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Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3)
Registration Statement No. 333-271641

 


PROSPECTUS

 

 

LOGO

Cipher Mining Inc.

187,109,827 Shares

Common Stock

Offered by the Selling Securityholder

 

 

The selling securityholder named in this prospectus (“Selling Securityholder”) may offer and sell up to 187,109,827 shares in the aggregate of the common stock identified above from time to time in one or more offerings. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities” for more information. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of our common stock by the Selling Securityholder.

As of the date of this prospectus, pursuant to the Lock-up Agreement (as defined below), 129,017,513 of shares of our common stock held by the Selling Securityholder remain subject to lock-up, which, subject to any potential modifications under the Waiver Agreement, is expected to expire on August 27, 2023. For further details, see “Description of Securities—Lock-Up Restrictions.”

Each time the Selling Securityholder offers and sells securities, the Selling Securityholder may provide a supplement to this prospectus that contains specific information about the offering and the amounts, prices and terms of the securities. The supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus with respect to that offering. You should carefully read this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement before you invest in any of our securities.

The Selling Securityholder may offer and sell the securities described in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement to or through one or more underwriters, dealers and agents, or directly to purchasers, or through a combination of these methods. If any underwriters, dealers or agents are involved in the sale of any of the securities, their names and any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangement between or among them will be set forth, or will be calculable from the information set forth, in the applicable prospectus supplement. See the sections of this prospectus entitled “About this Prospectus” and “Plan of Distribution” for more information. No securities may be sold without delivery of this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement describing the method and terms of the offering of such securities.

Our common stock and public warrants are listed on The Nasdaq Global Select Market (“Nasdaq”) under the symbols “CIFR” and “CIFRW,” respectively. On May 31, 2023, the last reported sales price of our common stock was $2.54 per share and the last reported sales price of our public warrants was $0.51 per warrant.

 

 

INVESTING IN OUR SECURITIES INVOLVES RISKS. SEE THE “RISK FACTORS” ON PAGE 6 OF THIS PROSPECTUS AND ANY SIMILAR SECTION CONTAINED IN THE APPLICABLE PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT CONCERNING FACTORS YOU SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE INVESTING IN OUR SECURITIES.

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

The date of this prospectus is June 1, 2023.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

      1  

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION; INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

      2  

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

      4  

THE COMPANY

      5  

RISK FACTORS

      6  

USE OF PROCEEDS

      7  

DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

      8  

SELLING SECURITYHOLDERS

      15  

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

      17  

LEGAL MATTERS

      19  

EXPERTS

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a “shelf” registration statement that we filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission” or “SEC”). By using a shelf registration statement, the Selling Securityholder may, from time to time, sell up to 187,109,827 shares of common stock in one or more offerings as described in this prospectus. In connection with the offer and sale of securities, the Selling Securityholder may provide a prospectus supplement to this prospectus that contains specific information about the securities being offered and sold and the specific 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. Any such prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus with respect to that offering. If there is any inconsistency between the information in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, you should rely on the prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, as applicable. Before purchasing any securities, you should carefully read both this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectuses, together with the additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information; Incorporation by Reference.”

Neither we nor the Selling Securityholder have authorized anyone to provide you with any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus, any applicable 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 Securityholder take any responsibility for, nor provide any assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. Neither we nor the Selling Securityholder will make an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement to this prospectus is accurate only as of the date on its respective cover, that the information appearing in any applicable free writing prospectus is accurate only as of the date of that free writing prospectus, and that any information incorporated by reference is accurate only as of the date of the document incorporated by reference, unless we indicate otherwise. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates. This prospectus incorporates by reference, and any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus may contain and incorporate by reference, market data and industry statistics and forecasts that are based on independent industry publications and other publicly available information. Although we believe these sources are reliable, neither we nor the Selling Securityholder guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this information and neither we nor the Selling Securityholder have independently verified this information. In addition, the market and industry data and forecasts that may be included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or any applicable free writing prospectus may involve estimates, assumptions and other risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various factors, including those discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement and any applicable free writing prospectus, and under similar headings in other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on this information.

As used in this prospectus, unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, the terms “we,” “our,” “us,” “registrant,” the “Company,” and “Cipher” mean Cipher Mining Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries. When we refer to “you,” we mean the potential holders of the applicable series of securities.

We have proprietary rights to trademarks, trade names and service marks appearing in this prospectus that are important to our business. This prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference also include trademarks, tradenames and service marks that are the property of other organizations. Solely for convenience, trademarks and tradenames referred to in this prospectus supplement appear without the ® and TM symbols, but those references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or that the applicable owner will not assert its rights, to these trademarks and tradenames.

 

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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION; INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

Available Information

We file reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains a web site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information about issuers, such as us, who file electronically with the SEC. The address of that website is http://www.sec.gov.

We also maintain a website at https://investors.ciphermining.com, at which you may access these materials free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. Information contained on, or accessible through, our website is not a part of this prospectus, and the inclusion of our website address in this prospectus is an inactive textual reference only.

This prospectus and any prospectus supplement are part of a registration statement that we filed with the SEC and do not contain all of the information in the registration statement. The full registration statement may be obtained from the SEC or us, as provided below. Documents establishing the terms of the offered securities are or may be filed as exhibits to the registration statement or documents incorporated by reference in the registration statement. Statements in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement about these documents are summaries and each statement is qualified in all respects by reference to the document to which it refers. You should refer to the actual documents for a more complete description of the relevant matters. You may inspect a copy of the registration statement through the SEC’s website, as provided above.

Incorporation by Reference

The SEC’s rules allow us to “incorporate by reference” information into this prospectus, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of this prospectus, and subsequent information that we file with the SEC will automatically update and supersede that information. Any statement contained in this prospectus or a previously filed document incorporated by reference will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus or a subsequently filed document incorporated by reference modifies or replaces that statement.

This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement incorporate by reference the documents set forth below that have previously been filed with the SEC, other than any portions of the respective filing that were furnished, pursuant to Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Current Reports on Form 8-K (including exhibits related thereto) or other applicable SEC rules, rather than filed:

 

  •  

Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on March 14, 2023.

 

  •  

Our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed with the SEC on March  23, 2023, with respect to those portions incorporated by reference into our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022.

 

  •  

Our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on March 20, 2023.

 

  •  

The description of our common stock contained in our registration statement on Form 8-A filed with the SEC on October 15, 2020 and any amendment or report filed with the SEC for the purpose of updating the description, including Exhibit 4.3 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022.

All reports and other documents we subsequently file pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which we refer to as the “Exchange Act” in this prospectus, prior to the termination of this offering, including all such documents we may file with the SEC after the date of the

 

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initial registration statement and prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement, but excluding any information furnished to, rather than filed with, the SEC, will also be incorporated by reference into this prospectus and deemed to be part of this prospectus from the date of the filing of such reports and documents.

You may request a free copy of any of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus by writing or telephoning us at the following address:

CIPHER MINING INC.

1 VANDERBILT AVENUE, FLOOR 54, SUITE C

NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10017

(332) 262-2300

Exhibits to the filings will not be sent, however, unless those exhibits have specifically been incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement.

 

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CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus contains forward-looking statements. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. The forward-looking statements are contained principally in our Annual Reports on Form 10-K and in our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and in any prospectus supplement related hereto in greater detail under the sections titled “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and “Business,” but are also contained elsewhere in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “could,” “seeks,” “intends,” “targets,” “projects,” “contemplates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “forecasts,” “predicts,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements use these words or expressions. Forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus include, but are not limited to statements regarding:

 

  •  

the value and volatility of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies;

 

  •  

the effects of the regulatory environment and competition on our business;

 

  •  

our buildout and operation of cryptocurrency mining sites;

 

  •  

our ability to raise financing in the future;

 

  •  

our future results of operations and financial position, industry and business trends, equity compensation, business strategy, plans, market growth and our objectives for future operations;

 

  •  

our commercial partnerships and supply agreements;

 

  •  

our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors;

 

  •  

the effects of price fluctuations in the wholesale and retail power markets; and

 

  •  

the effects of global economic, business or political conditions.

The forward-looking statements in this prospectus are only predictions and are largely based on our current expectations and projections about future events and trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the important factors discussed in the section titled “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, and in our future reports filed with the SEC. The forward-looking statements in this prospectus are based upon information available to us as of the date of this prospectus and while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements.

You should read this prospectus and the documents that we reference in this prospectus and have filed with the SEC as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part with the understanding that our actual future results, levels of activity, performance and events and circumstances may be materially different from what we expect. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this prospectus. Except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus, whether as a result of any new information, future events or otherwise.

 

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THE COMPANY

We are an emerging technology company that develops and operates industrial scale bitcoin mining data centers. Cipher, through itself and its consolidated subsidiaries, including Cipher Mining Technologies Inc. (“CMTI”), currently operates four bitcoin mining data centers in Texas. Bitcoin mining is our principal revenue generating business activity.

Our current intention is to continue to expand our bitcoin mining business by developing additional data centers, expanding capacity at our current data centers and entering into other arrangements, such as joint ventures or data center hosting agreements.

Our key mission is to expand and strengthen the Bitcoin network’s critical infrastructure. As of February 28, 2023, we operated approximately 58,500 miners, with an aggregate hashrate capacity of approximately 6.1 EH/s, deploying approximately 203 MW of electricity, of which we owned approximately 48,500 miners, with an aggregate hashrate capacity of approximately 5.2 EH/s, deploying approximately 172 MW of electricity.

We operate four bitcoin mining data centers in Texas, including one wholly-owned and three partially owned data centers acquired through investments in joint ventures. Our largest data center is the Odessa facility which is our wholly-owned 207 MW facility located in Odessa, Texas. We also operate our Alborz, Bear and Chief facilities in different sites across Texas pursuant to a joint venture with WindHQ LLC where we have a 49% membership interest in each facility.

Our principal executive offices are located at 1 Vanderbilt Avenue, Floor 54, Suite C, New York, New York and our telephone number is (332) 262-2300. Our website address is https://www.ciphermining.com/. We do not incorporate the information on, or accessible through, our website into this prospectus, and you should not consider any information on, or accessible through, our website as part of this prospectus.

 

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RISK FACTORS

Investment in any securities offered pursuant to this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement involves risks. You should carefully consider the risk factors incorporated by reference to our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K, and all other information contained or incorporated by reference into this prospectus, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Exchange Act, and the risk factors and other information contained in any applicable prospectus supplement and any applicable free writing prospectus before acquiring any of such securities. 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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USE OF PROCEEDS

All of the shares of our common stock being offered pursuant to this prospectus are being offered by the Selling Securityholder. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of those shares.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

The following summary of the material terms of our capital stock is not intended to be complete and is qualified by reference to the amended and restated certificate of incorporation (for purposes of this section, the “Certificate of Incorporation”) and the amended and restated bylaws (for purposes of this section, the “Bylaws” and together with the Certificate of Incorporation, the “Governing Documents”) which are exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. We urge you to read each of the Certificate of Incorporation and the Bylaws described herein in their entirety for a complete description of the rights and preferences of our securities.

Authorized Capitalization

General

We are authorized to issue 510,000,000 shares of capital stock, consisting of (i) 500,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share and (ii) 10,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share. As of the date of this prospectus, there are 248,906,007 shares of our common stock outstanding and no shares of preferred stock outstanding.

Voting rights

Each outstanding share of our common stock shall entitle the holder thereof to one vote on each matter properly submitted to our shareholders for their vote. Except as otherwise required by law, holders of our common stock will not be entitled to vote on any amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation that relates solely to the terms of one or more outstanding series of our preferred stock if the holders of such affected series are entitled, either separately or together as a class with the holders of one or more other such series, to vote thereon pursuant to the Certificate of Incorporation.

Dividend rights

Subject to preferences that may apply to any shares of our preferred stock outstanding at the time, the holders of our common stock are entitled to receive dividends out of funds legally available if our board of directors (the “Board”), in its discretion, determines to issue dividends and then only at the times and in the amounts that the Board may determine.

Rights upon liquidation

Upon our liquidation, dissolution, or winding-up, the assets legally available for distribution to our shareholders would be distributable ratably among the holders of our common stock outstanding at that time, subject to prior satisfaction of all outstanding debt and liabilities and the preferential rights of and the payment of liquidation preferences, if any, on any outstanding shares of our preferred stock.

Other rights

No holder of shares of our common stock will be entitled to preemptive or subscription rights contained in the Certificate of Incorporation or in the Bylaws. There are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to our common stock. The rights, preferences and privileges of holders of our common stock will be subject to those of the holders of any shares of our preferred stock that we may issue in the future.

Preferred Stock

Our preferred stock may be issued from time to time in one or more series. The Board is expressly authorized, subject to any limitations prescribed by the laws of the State of Delaware, to provide, out of unissued shares of

 

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our preferred stock that have not been designated as to series, with respect to each series, to establish the number of shares to be included in each such series, to fix the designation, powers (including voting powers), preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights, if any, of each such series and any qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, and, subject to the rights of such series, to thereafter increase (but not above the total number of authorized shares of our preferred stock) or decrease (but not below the number of shares of such series then outstanding) the number of shares of any such series. The issuance of our preferred stock could have the effect of decreasing the trading price of our common stock, restricting dividends on our capital stock, diluting the voting power of our common stock, impairing the liquidation rights of our capital stock, or delaying or preventing a change in control of us.

Election of Directors and Vacancies

Subject to the rights of any series of our preferred stock then outstanding to elect additional directors under specified circumstances, the directors on the Board consist of seven (7) directors, and be divided, with respect to the time for which they severally hold office, into three classes designated as Class I, Class II and Class III, respectively. The initial term of office of the Class I directors expired at the first annual meeting of shareholders following the consummation of our business combination with Good Works Acquisition Corp. on August 27, 2021 (the “Business Combination”), the initial term of office of the Class II directors expired at the second annual meeting of shareholders following the initial classification of the Board and the initial term of office of the Class III directors shall expire at our third annual meeting of shareholders following the initial classification of the Board. At each annual meeting of shareholders following the initial classification of the Board, directors elected to succeed those directors of the class whose terms then expire shall be elected for a term of office expiring at the third succeeding annual meeting of our shareholders after their election.

Under the Bylaws, except as may be required in the Certificate of Incorporation, directors shall be elected by a plurality of the votes cast by the holders of the shares present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote on the election of directors.

