Detailed requirements as to the form of the notice and information required in the notice are specified in the amended and restated bylaws. If it is determined that business was not properly brought before a meeting in accordance with our bylaw provisions, such business will not be conducted at the meeting.

Special Meetings of Stockholders

Special meetings of the stockholders may be called only by our board of directors pursuant to a resolution adopted by a majority of the total number of authorized directors, whether or not there exists any vacancies in previously authorized directorships.

No Stockholder Action by Written Consent

Our restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, and our amended and restated bylaws do not permit our stockholders to act by written consent. As a result, any action to be effected by our stockholders must be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting of the stockholders.

Super Majority Stockholder Vote Required for Certain Actions

The Delaware General Corporation Law provides generally that the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares entitled to vote on any matter is required to amend a corporation’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws, unless the corporation’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws, as the case may be, requires a greater percentage. Our restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, requires the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 75% of our outstanding voting stock to amend or repeal any of the provisions discussed in this section of this prospectus titled “—Anti-Takeover Provisions” or to reduce the number of authorized shares of common stock or preferred stock. This 75% stockholder vote would be in addition to any separate class vote that might in the future be required pursuant to the terms of any preferred stock that might then be outstanding. In addition, a 75% vote is also required for any amendment to, or repeal of, our amended and restated bylaws by the stockholders. Our amended and restated bylaws may be amended or repealed by a simple majority vote of the total number of authorized directors, whether or not there exists any vacancies in previously authorized directorships.

 

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Exclusive Forum

Our restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, provides that, subject to limited exceptions, a state or federal court located within the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for (1) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (2) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers or other employees to us or our stockholders, (3) any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to, or a claim with respect to the interpretation or application of, any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law, our certificate of incorporation or our bylaws, or (4) any other action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the provisions of our restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, described above. Although we believe these provisions benefit us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law for the specified types of actions and proceedings, the provisions may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers. The enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that, in connection with one or more actions or proceedings described above, a court could find the choice of forum provisions contained in our restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, to be inapplicable or unenforceable.

Limitation of Liability and Indemnification

Our restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, and our amended and restated bylaws provide that each person who was or is made a party or is threatened to be made a party to or is otherwise involved (including, without limitation, as a witness) in any action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, by reason of the fact that he or she is or was one of our directors or officers or is or was serving at our request as a director, officer or trustee of another corporation, or of a partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan, whether the basis of such proceeding is alleged action in an official capacity as a director, officer or trustee or in any other capacity while serving as a director, officer or trustee, shall be indemnified and held harmless by us to the fullest extent authorized by the Delaware General Corporation Law against all expense, liability and loss (including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes or penalties and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered by such person.

Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law permits a corporation to indemnify any director or officer of the corporation against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred in connection with any action, suit or proceeding brought by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director or officer of the corporation, if such person acted in good faith and in a manner that he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, if he or she had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful. In a derivative action (i.e., one brought by or on behalf of the corporation), indemnification may be provided only for expenses actually and reasonably incurred by any director or officer in connection with the defense or settlement of such an action or suit if such person acted in good faith and in a manner that he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation, except that no indemnification shall be provided if such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation, unless and only to the extent that the Delaware Chancery Court or the court in which the action or suit was brought shall determine that such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses despite such adjudication of liability.

Pursuant to Section 102(b)(7) of the Delaware General Corporation Law, Article NINTH and Article THIRTEENTH of our restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, eliminate the personal liability of directors and officers to us or our stockholders for monetary damages for such a breach of fiduciary duty as a director or an officer, as applicable, except for liabilities arising:

 

   

from any breach of the director’s or officer’s duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders;

 

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from acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law;

 

   

with respect to a director, under Section 174 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, and with respect to an officer, from any action by or in the right of us; and

 

   

from any transaction from which a director or an officer derived an improper personal benefit.

These provisions may be held not to be enforceable for certain violations of the federal securities laws of the United States.

We have entered into indemnification agreements with our non-employee directors and with certain officers, in addition to the indemnification provided for in our restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, and our amended and restated bylaws, and intend to enter into indemnification agreements with any new directors and executive officers in the future. We have purchased and intend to maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director or officer against any loss arising from any claim asserted against him or her and incurred by him or her in any such capacity, subject to certain exclusions.

The foregoing discussion of our restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, our amended and restated bylaws, indemnification agreements and Delaware law is not intended to be exhaustive and is qualified in its entirety by such restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, our amended and restated bylaws, indemnification agreements or law.

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

 

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DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED STOCK

We are authorized to issue 5,000,000 shares of blank check preferred stock, par value $0.00001 per share. As of the date of this prospectus, no shares of our preferred stock were outstanding or designated. The following summary of certain provisions of our preferred stock does not purport to be complete. You should refer to our restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, and our amended and restated bylaws, both of which are included as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. The summary below is also qualified by provisions of applicable law.

General

Our board of directors has the authority, without further stockholder authorization, to issue from time to time up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series and to fix the terms, limitations, voting rights, relative rights and preferences and variations of each series. If we issue preferred stock in the future, such preferred stock would have priority over common stock with respect to dividends and other distributions, including the distribution of assets upon liquidation. 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.

