Benson Hill (BHILQ) Risk Analysis

On December 19, 2023, our Public Warrants were suspended from trading on the NYSE due to "abnormally low" trading price levels pursuant to Section 802.01D of the NYSE Listed Company Manual. On January 5, 2024, the NYSE filed a Form 25 with the SEC to report the removal of the warrants from listing. On January 5, 2024, the delisting of the warrants became effective. Our Public Warrants remain tradable over-the-counter on the Pink Sheets under the symbol "BHILW". Such delisting may have the following negative effects on our Public Warrants: a limited availability of market quotations, reduced liquidity, a decreased ability to obtain financing in the future and a decreased ability to issue additional securities, among other things.

On April 12, 2021, the Acting Director of the Division of Corporation Finance and Acting Chief Accountant of the SEC together issued a statement regarding the accounting and reporting considerations for warrants issued by special purpose acquisition companies entitled "Staff Statement on Accounting and Reporting Considerations for Warrants Issued by Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (‘SPACs')" (the "SEC Statement"). Specifically, the SEC Statement focused on certain settlement terms and provisions related to certain tender offers following a business combination, which terms are similar to those contained in the Warrant Agreement. As a result of the SEC Statement, we reevaluated the accounting treatment of our warrants outstanding at the time, and determined to classify the warrants as derivative liabilities measured at fair value, with changes in fair value each period reported in earnings. Accounting Standards Codification 815, Derivatives and Hedging, provides for the remeasurement of the fair value of such derivatives at each balance sheet date, with a resulting non-cash gain or loss related to the change in the fair value being recognized in earnings in the statement of operations. Our consolidated financial statements and results of operations may fluctuate quarterly, as a result of the recurring fair value measurement of our outstanding warrants, based on factors which are outside of our control. Due to the recurring fair value measurement, we may recognize non-cash gains or losses on our outstanding warrants each reporting period and that the amount of such gains or losses could be material. The impact of changes in fair value on earnings may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities.

Until a warrant holder acquires shares of common stock upon exercise of their warrants, they will have no rights with respect to the shares of our common stock underlying such warrants. Upon exercise of their warrants, they will be entitled to exercise the rights of a common stockholder only as to matters for which the record date occurs after the exercise date.

We have the ability to redeem outstanding Public Warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the last reported sales price of common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any twenty (20) trading days within a thirty (30) trading-day period commencing once the Public Warrants become exercisable and ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we give proper notice of such redemption and provided certain other conditions are met. If and when the Public Warrants become redeemable by us, we may not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of shares of common stock upon exercise of the Public Warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws or we are unable to effect such registration or qualification. We will use our best efforts to register or qualify such shares of common stock under the blue sky laws of the state of residence in those states in which the Public Warrants were offered. Redemption of the outstanding Public Warrants could force warrant holders (i) to exercise their Public Warrants and pay the exercise price therefore at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so, (ii) to sell their Public Warrants at the then-current market price when a warrant holder might otherwise wish to hold its Public Warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding Public Warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of the Public Warrants.

The Private Placement Warrants and the Public Warrants were issued in registered form under a warrant agreement (the "Warrant Agreement") between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent. The Warrant Agreement provides that the terms of the Private Placement Warrants and the Public Warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 65% of the then-outstanding Public Warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of the Public Warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the Public Warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 65% of the then-outstanding Public Warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the Public Warrants with the consent of at least 65% of the then-outstanding Public Warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the Public Warrants, convert the Public Warrants into cash or stock, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of common stock purchasable upon exercise of a Public Warrant.

The outstanding Private Placement Warrants and Public Warrants to purchase an aggregate of 16.6 million shares of our common stock are exercisable as of January 8, 2023. Each such warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of common stock at a price of $11.50 per whole share, subject to adjustment. These warrants may be exercised only for a whole number of shares of common stock. In addition, we issued additional private warrants in connection with the issuance of certain notes payable in February 2020 and December 2021, and in connection with a private placement that was completed in March 2022 (refer to Note 15-Warrant Liabilities to the consolidated financial statements under the headings "Notes Payable Warrants," "Convertible Notes Payable Warrants" and "PIPE Investment Warrants" in this report). To the extent such warrants are exercised, additional shares of common stock will be issued, which will result in dilution to the then existing holders of common stock and increase the number of shares eligible for resale in the public market. Sales of substantial numbers of such shares in the public market could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the sole and exclusive forum, to the fullest extent permitted by law, for (1) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (2) any action asserting a breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee to us or our stockholders, (3) any action asserting a claim against us or any director, officer, or other employee arising pursuant to the DGCL, (4) any action to interpret, apply, enforce, or determine the validity of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation or amended and restated bylaws, or (5) any other action asserting a claim that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine, shall be the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or another state court or the federal court located within the State of Delaware if the Court of Chancery does not have or declines to accept jurisdiction), in all cases subject to the court's having jurisdiction over indispensable parties named as defendants. In addition, our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the federal district court for the District of Delaware (or, in the event such court does not have jurisdiction, the federal district courts of the United States) will be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act but that the forum selection provision will not apply to claims brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act. Although we believe these provisions benefit us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law for the specified types of actions and proceedings, the provisions may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against us or our directors and officers. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, financial condition, and operating results. For example, under the Securities Act, federal courts have concurrent jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act, and investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in our shares of capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to this exclusive forum provision, but will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.

