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 |
STAAR SURGICAL COMPANY
(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 |
STAAR Surgical Company (the “Company”) sent the following courtesy email to certain investors and analysts on August 4, 2025:
Subject: STAAR Surgical Enters Definitive Agreement to Be Acquired by Alcon for $28 Per Share
I’m writing with some exciting news. A few moments ago, we announced that STAAR Surgical has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Alcon for $28 per share in cash. A copy of the press release is attached.
Highlights of the transaction include the following:
| • | Provides immediate and certain value at a significant premium, value that exceeds what we believe could be achieved under STAAR’s standalone strategy. |
| • | 51% premium to STAAR’s closing stock price on August 4, 2025 (the last trading day prior to the announcement of the transaction) |
| • | 59% premium to STAAR’s 90-day Volume Weighted Average Price (VWAP) |
| • | Transaction is expected to close in six to 12 months, subject to customary closing conditions and approvals, including approval by STAAR shareholders. |
| • | Transaction is not subject to a financing condition. |
| • | The Board of STAAR has unanimously approved the transaction. |
| • | STAAR will release financial results for its second quarter ended June 27, 2025, on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, after the market close. Given the pending acquisition by Alcon, STAAR will not host a conference call in conjunction with earnings. |
We value your investment and support.
Additional Information About the Merger and Where to Find It
This communication relates to the proposed transaction involving the Company. In connection with the proposed transaction, the Company will file relevant materials with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including the Company’s proxy statement on Schedule 14A (the “Proxy Statement”). This communication is not a substitute for the Proxy Statement or any other document that the Company may file with the SEC or send to its stockholders in connection with the proposed transaction. BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING DECISION, STOCKHOLDERS OF THE COMPANY ARE URGED TO READ ALL RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED OR TO BE FILED WITH THE SEC, INCLUDING THE PROXY STATEMENT, AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS THERETO, IN CONNECTION WITH THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION. Investors and security holders will be able to obtain the documents (when available) free of charge at the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov, or by visiting the Company’s investor relations website, https://investors.staar.com.
No Offer or Solicitation
This communication is for informational purposes only and is not intended to and does not constitute, or form part of, an offer, invitation or the solicitation of an offer or invitation to purchase, otherwise acquire, subscribe for, sell or otherwise dispose of any securities, or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction, pursuant to the proposed transaction or otherwise, nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer of securities in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law.
Participants in the Solicitation
Under SEC rules, the Company and certain of its directors, executive officers and other members of management and employees may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the holders of the Company’s common stock in connection with the proposed transaction. Information about the directors and executive officers of the Company and their ownership of the Company’s common stock is set forth in the definitive proxy statement for the Company’s 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Proxy Statement”), which was filed with the SEC on April 24, 2025 (and which is available at https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/0000718937/000095017025058174/staa-20250424.htm), including the sections captioned “Compensation of Directors,” “Information Regarding Executive Officers” and “Security Ownership of Principal Shareholders and Management,” or its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 27, 2024, which was filed with the SEC on February 21, 2025 (and which is available at https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/0000718937/000095017025024813/staa-20241227.htm), and in other documents filed by the Company with the SEC. To the extent holdings of such participants in the Company’s securities have changed since the amounts described in the Annual Proxy Statement, such changes have been reflected on Initial Statements of Beneficial Ownership on Form 3 or Statements of Change in Ownership on Form 4 filed with the SEC by the Company’s directors and executive officers. These documents can be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above. Additional information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be contained in the Proxy Statement and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC in respect of the proposed transaction when they become available.
Forward-Looking Statements
The information covered by this communication contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements often contain words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “expect,” “plan,” “estimate,” “project,” “continue,” “will,” “should,” “may,” and similar terms. All statements in this communication that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from what is expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to: (1) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement between the parties to the proposed transaction or extend the anticipated timetable for completion of the proposed transaction; (2) the failure to obtain approval of the proposed transaction from the Company’s stockholders; (3) the failure to obtain certain required regulatory approvals or the failure to satisfy any of the other closing conditions to the completion of the proposed transaction within the expected timeframes or at all; (4) risks related to disruption of management’s attention from the Company’s ongoing business operations due to the proposed transaction; (5) the effect of the announcement of the proposed transaction on the ability of the Company to retain and hire key personnel and maintain relationships with its customers, suppliers and others with whom it does business, or on its operating results and business generally; (6) the ability of the Company to meet expectations regarding the timing and completion of the transaction; (7) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against the Company related to the proposed transaction; (8) the possibility that the Company’s stock price may decline significantly if the proposed transaction is not consummated; and (9) other important factors set forth in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 27, 2024 under the caption “Risk Factors,” as any such factors may be updated from time to time in the Company’s other filings with the SEC.
Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and, except as may be required under applicable law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.