If we offer a specific series of preferred stock under this prospectus, we will describe the terms of the preferred stock in the prospectus supplement for such offering and will file a copy of the certificate establishing the terms of the preferred stock with the SEC. To the extent required, this description will include:

 

   

the title and stated value;

 

   

the number of shares offered, the liquidation preference, if any, per share and the purchase price;

 

   

the dividend rate(s), period(s) and/or payment date(s), or method(s) of calculation for such dividends;

 

   

whether dividends will be cumulative or non-cumulative and, if cumulative, the date from which dividends will accumulate;

 

   

the procedures for any auction and remarketing, if any;

 

   

the provisions for a sinking fund, if any;

 

   

the provisions for redemption, if applicable;

 

   

any listing of the preferred stock on any securities exchange or market;

 

   

whether the preferred stock will be convertible into our common stock, and, if applicable, the conversion price (or how it will be calculated) and conversion period;

 

   

whether the preferred stock will be exchangeable into debt securities, and, if applicable, the exchange price (or how it will be calculated) and exchange period;

 

   

voting rights, if any, of the preferred stock;

 

   

a discussion of any material and/or special U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to the preferred stock;

 

   

the relative ranking and preferences of the preferred stock as to dividend rights and rights upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the affairs of the Company; and

 

   

any material limitations on issuance of any class or series of preferred stock ranking pari passu with or senior to the series of preferred stock as to dividend rights and rights upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company.

Transfer Agent and Registrar

The transfer agent and registrar for our preferred stock will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

The following description, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplements, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus. While the terms we have summarized below will apply generally to any future debt securities we may offer pursuant to this prospectus, we will describe the particular terms of any debt securities that we may offer in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. If we so indicate in a prospectus supplement, the terms of any debt securities offered under such prospectus supplement may differ from the terms we describe below, and to the extent the terms set forth in a prospectus supplement differ from the terms described below, the terms set forth in the prospectus supplement shall control.

We may sell from time to time, in one or more offerings under this prospectus, debt securities, which may be senior or subordinated. We will issue any such senior debt securities under a senior indenture that we will enter into with a trustee to be named in the senior indenture. We will issue any such subordinated debt securities under a subordinated indenture, which we will enter into with a trustee to be named in the subordinated indenture. We have filed forms of these documents as exhibits to the registration statement, of which this prospectus is a part. We use the term “indentures” to refer to either the senior indenture or the subordinated indenture, as applicable. The indentures will be qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, or Trust Indenture Act, as in effect on the date of the indenture. We use the term “debenture trustee” to refer to either the trustee under the senior indenture or the trustee under the subordinated indenture, as applicable.

The following summaries of material provisions of the senior debt securities, the subordinated debt securities and the indentures are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the indenture applicable to a particular series of debt securities.

General

Each indenture provides that debt securities may be issued from time to time in one or more series and may be denominated and payable in foreign currencies or units based on or relating to foreign currencies. Neither indenture limits the amount of debt securities that may be issued thereunder. Each indenture provides that the specific terms of any series of debt securities shall be set forth in, or determined pursuant to, an authorizing resolution and/or a supplemental indenture, if any, relating to such series.

We will describe in each prospectus supplement the following terms relating to a series of debt securities:

 

   

the title or designation;

 

   

the aggregate principal amount and any limit on the amount that may be issued;

 

   

the currency or units based on or relating to currencies in which debt securities of such series are denominated and the currency or units in which principal or interest or both will or may be payable;

 

   

whether we will issue the series of debt securities in global form, the terms of any global securities and who the depositary will be;

 

   

the maturity date and the date or dates on which principal will be payable;

 

   

the interest rate, which may be fixed or variable, or the method for determining the rate and the date interest will begin to accrue, the date or dates interest will be payable and the record dates for interest payment dates or the method for determining such dates;

 

   

whether or not the debt securities will be secured or unsecured, and the terms of any secured debt;

 

   

the terms of the subordination of any series of subordinated debt;

 

   

the place or places where payments will be payable;

 

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our right, if any, to defer payment of interest and the maximum length of any such deferral period;

 

   

the date, if any, after which, and the price at which, we may, at our option, redeem the series of debt securities pursuant to any optional redemption provisions;

 

   

the date, if any, on which, and the price at which we are obligated, pursuant to any mandatory sinking fund provisions or otherwise, to redeem, or at the holder’s option to purchase, the series of debt securities;

 

   

whether the indenture will restrict our ability to pay dividends, or will require us to maintain any asset ratios or reserves;

 

   

whether we will be restricted from incurring any additional indebtedness;

 

   

a discussion of any material or special U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to a series of debt securities;

 

   

the denominations in which we will issue the series of debt securities, if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof; and

 

   

any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of, or restrictions on, the debt securities.

We may issue debt securities that provide for an amount less than their stated principal amount to be due and payable upon declaration of acceleration of their maturity pursuant to the terms of the indenture. We will provide you with information on the federal income tax considerations and other special considerations applicable to any of these debt securities in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Conversion or Exchange Rights

We will set forth in the prospectus supplement the terms, if any, on which a series of debt securities may be convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock or our other securities. We will include provisions as to whether conversion or exchange is mandatory, at the option of the holder or at our option. We may include provisions pursuant to which the number of shares of our common stock or our other securities that the holders of the series of debt securities receive would be subject to adjustment.

