HCW Biologics Inc.
For the period ended Mar 13, 2026. Filed Mar 13, 2026.
View on SEC.govAbout this filing
What shareholders are asked to vote on at a company's meeting. It is where to find what directors and top executives are paid, and who owns the most shares.
Mar 13, 2026 · Filed Mar 13, 2026
Use the contents to explore the available documents and sections.
Contents
Cover page
Show cover page
DEF 14A 1 formdef14a.htm DEF 14A
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Filed by the Registrant ☒
Filed by a Party other than the Registrant ☐
Check the appropriate box:
| ☐ | Preliminary Proxy Statement |
|---|
| ☐ | Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) |
|---|
| ☒ | Definitive Proxy Statement |
|---|
| ☐ | Definitive Additional Materials |
|---|
| ☐ | Soliciting Material under §240.14a-12 |
|---|
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)
Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
| ☒ | No fee required. |
|---|
| ☐ | Fee paid previously with preliminary materials. |
|---|
| ☐ | Fee computed on table in exhibit required by Item 25(b) per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11. |
|---|
NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
On April 27, 2026
March 13, 2026
To Our Stockholders:
You are cordially invited to attend the Special Meeting of Stockholders of HCW Biologics Inc. (the “Company” or “HCWB”) on Monday, April 27, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. This Special Meeting will be a completely virtual meeting, conducted only via live webcast atwww.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/HCWB2026SM. You will be able to attend and participate in the Special Meeting online, submit questions during the meeting and vote your shares electronically. In addition, although the live webcast is available only to stockholders at the time of the meeting, following completion of the Special Meeting, a webcast replay will be available atwww.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/HCWB2026SM for a period of one year after the Special Meeting.
At the Special Meeting the Company will submit the following two proposals to its stockholders for approval:
| 1. | To approve, for purposes of complying with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(d), the issuance of shares of our Common Stock upon exercise of up to 2,477,292 Common Stock Purchase Warrants (the “Common Warrants”) issued pursuant to that certain Securities Purchase Agreement, dated February 17, 2026 (the “SPA”), entered into in connection with the Company’s follow-on public offering of Units (the “Offering”), which Offering was conducted pursuant to a registration statement (the “Registration Statement”) declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 17, 2026 and closed on February 19, 2026, as previously disclosed in the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on February 19, 2026, each Unit consisting of (i) one share of Common Stock or one Pre-Funded Warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock and (ii) one Common Warrant, with such Common Warrants exercisable only upon receipt of stockholder approval and having an exercise price equal to 100% of the public offering price per Unit, and such additional terms and conditions of the Common Warrants not materially inconsistent with the foregoing as our Board may hereafter approve; |
| 2. | To approve, for purposes of complying with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(d), the repricing of certain warrants issued on November 20, 2025 to purchase up to 3,020,410 shares of our Common Stock (the “Prior Warrants”) pursuant to that certain Existing Warrants Amendment Agreement, dated February 17, 2026, entered into in connection with the Offering conducted pursuant to the Registration Statement (as disclosed in the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on February 19, 2026), to reduce the exercise price of the Prior Warrants from $2.41 per share to $0.6055 per share, and to approve the issuance of shares of our Common Stock upon exercise of the Prior Warrants as so amended, and such additional terms and conditions of such amendment not materially inconsistent with the foregoing as our Board may hereafter approve; and |
| 3. | To transact such other business as may properly come before the Special Meeting or any adjournments or postponements thereof. |
On or about March 13, 2026, we will commence mailing a Notice of Special Meeting and Proxy Statement to our stockholders along with instructions on how to access our Proxy Statement via the Internet and authorize a proxy to vote your shares online.Please use this opportunity to take part in our affairs by voting on the business to come before the Special Meeting. Our Board has fixed the close of business on March 3, 2026, as the record date for the Special Meeting (the “Record Date”), and only stockholders of record as of the Record Date may vote at the Special Meeting and any postponements or adjournments of the meeting. All stockholders are cordially invited to participate in the Special Meeting and any postponements or adjournments thereof. Returning the paper proxy card or voting electronically does NOT deprive you of your right to participate in the virtual meeting and to vote your shares for the matters acted upon at the meeting.
Our Board recommends a voteFORProposal One and Proposal Two. For ten days prior to the Special Meeting, a complete list of stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting will be available for examination by any stockholder, for any purpose relating to the meeting, during ordinary business hours at our principal offices located at 2929 N. Commerce Parkway, Miramar, Florida 33025.
Your vote is important. Whether or not you expect to attend and participate in the Special Meeting, please vote as soon as possible by submitting your proxy electronically via the internet or, if you requested paper copies of the proxy materials, by telephone by following the instructions in the proxy materials or by completing, signing and dating the proxy card and returning it in the enclosed postage paid envelope.
On behalf of our Board, thank you for your participation in this important process.
Sincerely,
Hing C. Wong, Ph.D.
