Trakopolis IoT Corp. (TSXV: TRAK) ("Trakopolis" or the "Company")
announced today that on January 9, 2020 the Company and its
subsidiary Trakopolis SaaS Corp. (“SaaS”) obtained a sale approval
and vesting order (the “Approval and Vesting Order”) from the Court
of Queen’s Bench of Alberta issued in connection with proceedings
under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (Canada) (the “Act”).
The Approval and Vesting Order approved the
transactions contemplated in the asset purchase agreement (the
“Acquisition Agreement”) entered into as of December 20, 2019,
among the Company, SaaS and a subsidiary of Geoforce, Inc.
(“Geoforce”, and its subsidiary party to the Acquisition Agreement,
the “Purchaser”). Under the terms of the Acquisition
Agreement, the Purchaser will acquire substantially all of the
assets of SaaS. On January 8, 2020, the Acquisition Agreement
was amended to provide that Trakopolis and SaaS would continue to
co-operate with the Purchaser in getting required customer consents
until March 31, 2020.
The receipt of the Approval and Vesting Order
represents an important milestone in a process that commenced
approximately 18 months ago with the formation of a Special
Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company (the " Special
Committee") on June 28, 2018. The mandate of the Special Committee
was to look at a variety of strategic options that might be
available to the Company including a sale, strategic combination,
refinancing and analogous transactions. Later in the process the
Special Committee would be asked to take the lead in negotiations
with the Company's secured lender.
The Special Committee retained Canaccord Genuity
Corp. ("Canaccord') as its financial advisor and with its
assistance commenced the process of canvassing the market for
parties potentially interested in a transaction. Over 50 parties
were approached and six non-binding written proposals were received
over the course of the Special Committee's process in Q1 2019.
After discussions with the six parties, no viable transaction was
able to be concluded.
At the same time, the Board and Management
pursued a strategy to achieve profitability as soon as possible.
This initiative included significant headcount reductions and the
implementation of other cost-saving measures and initiatives aimed
at reducing operating expenses and cash burn. These measures
achieved some level of success as evidenced by the Company's 2019
Q3 results. Unfortunately, during this period, and as has
been previously disclosed, the Company was not able to fully comply
with all of the covenants under its secured credit facility and
during the later part of the summer of 2019, the Company entered
into negotiations with its secured lender in order to obtain
covenant relief and an extension of the term of the facility.
Canaccord advised that if the Company could demonstrate a sustained
period of profitability it's chances of completing a successful
transaction would be greatly enhanced.
On August 2, 2019, the Company announced that it
had reached an agreement with its secured lender that provided for
covenant relief subject to certain conditions. One of the
conditions was that the Company raise additional capital to achieve
a liquidity balance of not less than US$800,000 by August 12, 2019.
The Company was successful in this regard and the additional funds
came largely from management, members of the Board and certain
friends of the Company. Another of the conditions was
that the Company develop a plan together with milestones that would
see the secured lender repaid in full by September 30, 2019. This
requirement resulted in an expedited process to surface an
executable transaction. Discussions ensued with several parties and
the Company engaged in advanced discussions in connection with both
a sale transaction and a refinancing transaction. On October
2, 2019, the Company announced that the amendments to the agreement
with its secured lender noted above had expired. Final terms
in respect of the sale and refinancing transaction could not be
reached prior to the Company receiving a formal demand for payment
under its secured credit facility on November 1, 2019 which in turn
compelled the Company to file an Intention to Make a Proposal under
the Act, which it did in respect of itself and SaaS on November 7
and 9th, 2019, respectively (collectively, the "Filing")
Following the Filing, the Company received three
additional non-binding proposals. After consultation with Canaccord
and its external legal advisors, the Board concluded that the
proposal made by Geoforce was superior to the other proposals and
on December 10, 2019, the Company entered into a period of
exclusive negotiation with Geoforce that resulted in the execution
of the Acquisition Agreement. It is important to note that
the Acquisition Agreement contemplates the acquisition by the
Purchaser of substantially all the assets of SaaS and not the
Company's other assets. Upon completion of the transaction
contemplated by the Acquisition Agreement, it is anticipated that a
substantial portion of SaaS' secured and unsecured indebtedness
will be repaid but no funds will flow to the Company. The Company
is actively pursuing other transactions in an effort to monetize
its remaining assets but there can be no guarantee that it will be
successful in that regard.
Closing of the acquisition is expected to occur
on or before January 24, 2020, but remains subject to the
satisfaction of certain conditions contemplated in the Acquisition
Agreement. No proceeds from the acquisition are expected to
be distributed to the shareholders (or debt holders) of
Trakopolis.
Upon closing of the acquisition, Trakopolis will
no longer have any operating assets or active business.
Trakopolis expects that it will be delisted from the TSX Venture
Exchange. Following closing of the acquisition Geoforce will
be integrating the assets purchased from SaaS with its world
leading global traceability solutions to serve over 1,300 customers
in industries with intensive field operations and remote equipment
including oil & gas, agriculture, construction and
transportation.
About Trakopolis
Trakopolis is a Software as a Service (SaaS)
company with proprietary, cloud-based solutions for real-time
tracking, data analysis and management of corporate assets such as
equipment, devices, vehicles and workers. The Company’s asset
management platform works across a variety of networks and devices.
Trakopolis has a diversified revenue stream from many verticals
including oil and gas, forestry, transportation, construction,
rentals, urban services, mining, government and others.
About Geoforce
Combining a cloud-based software platform with
ruggedized GPS tracking devices and global satellite and cellular
networks, Geoforce’s Track and Trace solutions bring control to
often chaotic field operations. With over 900 customers tracking
more than 140,000 assets in 70+ countries, the company operates the
world’s largest network of connected field equipment within the Oil
& Gas industry, and its solutions are used in many other field
operations intensive industries, including agriculture,
construction, mining, transportation, logistics, and rail.
Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Geoforce has R&D offices in
Bozeman, Montana, sales and support offices in Houston, Texas,
Denver, Colorado, Arroyo Grande, California, Macae, Brazil, and
Melbourne, Australia, and sales and service professionals in West
Texas and South Louisiana. For more information, visit
www.geoforce.com.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE
CONTACT
Richard Clarke, Chief Executive
OfficerTrakopolis IoT Corp.Telephone: (403) 450-7854Email:
rclarke@trakopolis.com
Forward-looking Statements
This news release includes certain
“forward-looking statements” under applicable Canadian securities
legislation that are not historical facts. Forward-looking
statements involve risks, uncertainties, and other factors that
could cause actual results, performance, prospects, and
opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied
by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in
this news release include, but are not limited to, statements
regarding the expectation that upon completion of the acquisition a
substantial portion of SaaS’ secured and unsecured indebtedness
will be repaid, timing and closing of the transaction, delisting
from the TSX Venture Exchange and the status of operations
following closing. The statements are dependent on a number
of assumptions and risk factors, including the ability of the
Company to satisfy the conditions precedent to the transaction and
its listing conditions. Consequently, all of the forward-looking
statements made in this press release are qualified by these
cautionary statements and other cautionary statements or factors
contained herein, and there can be no assurance that the actual
results or developments will be realized or, even if substantially
realized, that they will have the expected effects on Trakopolis.
These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this
press release. Except as required by applicable securities
legislation, the Company assumes no obligation to update publicly
or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent
information, events, or circumstances.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation
Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the
TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or
accuracy of this release.
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