As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 14, 2018

Registration No. 333-            

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

ORGANOVO HOLDINGS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

6275 Nancy Ridge Drive

San Diego, California 92121

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)(Zip Code)

Inducement Award Stock Option Agreement

Inducement Award Restricted Stock Unit Agreement

(Full titles of the plans)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, 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

This registration statement shall become effective upon filing in accordance with Rule 462 under the Securities Act.

INTRODUCTORY NOTES

Organovo Holdings, Inc. (the “Company” or the “Registrant”) has filed this Registration Statement to register under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), the offer and sale of 1,135,408 shares of the Company’s Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share (“Common Stock”), pursuant to the terms of an Inducement Award Stock Option Agreement and an Inducement Award Restricted Stock Unit Agreement (collectively, the “Inducement Award Agreements”) attached as exhibits to this registration statement.

On August 1, 2018, the Company announced that its Board of Directors had appointed Steven G. Hughes, M.D., to serve as its Chief Medical Officer. Pursuant to the terms of the offer letter between the Company and Dr. Hughes, the Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors approved the issuance of a Stock Option Award for 974,694 shares of Common Stock and a Restricted Stock Unit Award for 160,714 shares of Common Stock on August 14, 2018. The Stock Option Award and the Restricted Stock Unit Award are evidenced by the respective Inducement Award Agreements attached hereto.

The Stock Option Award and the Restricted Stock Unit Award were adopted outside the terms of the Company’s stockholder-approved equity plan as permitted by Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4) as an inducement material to the acceptance of employment by its new Chief Medical Officer.

PART I

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

As permitted by the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”), this registration statement omits the information specified in Part I of Form S-8. The documents containing the information specified in Part I will be delivered to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and President as required by Rule 428(b) promulgated under the Securities Act. Such documents are not being filed with the Commission as part of this registration statement or as prospectuses or prospectus supplements pursuant to Rule 424 of the Securities Act. Such documents and the documents incorporated by reference in this registration statement pursuant to Item 3 of Part II hereof, 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

The following documents filed with the Commission by the Registrant are incorporated by reference in this registration statement:

All documents subsequently filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this registration statement and to be part hereof from the date of filing of such reports and other documents, except as to any portion of any such report or other document furnished under current Items 2.02 or 7.01 of Form 8-K that is not deemed filed under such provisions.

For the purposes of this registration statement, any statement contained in a report or 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.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Under Section 145 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, we may indemnify our directors and officers against liabilities they may incur in such capacities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Our certificate of incorporation provides that, pursuant to Delaware law, our directors shall not be liable for monetary damages for breach of the directors’ fiduciary duty of care to us and our stockholders. This provision does not eliminate the duty of care, and in appropriate circumstances equitable remedies such as injunctive or other forms of non-monetary relief will remain available under Delaware law. In addition, each director will continue to be subject to liability for breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders for acts or omissions not in good faith or involving intentional misconduct or knowing violations of the law, for actions leading to improper personal benefit to the director, and for payment of dividends or approval of stock repurchases or redemptions that are unlawful under Delaware law. The provision also does not affect a director’s responsibilities under any other law, such as the federal securities laws or state or federal environmental laws.

Our bylaws provide for the indemnification of its directors to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law. Our bylaws further provide that our Board of Directors has discretion to indemnify our officers and other employees. We are required to advance, prior to the final disposition of any proceeding, promptly on request, all expenses incurred by any director or executive officer in connection with that proceeding on receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of that director or executive officer to repay those amounts if it should be determined ultimately that he or she is not entitled to be indemnified under our bylaws or otherwise. We are not, however, required to advance any expenses in connection with any proceeding if a determination is reasonably and promptly made (i) by a majority vote of the directors who are not parties to such proceeding, even though less than a quorum, or (ii) by a committee of such directors designated by majority vote of such directors, even though less than a quorum, or (iii) if there are no such directors, or if such directors so direct, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion, that facts known to the decision-making party at the time such determination is made demonstrate clearly and convincingly that such person acted in bad faith or in a manner that such person did not believe to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation.

In addition, we have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our executive officers and directors. We also maintain an officers and directors liability insurance policy.

The foregoing may reduce the likelihood of derivative litigation against our directors and executive officers and may discourage or deter stockholders or management from suing directors or executive officers for breaches of their duty of care, even though such actions, if successful, might otherwise benefit the company and our stockholders.

We have been advised that in the opinion of the Commission indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act 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 is asserted by one of our directors, officers, or controlling persons in connection with the securities being registered, we will, unless in the opinion of our legal counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit the question of whether such indemnification is against public policy to a court of appropriate jurisdiction. We will then be governed by the court’s decision.

Not applicable.

The following is a list of exhibits filed as part of this registration statement, which are incorporated herein:

(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 this 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 this Registration Statement;

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this Registration Statement or any material change to such information in this 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 this 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 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 this 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 the 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, 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 San Diego, State of California, on this 14th day of August, 2018.

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Taylor Crouch and Jennifer Bush, and each of them individually, as the undersigned’s true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for the undersigned and in the undersigned’s name, place, and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments to this Report, and to file the same, 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 connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as the undersigned might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming that all said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them or their respective substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

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