Consolidation, Merger or Sale; No Protection in Event of a Change of Control or Highly Leveraged Transaction

The indentures do not contain any covenant that restricts our ability to merge or consolidate, or sell, convey, transfer or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our assets. However, any successor to or acquirer of such assets must assume all of our obligations under the indentures or the debt securities, as appropriate.

Unless we state otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the debt securities will not contain any provisions that may afford holders of the debt securities protection in the event we have a change of control or in the event of a highly leveraged transaction (whether or not such transaction results in a change of control), which could adversely affect holders of debt securities.

Events of Default Under the Indenture

The following are events of default under the indentures with respect to any series of debt securities that we may issue:

 

   

if we fail to pay interest when due and our failure continues for 90 days and the time for payment has not been extended or deferred;

 

   

if we fail to pay the principal, or premium, if any, when due and the time for payment has not been extended or delayed;

 

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if we fail to observe or perform any other covenant set forth in the debt securities of such series or the applicable indentures, other than a covenant specifically relating to and for the benefit of holders of another series of debt securities, and our failure continues for 90 days after we receive written notice from the debenture trustee or holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of the applicable series; and

 

   

if specified events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization occur as to us.

No event of default with respect to a particular series of debt securities (except as to certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization) necessarily constitutes an event of default with respect to any other series of debt securities. The occurrence of an event of default may constitute an event of default under any bank credit agreements we may have in existence from time to time. In addition, the occurrence of certain events of default or an acceleration under the indenture may constitute an event of default under certain of our other indebtedness outstanding from time to time.

If an event of default with respect to debt securities of any series at the time outstanding occurs and is continuing, then the trustee or the holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series may, by a notice in writing to us (and to the debenture trustee if given by the holders), declare to be due and payable immediately the principal (or, if the debt securities of that series are discount securities, that portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms of that series) of and premium and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all debt securities of that series. Before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained with respect to debt securities of any series, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series (or, at a meeting of holders of such series at which a quorum is present, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the debt securities of such series represented at such meeting) may rescind and annul the acceleration if all events of default, other than the non-payment of accelerated principal, premium, if any, and interest, if any, with respect to debt securities of that series, have been cured or waived as provided in the applicable indenture (including payments or deposits in respect of principal, premium or interest that had become due other than as a result of such acceleration). We refer you to the prospectus supplement relating to any series of debt securities that are discount securities for the particular provisions relating to acceleration of a portion of the principal amount of such discount securities upon the occurrence of an event of default.

Subject to the terms of the indentures, if an event of default under an indenture shall occur and be continuing, the debenture trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under such indenture at the request or direction of any of the holders of the applicable series of debt securities, unless such holders have offered the debenture trustee reasonable indemnity. The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the debenture trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on the debenture trustee, with respect to the debt securities of that series, provided that:

 

   

the direction so given by the holder is not in conflict with any law or the applicable indenture; and

 

   

subject to its duties under the Trust Indenture Act, the debenture trustee need not take any action that might involve it in personal liability or might be unduly prejudicial to the holders not involved in the proceeding.

A holder of the debt securities of any series will only have the right to institute a proceeding under the indentures or to appoint a receiver or trustee, or to seek other remedies if:

 

   

the holder previously has given written notice to the debenture trustee of a continuing event of default with respect to that series;

 

   

the holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series have made written request, and such holders have offered reasonable indemnity to the debenture trustee to institute the proceeding as trustee; and

 

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the debenture trustee does not institute the proceeding, and does not receive from the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series (or at a meeting of holders of such series at which a quorum is present, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the debt securities of such series represented at such meeting) other conflicting directions within 60 days after the notice, request and offer.

These limitations do not apply to a suit instituted by a holder of debt securities if we default in the payment of the principal, premium, if any, or interest on, the debt securities.

We will periodically file statements with the applicable debenture trustee regarding our compliance with specified covenants in the applicable indenture.

Modification of Indenture; Waiver

The debenture trustee and we may change the applicable indenture without the consent of any holders with respect to specific matters, including:

 

   

to fix any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency in the indenture; and

 

   

to change anything that does not materially adversely affect the interests of any holder of debt securities of any series issued pursuant to such indenture.

In addition, under the indentures, the rights of holders of a series of debt securities may be changed by us and the debenture trustee with the written consent of the holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each series (or, at a meeting of holders of such series at which a quorum is present, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the debt securities of such series represented at such meeting) that is affected. However, the debenture trustee and we may make the following changes only with the consent of each holder of any outstanding debt securities affected:

 

   

extending the fixed maturity of the series of debt securities;

 

   

reducing the principal amount, reducing the rate of or extending the time of payment of interest, or any premium payable upon the redemption of any debt securities;

 

   

reducing the principal amount of discount securities payable upon acceleration of maturity;

 

   

making the principal of or premium or interest on any debt security payable in currency other than that stated in the debt security; or

 

   

reducing the percentage of debt securities, the holders of which are required to consent to any amendment or waiver.