Each of our directors shall hold office until the annual meeting at which such director’s term expires and until such director’s successor is elected and qualified or until such director’s earlier death, resignation, or removal. Subject to the rights of holders of any series of our preferred stock to elect directors, directors may be removed only as provided by the Certificate of Incorporation and applicable law. All vacancies occurring in the Board and any newly created directorships resulting from any increase in the authorized number of directors shall be filled in the manner set forth below.

Subject to the rights of any series of our preferred stock then outstanding, any vacancy occurring in the Board for any cause, and any newly created directorship resulting from any increase in the authorized number of directors, shall be filled only by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors then in office, even if less than a quorum, or by a sole remaining director, and shall not be filled by the shareholders.

Any director elected in accordance with the preceding sentence shall hold office for a term expiring at the annual meeting of shareholders at which the term of office for the class in which the vacancy was created or occurred or, in the case of newly created directorships, the class to which the director has been assigned expires and until such director’s successor shall have been duly elected and qualified, or until such director’s earlier death, resignation, or removal.

If and for so long as the holders of any series of our preferred stock have the special right to elect additional directors, the then otherwise total authorized number of our directors shall automatically be increased by such specified number of directors, and the holders of such preferred stock will be entitled to elect the additional directors so provided for or fixed pursuant to the terms of the series of the preferred stock. Each such additional director shall serve until such director’s successor shall have been duly elected and qualified, or until such director’s right to hold such office terminates pursuant to said provisions, whichever occurs earlier, subject to his or her earlier death, resignation, or removal.

 

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Quorum

Except as otherwise provided by applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation or the Bylaws, at each meeting of stockholders the holders of a majority of the voting power of the shares of stock issued and outstanding and entitled to vote at the meeting, present in person or represented by proxy, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. If a quorum shall fail to attend any meeting, the chairperson of the meeting or, if directed to be voted on by the chairperson of the meeting, the holders of a majority of the voting power of the shares entitled to vote who are present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting may adjourn the meeting. If the adjournment is for more than thirty (30) days, or if after the adjournment a new record date is fixed for the adjourned meeting, then a notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given to each stockholder of record entitled to vote at the meeting. At the adjourned meeting, we may transact any business that might have been transacted at the original meeting. If a quorum is present at the original meeting, it shall also be deemed present at the adjourned meeting.

Anti-takeover Effects of the Governing Documents

The Governing Documents contain provisions that may delay, defer or discourage another party from acquiring control of the Company. We expect that these provisions, which are summarized below, will discourage coercive takeover practices or inadequate takeover bids. These provisions are also designed to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of the Company to first negotiate with the Board, which we believe may result in an improvement of the terms of any such acquisition in favor of our stockholders. However, they also give the board of directors the power to discourage acquisitions that some stockholders may favor.

Classified Board of Directors

As indicated above, the Certificate of Incorporation provides that the Board will be divided into three classes of directors, with each class of directors being elected by our stockholders every three years. The classification of directors will have the effect of making it more difficult for stockholders to change the composition of the Board.

Authorized but Unissued Capital Stock

Delaware law does not require stockholder approval for any issuance of authorized shares. However, the listing requirements of Nasdaq, which would apply so long as our common stock (or warrants) remains listed on Nasdaq, require stockholder approval of certain issuances equal to or exceeding 20% of the then outstanding voting power or then outstanding number of shares of our common stock. Additional shares that may be issued in the future may be used for a variety of corporate purposes, including future public offerings, to raise additional capital or to facilitate acquisitions.

One of the effects of the existence of unissued and unreserved common stock may be to enable the Board to issue shares to persons friendly to current management, which issuance could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of the Company by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise and thereby protect the continuity of management and possibly deprive stockholders of opportunities to sell their shares of our common stock at prices higher than prevailing market prices.

Special Meeting, Action by Written Consent and Advance Notice Requirements for Stockholder Proposals

Unless otherwise required by law, and subject to the rights, if any, of the holders of any series of our preferred stock, special meetings of the stockholders, for any purpose or purposes, may be called only by (i) a majority of the Board, (ii) the chairperson of the board of directors, (iii) the chief executive officer, (iv) the president or (v) the secretary of the Company, and our stockholders may not take action by written consent in lieu of a meeting. Notice of all meetings of stockholders shall be given in writing stating the date, time and place, if any, of the meeting, the means of remote communications, if any, by which stockholders and proxy holders may be

 

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deemed to be present in person and vote at such meeting and the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting if such date is different from the record date for determining stockholders entitled to notice of the meeting. Such notice shall also set forth the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called.