Certain provisions of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our second amended and restated bylaws have an anti-takeover effect and may delay, defer or prevent a merger, acquisition, tender offer, takeover attempt or other change of control transaction that a stockholder might consider in its best interest, including those attempts that might result in premium over the market price for the shares held by our stockholders. These provisions, among other things: - authorize our Board to issue new series of preferred stock without stockholder approval and create, subject to applicable law, a series of preferred stock with preferential rights to dividends or our assets upon liquidation, or with superior voting rights to our existing common stock;- eliminate the ability of stockholders to fill vacancies on our Board;- establish advance notice requirements for nominations for election to our Board or for proposing matters that can be acted upon by stockholders at our annual stockholder meetings;- permit our Board to establish the number of directors, provided that the Board must consist of at least five and no more than fifteen directors;- provide that our Board is expressly authorized to make, alter or repeal our amended and restated bylaws;- require, prior to the third anniversary of the closing of the Merger, the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of the voting power of the outstanding shares of capital stock entitled to vote thereon, voting together as a single class, to amend our second amended and restated bylaws and specific provisions of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation; and - limit the jurisdictions in which certain stockholder litigation may be brought. As a Delaware corporation, we are subject to the anti-takeover provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the "DGCL"), which prohibits a Delaware corporation from engaging in a business combination specified in the statute with an interested stockholder (as defined in the statute) for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person first becomes an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in advance by a majority of the independent directors or by the holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding disinterested shares. The application of Section 203 of the DGCL could also have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of our Company. These anti-takeover provisions could make it more difficult for a third-party to acquire us, even if the third-party's offer may be considered beneficial by many of our stockholders. As a result, our stockholders may be limited in their ability to obtain a premium for their shares. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for you and other stockholders to elect directors of your choosing and to cause us to take other corporate actions you desire.

We qualify as an "emerging growth company" as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Securities Act. As such, we are eligible for, take advantage of, and intend to continue taking advantage of, certain exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies for as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, including, but not limited to: (a) not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, (b) reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements and (c) exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (a) December 31, 2026, (b) the last date of our fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion, (c) the date on which we are deemed to be a "large accelerated filer" under the rules of the SEC with at least $700.0 million of outstanding securities held by non-affiliates or (d) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the previous three years. Investors may find our securities less attractive because we rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile. Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.

The trading market for our common stock relies in part on the research and reports that industry or financial analysts publish about us or our business. We do not control these analysts. There is no guarantee that analysts will cover our common stock. If analysts do not cover our common stock, the lack of research coverage may adversely affect our market price. In addition, some financial analysts may have limited expertise with our model and operations. Furthermore, if one or more of the analysts who do cover our business downgrade our common stock or industry, or the stock of any of our competitors, or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the price of our common stock could decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of us or fails to publish reports on it regularly, we could lose visibility in the market, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.

