Exhibit 3.1
STATE OF DELAWARE
CERTIFICATE OF CONVERSION
FROM A NON-DELAWARE CORPORATION
TO A DELAWARE CORPORATION
PURSUANT TO SECTION 265 OF THE
DELAWARE GENERAL CORPORATION LAW
1. The jurisdiction where the Non-Delaware Corporation first formed is the State of Texas.
2. The jurisdiction immediately prior to filing this Certificate is the State of Texas.
3. The date the Non-Delaware Corporation first formed is May 17, 2007.
4. The name of the Non-Delaware Corporation immediately prior to filing this Certificate is Ideal Power Inc.
5. The name of the Corporation as set forth in the Certificate of Incorporation is Ideal Power Inc.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned being duly authorized to sign on behalf of the converting Non-Delaware Corporation executed this Certificate on the 5th day of July 2013.
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By: |
/s/ Paul Bundschuh |
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Name: |
Paul Bundschuh |
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Title: |
Chief Executive Officer |
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CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
Article 1. Name
The name of the Corporation is Ideal Power Inc.
Article 2. Registered Office
The address of the registered office of the Corporation in the State of Delaware is 1811 Silverside Road, Wilmington, Delaware 19810, County of New Castle. The name of its registered agent at such address is VCorp Services, LLC.
The purpose of the Corporation is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which corporations may be organized under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, as may be amended from time to time. The Corporation shall have perpetual existence.
Article 4. Authorized Capital Stock
The aggregate number of shares which the Corporation shall have authority to issue is 60,000,000, to be divided into (a) 50,000,000 shares of Common Stock, par value $.001 per share and (b) 10,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock, par value $.001 per share.
The Board of Directors is hereby empowered to cause the Preferred Stock to be issued from time to time for such consideration as it may from time to time fix, and to cause such Preferred Stock to be issued in series with such voting powers and such designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights as designated by the Board of Directors in the resolution providing for the issue of such series. Shares of Preferred Stock of any one series shall be identical in all respects.
In furtherance and not in limitation of the powers conferred by statute, the Board of Directors is expressly authorized to make, repeal, alter, amend and rescind the bylaws of the Corporation.
Article 6. Election of Directors
The number of directors that shall constitute the whole Board of Directors shall be fixed by, or in the manner provided in, the bylaws of the Corporation. At each annual meeting of stockholders of the Corporation all directors shall be elected for a term expiring at the next succeeding annual meeting of stockholders. Each director shall hold office until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified or until his or her prior death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal from office.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, whenever the holders of any one or more classes or series of Preferred Stock issued by the Corporation shall have the right, voting separately by class or series, to elect directors at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, the election, term of office, filling of vacancies and other features of such directorships shall be governed by the terms of this Certificate of Incorporation or the resolution or resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors pursuant to Article 4 hereof.
Elections of directors need not be by written ballot unless the bylaws of the Corporation shall so provide.
Article 7. Removal of Directors
Subject to the rights, if any, of the holders of shares of Preferred Stock then outstanding, any or all of the directors of the Corporation may be removed from office by the stockholders at any annual or special meeting of stockholders of the Corporation, the notice of which shall state that the removal of a director or directors is among the purposes of the meeting, with or without cause, by the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the outstanding shares of stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of directors of the Corporation.
Article 8. Board of Directors Vacancies
Subject to the rights, if any, of the holders of shares of Preferred Stock then outstanding, newly created directorships resulting from any increase in the number of directors or any vacancy on the Board of Directors resulting from death, resignation, disqualification, removal or other cause shall be filled solely by the affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining directors then in office, even though less than a quorum, or by a sole remaining director. The term of any director elected in accordance with the preceding sentence shall expire at the next annual meeting of the stockholders following such director’s election. Each such director shall hold office until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified or until his or her prior death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal from office. No decrease in the number of directors constituting the Board of Directors shall shorten the term of any incumbent director.
Article 9. No Stockholder Action by Written Consent
Any action required or permitted to be taken at any annual or special meeting of stockholders may be taken only upon the vote of the stockholders at an annual or special meeting duly called and may not be taken by written consent of the stockholders.
Article 10. Special Meetings of the Stockholders
Special meetings of the stockholders of the Corporation (i) may be called by the Chairman of the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer, or the Board of Directors at any time and for any purpose or purposes as shall be stated in the notice of the meeting, and (ii) shall be called by the Secretary upon the written request of the holders of record of at least 25% of the outstanding shares of common stock of the Corporation at the time such request is validly submitted by the holders of such requisite percentage of such outstanding shares, subject to and in compliance with this Article 10 and the bylaws of the Corporation. Except in accordance with, and subject to this Article 10 and the bylaws of the Corporation, stockholders shall not be permitted to propose business or nominations to be brought before a special meeting of the stockholders.