Except for certain specified provisions, the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series (or, at a meeting of holders of such series at which a quorum is present, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the debt securities of such series represented at such meeting) may on behalf of the holders of all debt securities of that series waive our compliance with provisions of the indenture. The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may on behalf of the holders of all the debt securities of such series waive any past default under the indenture with respect to that series and its consequences, except a default in the payment of the principal of, premium or any interest on any debt security of that series or in respect of a covenant or provision, which cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the holder of each outstanding debt security of the series affected; provided, however, that the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may rescind an acceleration and its consequences, including any related payment default that resulted from the acceleration.

 

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Discharge

Each indenture provides that we can elect to be discharged from our obligations with respect to one or more series of debt securities, except for obligations to:

 

   

the transfer or exchange of debt securities of the series;

 

   

replace stolen, lost or mutilated debt securities of the series;

 

   

maintain paying agencies;

 

   

hold monies for payment in trust;

 

   

compensate and indemnify the trustee; and

 

   

appoint any successor trustee.

In order to exercise our rights to be discharged with respect to a series, we must deposit with the trustee money or government obligations sufficient to pay all the principal of, the premium, if any, and interest on, the debt securities of the series on the dates payments are due.

Form, Exchange, and Transfer

We will issue the debt securities of each series only in fully registered form without coupons and, unless we otherwise specify in the applicable prospectus supplement, in denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof. The indentures provide that we may issue debt securities of a series in temporary or permanent global form and as book-entry securities that will be deposited with, or on behalf of, The Depository Trust Company or another depositary named by us and identified in a prospectus supplement with respect to that series.

At the option of the holder, subject to the terms of the indentures and the limitations applicable to global securities described in the applicable prospectus supplement, the holder of the debt securities of any series can exchange the debt securities for other debt securities of the same series, in any authorized denomination and of like tenor and aggregate principal amount.

Subject to the terms of the indentures and the limitations applicable to global securities set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the debt securities may present the debt securities for exchange or for registration of transfer, duly endorsed or with the form of transfer endorsed thereon duly executed if so required by us or the security registrar, at the office of the security registrar or at the office of any transfer agent designated by us for this purpose. Unless otherwise provided in the debt securities that the holder presents for transfer or exchange or in the applicable indenture, we will make no service charge for any registration of transfer or exchange, but we may require payment of any taxes or other governmental charges.

We will name in the applicable prospectus supplement the security registrar, and any transfer agent in addition to the security registrar, that we initially designate for any debt securities. We may at any time designate additional transfer agents or rescind the designation of any transfer agent or approve a change in the office through which any transfer agent acts, except that we will be required to maintain a transfer agent in each place of payment for the debt securities of each series.

If we elect to redeem the debt securities of any series, we will not be required to:

 

   

issue, register the transfer of, or exchange any debt securities of that series during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the day of mailing of a notice of redemption of any debt securities that may be selected for redemption and ending at the close of business on the day of the mailing; or

 

   

register the transfer of or exchange any debt securities so selected for redemption, in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any debt securities we are redeeming in part.

 

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Information Concerning the Debenture Trustee

The debenture trustee, other than during the occurrence and continuance of an event of default under the applicable indenture, undertakes to perform only those duties as are specifically set forth in the applicable indenture. Upon an event of default under an indenture, the debenture trustee under such indenture must use the same degree of care as a prudent person would exercise or use in the conduct of his or her own affairs. Subject to this provision, the debenture trustee is under no obligation to exercise any of the powers given it by the indentures at the request of any holder of debt securities unless it is offered reasonable security and indemnity against the costs, expenses and liabilities that it might incur.

Payment and Paying Agents

Unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will make payment of the interest on any debt securities on any interest payment date to the person in whose name the debt securities, or one or more predecessor securities, are registered at the close of business on the regular record date for the interest.

We will pay principal of and any premium and interest on the debt securities of a particular series at the office of the paying agents designated by us, except that unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will make interest payments by check which we will mail to the holder. Unless we otherwise indicate in a prospectus supplement, we will designate the corporate trust office of the debenture trustee in the City of New York as our sole paying agent for payments with respect to debt securities of each series. We will name in the applicable prospectus supplement any other paying agents that we initially designate for the debt securities of a particular series. We will maintain a paying agent in each place of payment for the debt securities of a particular series.

All money we pay to a paying agent or the debenture trustee for the payment of the principal of or any premium or interest on any debt securities which remains unclaimed at the end of two years after such principal, premium or interest has become due and payable will be repaid to us, and the holder of the security thereafter may look only to us for payment thereof.

Governing Law

The indentures and the debt securities will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, except to the extent that the Trust Indenture Act is applicable.

Subordination of Subordinated Debt Securities

Our obligations pursuant to any subordinated debt securities will be unsecured and will be subordinate and junior in priority of payment to certain of our other indebtedness to the extent described in a prospectus supplement. The subordinated indenture does not limit the amount of senior indebtedness we may incur. It also does not limit us from issuing any other secured or unsecured debt.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

General

We may issue warrants to purchase shares of our common stock, preferred stock and/or debt securities in one or more series together with other securities or separately, as described in the applicable prospectus supplement. Below is a description of certain general terms and provisions of the warrants that we may offer. Particular terms of the warrants will be described in the warrant agreements and the prospectus supplement relating to the warrants.

