SEC Form S-8 filed by Alpha Cognition Inc.
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 13, 2026
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM S-8
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
ALPHA COGNITION INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| British Columbia | N/A | |
|
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
1452 Hughes Rd., Ste 200
Grapevine, Texas, 76051
(858) 344-4375
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
THE 2025 STOCK AND INCENTIVE PLAN
(Full title of the plans)
Michael McFadden
Chief Executive Officer
Alpha Cognition Inc.
1452 Hughes Rd., Ste 200
Grapevine, Texas, 76051
(858) 344-4375
(Name and address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copy to:
| Jason K. Brenkert, Esq. Dorsey & Whitney LLP 1400 Wewatta Street, Suite 400 Denver, Colorado 80202 (303) 352-1133 |
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.
| Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ |
| Non-accelerated filer | ☒ | Smaller reporting company | ☒ |
| Emerging growth company | ☒ |
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. ☐
PART I
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS
Item 1. Plan Information.
The information specified in Item 1 and Item 2 of Part I of this Registration Statement is omitted from this filing in accordance with the provisions of Rule 428 under the Securities Act and the introductory note to Part I of Form S-8. The documents containing the information specified in Part I will be delivered to plan participants as required by Rule 428(b)(1).
Item 2. Registrant Information and Employee Plan Annual Information.
The information specified in Item 1 and Item 2 of Part I of this Registration Statement is omitted from this filing in accordance with the provisions of Rule 428 under the Securities Act and the introductory note to Part I of Form S-8. The documents containing the information specified in Part I will be delivered to plan participants as required by Rule 428(b)(1).
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PART II
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT
Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference.
The following documents previously filed by Alpha Cognition Inc. (referred to as the “Company”, “we”, “us”, and “ours” herein) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) are incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement:
| (a) | our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the Commission on March 31, 2025; |
| (b) | our Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, dated April 30, 2025, in connection with the Company’s June 19, 2025 annual general meeting of shareholders, to the extent such information is specifically incorporated by reference into Part III of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, as filed with the Commission on April 30, 2025; |
| (c) | our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, filed with the Commission on May 15, 2025; |
| (d) | our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2025, filed with the Commission on August 14, 2025; |
| (e) | our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2025, filed with the Commission on November 13, 2025; |
| (f) | all other reports filed pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), since the end of the latest fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 for which financial statements are contained in the Annual Report incorporated by reference herein pursuant to (a) above; and |
| (g) | the description of our common shares contained in its registration statement on Form 8-A filed on November 8, 2024, including any amendment or report filed for purposes of updating such description. |
All documents we subsequently filed with the Commission pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement which indicates that all securities offered have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement and to be a part hereof from the date of the filing of such documents, except that information furnished to the Commission under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 in Current Reports on Form 8-K and any exhibit relating to such information, shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement.
Item 4. Description of Securities.
Not applicable.
Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.
None.
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Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
The corporate laws of British Columbia allow us, and our corporate articles require us (subject to the provisions of the BCBCA noted below), to indemnify our Directors, former Directors, alternate Directors and their heirs and legal personal representatives against all eligible penalties to which such person is or may be liable, and we must, after the final disposition of an eligible proceeding, pay the expenses actually and reasonably incurred by such person in respect of that proceeding. Each Director and alternate Director is deemed to have contracted with us on the terms of the indemnity contained in our articles.
For the purposes of such an indemnification:
“eligible party”, in relation to the Company, means an individual who
| (1) | is or was a Director or officer of the Company, |
| (2) | is or was a director or officer of another corporation |
| (i) | at a time when the corporation is or was an affiliate of the Company, or |
| (ii) | at the request of the Company, or |
| (3) | at the request of the Company, is or was, or holds or held a position equivalent to that of, a director or officer of a partnership, trust, joint venture or other unincorporated entity, and includes, except in the definition of “eligible proceeding” and certain other cases, the heirs and personal or other legal representatives of that individual; |
“eligible penalty” means a judgment, penalty or fine awarded or imposed in, or an amount paid in settlement of, an eligible proceeding;
“eligible proceeding” means a proceeding in which an eligible party or any of the heirs and personal or other legal representatives of the eligible party, by reason of the eligible party being or having been a director or officer of, or holding or having held a position equivalent to that of a director or officer of, the Company or an associated corporation:
| (1) | is or may be joined as a party, or |
| (2) | is or may be liable for or in respect of a judgment, penalty or fine in, or expenses related to, the proceeding; |
“expenses” includes costs, charges and expenses, including legal and other fees, but does not include judgments, penalties, fines or amounts paid in settlement of a proceeding; and
“proceeding” includes any legal proceeding or investigative action, whether current, threatened, pending or completed.