The market price for our common stock is highly volatile. For example, since we consummated the Merger, the closing sales price of our common stock has fluctuated from a high of $9.87 per share on September 29, 2021, the day we consummated the Merger, to a low of $0.14 per share on December 20, 2023. The stock market recently has experienced extreme volatility. This volatility often has appeared to be unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of particular companies. You may not be able to resell your shares of our common stock at an attractive price due to a number of factors such as those listed in "Risk Factors?-?Risks Relating to Our Business" and the following: - results of operations that vary from the expectations of securities analysts and investors;- results of operations that vary from those of our competitors;- guidance, if any, that we provide to the public, any changes in this guidance or our failure to meet this guidance;- changes in expectations as to our future financial performance, including financial estimates and investment recommendations by securities analysts and investors;- declines in the market prices of stocks generally;- strategic actions by us or our competitors;- announcements by us or our competitors of significant contracts, acquisitions, joint ventures, other strategic relationships or capital commitments;- any significant change in our management;- changes in general economic or market conditions or trends in our industry or markets;- changes in business or regulatory conditions, including new laws or regulations or new interpretations of existing laws or regulations applicable to our business;- future sales of our common stock or other securities;- investor perceptions or the investment opportunity associated with our common stock relative to other investment alternatives;- the public's response to press releases or other public announcements by us or third parties, including our filings with the SEC;- litigation involving us, our industry, or both, or investigations by regulators into our operations or those of our competitors;- the development and sustainability of an active trading market for our common stock;- actions by institutional or activist stockholders;- changes in accounting standards, policies, guidelines, interpretations or principles; and - other events or factors, including those resulting from natural disasters, war, or the threat of war, in particular, the current conflicts in Ukraine and Israel, acts of terrorism or responses to these events. Broad market and industry fluctuations may adversely affect the market price of our common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance, financial results or prospects. In addition, price volatility may be greater if the public float and trading volume of our common stock is low. Some companies that have had volatile market prices for their securities have been the target of a hostile takeover or subject to involvement by activist stockholders. If we were to become the target of such a situation, it could result in substantial costs and divert resources and the attention of executive management from our business. The current market price of our securities may not be indicative of future market prices or intrinsic value, and we may not be able to sustain or increase the value of an investment in our securities. Investors in our securities may experience a decrease, which could be substantial, in the value of their securities, including decreases unrelated to our operating performance, financial results or prospects. Your only opportunity to achieve a return on your investment in our securities may be if the market price of our securities appreciates and you sell your securities at a profit. The market price for our securities may never exceed, and may fall below, the price that you paid for such securities. You could lose all or part of your investment in us as a result. In the past, following periods of market volatility, stockholders have instituted securities class action litigation against other companies. If we were involved in securities litigation, it could have a substantial cost and divert resources and the attention of executive management from our business regardless of the outcome of such litigation.

The sale of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales could occur, could harm the prevailing market price of shares of our common stock. These sales, or the possibility that these sales may occur, also might make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities in the future at a time and at a price that we deem appropriate. Shares of our common stock held by certain other of our stockholders are eligible for resale, subject to volume, manner of sale and other limitations under Rule 144 under the Securities Act ("Rule 144"). By exercising their registration rights and selling a large number of shares, these stockholders could cause the prevailing market price of our common stock to decline. As restrictions on resale end or if these stockholders exercise their registration rights, the market price of shares of our common stock could drop significantly if the holders of these shares sell them or are perceived by the market as intending to sell them. These factors could also make it more difficult for us to raise additional funds through future offerings of shares of our common stock or other securities. In addition, the shares of our common stock reserved for future issuance under our equity incentive plans will become eligible for sale in the public market once those shares are issued, subject to provisions relating to various vesting agreements, lock-up agreements and, in some cases, limitations on volume and manner of sale applicable to affiliates under Rule 144, as applicable. We have filed registration statements on Form S-8 under the Securities Act to register shares of our common stock issuable pursuant to our equity incentive plan and our employee stock purchase plan, and may in the future file one or more additional registration statements on Form S-8 for the same or similar purposes. Any such Form S-8 registration statements will automatically become effective upon filing. Accordingly, shares registered under such registration statements will be available for sale in the open market. Additionally, we may issue additional common stock, or securities convertible into common stock, pursuant to our shelf registration statement (including our at-the-market facility), upon exercise of outstanding warrants, for additional financing purposes, in connection with strategic transactions such as acquisitions or collaboration agreements, or otherwise, any of which could result in dilution to existing stockholders. We have the ability to sell up to $400 million of additional shares of our common stock, or securities convertible into common stock, to the public through our shelf registration statement, including approximately $100 million through our at-the-market facility. Any sales under our shelf registration statement are likely to result in dilution to our existing stockholders, and other types of equity financing may also result in dilution to our existing stockholders. Although we may obtain additional financing through non-dilutive means, we may be unable to do so. In the future, we may also issue our securities in connection with investments or acquisitions. The amount of shares of our common stock issued in connection with an investment or acquisition could constitute a material portion of our then-outstanding shares of common stock. Any issuance of additional securities may result in additional dilution to our stockholders.