The applicable prospectus supplement will contain, where applicable, the following terms of and other information relating to the warrants:

 

   

the specific designation and aggregate number of, and the price at which we will issue, the warrants;

 

   

the currency or currency units in which the offering price, if any, and the exercise price are payable;

 

   

the designation, amount and terms of the securities purchasable upon exercise of the warrants;

 

   

if applicable, the exercise price for shares of our common stock and the number of shares of common stock to be received upon exercise of the warrants;

 

   

if applicable, the exercise price for shares of our preferred stock, the number of shares of preferred stock to be received upon exercise, and a description of that series of our preferred stock;

 

   

if applicable, the exercise price for our debt securities, the amount of debt securities to be received upon exercise, and a description of that series of debt securities;

 

   

the date on which the right to exercise the warrants will begin and the date on which that right will expire or, if you may not continuously exercise the warrants throughout that period, the specific date or dates on which you may exercise the warrants;

 

   

whether the warrants will be issued in fully registered form or bearer form, in definitive or global form or in any combination of these forms, although, in any case, the form of a warrant included in a unit will correspond to the form of the unit and of any security included in that unit;

 

   

any applicable material U.S. federal income tax consequences;

 

   

the identity of the warrant agent for the warrants and of any other depositaries, execution or paying agents, transfer agents, registrars or other agents;

 

   

the proposed listing, if any, of the warrants or any securities purchasable upon exercise of the warrants on any securities exchange;

 

   

if applicable, the date from and after which the warrants and the common stock, preferred stock and/or debt securities will be separately transferable;

 

   

if applicable, the minimum or maximum amount of the warrants that may be exercised at any one time;

 

   

information with respect to book-entry procedures, if any;

 

   

the anti-dilution provisions of the warrants, if any;

 

   

any redemption or call provisions;

 

   

whether the warrants may be sold separately or with other securities as parts of units; and

 

   

any additional terms of the warrants, including terms, procedures and limitations relating to the exchange and exercise of the warrants.

 

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Exercise of Warrants

Each warrant will entitle the holder to purchase for cash such shares of our common stock and/or our preferred stock and/or our debt securities at such exercise price as shall be in each case be set forth in, or be determinable as set forth in, the prospectus supplement relating to the warrants offered thereby. Warrants may be exercised at any time up to the close of business on the expiration date set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to the warrants offered thereby. After the close of business on the expiration date, unexercised warrants will become void.

The warrants may be exercised as set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to the warrants offered. Upon receipt of payment and the warrant certificate properly completed and duly executed at the corporate trust office of the warrant agent or any other office indicated in the prospectus supplement, we will, as soon as practicable, forward the shares of our common stock and/or our preferred stock and/or our debt securities purchasable upon such exercise. If less than all of the warrants represented by such warrant certificate are exercised, a new warrant certificate will be issued for the remaining warrants.

Warrant Agent

The name and address of the warrant agent for any warrants we offer, if one is appointed, will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Enforceability of Rights by Holders of Warrants

If we appoint a warrant agent, any warrant agent will act solely as our agent under the applicable warrant agreement and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust with any holder of any warrant. A single bank or trust company may act as warrant agent for more than one issue of warrants. A warrant agent will have no duty or responsibility in case of any default by us under the applicable warrant agreement or warrant, including any duty or responsibility to initiate any proceedings at law or otherwise, or to make any demand upon us. Any holder of a warrant may, without the consent of the related warrant agent or the holder of any other warrant, enforce by appropriate legal action its right to exercise, and receive the securities purchasable upon exercise of, its warrants.

Outstanding Warrants

As of September 30, 2024, we had no warrants outstanding.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF RIGHTS

General

We may issue rights to our stockholders to purchase shares of our common stock, preferred stock or the other securities described in this prospectus. We may offer rights separately or together with one or more additional rights, debt securities, preferred stock, common stock or warrants, or any combination of those securities in the form of units, as described in the applicable prospectus supplement. Each series of rights will be issued under a separate rights agreement to be entered into between us and a bank or trust company, as rights agent. The rights agent will act solely as our agent in connection with the certificates relating to the rights of the series of certificates and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust for or with any holders of rights certificates or beneficial owners of rights. The following description sets forth certain general terms and provisions of the rights to which any prospectus supplement may relate. The particular terms of the rights to which any prospectus supplement may relate and the extent, if any, to which the general provisions may apply to the rights so offered will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. To the extent that any particular terms of the rights, rights agreement or rights certificates described in a prospectus supplement differ from any of the terms described below, then the terms described below will be deemed to have been superseded by that prospectus supplement. We encourage you to read the applicable rights agreement and rights certificate for additional information before you decide whether to purchase any of our rights.

We will provide in a prospectus supplement the following terms of the rights being issued:

 

   

the date of determining the stockholders entitled to the rights distribution;

 

   

the aggregate number of shares of common stock, preferred stock or other securities purchasable upon exercise of the rights;

 

   

the exercise price;

 

   

the aggregate number of rights issued;

 

   

whether the rights are transferrable and the date, if any, on and after which the rights may be separately transferred;

 

   

the date on which the right to exercise the rights will commence, and the date on which the right to exercise the rights will expire;

 

   

the method by which holders of rights will be entitled to exercise;

 

   

the conditions to the completion of the offering, if any;

 

   

the withdrawal, termination and cancellation provisions, if any;

 

   

whether there are any backstop or standby purchaser or purchasers and the terms of their commitment, if any;

 

   

whether securityholders are entitled to oversubscription rights, if any;

 

   

any applicable material U.S. federal income tax considerations; and

 

   

any other terms of the rights, including terms, procedures and limitations relating to the distribution, exchange and exercise of the rights, as applicable.