Article 11. Annual Meetings of Stockholders
At an annual meeting of stockholders, only such business shall be conducted, and only such proposals shall be acted upon, as shall have been brought before the annual meeting (a) by, or at the direction of, a majority of the directors, or (b) by any stockholder of the Corporation who complies with the notice procedures set forth in this Article 11. For a proposal to be properly brought before an annual meeting by a stockholder, the stockholder must have given timely notice thereof in writing to the Secretary of the Corporation. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice must be delivered to, or mailed and received at, the principal executive offices of the Corporation not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days prior to the scheduled annual meeting, regardless of any postponements, deferrals or adjournments of that meeting to a later date; provided, however, that if less than 40 days’ notice or prior public disclosure of the date of the scheduled annual meeting is given or made, notice by the stockholder, to be timely, must be so delivered or received not later than the close of business on the tenth day following the earlier of the day on which such notice of the date of the scheduled annual meeting was mailed or the day on which such public disclosure was made. A stockholder’s notice to the Secretary shall set forth as to each matter the stockholder proposes to bring before the annual meeting (a) a brief description of the proposal desired to be brought before the annual meeting and the reasons for conducting such business at the annual meeting, (b) the name and address, as they appear on the Corporation’s books, of the stockholder proposing such business and any other stockholders known by such stockholder to be supporting such proposal, (c) the class and number of shares of the Corporation’s stock which are beneficially owned by the stockholder on the date of such stockholder notice and by any other stockholders known by such stockholder to be supporting such proposal on the date of such stockholder notice, and (d) any financial interest of the stockholder in such proposal.
The presiding officer of the annual meeting shall determine and declare at the annual meeting whether the stockholder proposal was made in accordance with the terms of this Article 11. If the presiding officer determines that a stockholder proposal was not made in accordance with the terms of this Article 11, he shall so declare at the annual meeting and any such proposal shall not be acted upon at the annual meeting.
This provision shall not prevent the consideration and approval or disapproval at the annual meeting of reports of officers, directors and committees of the Board of Directors, but, in connection with such reports, no new business shall be acted upon at such annual meeting unless stated, filed and received as herein provided.
Article 12. Stockholder Nomination of Directors
Subject to the rights, if any, of the holders of shares of Preferred Stock then outstanding, only persons who are nominated in accordance with the following procedures shall be eligible for election as directors. Nominations of persons for election to the Board of Directors of the Corporation may be made at a meeting of stockholders by or at the direction of the Board of Directors by any nominating committee or person appointed by the Board of Directors or by any stockholder of the Corporation entitled to vote for the election of directors at the meeting who complies with the notice procedures set forth in this Article 12. Such nominations, other than those made by or at the direction of the Board of Directors, shall be made pursuant to timely notice in writing to the Secretary of the Corporation. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice must be delivered to, or mailed and received at, the principal executive offices of the Corporation not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days prior to the scheduled annual meeting, regardless of any postponements, deferrals or adjournments of that meeting to a later date; provided, however, that if less than 40 days’ notice or prior public disclosure of the date of the scheduled annual meeting is given or made, notice by the stockholder, to be timely, must be so delivered or received not later than the close of business on the tenth day following the earlier of the day on which such notice of the date of the scheduled annual meeting was mailed or the day on which such public disclosure was made. A stockholder’s notice to the Secretary shall set forth (a) as to each person whom the stockholder proposes to nominate for election or re-election as a director, (i) the name, age, business address and residence address of the person, (ii) the principal occupation or employment of the person, (iii) the class and number of shares of capital stock of the Corporation which are beneficially owned by the person and (iv) any other information relating to the person that is required to be disclosed in solicitations for proxies for election of directors pursuant to Rule 14a under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; and (b) as to the stockholder giving the notice (i) the name and address, as they appear on the Corporation’s books, of the stockholder and (ii) the class and number of shares of the Corporation’s stock which are beneficially owned by the stockholder on the date of such stockholder notice. The Corporation may require any proposed nominee to furnish such other information as may reasonably be required by the Corporation to determine the eligibility of such proposed nominee to serve as director of the Corporation.
The presiding officer of the annual meeting shall determine and declare at the annual meeting whether the nomination was made in accordance with the terms of this Article 12. If the presiding officer determines that a nomination was not made in accordance with the terms of this Article 12, he shall so declare at the annual meeting and any such defective nomination shall be disregarded.
Article 13. Limitation of Director Liability
A director of the Corporation shall not be personally liable to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except for liability (i) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the Corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) under Section 174 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or (iv) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. If the Delaware General Corporation Law is amended after the date hereof to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the personal liability of directors, then the liability of a director of the Corporation shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, as so amended.
