As filed with Securities and Exchange Commission on April 12, 2024

Registration No. 333-    

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

CHROMOCELL THERAPEUTICS CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

4400 Route 9 South, Suite 1000

Freehold, NJ 07728

732-514-2636

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code,

of registrant’s principal executive offices)

Chromocell Therapeutics Corporation 2023 Equity Incentive Plan

(Full Title of the Plan)

Francis Knuettel II

Chief Executive Officer and

Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary

4400 Route 9 South, Suite 1000
Freehold, NJ 07728
732-514-2636

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

Copy to:

David Danovitch, Esq.

Sullivan & Worcester LLP

1633 Broadway, 32^nd Floor

New York, New York 10019

(212) 660-3060

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. ☐

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This Registration Statement on Form S-8 (this “Registration Statement”) is being filed by Chromocell Therapeutics Corporation (the “Registrant”) for the purpose of registering an aggregate of 444,444 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Registrant (“Common Stock”) issuable under the Chromocell Therapeutics Corporation 2023 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended (the “Plan”). The Registrant’s board of directors and holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Registrant’s voting stock each approved the Plan on January 10, 2023.

The Registrant’s board of directors and the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Registrant’s voting stock each approved on February 14, 2024 and February 15, 2024, respectively, the First Amendment to the Plan to increase the number of shares of Common Stock available for issuance under the Plan from 3,000,000 shares of Common Stock to 4,000,000 shares of Common Stock (prior to giving effect to the Reverse Split (as defined below)). On February 15, 2024, the Registrant effected a 1-for-9 reverse stock split of all outstanding shares of its Common Stock (the “Reverse Split”), and, pursuant to the terms of the Plan, the number of shares of Common Stock reserved to be issued under the Plan was decreased to 444,444.

The Common Stock share amounts stated in the first paragraph are presented on a post-split basis and reflect the Reverse Split.

PART I

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

The documents containing the information specified in Part I of Form S-8 will be delivered to participants in the Plan in accordance with Rule 428(b)(1) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Such documents are not required to be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) either as part of this Registration Statement or as prospectuses or prospectus supplements pursuant to Rule 424 of the Securities Act. These documents, and the documents incorporated by reference in Item 3 of Part II of this Registration Statement, taken together, constitute a prospectus that meets the requirements of Section 10(a) of the Securities Act.

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

Incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement are the following documents filed by the Registrant with the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), excluding those portions of any Current Report on Form 8-K that are not deemed “filed” pursuant to the General Instructions of Form 8-K:

In addition, all documents filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act (other than portions of those made pursuant to Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K or other information “furnished” and not filed with the Commission), subsequent to the effective date of this Registration Statement, but prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement indicating that all securities offered hereby have been sold or deregistering all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference herein and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents. Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein and to be a part hereof shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement 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.

Item 4. Description of Securities.

See the description of the Registrant’s Common Stock contained in the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-269188). 

Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

David Danovitch and John Riley, partner and of counsel of Sullivan & Worcester LLP, respectively, own 61,865 and 108,263 shares of the Registrant’s Common Stock, respectively, and each held senior secured convertible notes in the amount of $18,406 and $12,152, including principal and interest, respectively, that each automatically converted into 3,880 and 2,554 shares of Common Stock, respectively, upon the consummation of the Registrant’s initial public offering. 

Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

Section 102 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (“DGCL”) permits a corporation to include a provision in its certificate of incorporation eliminating or limiting the personal liability of a director to a corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for certain breaches of the director’s fiduciary duty, except (1) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders, (2) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (3) the payment of unlawful dividends or unlawful stock repurchases or redemptions or (4) transactions from which the director received an improper personal benefit.

Section 145 of the DGCL (“Section 145”) authorizes a corporation to indemnify its directors, officers, employees and agents against certain liabilities (including attorney’s fees, judgments, fines and expenses) they may incur in their capacities as such in connection with specified actions, suits or proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation, or a derivative action), if they acted in good faith and in a manner they reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe their conduct was unlawful. Section 145 also provides that directors and officers have a right to indemnification against expenses where they have been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of such actions. A similar standard is applicable in the case of derivative actions, except that indemnification only extends to expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred in connection with defense or settlement of such action, and the statute requires court approval before there can be any indemnification where the person seeking indemnification has been found liable to the corporation. Section 145 also authorizes a corporation to advance expenses incurred in defending such actions, suits or proceedings in advance of their final disposition. Section 145 empowers the corporation to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any directors, officers, employees and agent, against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability under Section 145.

The Registrant’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation includes provisions eliminating the personal liability of the Registrant’s directors to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, and the Registrant’s amended and restated bylaws include provisions indemnifying the Registrant’s directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL.

Item 7. Exemption From Registration Claimed.

Not applicable.

Item 8. Exhibits.

Item 9. Undertakings.

(a) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;

(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective Registration Statement; and

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or any material change to such information in the Registration Statement;

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

(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment 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; and

(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(b) The undersigned 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.

(c) 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 Commission 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 any 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 of whether or not 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, as amended, 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 North Brunswick, State of New Jersey on the April 12, 2024.

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each individual whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Francis Knuettel II, as his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent with full power of substitution, for him or her and 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 the same with all exhibits thereto, and all documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorney-in-fact and agent full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact and agent, or his substitute or substitutes, 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 below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.