Press Release : WISeKey signs a $15.5 million high growth capital investment agreement with Alpha Blue Ocean to finance the acquisition of arago and integration of Artificial Intelligence on its Cybersecurity platform

 
   WISeKey signs a $15.5 million high growth capital investment agreement 
with Alpha Blue Ocean to finance the acquisition of arago and 
integration of Artificial Intelligence on its Cybersecurity platform 
 
   Zug, Switzerland - December 8, 2020 -- WISeKey International Holding Ltd 
("WISeKey" or "Company") (SIX: WIHN, NASDAQ: WKEY), a leading global 
cybersecurity, AI and IoT company, announced today that it has entered 
into an Agreement for the Issuance and Subscription of Convertible Notes 
("Agreement") with Alpha Blue Ocean to finance the acquisition of arago 
and integration of Artificial Intelligence on its Cybersecurity 
platform. 
 
   Financing is provided by Alpha Blue Ocean, a dynamic family office with 
the mission of revolutionizing the financial industry by offering 
innovative and tailored investments adapted to risk, in the form of 
convertible notes whereby Alpha Blue Ocean is committed to subscribe up 
to a maximum of $15.5 million subject to certain conditions over a 
period of 18 months. Pursuant to the terms of the Agreement, the 
principal amount of each such loan is repayable by way of conversion 
into Class B shares, par value CHF 0.05 each, of WISeKey (the "Class B 
Shares"). 
 
   The conversion price is determined by reference to the average of the 
lowest 5 trading day volume weighted average prices of Class B Shares on 
the SIX Swiss Exchange over the 20 trading days immediately preceding 
the conversion. The convertible note facility will be used to finance 
the acquisition of arago and integration of Artificial Intelligence on 
its Cybersecurity Platform and may be drawn in tranches depending on the 
operational and integration corporate requirements. As consideration for 
Alpha Blue Ocean's financing commitment, WISeKey has, among other things, 
issued warrants in a number equal to 15% of the relevant tranches of the 
loans issued under the agreement at an exercise price of 120% of the 
prevailing share price before a subscription request by WISeKey, but in 
any event not lower than CHF 1.50. 
 
   "The agreement provides WISeKey access to flexible financing at a 
reasonable cost during the current COVID-19 crisis and under current 
market conditions will allow the Company to fully acquire arago and 
reinforce its technological offering, increase its revenue and market 
share," says Carlos Moreira, Founder and CEO of WISeKey. 
 
   "We are excited to invest in WISeKey which we consider an emerging 
leader in the rapidly expanding market of Artificial Intelligence & 
Cybersecurity. We believe the acquisition of arago will foster strategic 
synergies alongside its cyber security and loT solutions. We are proud 
to partner up with Wisekey by financing this transaction," adds Pierre 
Vannineuse, CEO of Alpha Blue Ocean. 
 
   About Alpha Blue Ocean: 
 
   Created in 2017 by Pierre Vannineuse, Hugo Pingray and Amaury Mamou-Mani, 
Alpha Blue Ocean is a young and dynamic family office with the mission 
of revolutionizing the financial industry by offering innovative and 
tailored investments adapted to risk. 
 
   Alpha Blue Ocean operates through a direct, rational and efficient 
approach in providing alternative financing solutions through PIPE 
(Private Investments in Public Equities) deals. ABO has made notable 
investments in companies such as AB Science (AB:FP), Erytech (ERYP:US), 
Intrasense (ALINS:FP), and DBT Group (ALDBT:FP), among others. 
 
   About WISeKey: 
 
   WISeKey (NASDAQ: WKEY; SIX Swiss Exchange: WIHN) is a leading global 
cybersecurity company currently deploying large scale digital identity 
ecosystems for people and objects using Blockchain, AI and IoT 
respecting the Human as the Fulcrum of the Internet. WISeKey 
microprocessors secure the pervasive computing shaping today's Internet 
of Everything. WISeKey IoT has an install base of over 1.5 billion 
microchips in virtually all IoT sectors (connected cars, smart cities, 
drones, agricultural sensors, anti-counterfeiting, smart lighting, 
servers, computers, mobile phones, crypto tokens etc.).  WISeKey is 
uniquely positioned to be at the edge of IoT as our semiconductors 
produce a huge amount of Big Data that, when analyzed with Artificial 
Intelligence (AI), can help industrial applications to predict the 
failure of their equipment before it happens. 
 
