Item 5.02Item 5.02 - Departure/Election of Directors
Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment
of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.
Termination of Chief Executive Officer and Resignation from the Board
On February 6, 2026, the board of directors (the “Board”) of
Axe Compute Inc. (the “Company”) voted to terminate, without cause, the employment of Raymond F. Vennare with the Company,
effective as of February 9, 2026. In connection with his termination, Mr. Vennare entered into a separation agreement dated February 9,
2026 (the “Separation Agreement”), pursuant to which Mr. Vennare will receive certain separation benefits, contingent upon
Mr. Vennare signing, delivering and not rescinding or revoking a general release of claims in favor of the Company. The Separation agreement
provides for, among other things, (i) the payment of $575,000 in severance pay, which amount is equal to one year of Mr. Vennare’s
base salary, (ii) a bonus for 2025 in the amount of $287,500, and (iii) a lump sum payment to assist with the cost of continued healthcare
coverage. The foregoing description of the material terms of the Separation Agreement is not complete and is qualified in its entirety
by reference to the full text thereof, a copy of which is filed as Exhibit 10.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated
herein by reference.
Mr. Vennare also resigned as Chairman and a member of the Board, effective
as of February 9, 2026. The resignation of Mr. Vennare is not based on any disagreement with the Company on any matter relating to the
Company’s operations, policies or practices.
Appointment of the Chairman of the Board
On February 6, 2026, the Board appointed Chuck Nuzum, a current member of the Board, as Chairman of the Board, effective as of February
9, 2026.
Appointment of Chief Executive Officer and Appointment to the Board
On February 6, 2026, the Board appointed Christopher Miglino as Chief
Executive Officer to succeed Mr. Vennare, and as a member of the Board to fill the vacancy created by Mr. Vennare’s resignation,
effective as of February 9, 2026.
Christopher Miglino, age 57, has more than 25 years of experience building
and operating public and private companies across technology, fintech, media, and digital assets. Since March 2010, Mr. Miglino has served
and continues to serve as the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of SRAX, Inc. (NASDAQ: SRAX), a public fintech and data company,
where he leads the company through its NASDAQ listing, multiple capital raises, and oversees all SEC reporting and compliance obligations.
During his tenure at SRAX, Mr. Miglino launched and later sold a pharmaceutical advertising division for approximately $50 million and
built investor intelligence and communications SaaS platforms used by hundreds of public companies. From January 2024 to January 2026,
Mr. Miglino served as President and Co-Founder of DNA Holdings Venture Inc., a blockchain and Web3-focused investment firm, where he oversaw
fund operations, strategic partnerships, and capital deployment. Previously, Mr. Miglino founded Conscious Enlightenment, a multi-media
company he sold to Gaiam (NASDAQ: GAIA) in 2007, and co-founded Centerlinq, an interactive kiosk and loyalty platform company he sold
to a public company. Mr. Miglino holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Southern California.
There are no family relationships between Mr. Miglino and any director
or executive officer of the Company. In connection with the Company's transaction with ATH, DNA Holdings Venture Inc., of which Mr. Miglino
was then the President, received warrants representing 7.5% in such transaction. Except as described above, there are no transactions
requiring disclosure under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K. The material terms of Mr. Miglino's compensatory arrangements with the Company
will be disclosed by amendment to this Current Report on Form 8-K.
In connection with Mr. Miglino’s appointment as Chief Executive Officer
of the Company, the Company and Mr. Miglino entered into an employment agreement, dated February 9, 2026 (the “Employment Agreement”),
which provides for, among other things, payment to Mr. Miglino of an annual base salary equal to $575,000, and at the discretion of the
Board’s Compensation Committee (the “Committee”), to receive grants of stock options or other equity awards. Mr. Miglino
will also be eligible to participate in the Company’s (i) bonus program with annual cash bonus equal up to 50% of his salary or
at the discretion of the Committee, a higher percentage based on his and the Company’s performance, (ii) long-term incentive plan
to be adopted and maintained by the Compensation Committee, and (iii) standard employee benefit plans generally available to executive
employees of the Company.
In addition, as a material inducement to Mr. Miglino’s
appointment as Chief Executive Officer, on February 9, 2026 (the “Grant Date”) the Company granted Mr. Miglino stock options
(the “Options”) to purchase 500,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price equal to the closing price
of the Company’s common stock on the Grant Date, pursuant to a Stock Option Inducement Award Agreement (the “Option Agreement”)
between Mr. Miglino and the Company. One-third of the Options will vest on the first anniversary of the Grant Date with the remaining
two-thirds of the Options vesting in equal monthly installments over the following twenty-four months, in each case subject to Mr. Miglino’s
continued employment with or service to the Company through each applicable vesting date.
The foregoing descriptions of the Employment Agreement and the Option Agreement
are qualified in their entirety by the terms of the Employment Agreement and the form of Option Agreement, respectively, copies of which
are attached to this Current Report on Form 8-K as Exhibit 10.2 and 10.3, are incorporated herein by reference.