Article 14. Indemnification
(a) Each person who was or is made a party or is threatened to be made a party to or is involved in any action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (hereinafter a “proceeding”), by reason of the fact that he or she, or a person of whom he or she is the legal representative, is or was a director or officer of the Corporation or is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or of a partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, including service with respect to employee benefit plans (hereinafter an “indemnitee”), whether the basis of such proceeding is alleged action in an official capacity as a director, officer, employee or agent or in any other capacity while serving as a director, officer, employee or agent, shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Corporation to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, as the same exists or may hereafter be amended (but, in the case of any such amendment, only to the extent that such amendment permits the Corporation to provide broader indemnification rights than said law permitted the Corporation to provide prior to such amendment), against all expense, liability and loss (including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes or penalties and amounts paid or to be paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered by such indemnitee in connection therewith. Such indemnification shall continue as to an indemnitee who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of his or her heirs, executors and administrators; provided, however, that, except as provided in subparagraph (b) hereof, the Corporation shall indemnify any such indemnitee seeking indemnification in connection with a proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such indemnitee only if such proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized by the Board of Directors of the Corporation. The right to indemnification conferred in this Article 14 shall be a contract right and shall include the right to be paid by the Corporation the expenses incurred in defending any such proceeding in advance of its final disposition (an “expense advancement”); provided, however, that, if the Delaware General Corporation Law so requires, the payment of such expenses incurred by an indemnitee in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the Corporation (and not in any other capacity in which service was or is rendered by such indemnitee while a director or officer, including, without limitation, service to an employee benefit plan) in advance of the final disposition of a proceeding, shall be made upon delivery to the Corporation of an undertaking, by or on behalf of such indemnitee, to repay all amounts so advanced if it shall ultimately be determined by final judicial decision from which there is no further right to appeal that such indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified under this Article 14 or otherwise; and provided, further, that no expense advancement shall be paid by the Corporation if independent legal counsel shall advise the Board of Directors in a written opinion that, based upon the facts known to such counsel at the time, (a) the indemnitee acted in bad faith or deliberately breached his or her duty to the Corporation or its stockholders, and (b) as a result of such conduct by the indemnitee, it is more likely than not that it will ultimately be determined that such indemnitee has not met the standards of conduct which make it permissible under the Delaware General Corporation Law for the Corporation to indemnify such indemnitee. The Corporation may, by action of its Board of Directors, provide indemnification to employees and agents of the Corporation with the same scope and effect as the foregoing indemnification of directors and officers.
(b) The right to indemnification and the payment of expenses incurred in defending a proceeding in advance of its final disposition conferred in this Article 14 shall not be exclusive of any other right which any person may have or hereafter acquire under any statute, provision of this Certificate of Incorporation, bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise.
(c) The Corporation may maintain insurance, at its expense, to protect itself and any director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation or another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any such expense, liability or loss, whether or not the Corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such expense, liability or loss under the Delaware General Corporation Law.
Article 15. Board Considerations
The Board of Directors, each committee of the Board and each individual director, in discharging their respective duties under applicable law and this Certificate of Incorporation and in determining what they each believe to be in the best interests of the Corporation and its stockholders, may consider the effects, both short-term and long-term, of any action or proposed action taken or to be taken by the Corporation, the Board of Directors or any committee of the Board on the interests of (i) the employees, distributors, customers, suppliers and/or creditors of the Corporation and its subsidiaries and (ii) the communities in which the Corporation and its subsidiaries own or lease property or conduct business, all to the extent that the Board, any committee of the Board or any individual director deems pertinent under the circumstances; provided, however, that the provisions of this Article 15 shall not limit in any way the right of the Board to consider any other lawful factors in making its determinations, including, without limitation, the effects, both short-term and long-term, of any action or proposed action on the Corporation or its stockholders directly; and provided further that this Article 15 shall be deemed solely to grant discretionary authority to the Board, each committee of the Board and each individual director and shall not be deemed to provide to any specific constituency any right to be considered.
Article 16. Amendment of Certificate of Incorporation
The Corporation reserves the right to amend, alter, change or repeal any provision contained in this Certificate of Incorporation, in the manner now or hereafter prescribed by statute, and all rights conferred upon stockholders herein are granted subject to this reservation. In addition to any affirmative vote required by applicable law or any other provision of this Certificate of Incorporation, and in addition to any voting rights granted to or held by the holders of any series of Preferred Stock, the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than a majority of the outstanding shares of stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of directors of the Corporation shall be required to amend or repeal, or adopt any provisions inconsistent with, the provisions of this Certificate of Incorporation.
Article 17. Name and Address of Incorporator
The name and address of the incorporator is Christopher Cobb, 5004 Bee Creek Road, Suite 600, Spicewood, Texas 78669.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I, the undersigned, for the purpose of forming a corporation under the laws of the State of Delaware, do make, file, and record this Certificate, and do certify that the facts herein stated are true, and I have accordingly hereunto set my hand this 15th day of July, 2013.
/s/ Christopher Cobb
Christopher Cobb, Incorporator