   Our technology is Trusted by the OISTE/WISeKey's Swiss based 
cryptographic Root of Trust ("RoT") provides secure authentication and 
identification, in both physical and virtual environments, for the 
Internet of Things, Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence. The WISeKey 
RoT serves as a common trust anchor to ensure the integrity of online 
transactions among objects and between objects and people. For more 
information, visit 
https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=90wj-DEzvOi_X73Ve3YIXtdoHN7DGSbnCODq-oUGMfINhj9iJvWt2D11jZ4D3MSJj6UPJbGgjeUVNuABL6_Xb7kxudWTaBlOOs_mrMKDYKUeSJ9M4BtSZCieRorRkrKkDWfMwoKltolb4wV7lyCNkqx6Ua2-A6_Xh6KiXvkuwaatbeBBMkNNQuMf2LOIRz1XRhE4-U1SOZiMs-Wz5jIcreCyW1I7dtHtwmWZ6R5BiAgNxRUzNXYNtV3Wz1lPuntxvLLvWOiNeamiOXkFlWjdga2RPHhSsvwkndgZDdRlbxw27g-nWpdsV69EgIwM5wQ9tHM8JHCsiVRePMoqPyiCTHOFweJdtTM2oWnpMuAVDiczL3ChuJN-iqSA4-11oH8m673CGaPv0m-ILIeRIHn1eck6KLpX_kDOAEQRtxzS7ijfS4oGR51-URT4euVZCrRpFFO80eQ1HAkklY6Q2gCuRjnDR-R1lN9PIpra2RNaf-9cR4kP6PuvkN41uSCcnXlXpL-9mL4EglC7WWaRCfwA64tAQQSkyNeTBNhgVBoVSVNGezS7kjGNzrCu9qozWXzwT4kGDTGWZ0UueHf_2KEWHBlBw-u7rzPR_tfWbiD9JZGfQfnbfjoV9ZbWqNzypvZe83_GvGUnfzoq32sKA9_Y6zBf75w-f6wA7mD0u5_zBU8= 
www.wisekey.com. 
 
   Press and investor contacts: 
 
 
 
 
WISeKey International Holding Ltd          WISeKey Investor Relations (US) 
 Company Contact: Carlos Moreira            Contact: Lena Cati 
 Chairman & CEO                             The Equity Group Inc. 
 Tel: [phone]                       Tel: [phone] 
 mailto:[e-mail] [e-mail]   mailto:[e-mail] [e-mail] 
-----------------------------------------  --------------------------------------------- 
 
   Disclaimer: 
 
   This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain 
forward-looking statements concerning WISeKey International Holding Ltd 
and its business. Such statements involve certain known and unknown 
risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual 
results, financial condition, performance or achievements of WISeKey 
International Holding Ltd to be materially different from any future 
results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such 
forward-looking statements. WISeKey International Holding Ltd is 
providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to 
update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of 
new information, future events or otherwise. 
 
   This press release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a 
solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities, and it does not 
constitute an offering prospectus within the meaning of the Swiss 
Financial Services Act ("FinSA"), the FInSa's predecessor legislation or 
advertising within the meaning of the FinSA, or within the meaning of 
any other securities regulation. Investors must rely on their own 
evaluation of WISeKey and its securities, including the merits and risks 
involved. Nothing contained herein is, or shall be relied on as, a 
promise or representation as to the future performance of WISeKey. 
 
   The securities offered will not be, and have not been, registered under 
the United States of America Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may 
not be offered or sold in the United States of America, absent 
registration or an applicable exemption from the registration 
requirements of said Act. 
 
 
 
 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 08, 2020 12:00 ET (17:00 GMT)