In addition, under the BCBCA, we may pay, as they are incurred in advance of the final disposition of an eligible proceeding, the expenses actually and reasonably incurred by an eligible party in respect of that proceeding, provided that we first receive from the eligible party a written undertaking that, if it is ultimately determined that the payment of expenses is prohibited by the restrictions noted below, the eligible party will repay the amounts advanced.
Notwithstanding the provisions of our articles noted above, we must not indemnify an eligible party or pay the expenses of an eligible party, if any of the following circumstances apply:
| (1) | if the indemnity or payment is made under an earlier agreement to indemnify or pay expenses and, at the time that the agreement to indemnify or pay expenses was made, we were prohibited from giving the indemnity or paying the expenses by our memorandum or articles; |
| (2) | if the indemnity or payment is made otherwise than under an earlier agreement to indemnify or pay expenses and, at the time that the indemnity or payment is made, we are prohibited from giving the indemnity or paying the expenses by our memorandum or articles; |
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| (3) | if, in relation to the subject matter of the eligible proceeding, the eligible party did not act honestly and in good faith with a view to our best interests or the associated corporation, as the case may be; |
| (4) | in the case of an eligible proceeding other than a civil proceeding, if the eligible party did not have reasonable grounds for believing that the eligible party’s conduct in respect of which the proceeding was brought was lawful. |
In addition, if an eligible proceeding is brought against an eligible party by or on behalf of the Company or by or on behalf of an associated corporation, we must not do either of the following:
| (1) | indemnify the eligible party under section 160 (a) in respect of the proceeding; or |
| (2) | pay the expenses of the eligible party in respect of the proceeding. |
Notwithstanding any of the foregoing, and whether or not payment of expenses or indemnification has been sought, authorized or declined under the BCBCA or our articles, on our application or an eligible party, the Supreme Court of British Columbia may do one or more of the following:
| (1) | order a company to indemnify an eligible party against any liability incurred by the eligible party in respect of an eligible proceeding; |
| (2) | order a company to pay some or all of the expenses incurred by an eligible party in respect of an eligible proceeding; |
| (3) | order the enforcement of, or any payment under, an agreement of indemnification entered into by a company; |
| (4) | order a company to pay some or all of the expenses actually and reasonably incurred by any person in obtaining an order under this section; |
| (5) | make any other order the court considers appropriate. |
Item 7. Exemption from Registration Claimed.
Not applicable.
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Item 8. Exhibits.
| * | Filed herewith. |
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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; 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) 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 Exchange Act 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.
(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 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 Section 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 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.
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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 Grapevine, Texas, on January 13, 2026.
| ALPHA COGNITION INC. | ||
| By | /s/ Michael McFadden | |
| Michael McFadden | ||
| Chief Executive Officer and Director | ||
KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and appoints Michael McFadden as his or her true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, each with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign, execute and file all amendments (including, without limitation, post- effective amendments) to this Registration Statement, and to file the same, with 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, as fully for all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that each of said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or his or her substitute or substitutes may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| /s/ Michael McFadden | Dated: January 13, 2026 | |
| Name: Michael McFadden Title: Chief Executive Officer and Director (Principal Executive Officer) |
||
| /s/ Henry Du | Dated: January 13, 2026 | |
| Name: Henry Du Title: Vice President of Finance and Accounting and Interim Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer) |
||
| /s/ Len Mertz | Dated: January 13, 2026 | |
| Name: Len Mertz Title: Chairman and Director |
||
| /s/ Robert Wills | Dated: January 13, 2026 | |
| Name: Robert Wills Title: Director |
||
| /s/ Phillip Mertz | Dated: January 13, 2026 | |
| Name: Phillip Mertz Title: Director |
||
| /s/ Rajeev Bakshi | Dated: January 13, 2026 | |
| Name: Rajeev Bakshi Title: Director |
||
| /s/ Kenneth Cawkell | Dated: January 13, 2026 | |
| Name: Kenneth Cawkell Title: Director |
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SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE IN THE UNITED STATES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 6(a) of the Securities Act, the undersigned has signed this Registration Statement, solely in the capacity of the duly authorized representative of the Registrant in the United States, on January 13, 2026.
| By: | /s/ Michael McFadden | ||
| Name: | Michael McFadden | ||
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer and Director | ||
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