Each right will entitle the holder of rights to purchase for cash the principal amount of shares of common stock, preferred stock or other securities at the exercise price provided in the applicable prospectus supplement. Rights may be exercised at any time up to the close of business on the expiration date for the rights provided in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

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Holders may exercise rights as described in the applicable prospectus supplement. Upon receipt of payment and the rights certificate properly completed and duly executed at the corporate trust office of the rights agent or any other office indicated in the prospectus supplement, we will, as soon as practicable, forward the shares of common stock, preferred stock or other securities, as applicable, purchasable upon exercise of the rights. If less than all of the rights issued in any rights offering are exercised, we may offer any unsubscribed securities directly to persons other than stockholders, to or through agents, underwriters or dealers or through a combination of such methods, including pursuant to standby arrangements, as described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Rights Agent

The name and address of the rights agent for any rights we offer will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

The following description, together with the additional information that we include in any applicable prospectus supplements summarizes the material terms and provisions of the units that we may offer under this prospectus. While the terms we have summarized below will apply generally to any units that we may offer under this prospectus, we will describe the particular terms of any series of units in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. The terms of any units offered under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below.

We will incorporate by reference from reports that we file with the SEC, the form of unit agreement that describes the terms of the series of units we are offering, and any supplemental agreements, before the issuance of the related series of units. The following summaries of material terms and provisions of the units are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the unit agreement and any supplemental agreements applicable to a particular series of units. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplements related to the particular series of units that we may offer under this prospectus, as well as any related free writing prospectuses and the complete unit agreement and any supplemental agreements that contain the terms of the units.

General

We may issue units consisting of common stock, preferred stock, one or more debt securities, warrants or rights for the purchase of common stock, preferred stock and/or debt securities in one or more series, in any combination. Each unit will be issued so that the holder of the unit is also the holder of each security included in the unit. Thus, the holder of a unit will have the rights and obligations of a holder of each security included in the unit. The unit agreement under which a unit is issued may provide that the securities included in the unit may not be held or transferred separately, at any time or at any time before a specified date.

We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms of the series of units being offered, including:

 

   

the designation and terms of the units and of the securities comprising the units, including whether and under what circumstances those securities may be held or transferred separately;

 

   

any provisions of the governing unit agreement that differ from those described below; and

 

   

any provisions for the issuance, payment, settlement, transfer or exchange of the units or of the securities comprising the units.

The provisions described in this section, as well as those set forth in any prospectus supplement or as described under “Description of Common Stock,” “Description of Preferred Stock,” “Description of Debt Securities,” “Description of Warrants,” and “Description of Rights” will apply to each unit, as applicable, and to any common stock, preferred stock, debt security, warrant, or right included in each unit, as applicable.

Unit Agent

The name and address of the unit agent, if any, for any units we offer will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Issuance in Series

We may issue units in such amounts and in such numerous distinct series as we determine.

 

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Enforceability of Rights by Holders of Units

Each unit agent will act solely as our agent under the applicable unit agreement and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust with any holder of any unit. A single bank or trust company may act as unit agent for more than one series of units. A unit agent will have no duty or responsibility in case of any default by us under the applicable unit agreement or unit, including any duty or responsibility to initiate any proceedings at law or otherwise, or to make any demand upon us. Any holder of a unit may, without the consent of the related unit agent or the holder of any other unit, enforce by appropriate legal action its rights as holder under any security included in the unit.

 

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SELLING STOCKHOLDERS

This prospectus covers the offering for resale of common stock by selling stockholders. Information about such selling stockholders, where applicable, will be set forth in a prospectus supplement, in an amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part or in other filings we make with the SEC under the Exchange Act, which are incorporated by reference herein.

 

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

Under this prospectus, we may offer shares of our common stock and preferred stock, various series of debt securities and/or warrants or rights to purchase any of such securities, either individually or in units, from time to time at prices and on terms to be determined by market conditions at the time of the offering. This prospectus may also be used to offer shares of our common stock for selling stockholders. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we or the selling stockholders may offer. Each time we offer a type or series of securities under this prospectus, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will describe the specific amounts, prices and other important terms of the securities, including, to the extent applicable:

 

   

designation or classification;

 

   

aggregate principal amount or aggregate offering price;

 

   

maturity, if applicable;

 

   

rates and times of payment of interest or dividends, if any;

 

   

redemption, conversion or sinking fund terms, if any;

 

   

voting or other rights, if any;

 

   

conversion or exercise prices, if any, and the various factors considered in determining such price; and

 

   

the identity of the selling stockholders, if applicable, and the number of shares that such selling stockholders will be selling.

The prospectus supplement also may add, update or change information contained in this prospectus or in documents we have incorporated by reference into this prospectus. However, no prospectus supplement will fundamentally change the terms that are set forth in this prospectus or offer a security that is not registered and described in this prospectus at the time of its effectiveness.