Unless otherwise required by applicable law or the Certificate of Incorporation, notice of any meeting of stockholders shall be given not less than ten (10), nor more than sixty (60), days before the date of the meeting to each stockholder of record entitled to vote at such meeting as of the record date for determining stockholders entitled to notice. The Bylaws also provide that any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the Board, or of any committee thereof, may be taken without a meeting if all members of the Board or such committee, as the case may be, consent thereto in writing or by electronic transmission, and the writing or writings or electronic transmission or transmissions are filed with the minutes of proceedings of the Board or committee, as applicable. Such filing shall be in paper form if the minutes are maintained in paper form and shall be in electronic form if the minutes are maintained in electronic form.

The Bylaws provide advance notice procedures for stockholders seeking to bring business before our annual meeting of stockholders or to nominate candidates for election as directors at an annual meeting of stockholders. The Bylaws also specify certain requirements regarding the form and content of a stockholder’s notice, including disclosure of the proposing stockholders’ agreements, arrangements and understandings made in connection with such a proposal or nomination. These provisions may preclude stockholders from bringing matters before our annual meeting of stockholders or from making nominations for directors at our annual meeting of stockholders. We expect that these provisions might also discourage or deter a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquirer’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of the Company. These provisions could have the effect of delaying until the next stockholder meeting any stockholder actions, even if they are favored by the holders of a majority of our outstanding voting securities.

Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws

We may amend or repeal any provision contained in the Certificate of Incorporation in the manner prescribed by the laws of the State of Delaware, and all rights conferred upon stockholders are granted subject to this reservation. Notwithstanding any provision of the Certificate of Incorporation or any provision of law that might otherwise permit a lesser vote or no vote, subject to the rights of any outstanding series of our preferred stock, but in addition to any vote of the holders of any class or series of our stock required by law or by the Certificate of Incorporation, the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the voting power of all of the then- outstanding shares of our capital stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class, will be required to amend or repeal certain provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation.

The Board shall have the power to adopt, amend or repeal the Bylaws. Any adoption, amendment or repeal of the Bylaws by the Board shall require the approval of a majority of the Board. The stockholders shall also have power to adopt, amend or repeal the Proposed Bylaws. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Certificate of Incorporation or any provision of law that might otherwise permit a lesser or no vote, but in addition to any vote of the holders of any class or series of our stock required by applicable law or by the Certificate of Incorporation, the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the voting power of all of the then-outstanding shares of our capital stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class, shall be required for the stockholders to adopt, amend or repeal any provision of the Bylaws.

Delaware Anti-Takeover Statute

Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”) provides that if a person acquires 15% or more of the voting stock of a Delaware corporation, such person becomes an “interested stockholder” and may not engage in certain “business combinations” with the corporation for a period of three years from the time such person acquired 15% or more of the corporation’s voting stock, unless:

 

  1.

the board of directors approves the acquisition of stock or the merger transaction before the time that the person becomes an interested stockholder;

 

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  2.

the interested stockholder owns at least 85% of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation at the time the merger transaction commences (excluding voting stock owned by directors who are also officers and certain employee stock plans); or

 

  3.

the merger transaction is approved by the board of directors and at a meeting of stockholders, not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of 2/3 of the outstanding voting stock which is not owned by the interested stockholder.

A Delaware corporation may elect in its certificate of incorporation or bylaws not to be governed by this particular Delaware law. Under the Certificate of Incorporation, we do not opt out of Section 203 of the DGCL and therefore is subject to Section 203.

Limitations on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors

Section 145 of the DGCL, authorizes a court to award, or a corporation’s board of directors to grant, indemnity to directors and officers under certain circumstances and subject to certain limitations. The terms of Section 145 of the DGCL are sufficiently broad to permit indemnification under certain circumstances for liabilities, including reimbursement of expenses incurred, arising under the Securities Act. As permitted by the DGCL, the Certificate of Incorporation contains provisions that eliminate the personal liability of directors for monetary damages for any breach of fiduciary duties as a director, except liability for the following (i) any breach of a director’s duty of loyalty to the Company or its stockholders; (ii) acts or omissions not in good faith or that involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law; (iii) under Section 174 of the DGCL (regarding unlawful dividends and stock purchases); or (iv) any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. As permitted by the DGCL, the Bylaws provide that: (i) we are required to indemnify its directors and executive officers to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, subject to very limited exceptions; (ii) we may indemnify its other employees and agents as set forth in the DGCL; (iii) we are required to advance expenses, as incurred, to its directors and executive officers in connection with a legal proceeding to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, subject to very limited exceptions; and (iv) the rights conferred in the Bylaws are not exclusive.

We have entered into indemnification agreements with each director and executive officer to provide these individuals additional contractual assurances regarding the scope of the indemnification set forth in the Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws and to provide additional procedural protections. There is no pending litigation or proceeding involving a director or executive officer for which indemnification is sought. The indemnification provisions in the Certificate of Incorporation, Bylaws, and the indemnification agreements entered into or to be entered into between us and each of our directors and executive officers may be sufficiently broad to permit indemnification of our directors and executive officers for liabilities arising under the Securities Act. We currently carry liability insurance for our directors and officers.