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
2929 N. Commerce Parkway
Miramar, Florida 33025
IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR THE SPECIAL MEETING TO BE HELD ON APRIL 27, 2026: THE PROXY STATEMENT AND PROXY CARD ARE AVAILABLE FREE OF CHARGE ATwww.proxyvote.com**.**
NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS To be held April 27, 2026
| Time and Date: | April 27, 2026 at 10:00 a.m., Eastern Time. |
|---|---|
| Place: | The Special Meeting will be a virtual meeting conducted exclusively online via live audio webcast on the internet at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/HCWB2026SM. By logging onto this website with the control number included on your proxy card or voting instruction form at the designated time, stockholders and proxyholders of record as of the record date identified below may be deemed present in person and eligible to vote at the Special Meeting. |
| Items of Business: | 1. To approve, for purposes of complying with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(d), the issuance of shares of our Common Stock upon exercise of up to 2,477,292 Common Stock Purchase Warrants (the “Common Warrants”) issued pursuant to that certain Securities Purchase Agreement, dated February 17, 2026 (the “SPA”), entered into in connection with the Company’s follow-on public offering of Units (the “Offering”), which Offering was conducted pursuant to a registration statement (the “Registration Statement”) declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 17, 2026 and closed on February 19, 2026, as previously disclosed in the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on February 19, 2026, each Unit consisting of (i) one share of Common Stock or one Pre-Funded Warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock and (ii) one Common Warrant, with such Common Warrants exercisable only upon receipt of stockholder approval and having an exercise price equal to 100% of the public offering price per Unit, and such additional terms and conditions of the Common Warrants not materially inconsistent with the foregoing as our Board may hereafter approve; 2. To approve, for purposes of complying with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(d), the repricing of certain warrants issued on November 20, 2025 to purchase up to 3,020,410 shares of our Common Stock (the “Prior Warrants”) pursuant to that certain Existing Warrants Amendment Agreement, dated February 17, 2026, entered into in connection with the Offering conducted pursuant to the Registration Statement (as disclosed in the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on February 19, 2026), to reduce the exercise price of the Prior Warrants from $2.41 per share to $0.6055 per share, and to approve the issuance of shares of our Common Stock upon exercise of the Prior Warrants as so amended, and such additional terms and conditions of such amendment not materially inconsistent with the foregoing as our Board may hereafter approve; and 3. To transact such other business as may properly come before the Special Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof. |
| Record Date: | Only stockholders of record at the close of business on March 3, 2026 are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Special Meeting and any postponements or adjournments thereof. |
| Proxy Voting: | Each share of common stock that you own represents one vote. |
| For questions regarding your stock ownership, you may contact us through our website at https://investors.hcwbiologics.com/ir-resources/contact-us or email us at info@hcwbiologics.com, or, if you are a registered holder, contact our transfer agent, Equiniti Trust Company, LLC, through its website at www.equiniti.com or by phone at (800) 937-5449. |
By Order of the Board of Directors,
Hing C. Wong, Ph.D.
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Miramar, FL
March 13, 2026
Whether or not you expect to participate in the virtual Special Meeting, please vote as promptly as possible in order to ensure your representation at the Special Meeting. You may vote online or, if you received printed copies of the proxy materials, by telephone or by using the proxy card or voting instruction form provided with the printed proxy materials.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| Page | |
|---|---|
| INFORMATION ABOUT SOLICITATION AND VOTING | 1 |
| QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT PROXY MATERIALS, VOTING, AND THE MEETING | 1 |
| PROPOSAL ONE: ISSUANCE OF SHARES IN EXCESS OF EXCHANGE CAP PROPOSAL | 8 |
| PROPOSAL TWO: WARRANT REPRICING PROPOSAL | 9 |
| HOUSEHOLDING | 11 |
| OTHER MATTERS | 11 |
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This proxy statement contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, that are based on expectations, estimates and projections as of the date of this proxy statement. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this proxy statement, including statements regarding effecting a reverse stock split, the timing of a reverse stock split, the principal effects of a reverse stock split, and the intended benefits of a reverse stock split, are forward-looking statements.
The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “expect,” “forecast,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “should,” “will,” “would,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from anticipated results, including:
| ● | the approval and issuance of shares of our common stock upon exercise of the Common Warrants, and the approval of the repricing of the Prior Warrants and issuance of shares of our common stock upon exercise of the Prior Warrants, as amended, on the price of our common stock; |
| ● | the approval and issuance of shares of our common stock upon exercise of the Common Warrants, and the approval of the repricing of the Prior Warrants and issuance of shares of our common stock upon exercise of the Prior Warrants, as amended, on the liquidity of our common stock; and |
| ● | our ability to maintain compliance with the listing standards of Nasdaq. |
We caution you that the foregoing list may not contain all of the forward-looking statements made in this proxy statement. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations about future events. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those described under the heading, “Certain Risks and Potential Disadvantages” in each of Proposals 1 and 2 and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this proxy statement may not occur and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements.
You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee that the future results, performance or events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur. We undertake no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason after the date of this proxy statement to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in our expectations.
PROXY STATEMENT FOR THE SPECIAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO BE HELD ON MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2026
The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.