We, or the selling stockholders, if any, may offer securities under this prospectus from time to time pursuant to public offerings through one or more placement agents or underwriters, negotiated transactions, block trades or a combination of these methods. We or the selling stockholders may sell the securities (1) through underwriters or dealers, (2) through agents or (3) directly to one or more purchasers, or through a combination of such methods. We or the selling stockholders may distribute the securities from time to time in one or more transactions at:

 

   

a fixed price or prices, which may be changed from time to time;

 

   

market prices prevailing at the time of sale;

 

   

prices related to the prevailing market prices; or

 

   

negotiated prices.

We or the selling stockholders may directly solicit offers to purchase the securities being offered by this prospectus. We or the selling stockholders may also designate agents to solicit offers to purchase the securities from time to time, and may enter into arrangements for “at-the-market,” equity line or similar transactions. We or the selling stockholders will name in a prospectus supplement any underwriter or agent involved in the offer or sale of the securities.

If we or the selling stockholders utilize a dealer in the sale of the securities being offered by this prospectus, we or the selling stockholders will sell the securities to the dealer, as principal. The dealer may then resell the securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by the dealer at the time of resale.

If we or the selling stockholders utilize an underwriter in the sale of the securities being offered by this prospectus, we and/or the selling stockholders will execute an underwriting agreement with the underwriter at the

 

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time of sale, and we and/or the selling stockholders will provide the name of any underwriter in the prospectus supplement which the underwriter will use to make resales of the securities to the public. In connection with the sale of the securities, we, the selling stockholders or the purchasers of the securities for whom the underwriter may act as agent, as applicable, may compensate the underwriter in the form of underwriting discounts or commissions. The underwriter may sell the securities to or through dealers, and the underwriter may compensate those dealers in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions.

With respect to underwritten public offerings, negotiated transactions and block trades, we and/or the selling stockholders will provide in the applicable prospectus supplement information regarding any compensation we and/or the selling stockholders pay to underwriters, dealers or agents in connection with the offering of the securities, and any discounts, concessions or commissions allowed by underwriters to participating dealers. Underwriters, dealers and agents participating in the distribution of the securities may be deemed to be underwriters within the meaning of the Securities Act, and any discounts and commissions received by them and any profit realized by them on resale of the securities may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions. We and/or the selling stockholders may enter into agreements to indemnify underwriters, dealers and agents against civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments they may be required to make in respect thereof.

If so indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we or the selling stockholders will authorize underwriters, dealers or other persons acting as agents of us or the selling stockholders, as applicable, to solicit offers by certain institutions to purchase offered securities pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on the date stated in each applicable prospectus supplement. Each contract will be for an amount not less than, and the aggregate amount of securities sold pursuant to such contracts shall not be less nor more than, the respective amounts stated in each applicable prospectus supplement. Institutions with whom the contracts, when authorized, may be made include commercial and savings banks, insurance companies, pension funds, investment companies, educational and charitable institutions and other institutions, but shall in all cases be subject to approval of us or the selling stockholders. Delayed delivery contracts will not be subject to any conditions except that:

 

   

the purchase by an institution of the securities covered under that contract shall not at the time of delivery be prohibited under the laws of the jurisdiction to which that institution is subject; and

 

   

if the securities are also being sold to underwriters acting as principals for their own account, the underwriters shall have purchased such securities not sold for delayed delivery.

The underwriters and other persons acting as agents of us or the selling stockholders, as applicable, will not have any responsibility in respect of the validity or performance of delayed delivery contracts. One or more firms, referred to as “remarketing firms,” may also offer or sell the securities, if a prospectus supplement so indicates, in connection with a remarketing arrangement upon their purchase. Remarketing firms will act as principals for their own accounts or as agents us or the selling stockholders, as applicable. These remarketing firms will offer or sell the securities in accordance with the terms of the securities. Each prospectus supplement will identify and describe any remarketing firm and the terms of its agreement, if any, with us or the selling stockholders and will describe the remarketing firm’s compensation. Remarketing firms may be deemed to be underwriters in connection with the securities they remarket. Remarketing firms may be entitled under agreements that may be entered into with us or the selling stockholders to indemnification by us or the selling stockholders against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and may be customers of, engage in transactions with or perform services for us or the selling stockholders in the ordinary course of business.

Certain underwriters may use this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement for offers and sales related to market-making transactions in the securities. These underwriters may act as principal or agent in these transactions, and the sales will be made at prices related to prevailing market prices at the time of sale. Any underwriters involved in the sale of the securities may qualify as “underwriters” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(11) of the Securities Act. In addition, the underwriters’ commissions, discounts or concessions may

 

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qualify as underwriters’ compensation under the Securities Act and the rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., or FINRA.

Shares of our common stock sold pursuant to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part will be authorized for listing and trading on the NYSE. The applicable prospectus supplement will contain information, where applicable, as to any other listing, if any, on the NYSE or any securities market or other securities exchange of the securities covered by the prospectus supplement. Underwriters may make a market in our common stock, but will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. We can make no assurance as to the liquidity of or the existence, development or maintenance of trading markets for any of the securities.

