SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): September 27, 2017

EXA CORPORATION

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

Delaware

001-35584

04-3139906

(State or other jurisdiction

of incorporation)

(Commission

File Number)

(IRS Employer

Identification Number)

55 Network Drive, Burlington, Massachusetts 01803

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

(781) 564-0200

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Not Applicable

(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below).

☐	Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

☐	Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

☐	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

☐	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ☒

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☒

Item 1.01

Entry Into a Material Definitive Agreement.

On September 27, 2017, Exa Corporation (the “Company”) entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with Dassault Systemes Simulia Corp., a Rhode Island corporation (“Dassault Systemes”), and 3DS Acquisition 3 Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Dassault Systemes (“Purchaser”). Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, Purchaser will commence a tender offer (the “Offer”) to purchase all of the outstanding shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, of the Company (the “Company Common Stock”), at a price per share of $24.25, net to the seller in cash, without interest (the “Offer Price”), and subject to deduction for any required withholding of taxes. Purchaser is obligated to commence the Offer as promptly as practicable, and in any event within 10 business days following the date of the Merger Agreement, and the Offer will remain open for 21 business days from the date of commencement of the Offer, subject to extension in accordance with the terms of the Merger Agreement.

The consummation of the Offer is subject to customary closing conditions, including, among other things, (i) the valid tender of shares of Company Common Stock representing a majority of the total outstanding shares of Company Common Stock, calculated on a fully diluted basis, (ii) the expiration or termination of all applicable waiting periods under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended (the “HSR Act”), and (iii) other conditions to the Offer set forth in Annex I to the Merger Agreement. The consummation of the Offer is not subject to any financing condition.

Upon the completion of the Offer, and subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement, Purchaser will be merged with and into the Company, with the Company surviving as a wholly owned subsidiary of Dassault Systemes (the “Merger”). The Merger Agreement provides that the Merger will be governed by Section 251(h) of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”) and shall be effected by Purchaser and the Company as soon as practicable following the consummation of the Offer without a stockholder meeting.

At the effective time of the Merger (the “Effective Time”), each outstanding share of Company Common Stock, other than shares of Company Common Stock owned by the Company, Dassault Systemes or Purchaser immediately prior to the Effective Time, or by stockholders who have validly exercised their appraisal rights under Delaware law, as more fully described below, will be canceled and converted into the right to receive an amount in cash equal to the Offer Price, payable to the holder thereof on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement.

The Company, Dassault Systemes and Purchaser have made customary representations, warranties and covenants in the Merger Agreement. The Company’s covenants include, among other things, covenants regarding the operation of the Company’s business prior to the Effective Time and covenants restricting the ability of the Company to solicit third-party proposals relating to alternative transactions or provide information or enter into discussions in connection with alternative transactions, subject to certain exceptions to permit the board of directors of the Company (the “Company Board”) to comply with its fiduciary duties. Notwithstanding the limitations applicable pursuant to the “no-shop” restrictions set forth in the Merger Agreement, prior to the consummation of the Offer, under specified circumstances the Company Board may change its recommendation in connection with an intervening event that was not known or reasonably foreseeable as of the date of the Merger Agreement, or in connection with an alternative proposal that does not result from breach of the “no-shop” restrictions and that the Company Board determines in good faith constitutes a superior proposal (in which latter case the Company may also terminate the Merger Agreement to enter into such superior proposal upon payment of the termination fee, as discussed below). Before the Company Board may change its recommendation in connection with a superior proposal, or terminate the Merger Agreement to accept a superior proposal, the Company must provide Dassault Systemes with a five-calendar-day match right, subject to an additional three-calendar-day match right in the event of a material change to such superior proposal.

The Merger Agreement also includes customary termination provisions for both the Company and Dassault Systemes and provides that, in connection with the termination of the Merger Agreement, under certain circumstances, the Company may be obligated to pay Dassault Systemes a termination fee of $12 million, including due to termination of the Merger Agreement by the Company to accept a superior proposal, and Dassault Systemes may be obligated to pay the Company a termination fee of $24 million.

Each party is required to use its reasonable best efforts to satisfy the closing conditions relating to required governmental or third-party consents, including by making required filings under the HSR Act.

The foregoing summary of the Merger Agreement, the Offer and the Merger does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by, the full text of the Merger Agreement, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 2.1 and the terms of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The Merger Agreement has been attached hereto pursuant to applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) in order to provide investors and stockholders with information regarding its terms. However, it is not intended to provide any other factual information about the Company, Dassault Systemes, their respective subsidiaries and affiliates, or any other party. In particular, the representations, warranties and covenants contained in the Merger Agreement have been made only for the purpose of the Merger Agreement and, as such, are intended solely for the benefit of the parties to the Merger Agreement. In many cases, these representations, warranties and covenants are made as of specific dates, subject to limitations agreed upon by the parties and qualified by certain disclosures exchanged by the parties in connection with the execution of the Merger Agreement. Furthermore, many of the representations and warranties in the Merger Agreement are the result of a negotiated allocation of contractual risk among the parties and, taken in isolation, do not necessarily reflect facts about the Company, Dassault Systemes, their respective subsidiaries and affiliates or any other party. Likewise, any references to materiality contained in the representations and warranties may not correspond to concepts of materiality applicable to investors or stockholders. Information concerning the subject matter of the representations and warranties may change after the date of the Merger Agreement and these changes may not be fully reflected in the Company’s public disclosures.