Exclusive Jurisdiction of Certain Actions

The Certificate of Incorporation requires, to the fullest extent permitted by law, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for: (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of us; (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any current or former director, officer, stockholder, employee or agent to us or our stockholders; (iii) any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, the Governing Documents or as to which the DGCL confers jurisdiction on the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware; (iv) any action to interpret, apply, enforce or determine the validity of the Governing Documents; or (v) any action governed by the internal affairs doctrine.

In addition, the Bylaws require that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of United States shall be the sole and exclusive forum for resolving any action asserting a claim arising under the Securities Act.

 

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Lock-Up Restrictions

On August 27, 2021, we consummated the business combination (the “Closing” and the “Business Combination” or the “Merger”, respectively) with Good Works Acquisition Corp. (“GWAC”). In connection with the Business Combination, on Closing, the Selling Securityholder entered into a lock-up agreement with us (the “Lock-up Agreement”) pursuant to which the Selling Securityholder is contractually restricted from selling or transferring any of our common stock held by it immediately following the Closing.

Under the Lock-up Agreement, such restrictions begin at the Closing and end on the earlier of the date that is two years after the Closing, or upon the closing date of a merger, liquidation, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction after the closing date that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash securities or other property; provided that (i) during the period beginning on the date that is six (6) months after the Closing and ending on the date that is one (1) year after the Closing, the transfer restriction shall expire with respect to ten million (10,000,000) shares upon the earlier to occur of (A) the date on which the last reported sale price of the our common stock equals or exceeds $12.50 per share for any twenty (20) trading days within any thirty (30) trading day period that commences at least ninety (90) days after the Closing or (B) one year after the Closing, (ii) during the period beginning on the date that is one (1) year after the Closing and ending on the date that is eighteen (18) months after the Closing, the transfer restriction shall expire with respect to an additional twenty million (20,000,000) shares upon the earlier to occur of (A) the date on which the last reported sale price of the our common stock equals or exceeds $12.50 per share for any twenty (20) trading days within any thirty (30) trading day period that commences at least 330 days after the Closing or (B) eighteen months after the Closing, (iii) eighteen (18) months after the Closing, the transfer restriction shall expire with respect to any shares held by or subsequently acquired by the Selling Securityholder that exceeds a total share ownership in Cipher of 50.1% on a fully-diluted basis, and (iv) if at any time the closing sale price of Cipher equals or exceeds $20.00 per share for any twenty (20) trading days within any thirty (30) trading day period that commences at least ninety (90) days after the Closing, then the date of commencement as well as the end date of each period referenced shall be accelerated by three (3) months.

Following the expiration of the aforementioned lock-ups, the Selling Securityholder will not be restricted from selling shares of our common stock held by it, other than by applicable securities laws. Furthermore, certain restrictions on transfer of our common stock held by the Selling Securityholder and certain other stockholders were waived under the Waiver Agreement (as defined below). For further details, see “—Waiver Agreement.” As of the date of this prospectus, 129,017,513 of shares of our common stock held by the Selling Securityholder remain subject to lock-up, which, subject to any potential modifications under the Waiver Agreement, is expected to expire on August 27, 2023. As such, sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market could occur at any time upon such expiration. These sales, or the perception in the market that the holders of a large number of shares intend to sell shares, could reduce the market price of our common stock.

Waiver Agreement

On April 8, 2022, we also entered into a waiver agreement with the Selling Securityholder (the “Waiver Agreement”), pursuant to which we waived certain restrictions on transfer of our common stock under (a) that certain Lock-up Agreement and (b) those certain lock-up agreements, dated August 26, 2021, by and between GWAC and each of I-B Goodworks, LLC, Magnetar Financial LLC, Mint Tower Capital Management B.V., Periscope Capital, Inc. and Polar Asset Management Partners Inc., respectively (the stockholders contemplated by clauses (a)-(b), the “Stockholders”) imposing similar restrictions on the Stockholders (collectively, the “Lock-up Agreements” and each a “Lock-up Agreement”).

The Waiver Agreement was negotiated and approved by an independent committee of the Board. The Waiver Agreement permits each Stockholder to (i) pledge or otherwise hypothecate the Lock-up Shares (as defined in the Lock-up Agreements) held by such Stockholder as of the date of the Waiver Agreement (the shares that are actually pledged or otherwise hypothecated, the “Pledged Shares”) as collateral or security in connection

 

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with any loan meeting certain criteria set forth in the Waiver Agreement and (ii) transfer the Pledged Shares upon foreclosure by such pledgee in accordance with the terms of the applicable pledge or hypothecation; provided that such waiver will only apply and be effective if certain conditions specified in the Waiver Agreement are satisfied or waived. Additionally, effective as of the date of consummation of any pledge or hypothecation, and solely in regard to any pledged shares, the Lock-up Period, as defined in the applicable Lock-up Agreement, shall be extended to November 26, 2023.

