Evolva reports preliminary, unaudited financial results for 2013 and announces launch of share placement

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, AUSTRALIA OR JAPAN

Evolva Holding SA (SIX:EVE, "Evolva" or the "Company") today announces its preliminary, unaudited financial results for 2013. In 2013, the Company had total revenues of CHF 8.7 million compared with CHF 7.0 million in 2012 and generated an operational loss of CHF 17.7 million (2012: CHF 20.0 million). The cash outflow from operations and investment amounted to CHF 13.6 million (2012: CHF 14.0 million). At the end of 2013, the Company had CHF 29.3 million in cash and cash equivalents. Each of these parameters is within the guidance provided in August 2013. The audited financial report for 2013 will be released on 8 April 2014, as previously announced.

BUSINESS UPDATE

The Company is seeing good progress on its different projects:

FINANCING

In order to further strengthen its financial resources, Evolva launches a placement of 27,000,000 new shares, thereby increasing the Company’s outstanding share count from 248,780,937 shares (this number includes 6 million treasury shares currently being created in connection with the Company’s Standby Equity Distribution Agreement (SEDA)) to 275,780,937 shares. This represents c. 10.9% of total shares outstanding. The new shares will be placed through an accelerated bookbuild procedure by way of a private placement in Switzerland and outside of Switzerland in accordance with applicable securities laws. In addition, the Company has granted Credit Suisse, who is acting as Sole Bookrunner in the private placement, an over-allotment option of up to 4,050,000 additional shares which can be exercised within 30 days after the first trading day of the new shares on SIX Swiss Exchange.

The proceeds from the proposed financing will be used to increase the Company’s investment and upside in existing and future projects. Specific aspects of this include:

For further information on the private placement, please click here. In accordance with applicable securities laws in the respective jurisdictions, this is only available for Swiss residents who are physically located in Switzerland.

Evolva is currently at the early stages of exploring a potential acquisition of a company with complementary products and processes. The acquisition will only ultimately be pursued if Evolva’s Board of Directors is convinced that the transaction terms add value for Evolva’s shareholders. Evolva currently intends to pay for the acquisition primarily by issuing new Evolva shares, equal to a low double digit percentage of Evolva’s share capital, to the owners of the other company. If it proceeds, the acquisition may be completed in the second or third quarter of this year.

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About Evolva

Evolva is a pioneer and global leader in sustainable, fermentation-based approaches to ingredients for health, wellness and nutrition. Evolva’s products include stevia, vanilla, saffron and resveratrol. As well as developing its own proprietary ingredients, Evolva also deploys its technology for partners, providing them with a competitive edge and sharing in the returns they make. For more information see www.evolva.com.

Cautionary Statement About Preliminary Unaudited Financial Results, Business Update and Other Forward-looking Statements

All figures of the preliminary, unaudited financial results for 2013 contained in this press release are preliminary and reflect Evolva's expected 2013 financial results based on financial information available as of the date of this press release. Actual reported 2013 financial results could differ materially from those contained in this press release because of a number of factors, including additional or revised information, subsequent events that may affect the fair value of assets at 31 December 2013, and changes in accounting standards or policies or in how those standards are applied. Evolva will provide additional discussion and analysis and other important information about its 2013 financial results and condition when it reports actual results on 8 April 2014.

Important Note

This press release contains specific forward-looking statements, e.g. statements including terms like believe, assume, expect or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may result in a substantial divergence between the actual results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and those explicitly or implicitly presumed in these statements. Against the background of these uncertainties readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The company assumes no responsibility to update forward-looking statements or to adapt them to future events or developments.

This press release has been prepared solely for purposes of complying with the ad-hoc disclosure rules of SIX Swiss Exchange and is for information only. It does not constitute an offer or invitation to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy shares in Evolva Holding SA (the "Shares") in any jurisdiction, nor shall it (or any part of it) or the fact of its distribution, form the basis of, or be relied on in connection with, any contract therefore. The Shares will solely be sold by way of a private placement to selected qualified investors who do not purchase the Shares with the intention to distribute them to the public and without any public advertisement.

This press release does not constitute (i) an offering prospectus, and no securities will be offered directly or indirectly to the public, within the meaning of Art. 652a of the Swiss Code of Obligations, (ii) a listing prospectus within the meaning of the SIX Swiss Exchange Listing Rules, nor (iii) a prospectus within the meaning of the EC Directive 2003/71/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council dated November 4, 2003 (the "Prospectus Directive").

This press release is only addressed to, and is only directed at, qualified investors in any member state of the European Economic Area within the meaning of the Prospectus Directive ("Qualified Investors").

The Shares that are the subject of the placement are not being offered or sold to any person in the United Kingdom, other than to qualified investors as defined in Section 86(7) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, being persons falling within Article 2.1(E)(i), (ii) or (iii) of Directive 2003/71/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council dated 4 November 2003 (Prospectus Directive), which includes legal entities which are regulated by the Financial Services Authority and entities which are not so regulated whose corporate purpose is solely to invest in securities and who also fall within the definition of "Investment Professionals" in Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotions) Order 2005 (the "FPO") and high net worth entities falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the FPO.

IN ADDITION, THE SECURITIES REFERENCED HEREIN HAVE NOT BEEN AND ARE NOT INTENDED TO BE REGISTERED UNDER THE US SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES ABSENT REGISTRATION UNDER THAT ACT OR AN AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS UNDER THAT ACT.

In connection with the private placement of the Shares, Credit Suisse AG will be acting as stabilisation manager (the "Stabilisation Manager") and may undertake measures aiming at supporting the stock exchange price or market price of the Shares for a predetermined period of time due to selling pressure in those securities (the "Stabilisation"). The Stabilisation Manager is under no obligation to engage in any Stabilisation and, accordingly, there is no assurance that Stabilisation will be undertaken. If Stabilisation is undertaken, it may be discontinued at any time without prior notice. Stabilisation may be carried out as from the date the final placement price of the Shares is adequately publicly disclosed and will end no later than 30 calendar days after the first trading day of the new Shares on SIX Swiss Exchange. As a result of such Stabilisation measures, the market price of the Shares may be higher than would otherwise prevail in the market. Stabilisation may also result in a market price at a level that is not sustainable in the long-term. Any Stabilisation will be carried out in accordance with art. 55 e of the Swiss Federal Ordinance on Stock Exchanges and Securities Trading (SESTO) and will not be conducted at a price exceeding the price at which the Shares are sold in the private placement. Save as required by law or regulation, neither Credit Suisse AG nor any of its agents intends to disclose the extent of any over-allotments made and/or Stabilisation transactions conducted in relation to the private placement.

Credit Suisse AG is acting as Sole Bookrunner for Evolva Holding SA in connection with the private placement and for no-one else and will not be responsible to anyone other than Evolva Holding SA for providing the protections afforded to its clients nor for providing advice in relation to the private placement or any other matter referred to herein.