AS A RESULT OF THE FOREGOING, INVESTORS AND STOCKHOLDERS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED NOT TO RELY ON THE REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES AND COVENANTS CONTAINED IN THE MERGER AGREEMENT, OR ON ANY DESCRIPTIONS THEREOF, AS ACCURATE CHARACTERIZATIONS OF THE STATE OF FACTS OR CONDITION OF THE COMPANY OR ANY OTHER PARTY.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this Current Report on Form 8-K and in the press release attached hereto may constitute “forward-looking statements.” Such statements relate to a variety of matters, including but not limited to: the timing and anticipated completion of the Offer and the proposed Merger; and other statements that are not purely statements of historical fact. These forward-looking statements are made on the basis of the current beliefs, expectations and assumptions of the management of the Company and Dassault Systemes and are subject to significant risks and uncertainty. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and neither the Company nor Dassault Systemes undertakes any obligation to update or revise these statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained herein include, but are not limited to: potential adverse reactions or changes to business relationships resulting from the announcement of the proposed acquisition of the Company; unexpected costs, charges or expenses resulting from the proposed acquisition of the Company; litigation or adverse judgments relating to the proposed acquisition of the Company; risks relating to the consummation of the proposed acquisition of the Company, including the risk that the closing conditions to the Offer or the proposed Merger will not be satisfied; any difficulties associated with requests or directions from governmental authorities resulting from their reviews of the transaction; and any changes in general economic and/or industry-specific conditions. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements are set forth under the heading “Item 1A—Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2017, which was filed with the SEC on March 22, 2017, as well as in subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K, and other filings made with the SEC by the Company and Dassault Systemes.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

No statement in this document or the attached exhibits is an offer to purchase or a solicitation of an offer to sell securities. The Offer for the shares of Company Common Stock has not commenced. Dassault Systemes intends to file a tender offer statement on Schedule TO with the SEC, and the Company intends to file a solicitation/recommendation statement on Schedule 14D-9, each with respect to the Offer described in this Current Report on Form 8-K and the exhibits attached hereto. Any offers to purchase or solicitations of offers to sell will be made only pursuant to such tender offer statements. The tender offer statement on Schedule TO (including an offer to purchase, a related letter of transmittal and other offer documents) and the related solicitation/recommendation statement on Schedule 14D-9 will contain important information, including the various terms of, and conditions to, the Offer, which should be read carefully by the Company’s stockholders before they make any decision with respect to the Offer. Such materials, when prepared and ready for release, will be made available to the Company’s stockholders at no expense to them. In addition, at such time, such materials (and all other offer documents filed with the SEC) will be available at no charge on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and may also be obtained by directing a request to the Company, at Exa Corporation, attention: Richard F. Gilbody, Chief Financial Officer, 55 Network Drive, Burlington, Massachusetts 01803, telephone: (781) 564-0200, or to Dassault Systemes, attention: Investor Relations, telephone: +33 1 61 62 69 24.

Item 5.03

Amendment to Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws; Change in Fiscal Year.

On September 27, 2017, the Company’s Board of Directors approved an amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated By-laws to provide that the exclusive forum for

•

any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company,

•

any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee of the Company to the Company or the Company’s stockholders,

•

any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, or the certificate of incorporation or by-laws of the Company,

•

any action to interpret, apply, enforce or determine the validity of the certificate of incorporation or by-laws of the Company, or

•

any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine,

will be the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or, in the event that the Court of Chancery does not have jurisdiction, the federal district court for the District of Delaware or other state courts of the State of Delaware.

A copy of the amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated By-laws is attached hereto as Exhibit 3.1 and incorporated herein by reference.

Item 8.01

Other Events.

On September 28, 2017, the Company issued a press release announcing the execution of the Merger Agreement. A copy of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.

On September 28, 2017, the Company distributed to its employees the letter attached hereto as Exhibit 99.2, which is incorporated herein by reference.

On September 28, 2017, the Company held a meeting with employees at which it made the presentation attached hereto as Exhibit 99.3, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 9.01

Financial Statements and Exhibits

(d) Exhibits.


2.1		Agreement and Plan of Merger dated September 27, 2017, by and among Dassault Systemes Simulia Corp., 3DS Acquisition 3 Corp. and Exa Corporation.

3.1		Amendment to Amended and Restated By-laws of Exa Corporation.

99.1		Press release entitled “Exa Corporation to be Acquired by Dassault Systèmes.”

99.2		Letter to Company employees distributed on September 28, 2017.

99.3		Presentation to employees made by the Company on September 28, 2017.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.


EXA CORPORATION

By:		/s/ Richard F. Gilbody
		Richard F. Gilbody
		Chief Financial Officer

Date: September 28, 2017

EXA CORP 8-K