 

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SELLING SECURITYHOLDER

This prospectus relates to the possible resale by the Selling Securityholder from time to time of up to an aggregate of 187,109,827 shares of our common stock. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the common stock.

As of the date of this prospectus, pursuant to the Lock-up Agreement, 129,017,513 of shares of our common stock held by the Selling Securityholder and listed in the table below remain subject to lock-up, which, subject to any potential modifications under the Waiver Agreement, is expected to expire on August 27, 2023. For further details, see “Description of Securities—Lock-Up Restrictions.”

The Selling Securityholder may from time to time offer and sell any or all of the shares of common stock set forth below pursuant to this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement. Unless stated otherwise, when we refer to the “Selling Securityholder” in this prospectus, we mean the entity listed in the table below and the pledgees, donees, transferees, assignees, successors, designees and others who later come to hold any of the Selling Securityholder’s interest in the common stock after the date of this prospectus.

The following table is prepared based on information provided to us by the Selling Securityholder and sets forth, the name of the Selling Securityholder, and the aggregate number of shares of common stock that the Selling Securityholder may offer from time to time pursuant to this prospectus.

Because the Selling Securityholder is not obligated to sell its securities, we cannot state with certainty the amount of our securities that the Selling Securityholder will hold upon consummation of any such sales. In addition, since the date on which the Selling Securityholder provided this information to us, the Selling Securityholder may have sold, transferred or otherwise disposed of all or a portion of its securities. Any changed or new information given to us by the Selling Securityholder, including regarding the identity of, and the securities held by, the Selling Securityholder, will be set forth in a prospectus supplement or amendments to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, if and when necessary. The Selling Securityholder may sell all, some or none of such securities in this offering. See “Plan of Distribution.”

Percentage of beneficial ownership is based on 248,906,007 shares of our common stock outstanding as of May 3, 2023. In computing the number of shares beneficially owned by an individual or entity and the percentage ownership of that person, shares of common stock subject to options, warrants or other rights held by such person that are currently exercisable or that will become exercisable or will otherwise vest within 60 days of May 3, 2023 are considered outstanding, although these shares are not considered outstanding for purposes of computing the percentage ownership of any other person. The Selling Securityholder listed has sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares beneficially owned by the Selling Securityholder unless noted otherwise.

 

     Shares of Common Stock  

Name of Selling Stockholder

    Number
Beneficially
Owned Prior
to the Offering(*)		      %(**)      Number Being
Registered
Hereby(***)		      Number
Beneficially
Owned After
the Offering		      %(*)  

Bitfury Top HoldCo B.V.(1)

      201,931,387        81.1        187,109,827        —          —    

 

(*) 

Includes 4,821,560 shares of our common stock held by Bitfury Holding B.V., which is solely owned by Bitfury Top HoldCo B.V.

(**) 

The amounts set forth in this column are the number of shares of common stock that may be offered by such Selling Securityholder using this prospectus. These amounts do not represent any other shares of our common stock that the Selling Securityholder may own beneficially or otherwise.

(***) 

As of the date of this prospectus, pursuant to the Lock-up Agreement, 129,017,513 of these shares of common stock remain subject to lock-up, which, subject to any potential modifications under the Waiver Agreement, is expected to expire on August 27, 2023. For further details, see “Description of Securities—Lock-Up Restrictions.”

(1) 

Bitfury Top HoldCo B.V. is the sole owner of Bitfury Holding B.V., which owns 4,821,560 shares of our common stock. As a result, Bitfury Top HoldCo may be deemed to share beneficial ownership of the shares of common stock held by Bitfury Holding. Bitfury Group Limited (“BGL”) is the sole owner of Bitfury Top HoldCo B.V. (“Bitfury Top HoldCo”). The majority owner of BGL is V3

 

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  Holding Limited (“V3”), whose sole owner is Valerijs Vavilovs. As a result of the foregoing relationships, each of Mr. Vavilovs, V3 and BGL may be deemed to share beneficial ownership of the common stock beneficially owned by Bitfury Top HoldCo. The business address of Bitfury Top HoldCo, Bitfury Holding and Mr. Vavilovs is Strawinskylaan 3051, 1077ZX Amsterdam, the Netherlands, the business address of V3 is 4th Floor Harbour Place, 103 South Church Street, PO Box 10240, George Town, Grand Cayman KY1-1002, Cayman Islands, BS1 6EG, the business address of BGL is 6th Floor One London Wall, London, United Kingdom EC2Y 5EB.

 

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

The Selling Securityholder and any of its pledgees, donees, transferees, assignees, successors, designees and other successors-in-interest may, from time to time, sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of any or all of its shares of common stock on any stock exchange, market or trading facility on which the shares are traded or in private transactions. These dispositions may be at fixed prices, at prevailing market prices at the time of sale, at prices related to the prevailing market price, at varying prices determined at the time of sale, or at negotiated prices. The Selling Securityholder may use one or more of the following methods when disposing of the shares therein:    

 

  •  

ordinary brokerage transactions and transactions in which the broker-dealer solicits purchasers;

 

  •  

block trades in which the broker-dealer will attempt to sell the shares as agent but may position and resell a portion of the block as principal to facilitate the transaction;

 

  •  

through brokers, dealers or underwriters that may act solely as agents;

 

  •  

purchases by a broker-dealer as principal and resale by the broker-dealer for its account;

 

  •  

an exchange distribution in accordance with the rules of the applicable exchange;

 

  •  

privately negotiated transactions;

 

  •  

through the writing or settlement of options or other hedging transactions entered into after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, whether through an options exchange or otherwise;

 

  •  

broker-dealers may agree with the selling securityholder to sell a specified number of such shares at a stipulated price per share;

 

  •  

a combination of any such methods of disposition; and

 

  •  

any other method permitted pursuant to applicable law.

The Selling Securityholder may also sell shares under Rule 144 under the Securities Act, if available, or Section 4(a)(1) under the Securities Act, rather than under this prospectus.

Broker-dealers engaged by the Selling Securityholder may arrange for other broker-dealers to participate in sales. Broker-dealers may receive commissions or discounts from the Selling Securityholder (or, if any broker-dealer acts as agent for the purchaser of shares, from the purchaser) in amounts to be negotiated. The Selling Securityholder does not expect these commissions and discounts to exceed what is customary in the types of transactions involved.

The Selling Securityholder may, from time to time, pledge or grant a security interest in some or all of the shares of common stock owned by it and, if it defaults in the performance of its secured obligations, the pledgees or secured parties may offer and sell shares of common stock from time to time under this prospectus, or under a supplement or amendment to this prospectus under Rule 424(b)(3) or other applicable provision of the Securities Act amending the list of selling securityholders to include the pledgee, transferee or other successors in interest as selling securityholders under this prospectus.

Upon being notified in writing by the Selling Securityholder that a material arrangement has been entered into with a broker-dealer for the sale of common stock through a block trade, special offering, exchange distribution or secondary distribution or a purchase by a broker or dealer, we will file a supplement to this prospectus, if required, pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, disclosing (i) the name of the Selling Securityholder and of the participating broker-dealer(s), (ii) the number of shares involved, (iii) the price at which such shares of common stock were sold, (iv) the commissions paid or discounts or concessions allowed to such broker-dealer(s), where applicable, (v) that such broker-dealer(s) did not conduct any investigation to verify the information set our or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, and (vi) other facts material to the

 

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transaction. In addition, upon being notified in writing by the Selling Securityholder that a donee or pledgee intends to sell more than 500 shares of common stock, we will file a supplement to this prospectus if then required in accordance with applicable securities law.

The Selling Securityholder also may transfer the shares of common stock in other circumstances, in which case the transferees, pledgees or other successors in interest will be the selling beneficial owners for purposes of this prospectus.

In connection with the sale of the shares of common stock, the Selling Securityholder may enter into hedging transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions, which may in turn engage in short sales of the common stock in the course of hedging the positions they assume. The Selling Securityholder may also sell shares of common stock short and deliver these securities to close out its short positions, or loan or pledge the common stock to broker-dealers that in turn may sell these securities. The Selling Securityholder may also enter into option or other transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions or the creation of one or more derivative securities which require the delivery to such broker-dealer or other financial institution of shares offered by this prospectus, which shares such broker-dealer or other financial institution may resell pursuant to this prospectus (as supplemented or amended to reflect such transaction).

The Selling Securityholder and any broker-dealers or agents that are involved in selling the shares may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act in connection with such sales. In such event, any profits realized by the Selling Securityholder or compensation received by such broker-dealers or agents may be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts under the Securities Act. Unless otherwise indicated in a prospectus supplement, an agent will be acting on a best efforts basis and a dealer will purchase securities as a principal, and may then resell the securities at varying prices to be determined by the dealer.

The Selling Securityholder will be subject to applicable provisions of the Exchange Act and the associated rules and regulations thereunder, including Regulation M, which provisions may affect the marketability of the shares.

The aggregate proceeds to the Selling Securityholder from the sale of the common stock offered by it will be the purchase price of the common stock less discounts or commissions, if any. The Selling Securityholder reserves the right to accept and, together with its agents from time to time, to reject, in whole or in part, any proposed purchase of common stock to be made directly or through agents. We will not receive any of the proceeds from this offering.

 

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LEGAL MATTERS

The validity of the common stock being offered by this prospectus has been passed upon for us by Latham & Watkins LLP.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements, incorporated in this prospectus by reference from our Annual Report on Form 10-K, have been audited by Marcum LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report, which is incorporated herein by reference. Such financial statements have been so incorporated in reliance upon the report of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

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