Published on October 23, 2018
- After securing the needed conversions for funding, in a further show of confidence, current and new investors participated in an additional $433,000 of common stock and warrant private placement.- New industry partnerships and platform integrations continue to add long term value to content creators and brands on the Vocal platform.
NEW YORK, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Jerrick Media Holdings, Inc., (OTCQB: JMDA) (the "Company" or "Jerrick"), a technology company and the creators of Vocal, today announced the conversion of an additional $1,758,214 of debt and preferred stock into 8,960,517 shares of the Company's common stock. As inducement for converting their debt and preferred stock into shares of the Company's common stock, the Company issued those debt holders and preferred stockholders 4,480,261 warrants to purchase shares of the Company's common stock at an exercise price equal to $0.30 per share, that expire five years from the date of issuance. The Company also secured an additional $433,000 in capital commitments, amounting to a total of $3,466,290 raised in its private placement offering (the "Offering"). Each unit of the Offering consists of one (1) share of common stock and a warrant to purchase one (1) share of common stock and were sold at a price of $0.25 per unit. The warrants are exercisable for a period of five years at an exercise price of $0.30 per share.
Together with the $12,138,152 of debt and preferred stock already converted into equity earlier this month, as specified in the S-1 filed today, October 24, brings the total amount of converted debt and preferred to $13,896,233. With these conversions and today's S-1 filing, the Company has now completed the core hurdles delineated in the terms of the Offering and, as per the financing terms, will receive the second tranche of funds. In effect, nearly 100% of all previously outstanding convertible debt and preferred stock has been eliminated, debt service burdens have been significantly reduced and the new capital from the Offering provides fuel to the forward runway.
"What we have accomplished by converting nearly $14 million of debt and all outstanding shares of preferred stock into common stock, while at the same time raising a total of approximately $3.45 million in an up-round is an extraordinary achievement. Our investors understand the tremendous potential for scale that is embedded in Vocal's technology," said CEO Jeremy Frommer.
The net proceeds of the Offering are expected to be used for working capital. Specific focus on technology development and strategic initiatives will enhance Vocal's positioning in the digital ecosystem as a primary destination for creators and brands, as well as a strong partner for complimentary platforms.
"Vocal is positioned ahead of current industry trends. With its vibrant communities that are fueled by a diverse base of creators and a proven moderation system that, at its core, is powered by human curation, Vocal provides a brand and creator-safe environment," said Justin Maury, Co-Founder and Head of Product.
Following the successful implementation of Stripe, one of the largest online payment processors, the Company has completed three additional platform integrations: Stripe Express, Unsplash and Flipboard.
"Vocal is home to 350,000 creators, 34 communities and 350 long-form submissions daily, and is expected to grow at an exponential rate. With over a quarter of a million submissions since early 2017, Vocal is already an established and trusted platform in the creator community." said Frommer.
Jerrick's transformation of its balance sheet, through the Offering and the conversion of debt and preferred securities, allows the investment community to focus on the Company's fundamental value, while Management can focus on its roadmap for technology development, revenues and creator growth.
"The execution of our business plan is a testament to the quality of our management team," continued Frommer. " At the current development pace, Jerrick's flagship product Vocal will introduce a number of new features that will allow it to substantially increase its quarterly revenues. This trend will be compounded by the expanding universe of creators on Vocal, expected to reach 1 million in the latter half of 2019. The pace of growth should continue to accelerate as we introduce subscription-based revenue streams, complete the Company's uplisting to the NASDAQ Capital Market in the summer of 2019 and begin the next chapter of Jerrick's journey."
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