In order to facilitate the offering of the securities, certain persons participating in the offering may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the securities. This may include over-allotments or short sales of the securities, which involve the sale by persons participating in the offering of more securities than were sold to them. In these circumstances, these persons would cover such over-allotments or short positions by making purchases in the open market or by exercising their over-allotment option. In addition, these persons may stabilize or maintain the price of the securities by bidding for or purchasing the applicable security in the open market or by imposing penalty bids, whereby selling concessions allowed to dealers participating in the offering may be reclaimed if the securities sold by them are repurchased in connection with stabilization transactions. The effect of these transactions may be to stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. These transactions may be discontinued at any time.

The underwriters, dealers and agents may engage in other transactions with us or the selling stockholders, or perform other services for us or the selling stockholders, in the ordinary course of their business.

Sales by Selling Stockholders

Selling stockholders may use this prospectus in connection with the resale of securities. The applicable prospectus supplement will identify the selling stockholders and the terms of the securities.

Any selling stockholders may act independently of us in making decisions with respect to the timing, manner and size of each sale of securities. The selling stockholders might not sell any securities. In addition, any securities that qualify for sale pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act may be sold under Rule 144 rather than pursuant to this prospectus.

In connection with a distribution of securities pursuant to this prospectus for the benefit of the selling stockholders, the selling stockholders and any underwriters, broker-dealers or agents that participate in the sale of the securities may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of Section 2(11) of the Securities Act, and any discounts, commissions, concessions or profit earned by broker-dealers on any resale of the securities may be considered underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act. The selling stockholders will receive all the proceeds from the sale of securities. We will not receive any proceeds from sales by selling stockholders.

 

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LEGAL MATTERS

Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C., Boston, Massachusetts, will pass upon the validity of the issuance of the securities to be offered by this prospectus.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements of Aspen Aerogels, Inc. as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 and for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2023, and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023 have been incorporated by reference herein and in the registration statement in reliance upon the reports of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated by reference herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. SEC filings are available at the SEC’s web site at http://www.sec.gov.

This prospectus is only part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we have filed with the SEC under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and therefore omits certain information contained in the registration statement. We have also filed exhibits and schedules with the registration statement that are excluded from this prospectus, and you should refer to the applicable exhibit or schedule for a complete description of any statement referring to any contract or other document.

We also maintain a website at https://www.aerogel.com with information about our company and through which you may access these materials and other filings with the SEC free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after they are filed electronically with, or furnished to, the SEC. Except for the documents incorporated by reference as described below under “Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference,” information contained on our website or any other website is not incorporated into this prospectus and does not constitute a part of this prospectus. Our website address referenced above is intended to be an inactive textual reference only and not an active hyperlink to our website.

INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” information that we file with them. Incorporation by reference allows us to disclose important information to you by referring you to those other documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus, and information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information. We filed a registration statement on Form S-3 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, with the SEC with respect to the securities we may offer pursuant to this prospectus. This prospectus omits certain information contained in the registration statement, as permitted by the SEC. You should refer to the registration statement, including the exhibits, for further information about us and the securities we may offer pursuant to this prospectus. Statements in this prospectus regarding the provisions of certain documents filed with, or incorporated by reference in, the registration statement are not necessarily complete and each statement is qualified in all respects by that reference.

 

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Copies of all or any part of the registration statement, including the documents incorporated by reference or the exhibits, may be obtained upon payment of the prescribed rates at the offices of the SEC listed above in “Where You Can Find More Information.” The documents we are incorporating by reference are:

 

   

our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, that we filed with the SEC on March  7, 2024 (including the portions of our definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A filed with the SEC on April 10, 2024 that are incorporated by reference therein);

 

   

our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2024 and June 30, 2024, that we filed with the SEC on May 2, 2024 and  August 8, 2024;

 

   

our Current Reports on Form 8-K that we filed with the SEC on March 7, 2024, May 31, 2024, August 15, 2024August 19, 2024, September 3, 2024 and October 16, 2024 (Item 8.01 only);

 

   

the description of our common stock included in our registration statement on  Form 8-A12B, that we filed with the SEC on June 6, 2014, as updated or amended in any amendment or report filed for such purpose; and

 

   

all reports and documents (other than information furnished pursuant to Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K or as otherwise permitted by SEC rules) filed after the date of this prospectus and prior to the termination or completion of the offering hereunder pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

The SEC file number for each of the documents listed above is 001-36481.

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 statement so modified or superseded will not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus.

We will provide, without charge and upon oral or written request, to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a copy of this prospectus has been delivered, a copy of any of the documents referred to above as being incorporated by reference into this prospectus but not delivered with it. You may obtain a copy of these filings, at no cost, by writing or calling us at Aspen Aerogels, Inc., Attn: Investor Relations, 30 Forbes Road, Building B, Northborough, MA 01532, (508) 691-1111. Exhibits to the filings will not be provided, however, unless those exhibits have been specifically incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

You should rely only on information contained in, or incorporated by reference into, this prospectus and any prospectus supplement. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information different from that contained in this prospectus or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. We are not making offers to sell the securities in any jurisdiction in which such an offer or solicitation is not authorized or in which the person making such offer or solicitation is not qualified to do so or to anyone to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation.

 

32


Table of Contents

 

 

 

LOGO

4,250,000 Shares of Common Stock

 

 

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

 

 

Joint Book-Running Managers

 

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC   Morgan Stanley

 

   , 2024

 

 

 


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