Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

6. Related Party Transactions

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6. Related Party Transactions
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2019
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]  
Related Party Transactions

In March 2017, Tactic Pharma, the Company’s largest shareholder at that time, wired $1 million to the Company in advance of the sale of the Company’s common stock at $6 per share under a private placement memorandum. In April, the Company issued to Tactic Pharma 166,667 shares in exchange for the $1 million at $6 per share once the Company began selling stock to unaffiliated parties under the private placement memorandum.

 

In August 2017, Tactic Pharma surrendered 2,888,727 shares of common stock back to the Company as a contribution to the capital of the Company. This resulted in reducing Tactic Pharma’s ownership in Monopar at that time from 79.5% to 69.9%.

 

In August 2017, the Company executed definitive agreements with Gem Pharmaceuticals, LLC (“Gem”), pursuant to which Tactic Pharma and Gem formed a limited liability company, TacticGem, LLC (“TacticGem”). Tactic Pharma contributed 4,111,273 shares of its holdings in Monopar’s common stock to TacticGem and Gem contributed cash and assets to TacticGem. TacticGem then contributed cash and assets to the Company in exchange for stock. The Gem transaction is discussed in detail in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 26, 2019. As of December 31, 2019, Tactic Pharma beneficially owned 41.6% of Monopar’s common stock, and TacticGem owned 67.7% of Monopar’s common stock.

 

During the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company was governed by six members of its Board of Directors, of which four Board members were also Managers of the LLC prior to the Company’s conversion to a C Corporation (“Related Parties”). The Related Parties are also current common stockholders (owning approximately an aggregate 3% of the common stock outstanding as of December 31, 2019). None of the Related Parties received compensation other than market-based salary and benefits or cash and stock-based compensation as non-employee directors. Three of the former Managers are also Managing Members of Tactic Pharma as of December 31, 2019. Chandler D. Robinson is the Company’s Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer, common stockholder, Managing Member of Tactic Pharma, former Manager of the predecessor LLC, Manager of CDR Pharma, LLC and Board member of Monopar as a C Corporation. Andrew P. Mazar is the Company’s Co-Founder, Chief Scientific Officer, common stockholder, Managing Member of Tactic Pharma, former Manager of the predecessor LLC and Board member of Monopar as a C Corporation. Michael Brown is a Managing Member of Tactic Pharma (as of February 1, 2019 with no voting power as it relates to the Company), a previous managing member of Monopar as an LLC, common stockholder and Board member of Monopar as a C Corporation. Christopher M. Starr is the Company’s Co-Founder, Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors, common stockholder, former Manager of the predecessor LLC and Board member of Monopar as a C Corporation.

 

During the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company paid or accrued legal fees to a large national law firm, in which a family member of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer was a law partner through January 31, 2019, approximately $33,725 (first quarter of 2019) and $152,094 (year ended December 31, 2018). The family member personally billed a de minimis amount of time on the Company’s legal engagement with the law firm in these periods.