As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 23, 2021

Registration No. 333-

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

Akoya Biosciences, Inc.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

Akoya Biosciences, Inc. 2021 Equity Incentive Plan
Akoya Biosciences, Inc. 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Akoya Biosciences, Inc. 2015 Equity Incentive Plan

(Full Title of the Plan)

Brian McKelligon
Chief Executive Officer
Akoya Biosciences, Inc.
100 Campus Drive, 6th Floor
Marlborough, MA 01752
(855) 896-8401

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Copies to:

Patrick J. O’Malley
DLA Piper LLP (US)
4365 Executive Drive, Suite 1100
San Diego, CA 92121
(858) 677-1400

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

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 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ¨

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

Title of Each Class of Securities to be Registered		Amount to be Registered(1)				Proposed Maximum Offering Price Per Share				Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price				Amount of Registration Fee
2015 Equity Incentive Plan Common Stock, $0.00001 par value per share			3,920,487	(2)		$	4.32	(5)		$	16,936,503.84			$	1,847.77
2021 Equity Incentive Plan Common Stock, $0.00001 par value per share			1,727,953	(3)		$	23.22	(6)		$	40,123,068.66			$	4,377.43
2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan Common Stock, $0.00001 par value per share			172,795	(4)		$	19.74	(7)		$	3,410,973.30			$	372.14
Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price			5,821,235				N/A			$	60,470,545.80				6,597.34

PART I

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

The information called for by Part I of Form S-8 is omitted from this Registration Statement in accordance with Rule 428 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and the instructions to Form S-8. In accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and the instructions to Form S-8, such documents are not being filed with the SEC either as part of this Registration Statement or as prospectuses or prospectus supplements pursuant to Rule 424 of the Securities Act.

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

In this registration statement, Akoya Biosciences, Inc. is sometimes referred to as “Registrant,” “we,” “us” or “our.”

Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference the information we file with them, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this registration statement, and later information filed with the SEC will update and supersede this information. We hereby incorporate by reference into this registration statement the following documents previously filed with the SEC:

All documents that the Registrant subsequently files pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment to the registration statement which indicates that all of the shares of common stock offered have been sold or which deregisters all of such shares then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this registration statement and to be a part hereof from the date of the filing of such documents; except as to any portion of any future annual or quarterly report to stockholders or document or current report furnished under current Items 2.02 or 7.01 of Form 8-K, and exhibits furnished on such form that relate to such items, that is not deemed filed under such provisions. For the purposes of this registration statement, any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this registration statement.

Under no circumstances will any information filed under current Items 2.02 or 7.01 of Form 8-K, and exhibits furnished on such form that relate to such items, be deemed incorporated herein by reference unless such Form 8-K expressly provides to the contrary.

Item 4. Description of Securities.

Not applicable.

Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

Not applicable.

Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

Section 102(b)(7) of the Delaware General Corporation Law permits a corporation to provide in its certificate of incorporation that a director of the corporation shall not be personally liable to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except for liability (i) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) for unlawful payment of dividends or unlawful stock purchases or redemptions, or (iv) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains such a provision.

Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law authorizes a court to award, or a corporation’s board of directors to grant, indemnity to directors and officers in terms sufficiently broad to permit such indemnification under certain circumstances for liabilities, including reimbursement for expenses incurred, arising under the Securities Act.

Our amended and restated articles of incorporation and our bylaws provide that we will indemnify our directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law. Our amended and restated bylaws also provide that we may indemnify a director, officer, employee or agent (including the advancement of expenses pending the final disposition of any action or proceeding).

We have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our current directors and executive officers and other employees, and may enter into indemnification agreements with future directors, executive officers and other employees, to provide such directors, officers and employees additional contractual assurances regarding the scope of the indemnification set forth in our amended and restated articles of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws and to provide additional procedural protections.

We may also purchase and maintain liability insurance on behalf of our directors, officers, employees and agents for any liability arising out of his or her actions in that capacity regardless of whether we would otherwise be permitted to indemnify him or her under Delaware law. We currently maintain a liability insurance policy pursuant to which our directors and officers may be indemnified against liability incurred as a result of serving in their capacities as directors and officers, subject to certain exclusions, including liabilities under the Securities Act.

The 2021 Plan provides, subject to certain limitations, for indemnification by us of any director, officer, or employee against all reasonable expenses, including attorneys’ fees, incurred in connection with any legal action arising from such person’s action or failure to act in administering the 2021 Plan.

The ESPP provides, subject to certain limitations, for indemnification by us of any director, officer or employee against all judgments, amounts paid in settlement and reasonable expenses, including attorneys’ fees, incurred in connection with any legal action arising from such person’s action or failure to act in administering the ESPP.

Item 7. Exemption from Registration Claimed.

Not applicable.

Item 8. Exhibits.

Item 9. Undertakings.

1. The Registrant hereby undertakes:

Provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not apply if the registration statement is on Form S-8 and the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement.

2. The Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

3. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Marlborough, State of Massachusetts, on this 23rd day of April, 2021.

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below does hereby constitute and appoint Brian McKelligon and Joseph Driscoll and each of them, with full power of substitution and full power to act without the other, his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent to act for him or her in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this registration statement, and to file this registration statement, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in order to effectuate the same as fully, to all intents and purposes, as they or he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated.