UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A
(RULE 14a-101)
SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
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Filed by a Party other than the Registrant ☐
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Preliminary Proxy Statement
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Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
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Definitive Proxy Statement
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Definitive Additional Materials
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Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12
OUTLOOK THERAPEUTICS, INC.
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)
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Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.
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Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies:
(2)
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(3)
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Amount Previously Paid:
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![[MISSING IMAGE: lg_outlook-therapeutics.jpg]](https://cdn.kscope.io/75d3afa3c6dc92828f1532fd92523352-lg_outlook-therapeutics.jpg)
4260 U.S. Route 1, Monmouth Junction, New Jersey 08852
(609) 619-3990
(609) 619-3990
NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To be Held on September 17, 2020
To be Held on September 17, 2020
Dear Stockholder:
You are cordially invited to attend a Special Meeting of Stockholders (the “Special Meeting”) of Outlook Therapeutics, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”) to be held on Thursday, September 17, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, for the safety of all our stockholders and personnel, and taking into account the various federal, state and local guidance that have been issued, we have determined that the Special Meeting will be held in a virtual meeting format only via the Internet, with no physical in-person meeting. You will be able to attend and participate in the virtual Special Meeting online by visiting the meeting center at https://web.lumiagm.com/269779073 and entering your control number found on your enclosed proxy card, where you will be able to listen to the Special Meeting live, submit questions and vote.
You are being asked to vote on the following matters:
(1)
To approve the amendment and restatement of the Company’s 2015 Equity Incentive Plan, or the 2015 Plan, as amended, to increase the total number of shares of the Company’s common stock issuable thereunder by 20,000,000 shares.
(2)
To conduct any other business properly brought before the Special Meeting and any adjournment or postponement thereof.
These items of business are more fully described in the accompanying Proxy Statement. The Special Meeting will be entirely virtual. You will not be able to attend the Special Meeting in person. To participate, vote or submit questions during the Special Meeting via live webcast, please visit the meeting center at https://web.lumiagm.com/269779073.
The record date for the Special Meeting is August 6, 2020. Only stockholders of record as of the close of business on such date may vote at the Special Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.
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Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Special Meeting to Be Held
on Thursday, September 17, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time via live webcast at https://web.lumiagm.com/269779073.
The proxy statement and the proxy card are available at www.astproxyportal.com/ast/22704.
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By Order of the Board of Directors,
/s/ Lawrence A. Kenyon
Lawrence A. Kenyon
Corporate Secretary
Corporate Secretary
Monmouth Junction, New Jersey
August 18, 2020
August 18, 2020
| | | Your vote is very important to us. Whether or not you expect to attend the Special Meeting, please complete, date, sign and return the enclosed proxy card, or vote over the telephone or the Internet as instructed in these materials, as promptly as possible in order to ensure your representation at the Special Meeting. Stockholders who attend the virtual Special Meeting should follow the instructions found at the meeting center at https://web.lumiagm.com/269779073 to vote during the meeting. Please note, however, that if your shares are held of record by a broker, bank or other nominee and you wish to vote at the Special Meeting, you must obtain a proxy issued in your name from that record holder and register in advance following the instructions provided by your broker, bank or other nominee. | | |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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OUTLOOK THERAPEUTICS, INC.
4260 U.S. Route 1, Monmouth Junction, New Jersey 08852
(609) 619-3990
4260 U.S. Route 1, Monmouth Junction, New Jersey 08852
(609) 619-3990
PROXY STATEMENT FOR THE
SPECIAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO BE HELD ON SEPTEMBER 17, 2020
SPECIAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO BE HELD ON SEPTEMBER 17, 2020
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE SPECIAL MEETING
Why am I receiving these materials?
We have sent you these proxy materials because the Board of Directors (the “Board” or the “Board of Directors”) of Outlook Therapeutics, Inc. (sometimes referred to as “our company” or “Outlook Therapeutics”) is soliciting your proxy to vote at the Special Meeting of stockholders (the “Special Meeting”), including any adjournment or postponement thereof. This proxy statement summarizes the information you will need to know to cast an informed vote at the Special Meeting. You are invited to virtually attend the Special Meeting to vote on the proposal described in this proxy statement. However, you do not need to attend the Special Meeting to vote your shares. Instead, you may simply complete, sign and return the enclosed proxy card, or follow the instructions below to submit your proxy over the telephone or through the Internet.
We intend to mail these proxy materials on or about August 21, 2020 to all stockholders of record entitled to vote at the Special Meeting.
Where and when is the Special Meeting?
The Special Meeting will be held on Thursday, September 17, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, for the safety of all our stockholders and personnel, and taking into account federal, state and local guidance that has been issued, we have determined that the Special Meeting will be held in a virtual meeting format only, via the Internet, with no physical in-person meeting. A summary of the information you need to attend the Special Meeting is provided below:
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Any stockholder may listen to the Special Meeting via webcast at https://web.lumiagm.com/269779073. The live webcast will begin at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time.
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Stockholders may vote and submit questions during the Special Meeting via live webcast by entering the control number included on their proxy card and entering the meeting password otlk2020 (the password is case sensitive).
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Stockholders may also submit questions no earlier than 15 minutes prior to the beginning of the webcast for the Special Meeting by logging in to https://web.lumiagm.com/269779073 and entering the control number included on your enclosed proxy card.
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To enter the meeting, please enter the control number included on your proxy card. If you do not have your control number, you will be able to attend the Special Meeting on “listen only” mode by entering the meeting password otlk2020, but you will not be able to vote or submit questions during the meeting.
We recommend that you log in before 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time to ensure you are logged in when the Special Meeting starts. The information on our website is not incorporated by reference into this proxy statement.
If you plan to vote during the Special Meeting, you may still do so even if you have already returned your proxy.
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What do I need in order to be able to participate in the Special Meeting online?
You will need the control number included on your proxy card and the meeting password, otlk2020, in order to be able to vote your shares or submit questions during the Special Meeting. If you do not have your control number, you will be able to attend the Special Meeting on “listen-only” mode by entering the meeting password, but you will not be able to vote or submit questions during the meeting.
How do I ask questions at the virtual Special Meeting?
Our virtual Special Meeting allows stockholders to submit questions and comments during the Special Meeting. You may submit questions during the Special Meeting by accessing the meeting center at https://web.lumiagm.com/269779073 and entering your control number found on your proxy card.
What if during the Special Meeting I have technical difficulties or trouble accessing the live webcast of the Special Meeting?
On the day of the Special Meeting, if you encounter any difficulties accessing the live webcast of the Special Meeting or during the Special Meeting, please visit https://go.lumiglobal.com/faq.
Who can vote at the Special Meeting?
Only stockholders of record at the close of business on August 6, 2020 will be entitled to vote at the Special Meeting. On this record date, there were 127,183,109 shares of common stock outstanding and entitled to vote.
Stockholder of Record: Shares Registered in Your Name
If on August 6, 2020 your shares of common stock were registered directly in your name with Outlook Therapeutics’ transfer agent, American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, or AST, then you are a stockholder of record. As a stockholder of record, you may vote by Internet before or during the virtual Special Meeting, by telephone or by proxy. Whether or not you plan to attend the virtual Special Meeting, we urge you to fill out and return the proxy card or vote by proxy over the telephone or on the Internet before the Special Meeting, as instructed below, to ensure your vote is counted.
Beneficial Owner: Shares Registered in the Name of a Broker or Bank
If on August 6, 2020, your shares of common stock were held, not in your name, but rather in an account at a brokerage firm, bank, dealer or other similar organization, then you are the beneficial owner of shares held in “street name” and these proxy materials are being forwarded to you by that organization. The organization holding your account is considered to be the stockholder of record for purposes of voting at the Special Meeting. As a beneficial owner, you have the right to direct your broker or other agent regarding how to vote the shares in your account. You are also invited to attend the virtual Special Meeting. However, because you are not the stockholder of record, you may not vote your shares during the Special Meeting unless you register in advance to attend the virtual meeting.
To register, obtain a legal proxy from the bank, broker or other nominee that is the record holder of your shares and then submit the legal proxy, proof of your share ownership on the record date, and your name and email address to American Stock Transfer and Trust Company LLC (“AST”) to receive a control number that may be used to access the meeting center and vote your shares at the Special Meeting. Requests for registration should be labeled as “Legal Proxy” and must be received no later than 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on September 9, 2020. Submit your registration request and supporting documentation by: (1) email to proxy@astfinancial.com; (2) facsimile to 718-765-8730, or (3) mail to American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, Attn: Proxy Tabulation Department, 6201 15 Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11219. Obtaining a legal proxy may take several days and you are advised to register as far in advance as possible. Once you have obtained your control number from AST, please follow the steps set forth above for registered stockholders to attend the virtual Special Meeting.
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What am I voting on?
There is one matter scheduled for a vote:
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Proposal 1: To approve the amendment and restatement of the Company’s 2015 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended (the “2015 Plan”) to increase the total number of shares of the Company’s common stock issuable thereunder by 20,000,000 shares.
What if another matter is properly brought before the meeting?
The Board of Directors knows of no other matters that will be presented for consideration at the Special Meeting. If any other matters are properly brought before the meeting, it is the intention of the persons named in the accompanying proxy to vote on those matters in accordance with their best judgment.
How do I vote?
You may either vote “For” or “Against” or abstain from voting.
The procedures for voting are fairly simple:
Stockholder of Record: Shares Registered in Your Name
If you are a stockholder of record as of August 6, 2020, you may vote during the virtual Special Meeting via the Internet, or you may vote by proxy using the enclosed proxy card, by telephone or over the Internet before the Special Meeting. Whether or not you plan to attend the virtual Special Meeting, we urge you to vote by proxy to ensure your vote is counted.
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To vote through the Internet during the virtual Special Meeting, please visit https://web.lumiagm.com/269779073 and have available the control number included on your proxy card or on the instructions that accompanied your proxy materials, as well as the meeting password, otlk2020.
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To vote using the proxy card, simply complete, sign and date the enclosed proxy card and return it promptly in the envelope provided. If you return your signed proxy card to us before the Special Meeting, we will vote your shares as you direct.
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To vote over the telephone, dial toll-free 1-800-PROXIES (1-800-776-9437) in the United States (or 1-718-921-8500 from foreign countries) using a touch-tone phone and follow the recorded instructions. You will be asked to provide the company number and control number from the enclosed proxy card. Your telephone vote must be received by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time on September 16, 2020 to be counted.
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To vote through the Internet before the Special Meeting, go to www.voteproxy.com to complete an electronic proxy card. You will be asked to provide the company number and control number from the enclosed proxy card. Your Internet vote must be received by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time on September 16, 2020 to be counted.
Beneficial Owner: Shares Registered in the Name of Broker or Bank
If you are a beneficial owner of shares registered in the name of your brokerage firm, bank, dealer or other agent, you should have received a voting instruction form with these proxy materials from that organization rather than from Outlook Therapeutics. Simply complete and mail the voting instruction form to ensure that your vote is counted. Alternatively, you may vote by telephone or over the Internet as instructed by your broker or bank. To vote online during the Special Meeting, you must obtain a valid proxy from your brokerage firm, bank, dealer or other agent and register in advance. Follow the instructions from your broker, bank or other agent, or contact that organization to request a proxy form.
See the instructions above for beneficial holders under the question “Who can vote at the Special Meeting?” to register in advance. Obtaining a legal proxy may take several days and you are advised to register as far in advance as possible.
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| | | Internet proxy voting may be provided to allow you to vote your shares online, with procedures designed to ensure the authenticity and correctness of your proxy vote instructions. However, please be aware that you must bear any costs associated with your Internet access, such as usage charges from Internet access providers and telephone companies. | | |
How many votes do I have?
On each matter to be voted upon, you have one vote for each share of common stock you own as of the close of business on August 6, 2020.
What happens if I do not vote?
Stockholder of Record: Shares Registered in Your Name
If you are a stockholder of record and do not vote by completing your proxy card, by telephone, through the Internet or during the virtual Special Meeting, your shares will not be voted.
Beneficial Owner: Shares Registered in the Name of Broker or Bank (Broker non-votes)
If you are a beneficial owner and do not instruct your broker, bank, or other agent how to vote your shares, the question of whether your broker or nominee will still be able to vote your shares depends on whether the New York Stock Exchange, or NYSE, deems the particular proposal to be a “routine” matter under applicable rules. Brokers and nominees can use their discretion to vote “uninstructed” shares with respect to matters that are considered to be “routine,” but not with respect to “non-routine” matters. Under the applicable rules and interpretations of NYSE, “non-routine” matters are matters that may substantially affect the rights or privileges of stockholders, such as elections of directors (even if not contested), and certain corporate governance proposals, even if management-supported. In this regard, Proposal No. 1 is considered to be “non-routine” under NYSE rules, meaning that your broker may not vote your shares on such proposal in the absence of your voting instructions.
What if I return a proxy card or otherwise vote but do not make specific choices?
If you return a signed and dated proxy card or otherwise vote without marking voting selections on matters on which you are entitled to cast votes, your shares will be voted “For” Proposal No. 1. If any other matter is properly presented at the meeting, your proxyholder (one of the individuals named on your proxy card) will vote your shares using his best judgment.
Who is paying for this proxy solicitation?
We will pay for the entire cost of soliciting proxies. In addition to these proxy materials, our directors and employees may also solicit proxies in person, by telephone, or by other means of communication. Directors and employees will not be paid any additional compensation for soliciting proxies. We may also reimburse brokerage firms, banks and other agents for the cost of forwarding proxy materials to beneficial owners.
What does it mean if I receive more than one set of proxy materials?
If you receive more than one set of proxy materials, your shares may be registered in more than one name or in different accounts. Please follow the voting instructions on the proxy cards in the proxy materials to ensure that all of your shares are voted.
Can I change my vote after submitting my proxy?
Stockholder of Record: Shares Registered in Your Name
Yes. You can revoke your proxy at any time before the final vote at the Special Meeting. If you are the record holder of your shares, you may revoke your proxy in any one of the following ways:
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You may submit another properly completed proxy card with a later date.
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You may grant a subsequent proxy by telephone or through the Internet.
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You may send a timely written notice that you are revoking your proxy to Outlook Therapeutics’ Corporate Secretary at 4260 U.S. Route 1, Monmouth Junction, New Jersey 08852.
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You may vote during the Special Meeting following the instructions found in these proxy materials. Simply attending the Special Meeting online will not, by itself, revoke your proxy. Even if you plan to attend the Special Meeting online, we recommend that you also submit your proxy or voting instructions or vote by telephone or through the Internet so that your vote will be counted if you later decide not to attend the Special Meeting online.
Your most current proxy card or telephone or Internet proxy is the one that is counted.
Beneficial Owner: Shares Registered in the Name of Broker or Bank
If your shares are held by your broker or bank as a nominee or agent, you should follow the instructions provided by your broker or bank.
How are votes counted?
Each share of our common stock you own entitles you to one vote. The inspector of elections will count votes for the meeting and will separately count “For” and “Against” votes, abstentions, and, if applicable, broker non-votes.
Abstentions will be counted towards the vote total for each proposal and will have the same effect as “Against” votes. Broker non-votes will not have any effect on Proposal No. 1.
What are “broker non-votes”?
When a beneficial owner of shares held in “street name” does not give instructions to the brokerage firm, bank, dealer or other agent holding the shares as to how to vote on matters deemed to be non-routine under applicable rules, the broker or nominee cannot vote the shares. These unvoted shares are counted as “broker non-votes.” Broker non-votes will be counted towards the presence of a quorum but will not be counted towards the vote total for the proposal.
As a reminder, if you are a beneficial owner of shares held in street name, in order to ensure your shares are voted in the way you would prefer, you must provide voting instructions to your brokerage firm, bank, dealer or other agent by the deadline provided in the materials you receive from your brokerage firm, bank, dealer or other agent.
How many votes are needed to approve each proposal?
Approval of Proposal No. 1 will require “FOR” votes from the holders of a majority of the voting power of the shares of common stock present at the virtual Special Meeting or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on the subject matter. Abstentions will have the same effect as “Against” votes and broker non-votes will have no effect.
What is the quorum requirement?
A quorum of stockholders is necessary to hold a valid meeting. A quorum will be present if stockholders holding at least a majority of the voting power of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the record date, August 6, 2020, are present at the Special Meeting or represented by proxy. On the record date, there were 127,183,109 shares of common stock outstanding and entitled to vote. Thus, shares representing 63,591,555 votes must be present at the Special Meeting or represented by proxy at the meeting to have a quorum.
Your shares will be counted towards the quorum only if you submit a valid proxy (or one is submitted on your behalf by your broker, bank or other nominee) or if you vote at the virtual Special Meeting. Abstentions and broker non-votes will be counted towards the quorum requirement. If there is no quorum, the chairman of the Special Meeting or the holders of a majority of shares present by virtual attendance at the Special Meeting or represented by proxy may adjourn the Special Meeting to another date.
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How can I find out the results of the voting at the Special Meeting?
Preliminary voting results will be announced at the Special Meeting. In addition, final voting results will be published in a current report on Form 8-K that we expect to file within four business days after the Special Meeting. If final voting results are not available to us in time to file a Form 8-K within four business days after the meeting, we intend to file a Form 8-K to publish preliminary results and, within four business days after the final results are known to us, file an additional Form 8-K to publish the final results.
What proxy materials are available on the Internet?
This proxy statement and the proxy card are available at http://www.astproxyportal.com/ast/22704.
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PROPOSAL No. 1
APPROVAL OF AMENDMENT AND RESTATEMENT OF THE
OUTLOOK THERAPEUTICS, INC. 2015 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
OUTLOOK THERAPEUTICS, INC. 2015 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
On August 18, 2020, the Board approved the amendment and restatement of the Outlook Therapeutics, Inc. 2015 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended, or the 2015 Plan, subject to stockholder approval, to among other things, increase the number of shares of common stock authorized for issuance under the 2015 Plan by 20,000,000 shares. We refer to the 2015 Plan, as so amended and restated, as the “Amended 2015 Plan” throughout this proxy statement. References in this proposal to the Board include the Compensation Committee of the Board where applicable.
A description of the material terms of the Amended 2015 Plan are summarized below. The key differences between the terms of the 2015 Plan and the Amended 2015 Plan are as follows:
The Amended 2015 Plan provides that an additional 20,000,000 shares of common stock may be issued pursuant to stock awards granted under the Amended 2015 Plan; and
The Amended 2015 Plan provides that an additional 60,467,391 shares of common stock are authorized for issuance under the Amended 2015 Plan pursuant to the grant of incentive stock options and extends the period during which incentive stock options may be issued under the Amended 2015 Plan through the tenth anniversary of the date the Amended 2015 Plan was adopted by the Board.
The Board believes the Amended 2015 Plan is an integral part of our long-term compensation philosophy and is necessary to continue providing the appropriate levels and types of equity compensation for our employees.
Equity Awards Are an Integral Component of Our Compensation Program
Equity awards have been historically and, we believe, will continue to be an integral component of our overall compensation program for our employees, directors, and as applicable, consultants. Approval of the Amended 2015 Plan will allow us to continue to grant stock options and other equity awards at levels we determine to be appropriate in order to attract new employees, consultants and directors, retain our existing employees and to provide incentives for such persons to exert maximum efforts for our success and ultimately increase stockholder value. The Amended 2015 Plan allows us to utilize a broad array of equity incentives with flexibility in designing such incentives, including traditional option grants, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock awards, restricted stock unit awards and performance stock awards.
As of July 31, 2020, only 33,148 shares remained available for future grant under the 2015 Plan. The Board believes that the issuance of equity awards is a key element underlying our ability to recruit, retain and motivate key employees, consultants and directors, better aligns the interests of such persons with those of our stockholders, and is a substantial contributing factor to our success and the future growth of our business. However, we believe that the shares currently available for grant under the 2015 Plan will be insufficient to meet our anticipated recruiting and retention needs. Therefore, the Board believes that the approval of the Amended 2015 Plan is in the best interests of our company and its stockholders and recommends a vote in favor of this proposal.
If this Proposal No.1 is adopted by our stockholders, the Amended 2015 Plan will become effective upon the date of the Special Meeting. In the event that our stockholders do not approve this Proposal No. 1, the Amended 2015 Plan will not become effective, and the 2015 Plan will continue in its current form.
As of July 31, 2020, stock awards covering an aggregate of 3,819,726 shares of common stock were outstanding under the 2015 Plan.
If our request to increase the share reserve of the 2015 Plan by 20,000,000 shares is approved, we will have approximately 20,033,148 shares available for grant after the Special Meeting, which, together with the annual “evergreen” increases described below, the Board believes will provide sufficient equity for attracting, retaining and motivating employees, based on our current anticipated needs.
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We Manage Our Equity Award Use Carefully and Our Dilution Is Reasonable
We manage our long-term stockholder dilution by limiting the number of equity awards granted annually. The Compensation Committee monitors our annual burn rate, dilution, and equity expense to ensure that we maximize stockholders’ value by granting only the appropriate number of equity awards necessary to recruit, reward, and retain key personnel, consultants and advisors.
The following table provides certain additional information regarding our equity incentive program.
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As of
July 31, 2020 |
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Total shares subject to outstanding stock options
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| | | | 3,819,726 | | |
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Weighted-average exercise price per share of outstanding stock options
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| | | $ | 2.01 | | |
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Weighted-average remaining term of outstanding stock options
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| | | | 9.5 | | |
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Total number of shares of common stock subject to outstanding full value awards
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| | | | 2,470 | | |
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Total shares available for grant under the 2015 Plan
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| | | | 33,148 | | |
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Total shares available for grant under other equity plans(1)
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| | | | 68,145 | | |
(1)
Represents shares issuable pursuant to our 2016 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
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As of
August 6, 2020 (Record Date) |
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Total common stock outstanding
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| | | | 127,183,109 | | |
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Closing price of common stock as reported on the Nasdaq Capital Market
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| | | $ | 1.28 | | |
Common measures of an equity incentive plan’s cost include burn rate, dilution and overhang. The burn rate refers to how fast a company uses the supply of shares authorized for issuance under its equity incentive plan. Over the last three years, we have maintained an average burn rate of 4.94% of shares of common stock outstanding per year, including shares of preferred stock on an as-converted basis. Dilution measures the degree to which our stockholders’ ownership has been diluted by stock-based compensation awarded under our equity incentive plans and also includes shares that may be awarded under our equity incentive plans in the future (“overhang”).
The following table shows how our key equity metrics have changed over the past three years:
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Key Equity Metrics
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2017
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2018
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2019
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Burn Rate(1)
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| | | | 2.56% | | | | | | 4.28% | | | | | | 7.97% | | |
| Overhang(2) | | | | | 9.70% | | | | | | 18.26% | | | | | | 14.93% | | |
| Dilution(3) | | | | | 4.47% | | | | | | 2.28% | | | | | | 4.91% | | |
(1)
Burn rate is calculated by dividing the number of shares subject to equity awards granted during the year by the weighted-average number of shares outstanding during the year.
(2)
Overhang is calculated by dividing (a) the sum of (x) the number of shares subject to equity awards outstanding at the end of the year and (y) the number of shares available for future grants, by (b) the number of shares outstanding at the end of the year.
(3)
Dilution is calculated by dividing the number of shares subject to equity awards outstanding at the end of the fiscal year by the number of shares outstanding at the end of the fiscal year.
In evaluating whether to approve the Amended 2015 Plan, the Board and Compensation Committee reviewed our historical issuances under the 2015 Plan and considered our future needs for equity awards under the 2015 Plan, based on our plans for future expansion and growth in light of our anticipated recruiting and retention needs and changes in company capitalization and dilution. We intend to grant future equity awards under the Amended 2015 Plan in amounts that are reasonable and based on market data prepared by the independent compensation consultant to the Compensation Committee.
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The approval of the Amended 2015 Plan will allow us to continue to grant stock options and restricted stock units, and would allow us to grant other awards described below, at levels determined appropriate by the Board or the Compensation Committee. The Amended 2015 Plan will continue to provide us with flexibility in designing equity incentives in an environment where a number of companies have moved from traditional option grants to other stock-based awards, including stock appreciation rights, restricted stock awards, restricted stock unit awards, and performance stock awards. The Amended 2015 Plan allows us to utilize multiple types of equity incentives in order to secure and retain the services of our employees, consultants and directors, and to provide long-term incentives that align the interests of our employees, consultants and directors with the interests of our stockholders.
The Amended 2015 Plan Incorporates Good Compensation and Governance Practices
The Amended 2015 Plan includes many provisions designed to protect our stockholders’ interests and to reflect corporate governance best practices.
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Administration by the Board or an independent committee of the Board. The Amended 2015 Plan is administered by the Board, which may delegate authority to administer the Amended 2015 Plan to an independent Board committee. The Board has delegated authority to administer the Amended 2015 Plan to the Compensation Committee, which consists of three “non-employee directors” within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The Board retains the authority to concurrently administer the Amended 2015 Plan and may, at any time, revest in the Board some or all of the powers previously delegated to the Compensation Committee or any other committee.
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Stockholder approval is required for material amendments. Consistent with Nasdaq rules, the Amended 2015 Plan requires stockholder approval of material revisions to the Amended 2015 Plan.
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Limit on non-employee director compensation. The maximum number of shares subject to stock awards granted under the Amended 2015 Plan or under any other equity plan maintained by us during a single fiscal year to any non-employee director, taken together with any cash fees paid to such non-employee director during the fiscal year, may not exceed $400,000 in total value. For purposes of this limitation, the value of such stock awards is calculated based on the grant date fair value of such stock awards for financial reporting purposes.
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Awards subject to forfeiture/clawback. Awards granted under the Amended 2015 Plan are subject to recoupment in accordance with any clawback policy that we are required to adopt pursuant to the listing standards of any national securities exchange or association on which our securities are listed or as is otherwise required by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act or other applicable law. In addition, we may impose other clawback, recovery or recoupment provisions in a stock award agreement, including a reacquisition right in respect of previously acquired shares or other cash or property upon the occurrence of cause.
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No single trigger accelerated vesting upon change in control. The Amended 2015 Plan does not provide for any automatic mandatory vesting of awards upon a change in control.
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No liberal change in control definition. The change in control definition in the Amended 2015 Plan is not a “liberal” definition. A change in control transaction must actually occur in order for the change in control provisions in the Amended 2015 Plan to be triggered.
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No discounted stock options or stock appreciation rights. Stock options and stock appreciation rights granted under the Amended 2015 Plan must have an exercise or strike price equal to or greater than the fair market value of our Common Stock on the date the stock option or stock appreciation right is granted.
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Termination of stock options and stock appreciation rights on a participant’s termination for cause. If a participant’s service is terminated for cause, which is defined under the Amended 2015 Plan as (i) the participant’s commission of any felony or any crime involving fraud, dishonesty or moral turpitude under the laws of the United States or any state thereof; (ii) the participant’s attempted commission of, or participation in, a fraud or act of dishonesty against us; (iii) the participant’s intentional, material violation of any contract or agreement between the participant and us or of any
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statutory duty owed to us; (iv) the participant’s unauthorized use or disclosure of our confidential information or trade secrets; (v) the participant’s violation of a company policy; or (vi) the participant’s gross misconduct, the participant’s stock options and stock appreciation rights terminate immediately, and the participant is prohibited from exercising his or her stock options and stock appreciation rights.
Vote Required
The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power of the shares present at the Special Meeting or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on the subject matter at the Special Meeting will be required to approve the Amended 2015 Plan.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS
A VOTE “FOR” PROPOSAL NO. 1.
A VOTE “FOR” PROPOSAL NO. 1.
Description of Amended 2015 Plan
The material features of the Amended 2015 Plan are outlined below. This summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to the complete text of the Amended 2015 Plan. Stockholders are encouraged to read the actual text of the Amended 2015 Plan, which is appended to this proxy statement as Appendix A and may be accessed from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
General 2015 Plan Information. The 2015 Plan was originally adopted by the Board and stockholders in connection with our initial public offering and became effective in December 2015. In August 2018, the Board adopted, and in September 2018, our stockholders approved, the amendment of the 2015 Plan to, among other changes, increase the number of shares reserved for issuance under the 2015 Plan by 625,000 shares (as adjusted to reflect a 1-for-8 reverse stock split in March 2019, or the 2019 Reverse Split). In July 2019, the Board adopted, and in September 2019, our stockholders approved, the amendment of the 2015 Plan to, among other changes, increase the number of shares reserved for issuance under the 2015 Plan by 1,500,000 shares.
Purpose. The Amended 2015 Plan is critical to our ongoing effort to build stockholder value through recruiting, retaining and motivating employees, directors and consultants. We are seeking approval of the Amended 2015 Plan to provide for the shares necessary so that we can ensure that we have the most qualified, motivated employees possible to help us move our programs forward and implement our recruiting plans to facilitate the future growth of our business.
Awards. The Amended 2015 Plan provides for the grant of incentive stock options, or ISOs, nonstatutory stock options, or NSOs, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock awards, restricted stock unit awards, performance-based stock awards, and other forms of equity compensation, or collectively, stock awards, all of which may be granted to employees, including officers, non-employee directors and consultants of us and our affiliates.
Eligibility. As of July 31, 2020, all of our approximately seven employees, four consultants and seven non-employee directors were eligible to participate in the Amended 2015 Plan and may receive all types of awards other than ISOs. ISOs may be granted only to our employees (including officers) and employees of any “parent corporation” or “subsidiary corporation,” in either case, within the meaning of Section 424 of the Code.
Share Reserve. If Proposal No. 1 is approved, the total number of shares of our common stock reserved for issuance under the Amended 2015 Plan will not exceed 22,280,797 shares, consisting of (i) 155,797 shares that were approved in connection with the Amended 2015 Plan’s initial adoption (which amount has been adjusted to reflect the 1-for-3.45 reverse stock split that was effected on April 26, 2016 and the 2019 Reverse Split), plus (ii) 625,000 shares that were approved at our 2018 annual meeting of stockholders (which amount has been adjusted to reflect the 2019 Reverse Split), plus (iii) 1,500,000 shares that were approved at our 2019 annual meeting of stockholder, plus (iv) 20,000,000 shares to be added pursuant this Proposal No. 1.
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Additionally, the number of shares of our common stock reserved for issuance under the Amended 2015 Plan automatically increases on January 1 of each year, beginning on January 1, 2017 and continuing through January 1, 2025 by 3% of the total number of shares of our capital stock outstanding on December 31 of the preceding calendar year, or a lesser number of shares determined by the Board. The maximum number of shares that may be issued upon the exercise of ISOs under our Amended 2015 Plan is 66,842,391 shares.
If a stock award granted under the Amended 2015 Plan expires or otherwise terminates without being exercised in full, or is settled in cash, the shares of our common stock not acquired pursuant to the stock award again will become available for subsequent issuance under the Amended 2015 Plan. In addition, the following types of shares under the Amended 2015 Plan may become available for the grant of new stock awards under the Amended 2015 Plan: (1) shares that are forfeited to or repurchased by us prior to becoming fully vested; (2) shares withheld to satisfy income or employment withholding taxes; or (3) shares used to pay the exercise or purchase price of a stock award. Shares issued under the Amended 2015 Plan may be previously unissued shares or reacquired shares bought by us on the open market.
Non-Employee Director Compensation Limit. The maximum number of shares subject to stock awards granted under the Amended 2015 Plan or under any other equity plan maintained by us during a single fiscal year to any non-employee director, taken together with any cash fees paid to such non-employee director during the fiscal year, may not exceed $400,000 in total value. For purposes of this limitation, the value of such stock awards is calculated based on the grant date fair value of such stock awards for financial reporting purposes.
Administration. The Board, or a duly authorized committee thereof, has the authority to administer the Amended 2015 Plan. The Board has delegated authority to administer the Amended 2015 Plan to our Compensation Committee. Subject to the terms of the Amended 2015 Plan, the Compensation Committee, referred to herein as the plan administrator, determines recipients, dates of grant, the numbers and types of stock awards to be granted and the terms and conditions of the stock awards, including the period of their exercisability and vesting schedule applicable to a stock award. Subject to the limitations set forth below, the plan administrator will also determine the exercise price, strike price or purchase price of awards granted and the types of consideration to be paid for the award.
The plan administrator has the authority to modify outstanding awards under the Amended 2015 Plan. Subject to the terms of the Amended 2015 Plan, the plan administrator has the authority to reduce the exercise, purchase or strike price of any outstanding stock award, cancel any outstanding stock award in exchange for new stock awards, cash or other consideration, or take any other action that is treated as a repricing under generally accepted accounting principles, with the consent of any adversely affected participant.
The plan administrator also has the authority to amend the Amended 2015 Plan in any respect the plan administrator deems necessary or advisable. However, if required by applicable law or listing requirements, and except in connection with capitalization adjustments, the Amended 2015 Plan requires that we seek stockholder approval of any amendment that (a) materially increases the number of shares of our common stock available for issuance, (b) materially expands the class of individuals eligible to receive stock awards, (c) materially increases the benefits accruing to participants, (d) materially reduces the price at which shares of our common stock may be issued or purchased under the Amended 2015 Plan, (e) materially extends the term of the Amended 2015 Plan, or (f) materially expands the types of stock awards available for issuance under the Amended 2015 Plan. Amendments of the Amended 2015 Plan generally may not materially impair a participant’s rights under an outstanding stock award without the participant’s written consent.
Stock Options. ISOs and NSOs are granted pursuant to stock option agreements adopted by the plan administrator. The plan administrator determines the exercise price for a stock option, within the terms and conditions of the Amended 2015 Plan, provided that the exercise price of a stock option generally cannot be less than 100% of the fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant. Options granted under the Amended 2015 Plan vest at the rate specified by the plan administrator.
The plan administrator determines the term of stock options granted under the Amended 2015 Plan, up to a maximum of 10 years. Unless the terms of an option holder’s stock option agreement provide
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otherwise, if an option holder’s service relationship with us, or any of our affiliates, ceases for any reason other than disability, death or cause, the option holder may generally exercise any vested options for a period of three months following the cessation of service. The option term may be extended in the event that exercise of the option following such a termination of service is prohibited by applicable securities laws or our insider trading policy. If an optionholder’s service relationship with us or any of our affiliates ceases due to disability or death, or an optionholder dies within a certain period following cessation of service, the optionholder or a beneficiary may generally exercise any vested options for a period of 12 months in the event of disability and 18 months in the event of death. Except as otherwise provided in the applicable stock option agreement or other individual written agreement between us or any of our affiliates and the participant, options terminate immediately upon the termination of the individual’s employment for cause. In no event may an option be exercised beyond the expiration of its term.
Acceptable consideration for the purchase of common stock issued upon the exercise of a stock option will be determined by the plan administrator and may include (1) cash, check, bank draft or money order, (2) a broker-assisted cashless exercise, (3) the tender of shares of our common stock previously owned by the optionholder, (4) a net exercise of the option if it is an NSO, and (5) other legal consideration approved by the plan administrator.
Unless the plan administrator provides otherwise, options generally are not transferable except by will, the laws of descent and distribution, or pursuant to a domestic relations order. An optionholder may designate a beneficiary, however, who may exercise the option following the optionholder’s death.
Tax Limitations on Incentive Stock Options. The aggregate fair market value, determined at the time of grant, of our common stock with respect to ISOs that are exercisable for the first time by an optionholder during any calendar year under all of our stock plans may not exceed $100,000. Options or portions thereof that exceed such limit will generally be treated as NSOs. No ISO may be granted to any person who, at the time of the grant, owns or is deemed to own stock possessing more than 10% of our total combined voting power or that of any of our affiliates unless (1) the option exercise price is at least 110% of the fair market value of the stock subject to the option on the date of grant, and (2) the term of the ISO does not exceed five years from the date of grant.
Restricted Stock Awards. Restricted stock awards are granted pursuant to restricted stock award agreements adopted by the plan administrator. Restricted stock awards may be granted in consideration for (1) cash, check, bank draft or money order, (2) services rendered to us or our affiliates, or (3) any other form of legal consideration. Common stock acquired under a restricted stock award may, but need not, be subject to a share repurchase option in our favor in accordance with a vesting schedule to be determined by the plan administrator. Rights to acquire shares under a restricted stock award may be transferred only upon such terms and conditions as set by the plan administrator. Except as otherwise provided in the applicable award agreement, restricted stock unit awards that have not vested will be forfeited upon the participant’s cessation of continuous service for any reason.
Restricted Stock Unit Awards. Restricted stock unit awards are granted pursuant to restricted stock unit award agreements adopted by the plan administrator. Restricted stock unit awards may be granted in consideration for any form of legal consideration. A restricted stock unit award may be settled by cash, delivery of stock, a combination of cash and stock as deemed appropriate by the plan administrator, or in any other form of consideration set forth in the restricted stock unit award agreement. Additionally, dividend equivalents may be credited in respect of shares covered by a restricted stock unit award. Except as otherwise provided in the applicable award agreement, restricted stock units that have not vested will be forfeited upon the participant’s cessation of continuous service for any reason.
Stock Appreciation Rights. Stock appreciation rights are granted pursuant to stock appreciation grant agreements adopted by the plan administrator. The plan administrator determines the strike price for a stock appreciation unit, which generally cannot be less than 100% of the fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant. Upon the exercise of a stock appreciation unit, we will pay the participant an amount equal to the product of (1) the excess of the per share fair market value of our common stock on the date of exercise over the strike price, multiplied by (2) the number of shares of common stock with respect to which the stock appreciation unit is exercised. A stock appreciation unit granted under the Amended 2015 Plan vests at the rate specified in the stock appreciation grant agreement as determined by the plan administrator.
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The plan administrator determines the term of stock appreciation rights granted under the Amended 2015 Plan, up to a maximum of ten years. Unless the terms of a participant’s stock appreciation right agreement provides otherwise, if a participant’s service relationship with us or any of our affiliates ceases for any reason other than cause, disability or death, the participant may generally exercise any vested stock appreciation right for a period of three months following the cessation of service. The stock appreciation right term may be further extended in the event that exercise of the stock appreciation right following such a termination of service is prohibited by applicable securities laws. If a participant’s service relationship with us, or any of our affiliates, ceases due to disability or death, or a participant dies within a certain period following cessation of service, the participant or a beneficiary may generally exercise any vested stock appreciation right for a period of 12 months in the event of disability and 18 months in the event of death. Except as otherwise provided in the applicable stock appreciation rights agreement or other individual written agreement between us or any of our affiliates and the participant, stock appreciation rights terminate immediately upon the termination of the individual’s employment for cause. In no event may a stock appreciation right be exercised beyond the expiration of its term.
Performance Awards. The Amended 2015 Plan permits the grant of performance-based stock awards.
A performance stock award is a stock award that is payable (including that may be granted, may vest, or may be exercised) contingent upon the achievement of pre-determined performance goals during a performance period. A performance stock award may require the completion of a specified period of continuous service. The length of any performance period, the performance goals to be achieved during the performance period, and the measure of whether and to what degree such performance goals have been attained will generally be determined by our Compensation Committee. In addition, to the extent permitted by applicable law and the performance stock award agreement, the plan administrator may determine that cash may be used in payment of performance stock awards.
Performance goals under the Amended 2015 Plan will be based on any one or more of the following performance criteria: (i) earnings (including earnings per share and net earnings); (ii) earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation; (iii) earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization; (iv) earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and legal settlements; (v) earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, legal settlements and other income (expense); (vi) earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, legal settlements, other income (expense) and stock-based compensation; (vii) earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, legal settlements, other income (expense), stock-based compensation and changes in deferred revenue; (viii) earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, legal settlements, other income (expense), stock-based compensation, other non-cash expenses and changes in deferred revenue; (ix) total stockholder return; (x) return on equity or average stockholder’s equity; (xi) return on assets, investment, or capital employed; (xii) stock price; (xiii) margin (including gross margin); (xiv) income (before or after taxes); (xv) operating income; (xvi) operating income after taxes; (xvii) pre-tax profit; (xviii) operating cash flow; (xix) sales or revenue targets; (xx) increases in revenue or product revenue; (xxi) expenses and cost reduction goals; (xxii) improvement in or attainment of working capital levels; (xxiii) economic value added (or an equivalent metric); (xxiv) market share; (xxv) cash flow; (xxvi) cash flow per share; (xxvii) cash balance; (xxviii) cash burn; (xxix) cash collections; (xxx) share price performance; (xxxi) debt reduction; (xxxii) implementation or completion of projects or processes (including, without limitation, clinical trial initiation, clinical trial enrollment and dates, clinical trial results, regulatory filing submissions, regulatory filing acceptances, regulatory or advisory committee interactions, regulatory approvals, new and supplemental indications for existing products, and product supply); (xxxiii) stockholders’ equity; (xxxiv) capital expenditures; (xxxv) debt levels; (xxxvi) operating profit or net operating profit; (xxxvii) workforce diversity; (xxxviii) growth of net income or operating income; (xxxix) billings; (xl) bookings; (xli) employee retention; (xlii) initiation of phases of clinical trials and/or studies by specific dates; (xliii) acquisition of new customers, including institutional accounts; (xliv) customer retention and/or repeat order rate; (xlv) number of institutional customer accounts (xlvi) budget management; (xlvii) improvements in sample and test processing times; (xlviii) regulatory milestones; (xlix) progress of internal research or clinical programs; (l) progress of partnered programs; (li) partner satisfaction; (lii) milestones related to samples received and/or tests run; (liii) expansion of sales in additional geographies or markets; (liv) research progress, including the development of programs; (lv) submission to, or approval by, a regulatory body (including, but not limited to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration) of an applicable filing or a product; (lvi) timely completion of clinical trials; (lvii) milestones related to samples
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received and/or tests or panels run; (lviii) expansion of sales in additional geographies or markets; (lix) research progress, including the development of programs; (lx) patient samples processed and billed; (lxi) sample processing operating metrics (including, without limitation, failure rate maximums and reduction of repeat rates); (lxii) strategic partnerships or transactions (including in-licensing and out-licensing of intellectual property; and (lxiii) other measures of performance selected by the plan administrator.
Performance goals may be based on a company-wide basis, with respect to one or more business units, divisions, affiliates or business segments, and in either absolute terms or relative to the performance of one or more comparable companies or the performance of one or more relevant indices. Under the Amended 2015 Plan, the plan administrator is authorized at any time in its sole discretion, to adjust or modify the calculation of a performance goal for a performance period in order to prevent the dilution or enlargement of the rights of participants, (a) in the event of, or in anticipation of, any unusual or extraordinary corporate item, transaction, event or development; (b) in recognition of, or in anticipation of, any other unusual or nonrecurring events affecting our company, or our financial statements in response to, or in anticipation of, changes in applicable laws, regulations, accounting principles, or business conditions; or (c) in view of the plan administrator’s assessment of our business strategy, performance of comparable organizations, economic and business conditions, and any other circumstances deemed relevant. Specifically, the plan administrator is authorized to make adjustment in the method of calculating attainment of performance goals and objectives for a performance period as follows: (i) to exclude the dilutive effects of acquisitions or joint ventures; (ii) to assume that any business divested by our company achieved performance objectives at targeted levels during the balance of a performance period following such divestiture; and (iii) to exclude the effect of any change in our outstanding shares of common stock by reason of any stock dividend or split, stock repurchase, reorganization, recapitalization, merger, consolidation, spin-off, combination or exchange of shares or other similar corporate change, or any distributions to common stockholders other than regular cash dividends. In addition, the plan administrator is authorized to make adjustment in the method of calculating attainment of performance goals and objectives for a performance period as follows: (i) to exclude restructuring and/or other nonrecurring charges; (ii) to exclude exchange rate effects, as applicable, for non-U.S. dollar denominated net sales and operating earnings; (iii) to exclude the effects of changes to generally accepted accounting standards required by the Financial Accounting Standards Board; (iv) to exclude the effects of any items that are “unusual” in nature or occur “infrequently” as determined under generally accepted accounting principles; (v) to exclude the effects to any statutory adjustments to corporate tax rates; and (vi) to make other appropriate adjustments determined by the plan administrator.
Other Stock Awards. The plan administrator may grant other awards based in whole or in part by reference to our common stock. The plan administrator will set the number of shares under the stock award and all other terms and conditions of such awards.
Changes to Capital Structure. In the event that there is a specified type of change in our capital structure, such as a stock split or recapitalization, appropriate adjustments will be made to (a) the class and maximum number of shares reserved for issuance under the Amended 2015 Plan, (b) the class and maximum number of shares by which the share reserve may increase automatically each year, (c) the class and maximum number of shares that may be issued upon the exercise of ISOs, (d) the class and maximum number of securities that may be awarded to any non-employee director and (e) the class and number of shares and price per share of stock subject to outstanding stock awards.
Corporate Transactions. In the event of certain specified significant corporate transactions, the plan administrator has the discretion to take any of the following actions with respect to stock awards:
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arrange for the assumption, continuation or substitution of a stock award by a surviving or acquiring entity or parent company;
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arrange for the assignment of any reacquisition or repurchase rights held by us to the surviving or acquiring entity or parent company;
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accelerate the vesting of the stock award and provide for its termination prior to the effective time of the corporate transaction;
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arrange for the lapse of any reacquisition or repurchase right held by us;
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cancel or arrange for the cancellation of the stock award, to the extent not vested or not exercised prior to the effective time of the transaction, in exchange for such cash consideration, if any, as our plan administrator may deem appropriate; or
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make a payment equal to the excess of (a) the value of the property the participant would have received upon exercise of the stock award over (b) the exercise price otherwise payable in connection with the stock award.
The plan administrator need not take the same action or actions with respect to all stock awards or portions thereof or with respect to all participants. The plan administrator may also take different actions with respect to the vested and unvested portions of stock awards.
Under the Amended 2015 Plan, a corporate transaction is generally the consummation of (i) a sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of our consolidated assets, (ii) a sale or other disposition of at least 50% of our outstanding securities, (iii) a merger, consolidation or similar transaction following which we are not the surviving corporation, or (iv) a merger, consolidation or similar transaction following which we are the surviving corporation but the shares of our common stock outstanding immediately prior to such transaction are converted or exchanged into other property by virtue of the transaction.
Change in Control. A stock award granted under the Amended 2015 Plan may be subject to additional acceleration of vesting and exercisability upon or after a change in control as may be provided in the stock award agreement or as may be provided in any other written agreement between us or one of our affiliates and the participant, but in the absence of such provision, no such acceleration will occur. Under the Amended 2015 Plan, a change in control is generally (i) the acquisition by a person or entity of more than 50% of our combined voting power other than by merger, consolidation or similar transaction; (ii) a consummated merger, consolidation or similar transaction immediately after which our stockholders cease to own more than 50% of the combined voting power of the surviving entity; (iii) a consummated sale, lease, exclusive license or other disposition of all or substantially of our consolidated assets; or (iv) when a majority of the Board becomes comprised of individuals whose nomination, appointment, or election was not approved by a majority of the Board members or their approved successors.
Termination. The Board has the authority to suspend or terminate the Amended 2015 Plan, provided that such action does not materially impair the existing rights of any participant without such participant’s written consent. No ISOs may be granted after the tenth anniversary of the date the Board adopted the Amended 2015 Plan.
U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences
The following is a summary of the principal United States federal income tax consequences to participants and us with respect to participation in the Amended 2015 Plan. This summary is not intended to be exhaustive and does not discuss the income tax laws of any local, state or foreign jurisdiction in which a participant may reside. The information is based upon current federal income tax rules and therefore is subject to change when those rules change. Because the tax consequences to any participant may depend on his or her particular situation, each participant should consult the participant’s tax adviser regarding the federal, state, local and other tax consequences of the grant or exercise of an award or the disposition of stock acquired the Amended 2015 Plan. The Amended 2015 Plan is not qualified under the provisions of Section 401(a) of the Code and is not subject to any of the provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. Our ability to realize the benefit of any tax deductions described below depends on our generation of taxable income as well as the requirement of reasonableness, the provisions of Section 162(m) of the Code and the satisfaction of our tax reporting obligations.
Nonstatutory Stock Options
Generally, there is no taxation upon the grant of an NSO if the stock option is granted with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the underlying stock on the grant date. Upon exercise, a participant will recognize ordinary income equal to the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the underlying stock on the date of exercise of the stock option over the exercise price. If the participant is employed by us or one of our affiliates, that income will be subject to withholding taxes. The participant’s tax basis in those shares
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will be equal to their fair market value on the date of exercise of the stock option, and the participant’s capital gain holding period for those shares will begin on that date.
Subject to the requirement of reasonableness, the provisions of Section 162(m) of the Code and the satisfaction of a tax reporting obligation, we will generally be entitled to a tax deduction equal to the taxable ordinary income realized by the participant.
Incentive Stock Options
The Amended 2015 Plan provides for the grant of stock options that are intended to qualify as “incentive stock options,” as defined in Section 422 of the Code. Under the Code, a participant generally is not subject to ordinary income tax upon the grant or exercise of an ISO. If the participant holds a share received upon exercise of an ISO for more than two years from the date the stock option was granted and more than one year from the date the stock option was exercised, which is referred to as the required holding period, the difference, if any, between the amount realized on a sale or other taxable disposition of that share and the participant’s tax basis in that share will be long-term capital gain or loss. If, however, a participant disposes of a share acquired upon exercise of an ISO before the end of the required holding period, which is referred to as a disqualifying disposition, the participant generally will recognize ordinary income in the year of the disqualifying disposition equal to the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the share on the date of exercise of the stock option over the exercise price. However, if the sales proceeds are less than the fair market value of the share on the date of exercise of the stock option, the amount of ordinary income recognized by the participant will not exceed the gain, if any, realized on the sale. If the amount realized on a disqualifying disposition exceeds the fair market value of the share on the date of exercise of the stock option, that excess will be short-term or long-term capital gain, depending on whether the holding period for the share exceeds one year.
For purposes of the alternative minimum tax, the amount by which the fair market value of a share of stock acquired upon exercise of an ISO exceeds the exercise price of the stock option generally will be an adjustment included in the participant’s alternative minimum taxable income for the year in which the stock option is exercised. If, however, there is a disqualifying disposition of the share in the year in which the stock option is exercised, there will be no adjustment for alternative minimum tax purposes with respect to that share. In computing alternative minimum taxable income, the tax basis of a share acquired upon exercise of an ISO is increased by the amount of the adjustment taken into account with respect to that share for alternative minimum tax purposes in the year the stock option is exercised.
We are not allowed an income tax deduction with respect to the grant or exercise of an ISO or the disposition of a share acquired upon exercise of an ISO after the required holding period. If there is a disqualifying disposition of a share, however, we will generally be entitled to a tax deduction equal to the taxable ordinary income realized by the participant, subject to the requirement of reasonableness and the provisions of Section 162(m) of the Code, and provided that either the employee includes that amount in income or we timely satisfy our reporting requirements with respect to that amount.
Restricted Stock Awards
Generally, the recipient of a restricted stock award will recognize ordinary income at the time the stock is received equal to the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the stock received over any amount paid by the recipient in exchange for the stock. If, however, the stock is not vested when it is received (for example, if the employee is required to work for a period of time in order to have the right to sell the stock), the recipient generally will not recognize income until the stock becomes vested, at which time the recipient will recognize ordinary income equal to the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the stock on the date it becomes vested over any amount paid by the recipient in exchange for the stock. A recipient may, however, file an election with the Internal Revenue Service, within 30 days following his or her receipt of the stock award, to recognize ordinary income, as of the date the recipient receives the award, equal to the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the stock on the date the award is granted over any amount paid by the recipient for the stock.
The recipient’s basis for the determination of gain or loss upon the subsequent disposition of shares acquired from a restricted stock award will be the amount paid for such shares plus any ordinary income recognized either when the stock is received or when the stock becomes vested.
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Subject to the requirement of reasonableness, the provisions of Section 162(m) of the Code and the satisfaction of a tax reporting obligation, we will generally be entitled to a tax deduction equal to the taxable ordinary income realized by the recipient of the stock award.
Restricted Stock Unit Awards
Generally, the recipient of a restricted stock unit award structured to conform to the requirements of Section 409A of the Code or an exception to Section 409A of the Code will recognize ordinary income at the time the stock is delivered equal to the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the stock received over any amount paid by the recipient in exchange for the stock. To conform to the requirements of Section 409A of the Code, the stock subject to a restricted stock unit award may generally only be delivered upon one of the following events: a fixed calendar date (or dates), separation from service, death, disability or a change in control. If delivery occurs on another date, unless the restricted stock unit award otherwise complies with or qualifies for an exception to the requirements of Section 409A of the Code, in addition to the tax treatment described above, the recipient will owe an additional 20% federal tax and interest on any taxes owed.
The recipient’s basis for the determination of gain or loss upon the subsequent disposition of shares acquired from a restricted stock unit award will be the amount paid for such shares plus any ordinary income recognized when the stock is delivered.
Subject to the requirement of reasonableness, the provisions of Section 162(m) of the Code and the satisfaction of a tax reporting obligation, we will generally be entitled to a tax deduction equal to the taxable ordinary income realized by the recipient of the restricted stock unit award.
Stock Appreciation Rights
Generally, if a stock appreciation right is granted with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the underlying stock on the grant date, the recipient will recognize ordinary income equal to the fair market value of the stock or cash received upon such exercise. Subject to the requirement of reasonableness, the provisions of Section 162(m) of the Code, and the satisfaction of a tax reporting obligation, we will generally be entitled to a tax deduction equal to the taxable ordinary income realized by the recipient of the stock appreciation right.
New Plan Benefits
Amended 2015 Plan
Amended 2015 Plan
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Name and position
|
| |
Number of shares(1)
|
| |||
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Lawrence A. Kenyon, Director, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Corporate Secretary
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| | | | — | | |
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Terry Dagnon, Chief Operating Officer
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| | | | — | | |
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Jeff Evanson, Chief Commercial Officer
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| | | | — | | |
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All current executive officers as a group
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| | | | — | | |
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All current directors who are not executive officers as a group
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| | | | 105,000(2) | | |
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All employees, including all current officers who are not executive officers, as a group
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| | | | — | | |
(1)
Awards granted under the Amended 2015 Plan to our executive officers and other employees are discretionary and are not subject to set benefits or amounts under the terms of the Amended 2015 Plan.
(2)
Awards granted under the Amended 2015 Plan to our non-employee directors are discretionary and are not subject to set benefits or amounts under the terms of the Amended 2015 Plan. However, pursuant to our current compensation program for non-employee directors, each of our current non-employee directors is eligible to receive an annual grant of an option to purchase 15,000 shares of our common stock. On and after the date of the next annual meeting, any such stock options will be granted under the Amended 2015 Plan if this Proposal No. 1 is approved by our stockholders.
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2015 Plan Benefits
The following table sets forth, for each of the individuals and groups indicated, the total number of shares of our common stock subject to awards that have been granted (even if not currently outstanding) under the 2015 Plan through July 31, 2020.
2015 Plan
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Name and position
|
| |
Number of shares
|
| |||
|
Lawrence A. Kenyon, Director, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer
and Corporate Secretary |
| | | | 1,290,619 | | |
|
Terry Dagnon, Chief Operating Officer
|
| | | | — | | |
|
Jeff Evanson, Chief Commercial Officer
|
| | | | — | | |
|
All current executive officers as a group
|
| | | | 1,290,619 | | |
|
All current directors who are not executive officers as a group
|
| | | | 1,885,689 | | |
|
Each nominee for election as a director
|
| | | | — | | |
|
Each associate of any director, executive officer or nominee
|
| | | | — | | |
|
Each other person who received or is to receive 5% of rights under the 2015 Plan
|
| | | | — | | |
|
All employees, including all current officers who are not executive officers, as a group
|
| | | | 656,726 | | |
Equity Compensation Plan Information
The following table provides certain information with respect to all of our equity compensation plans in effect as of September 30, 2019.
|
Plan Category
|
| |
Number of
securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights |
| |
Weighted-
average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights ($) |
| |
Number of
securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column (a)) (#) |
| |||||||||
| | | |
(a)
|
| |
(b)
|
| |
(c)
|
| |||||||||
| Equity compensation plans approved by security holders: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
|
2011 Stock Incentive Plan
|
| | | | 15,691 | | | | | $ | 49.97(1) | | | | | | —(2) | | |
|
2015 Equity Incentive Plan
|
| | | | 1,390,108(3) | | | | | $ | 3.46(3) | | | | | | 1,309,950(4) | | |
|
2016 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
|
| | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | 68,145(5) | | |
| Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
|
None
|
| | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
|
Total
|
| | | | 1,405,799 | | | | | | | | | | | | 1,378,095 | | |
(1)
Represents the base price per outstanding performance stock unit awards at September 30, 2019.
(2)
Upon approval of the 2015 Plan, no additional options or awards may be granted under the 2011 Stock Incentive Plan; all outstanding stock awards continue to be governed by their existing terms.
(3)
Number of securities to be issued is comprised of (x) 1,389,999 option awards with a weighted-average exercise price of $3.46, and (y) 109 restricted stock unit (“RSU”) awards with a weighted-average grant date fair value of $96.00. Weighted average exercise price excludes RSU awards because they have no exercise price.
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(4)
The number of shares of our common stock reserved for issuance under the 2015 Plan automatically increases on January 1st of each year continuing through January 1, 2026, in an amount equal to the lesser of (a) 3% of the total number of shares of our common stock outstanding on December 31st of the immediately preceding calendar year and (b) a number determined by the Board. Accordingly, on January 1, 2020, the number of shares reserved for issuance increased by 1,152,928 shares.
(5)
The number of shares of our common stock reserved for issuance under the 2016 Employee Stock Purchase Plan automatically increases on January 1st each year continuing through January 1, 2026, by the lesser of (a) 1% of the total number of shares of our common stock outstanding on December 31st of the preceding calendar year, (b) 220,000 shares of our common stock and (iii) a number determined by the Board. Accordingly, there was no increase to the share reserve as of January 1, 2020 pursuant to Board determination (which fixed the number at zero).
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HOUSEHOLDING OF PROXY MATERIALS
The SEC has adopted rules that permit companies and intermediaries (e.g., brokers) to satisfy the delivery requirements for special meeting materials with respect to two or more stockholders sharing the same address by delivering a single set of special meeting materials addressed to those stockholders. This process, which is commonly referred to as “householding,” potentially means extra convenience for stockholders and cost savings for companies.
For this virtual Special Meeting, a number of brokers with account holders who are stockholders will be “householding” our proxy materials. A single set of Special Meeting materials will be delivered to multiple stockholders sharing an address unless contrary instructions have been received from the affected stockholders. Once you have received notice from your broker that they will be “householding” communications to your address, “householding” will continue until you are notified otherwise or until you revoke your consent. If, at any time, you no longer wish to participate in “householding” and would prefer to receive a separate set of Special Meeting materials, please notify your broker or us. Direct your written request to Outlook Therapeutics, Inc., Corporate Secretary, 4260 U.S. Route 1, Monmouth Junction, New Jersey 08852. Stockholders who currently receive multiple copies of the Special Meeting materials at their addresses and would like to request “householding” of their communications should contact their brokers.
OTHER MATTERS
The Board of Directors knows of no other matters that will be presented for consideration at the Special Meeting. If any other matters are properly brought before the meeting, it is the intention of the persons named in the accompanying proxy to vote on such matters in accordance with their best judgment.
By Order of the Board of Directors
/s/ Lawrence A. Kenyon
Lawrence A. Kenyon
Corporate Secretary
Corporate Secretary
August 18, 2020
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Appendix A
OUTLOOK THERAPEUTICS, INC.
2015 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
ADOPTED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS: DECEMBER 4, 2015
APPROVED BY THE STOCKHOLDERS: DECEMBER 7, 2015
EFFECTIVE DATE: DECEMBER 4, 2015
AMENDED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS: AUGUST 7, 2018
APPROVED BY THE STOCKHOLDERS: SEPTEMBER 21, 2018
AMENDED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS: JULY 31, 2019
APPROVED BY THE STOCKHOLDERS: SEPTEMBER 12, 2019
AMENDED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS: AUGUST 18, 2020
APPROVED BY THE STOCKHOLDERS: DECEMBER 7, 2015
EFFECTIVE DATE: DECEMBER 4, 2015
AMENDED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS: AUGUST 7, 2018
APPROVED BY THE STOCKHOLDERS: SEPTEMBER 21, 2018
AMENDED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS: JULY 31, 2019
APPROVED BY THE STOCKHOLDERS: SEPTEMBER 12, 2019
AMENDED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS: AUGUST 18, 2020
1.
General.
(a) Eligible Award Recipients. Employees, Directors and Consultants are eligible to receive Awards.
(b) Available Awards. The Plan provides for the grant of the following types of Awards: (i) Incentive Stock Options, (ii) Nonstatutory Stock Options, (iii) Stock Appreciation Rights (iv) Restricted Stock Awards, (v) Restricted Stock Unit Awards, (vi) Performance Stock Awards, and (vii) Other Stock Awards.
(c) Purpose. The Plan, through the granting of Awards, is intended to help the Company secure and retain the services of eligible award recipients, provide incentives for such persons to exert maximum efforts for the success of the Company and any Affiliate and provide a means by which the eligible recipients may benefit from increases in value of the Common Stock.
2.
Administration.
(a) Administration by Board. The Board will administer the Plan. The Board may delegate administration of the Plan to a Committee or Committees, as provided in Section 2(c).
(b) Powers of Board. The Board will have the power, subject to, and within the limitations of, the express provisions of the Plan:
(i) To determine (A) who will be granted Awards; (B) when and how each Award will be granted; (C) what type of Award will be granted; (D) the provisions of each Award (which need not be identical), including when a person will be permitted to exercise or otherwise receive cash or Common Stock under the Award; (E) the number of shares of Common Stock subject to, or the cash value of, an Award; and (F) the Fair Market Value applicable to a Stock Award.
(ii) To construe and interpret the Plan and Awards granted under it, and to establish, amend and revoke rules and regulations for administration of the Plan and Awards. The Board, in the exercise of these powers, may correct any defect, omission or inconsistency in the Plan, in a manner and to the extent it will deem necessary or expedient to make the Plan or Award fully effective.
(iii) To settle all controversies regarding the Plan and Awards granted under it.
(iv) To accelerate, in whole or in part, the time at which an Award may be exercised or vest (or at which cash or shares of Common Stock may be issued).
(v) To suspend or terminate the Plan at any time. Except as otherwise provided in the Plan or an Award Agreement, suspension or termination of the Plan will not materially impair a Participant’s rights under his or her then-outstanding Award without his or her written consent except as provided in subsection (viii) below.
(vi) To amend the Plan in any respect the Board deems necessary or advisable, including, without limitation, by adopting amendments relating to Incentive Stock Options and certain nonqualified deferred compensation under Section 409A of the Code and/or to make the Plan or
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Awards granted under the Plan compliant with the requirements for Incentive Stock Options or exempt from or compliant with the requirements for nonqualified deferred compensation under Section 409A of the Code, subject to the limitations, if any, of applicable law. However, if required by applicable law or listing requirements, and except as provided in Section 9(a) relating to Capitalization Adjustments, the Company will seek stockholder approval of any amendment of the Plan that (A) materially increases the number of shares of Common Stock available for issuance under the Plan, (B) materially expands the class of individuals eligible to receive Awards under the Plan, (C) materially increases the benefits accruing to Participants under the Plan, (D) materially reduces the price at which shares of Common Stock may be issued or purchased under the Plan, (E) materially extends the term of the Plan, or (F) materially expands the types of Awards available for issuance under the Plan. Except as provided in the Plan (including subsection (viii) below) or an Award Agreement, no amendment of the Plan will materially impair a Participant’s rights under an outstanding Award unless (1) the Company requests the consent of the affected Participant, and (2) such Participant consents in writing.
(vii) To submit any amendment to the Plan for stockholder approval, including, but not limited to, amendments to the Plan intended to satisfy the requirements of (A) Section 422 of the Code regarding incentive stock options or (B) Rule 16b-3.
(viii) To approve forms of Award Agreements for use under the Plan and to amend the terms of any one or more Awards, including, but not limited to, amendments to provide terms more favorable to the Participant than previously provided in the Award Agreement, subject to any specified limits in the Plan that are not subject to Board discretion; provided however, that a Participant’s rights under any Award will not be impaired by any such amendment unless (A) the Company requests the consent of the affected Participant, and (B) such Participant consents in writing. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (1) a Participant’s rights will not be deemed to have been impaired by any such amendment if the Board, in its sole discretion, determines that the amendment, taken as a whole, does not materially impair the Participant’s rights, and (2) subject to the limitations of applicable law, if any, the Board may amend the terms of any one or more Awards without the affected Participant’s consent (A) to maintain the qualified status of the Award as an Incentive Stock Option under Section 422 of the Code; (B) to change the terms of an Incentive Stock Option, if such change results in impairment of the Award solely because it impairs the qualified status of the Award as an Incentive Stock Option under Section 422 of the Code; (C) to clarify the manner of exemption from, or to bring the Award into compliance with, Section 409A of the Code; or (D) to comply with other applicable laws or listing requirements.
(ix) Generally, to exercise such powers and to perform such acts as the Board deems necessary or expedient to promote the best interests of the Company and that are not in conflict with the provisions of the Plan or Awards.
(x) To adopt such procedures and sub-plans as are necessary or appropriate to permit participation in the Plan by Employees, Directors or Consultants who are foreign nationals or employed outside the United States (provided that Board approval will not be necessary for immaterial modifications to the Plan or any Award Agreement that are required for compliance with the laws of the relevant foreign jurisdiction).
(xi) To effect, with the consent of any adversely affected Participant, (A) the reduction of the exercise, purchase or strike price of any outstanding Stock Award; (B) the cancellation of any outstanding Stock Award and the grant in substitution therefor of a new (1) Option or SAR, (2) Restricted Stock Award, (3) Restricted Stock Unit Award, (4) Other Stock Award, (5) cash and/or (6) other valuable consideration determined by the Board, in its sole discretion, with any such substituted award (x) covering the same or a different number of shares of Common Stock as the cancelled Stock Award and (y) granted under the Plan or another equity or compensatory plan of the Company; or (C) any other action that is treated as a repricing under generally accepted accounting principles.
(c) Delegation to Committee.
(i) General. The Board may delegate some or all of the administration of the Plan to a Committee or Committees. If administration of the Plan is delegated to a Committee, the Committee will have, in connection with the administration of the Plan, the powers theretofore possessed by the
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Board that have been delegated to the Committee, including the power to delegate to a subcommittee of the Committee any of the administrative powers the Committee is authorized to exercise (and references in this Plan to the Board will thereafter be to the Committee or subcommittee). Any delegation of administrative powers will be reflected in resolutions, not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan, adopted from time to time by the Board or Committee (as applicable). The Committee may, at any time, abolish the subcommittee and/or revest in the Committee any powers delegated to the subcommittee. The Board may retain the authority to concurrently administer the Plan with the Committee and may, at any time, revest in the Board some or all of the powers previously delegated.
(ii) Rule 16b-3 Compliance. The Committee may consist solely of two or more Non-Employee Directors, in accordance with Rule 16b-3.
(d) Delegation to an Officer. The Board may delegate to one or more Officers the authority to do one or both of the following (i) designate Employees who are not Officers to be recipients of Options and SARs (and, to the extent permitted by applicable law, other Stock Awards) and, to the extent permitted by applicable law, the terms of such Awards, and (ii) determine the number of shares of Common Stock to be subject to such Stock Awards granted to such Employees; provided, however, that the Board resolutions regarding such delegation will specify the total number of shares of Common Stock that may be subject to the Stock Awards granted by such Officer and that such Officer may not grant a Stock Award to himself or herself. Any such Stock Awards will be granted on the form of Award Agreement most recently approved for use by the Committee or the Board, unless otherwise provided in the resolutions approving the delegation authority. The Board may not delegate authority to an Officer who is acting solely in the capacity of an Officer (and not also as a Director) to determine the Fair Market Value pursuant to Section 13(w)(iii) below.
(e) Effect of Board’s Decision. All determinations, interpretations and constructions made by the Board in good faith will not be subject to review by any person and will be final, binding and conclusive on all persons.
3.
Shares Subject to the Plan.
(a) Share Reserve. Subject to Section 9(a) relating to Capitalization Adjustments, and the following sentence regarding the annual increase, the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock that may be issued pursuant to Stock Awards will not exceed 22,280,797 shares, consisting of (i) 155,797 shares that were approved in connection with the initial adoption of the Plan as of the Effective Date (which amount has been adjusted to reflect the 1-for-3.45 reverse stock split that was effected on April 26, 2016 and the 1-for-8.0 reverse stock split that was effected on March 15, 2019 (the “2019 Reverse Split”)), plus (ii) 625,000 shares that were approved at the Company’s 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (which amount has been adjusted to reflect the 2019 Reverse Split), plus (iii) 1,500,000 shares that were approved at the Company’s 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, plus (iv) 20,000,000 shares that were approved at the Company’s Special Meeting of Stockholders on September 17, 2020 (such aggregate number of shares, the “Share Reserve”). In addition, subject to the occurrence of the IPO Date, (i) the Share Reserve will automatically increase on the date that is sixty (60) calendar days following the IPO Date by an amount of shares of Common Stock equal to 3% of the total number of shares of Common Stock outstanding on such sixtieth (60th) day following the IPO Date, and (ii) the Share Reserve will automatically increase on January 1st of each year, for a period of not more than ten years following the Effective Date, commencing on January 1st of the year following the year in which the IPO Date occurs and ending on (and including) January 1, 2025, in an amount equal to 3% of the total number of shares of Common Stock outstanding on December 31st of the immediately preceding calendar year. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board may act prior to January 1st of a given year to provide that there will be no January 1st increase in the Share Reserve for such year or that the increase in the Share Reserve for such year will be a lesser number of shares of Common Stock than would otherwise occur pursuant to the preceding sentence.
For clarity, the Share Reserve in this Section 3(a) is a limitation on the number of shares of Common Stock that may be issued pursuant to the Plan. Accordingly, this Section 3(a) does not limit the granting of Stock Awards except as provided in Section 7(a). Shares may be issued in connection with a merger or acquisition as permitted by NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635(c) or, if applicable, NYSE Listed Company Manual Section 303A.08, AMEX Company Guide Section 711 or other applicable rule, and such issuance will not reduce the number of shares available for issuance under the Plan.
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(b) Reversion of Shares to the Share Reserve. If a Stock Award or any portion thereof (i) expires or otherwise terminates without all of the shares covered by such Stock Award having been issued or (ii) is settled in cash (i.e., the Participant receives cash rather than stock), such expiration, termination or settlement will not reduce (or otherwise offset) the number of shares of Common Stock that may be available for issuance under the Plan. If any shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to a Stock Award are forfeited back to or repurchased by the Company because of the failure to meet a contingency or condition required to vest such shares in the Participant, then the shares that are forfeited or repurchased will revert to and again become available for issuance under the Plan. Any shares reacquired by the Company in satisfaction of tax withholding obligations on a Stock Award or as consideration for the exercise or purchase price of a Stock Award will again become available for issuance under the Plan.
(c) Incentive Stock Option Limit. Subject to the Share Reserve and Section 9(a) relating to Capitalization Adjustments, the aggregate maximum number of shares of Common Stock that may be issued pursuant to the exercise of Incentive Stock Options will be 66,842,391 shares of Common Stock.
(d) Limitation on Grants to Non-Employee Directors. The maximum number of shares subject to Stock Awards granted under this Plan or under any other equity plan maintained by the Company during a single fiscal year to any Non-Employee Director, taken together with any cash fees paid to such Non-Employee Director during the fiscal year, will not exceed four hundred thousand dollars ($400,000) in total value (calculating the value of any such Stock Awards based on the grant date fair value of such Stock Awards for financial reporting purposes and excluding, for this purpose, the value of any dividend equivalent payments paid pursuant to any Stock Award granted in a previous fiscal year).
(e) Source of Shares. The stock issuable under the Plan will be shares of authorized but unissued or reacquired Common Stock, including shares repurchased by the Company on the open market or otherwise.
4.
Eligibility.
(a) Eligibility for Specific Stock Awards. Incentive Stock Options may be granted only to employees of the Company or a “parent corporation” or “subsidiary corporation” thereof (as such terms are defined in Sections 424(e) and 424(f) of the Code). Stock Awards other than Incentive Stock Options may be granted to Employees, Directors and Consultants; provided, however, that Stock Awards may not be granted to Employees, Directors and Consultants who are providing Continuous Service only to any “parent” of the Company, as such term is defined in Rule 405, unless (i) the stock underlying such Stock Awards is treated as “service recipient stock” under Section 409A of the Code (for example, because the Stock Awards are granted pursuant to a corporate transaction such as a spin off transaction), (ii) the Company, in consultation with its legal counsel, has determined that such Stock Awards are otherwise exempt from Section 409A of the Code, or (iii) the Company, in consultation with its legal counsel, has determined that such Stock Awards comply with the distribution requirements of Section 409A of the Code.
(b) Ten Percent Stockholders. A Ten Percent Stockholder will not be granted an Incentive Stock Option unless the exercise price of such Option is at least 110% of the Fair Market Value on the date of grant and the Option is not exercisable after the expiration of five years from the date of grant.
5.
Provisions Relating to Options and Stock Appreciation Rights.
Each Option or SAR will be in such form and will contain such terms and conditions as the Board deems appropriate. All Options will be separately designated Incentive Stock Options or Nonstatutory Stock Options at the time of grant, and, if certificates are issued, a separate certificate or certificates will be issued for shares of Common Stock purchased on exercise of each type of Option. If an Option is not specifically designated as an Incentive Stock Option, or if an Option is designated as an Incentive Stock Option but some portion or all of the Option fails to qualify as an Incentive Stock Option under the applicable rules, then the Option (or portion thereof) will be a Nonstatutory Stock Option. Each SAR will be denominated in shares of Common Stock equivalents. The provisions of separate Options or SARs need not be identical; provided, however, that each Award Agreement will conform to (through incorporation of provisions hereof by reference in the applicable Award Agreement or otherwise) the substance of each of the following provisions:
(a) Term. Subject to the provisions of Section 4(b) regarding Ten Percent Stockholders, no Option or SAR will be exercisable after the expiration of ten (10) years from the date of its grant or such shorter period specified in the Award Agreement.
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(b) Exercise Price. Subject to the provisions of Section 4(b) regarding Ten Percent Stockholders, the exercise or strike price of each Option or SAR will be not less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock subject to the Option or SAR on the date the Award is granted. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an Option or SAR may be granted with an exercise or strike price lower than 100% of the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock subject to the Award if such Award is granted pursuant to an assumption of or substitution for another option or stock appreciation right pursuant to a Corporate Transaction and in a manner consistent with the provisions of Section 409A of the Code and, if applicable, Section 424(a) of the Code.
(c) Purchase Price for Options. The purchase price of Common Stock acquired pursuant to the exercise of an Option may be paid, to the extent permitted by applicable law and as determined by the Board in its sole discretion, by any combination of the methods of payment set forth below. The Board will have the authority to grant Options that do not permit all of the following methods of payment (or otherwise restrict the ability to use certain methods) and to grant Options that require the consent of the Company to use a particular method of payment. The permitted methods of payment are as follows:
(i) by cash, check, bank draft or money order payable to the Company;
(ii) pursuant to a program developed under Regulation T as promulgated by the Federal Reserve Board that, prior to the issuance of the stock subject to the Option, results in either the receipt of cash (or check) by the Company or the receipt of irrevocable instructions to pay the aggregate exercise price to the Company from the sales proceeds;
(iii) by delivery to the Company (either by actual delivery or attestation) of shares of Common Stock;
(iv) if an Option is a Nonstatutory Stock Option, by a “net exercise” arrangement pursuant to which the Company will reduce the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise by the largest whole number of shares with a Fair Market Value that does not exceed the aggregate exercise price; provided, however, that the Company will accept a cash or other payment from the Participant to the extent of any remaining balance of the aggregate exercise price not satisfied by such reduction in the number of whole shares to be issued. Shares of Common Stock will no longer be subject to an Option and will not be exercisable thereafter to the extent that (A) shares issuable upon exercise are used to pay the exercise price pursuant to the “net exercise,” (B) shares are delivered to the Participant as a result of such exercise, and (C) shares are withheld to satisfy tax withholding obligations; or
(v) in any other form of legal consideration that may be acceptable to the Board and specified in the applicable Award Agreement.
(d) Exercise and Payment of a SAR. To exercise any outstanding SAR, the Participant must provide written notice of exercise to the Company in compliance with the provisions of the Stock Appreciation Right Award Agreement evidencing such SAR. The appreciation distribution payable on the exercise of a SAR will be not greater than an amount equal to the excess of (A) the aggregate Fair Market Value (on the date of the exercise of the SAR) of a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the number of Common Stock equivalents in which the Participant is vested under such SAR, and with respect to which the Participant is exercising the SAR on such date, over (B) the aggregate strike price of the number of Common Stock equivalents with respect to which the Participant is exercising the SAR on such date. The appreciation distribution may be paid in Common Stock, in cash, in any combination of the two or in any other form of consideration, as determined by the Board and contained in the Award Agreement evidencing such SAR.
(e) Transferability of Options and SARs. The Board may, in its sole discretion, impose such limitations on the transferability of Options and SARs as the Board will determine. In the absence of such a determination by the Board to the contrary, the following restrictions on the transferability of Options and SARs will apply:
(i) Restrictions on Transfer. An Option or SAR will not be transferable except by will or by the laws of descent and distribution (and pursuant to subsections (ii) and (iii) below), and will be exercisable during the lifetime of the Participant only by the Participant. The Board may permit transfer of the
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Option or SAR in a manner that is not prohibited by applicable tax and securities laws. Except as explicitly provided herein, neither an Option nor a SAR may be transferred for consideration.
(ii) Domestic Relations Orders. Subject to the approval of the Board or a duly authorized Officer, an Option or SAR may be transferred pursuant to the terms of a domestic relations order, official marital settlement agreement or other divorce or separation instrument as permitted by Treasury Regulation Section 1.421-1(b)(2). If an Option is an Incentive Stock Option, such Option may be deemed to be a Nonstatutory Stock Option as a result of such transfer.
(iii) Beneficiary Designation. Subject to the approval of the Board or a duly authorized Officer, a Participant may, by delivering written notice to the Company, in a form approved by the Company (or the designated broker), designate a third party who, upon the death of the Participant, will thereafter be entitled to exercise the Option or SAR and receive the Common Stock or other consideration resulting from such exercise. In the absence of such a designation, upon the death or the Participant, the executor or administrator of the Participant’s estate will be entitled to exercise the Option or SAR and receive the Common Stock or other consideration resulting from such exercise. However, the Company may prohibit designation of a beneficiary at any time, including due to any conclusion by the Company that such designation would be inconsistent with the provisions of applicable laws.
(f) Vesting Generally. The total number of shares of Common Stock subject to an Option or SAR may vest and therefore become exercisable in periodic installments that may or may not be equal. The Option or SAR may be subject to such other terms and conditions on the time or times when it may or may not be exercised (which may be based on the satisfaction of Performance Goals or other criteria) as the Board may deem appropriate. The vesting provisions of individual Options or SARs may vary. The provisions of this Section 5(f) are subject to any Option or SAR provisions governing the minimum number of shares of Common Stock as to which an Option or SAR may be exercised.
(g) Termination of Continuous Service. Except as otherwise provided in the applicable Award Agreement or other agreement between the Participant and the Company, if a Participant’s Continuous Service terminates (other than for Cause and other than upon the Participant’s death or Disability), the Participant may exercise his or her Option or SAR (to the extent that the Participant was entitled to exercise such Award as of the date of termination of Continuous Service) within the period of time ending on the earlier of (i) the date three (3) months following the termination of the Participant’s Continuous Service (or such longer or shorter period specified in the applicable Award Agreement) and (ii) the expiration of the term of the Option or SAR as set forth in the Award Agreement. If, after termination of Continuous Service, the Participant does not exercise his or her Option or SAR (as applicable) within the applicable time frame, the Option or SAR will terminate.
(h) Extension of Termination Date. If the exercise of an Option or SAR following the termination of the Participant’s Continuous Service (other than for Cause and other than upon the Participant’s death or Disability) would be prohibited at any time solely because the issuance of shares of Common Stock would violate the registration requirements under the Securities Act, then the Option or SAR will terminate on the earlier of (i) the expiration of a total period of time (that need not be consecutive) equal to the applicable post termination exercise period after the termination of the Participant’s Continuous Service during which the exercise of the Option or SAR would not be in violation of such registration requirements, and (ii) the expiration of the term of the Option or SAR as set forth in the applicable Award Agreement. In addition, unless otherwise provided in a Participant’s Award Agreement, if the sale of any Common Stock received on exercise of an Option or SAR following the termination of the Participant’s Continuous Service (other than for Cause) would violate the Company’s insider trading policy, then the Option or SAR will terminate on the earlier of (i) the expiration of a period of months (that need not be consecutive) equal to the applicable post-termination exercise period after the termination of the Participant’s Continuous Service during which the sale of the Common Stock received upon exercise of the Option or SAR would not be in violation of the Company’s insider trading policy, or (ii) the expiration of the term of the Option or SAR as set forth in the applicable Award Agreement.
(i) Disability of Participant. Except as otherwise provided in the applicable Award Agreement or other agreement between the Participant and the Company, if a Participant’s Continuous Service terminates as a result of the Participant’s Disability, the Participant may exercise his or her Option or SAR (to the
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extent that the Participant was entitled to exercise such Option or SAR as of the date of termination of Continuous Service), but only within such period of time ending on the earlier of (i) the date twelve (12) months following such termination of Continuous Service (or such longer or shorter period specified in the Award Agreement) and (ii) the expiration of the term of the Option or SAR as set forth in the Award Agreement. If, after termination of Continuous Service, the Participant does not exercise his or her Option or SAR within the applicable time frame, the Option or SAR (as applicable) will terminate.
(j) Death of Participant. Except as otherwise provided in the applicable Award Agreement or other agreement between the Participant and the Company, if (i) a Participant’s Continuous Service terminates as a result of the Participant’s death, or (ii) the Participant dies within the period (if any) specified in the Award Agreement for exercisability after the termination of the Participant’s Continuous Service for a reason other than death, then the Option or SAR may be exercised (to the extent the Participant was entitled to exercise such Option or SAR as of the date of death) by the Participant’s estate, by a person who acquired the right to exercise the Option or SAR by bequest or inheritance or by a person designated to exercise the Option or SAR upon the Participant’s death, but only within the period ending on the earlier of (i) the date eighteen (18) months following the date of death (or such longer or shorter period specified in the Award Agreement) and (ii) the expiration of the term of such Option or SAR as set forth in the Award Agreement. If, after the Participant’s death, the Option or SAR is not exercised within the applicable time frame, the Option or SAR (as applicable) will terminate.
(k) Termination for Cause. Except as explicitly provided otherwise in a Participant’s Award Agreement or other individual written agreement between the Company or any Affiliate and the Participant, if a Participant’s Continuous Service is terminated for Cause, the Option or SAR will terminate immediately upon such Participant’s termination of Continuous Service, and the Participant will be prohibited from exercising his or her Option or SAR from and after the time of such termination of Continuous Service.
(l) Non-Exempt Employees. If an Option or SAR is granted to an Employee who is a non-exempt employee for purposes of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended, the Option or SAR will not be first exercisable for any shares of Common Stock until at least six (6) months following the date of grant of the Option or SAR (although the Award may vest prior to such date). Consistent with the provisions of the Worker Economic Opportunity Act, (i) if such non-exempt Employee dies or suffers a Disability, (ii) upon a Corporate Transaction in which such Option or SAR is not assumed, continued, or substituted, (iii) upon a Change in Control, or (iv) upon the Participant’s retirement (as such term may be defined in the Participant’s Award Agreement, in another agreement between the Participant and the Company, or, if no such definition, in accordance with the Company’s then current employment policies and guidelines), the vested portion of any Options and SARs may be exercised earlier than six (6) months following the date of grant. The foregoing provision is intended to operate so that any income derived by a non-exempt employee in connection with the exercise or vesting of an Option or SAR will be exempt from his or her regular rate of pay. To the extent permitted and/or required for compliance with the Worker Economic Opportunity Act to ensure that any income derived by a non-exempt employee in connection with the exercise, vesting or issuance of any shares under any other Stock Award will be exempt from the employee’s regular rate of pay, the provisions of this Section 5(l) will apply to all Stock Awards and are hereby incorporated by reference into such Stock Award Agreements.
6.
Provisions of Stock Awards Other than Options and SARs.
(a) Restricted Stock Awards. Each Restricted Stock Award Agreement will be in such form and will contain such terms and conditions as the Board deems appropriate. To the extent consistent with the Company’s bylaws, at the Board’s election, shares of Common Stock may be (i) held in book entry form subject to the Company’s instructions until any restrictions relating to the Restricted Stock Award lapse; or (ii) evidenced by a certificate, which certificate will be held in such form and manner as determined by the Board. The terms and conditions of Restricted Stock Award Agreements may change from time to time, and the terms and conditions of separate Restricted Stock Award Agreements need not be identical. Each Restricted Stock Award Agreement will conform to (through incorporation of the provisions hereof by reference in the agreement or otherwise) the substance of each of the following provisions:
(i) Consideration. A Restricted Stock Award may be awarded in consideration for (A) cash, check, bank draft or money order payable to the Company, (B) past services to the Company or an
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Affiliate, or (C) any other form of legal consideration (including future services) that may be acceptable to the Board, in its sole discretion, and permissible under applicable law.
(ii) Vesting. Shares of Common Stock awarded under the Restricted Stock Award Agreement may be subject to forfeiture to the Company in accordance with a vesting schedule to be determined by the Board.
(iii) Termination of Participant’s Continuous Service. If a Participant’s Continuous Service terminates, the Company may receive through a forfeiture condition or a repurchase right any or all of the shares of Common Stock held by the Participant that have not vested as of the date of termination of Continuous Service under the terms of the Restricted Stock Award Agreement.
(iv) Transferability. Rights to acquire shares of Common Stock under the Restricted Stock Award Agreement will be transferable by the Participant only upon such terms and conditions as are set forth in the Restricted Stock Award Agreement, as the Board will determine in its sole discretion, so long as Common Stock awarded under the Restricted Stock Award Agreement remains subject to the terms of the Restricted Stock Award Agreement.
(v) Dividends. A Restricted Stock Award Agreement may provide that any dividends paid on Restricted Stock will be subject to the same vesting and forfeiture restrictions as apply to the shares subject to the Restricted Stock Award to which they relate.
(b) Restricted Stock Unit Awards. Each Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement will be in such form and will contain such terms and conditions as the Board deems appropriate. The terms and conditions of Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreements may change from time to time, and the terms and conditions of separate Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreements need not be identical. Each Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement will conform to (through incorporation of the provisions hereof by reference in the Agreement or otherwise) the substance of each of the following provisions:
(i) Consideration. At the time of grant of a Restricted Stock Unit Award, the Board will determine the consideration, if any, to be paid by the Participant upon delivery of each share of Common Stock subject to the Restricted Stock Unit Award. The consideration to be paid (if any) by the Participant for each share of Common Stock subject to a Restricted Stock Unit Award may be paid in any form of legal consideration that may be acceptable to the Board, in its sole discretion, and permissible under applicable law.
(ii) Vesting. At the time of the grant of a Restricted Stock Unit Award, the Board may impose such restrictions on or conditions to the vesting of the Restricted Stock Unit Award as it, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate.
(iii) Payment. A Restricted Stock Unit Award may be settled by the delivery of shares of Common Stock, their cash equivalent, any combination thereof or in any other form of consideration, as determined by the Board and contained in the Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement.
(iv) Additional Restrictions. At the time of the grant of a Restricted Stock Unit Award, the Board, as it deems appropriate, may impose such restrictions or conditions that delay the delivery of the shares of Common Stock (or their cash equivalent) subject to a Restricted Stock Unit Award to a time after the vesting of such Restricted Stock Unit Award.
(v) Dividend Equivalents. Dividend equivalents may be credited in respect of shares of Common Stock covered by a Restricted Stock Unit Award, as determined by the Board and contained in the Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement. At the sole discretion of the Board, such dividend equivalents may be converted into additional shares of Common Stock covered by the Restricted Stock Unit Award in such manner as determined by the Board. Any additional shares covered by the Restricted Stock Unit Award credited by reason of such dividend equivalents will be subject to all of the same terms and conditions of the underlying Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement to which they relate.
(vi) Termination of Participant’s Continuous Service. Except as otherwise provided in the applicable Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement, such portion of the Restricted Stock Unit Award that has not vested will be forfeited upon the Participant’s termination of Continuous Service.
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(c) Performance Awards.
(i) Performance Stock Awards. A Performance Stock Award is a Stock Award (covering a number of shares not in excess of that set forth in Section 3(d) above) that is payable (including that may be granted, vest or exercised) contingent upon the attainment during a Performance Period of certain Performance Goals. A Performance Stock Award may, but need not, require the completion of a specified period of Continuous Service. The length of any Performance Period, the Performance Goals to be achieved during the Performance Period, and the measure of whether and to what degree such Performance Goals have been attained will be conclusively determined by the Board or the Committee, in its sole discretion. In addition, to the extent permitted by applicable law and the applicable Award Agreement, the Board or Committee may determine that cash may be used in payment of Performance Stock Awards.
(ii) Board Discretion. To the extent provided in an Award Agreement, the Committee may retain the discretion to adjust or eliminate the compensation or economic benefit due upon attainment of Performance Goals and to define the manner of calculating the Performance Criteria it selects to use for a Performance Period. Partial achievement of the specified criteria may result in the payment or vesting corresponding to the degree of achievement as specified in the Stock Award Agreement.
(d) Other Stock Awards. Other forms of Stock Awards valued in whole or in part by reference to, or otherwise based on, Common Stock, including the appreciation in value thereof (e.g., options or stock rights with an exercise price or strike price less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock at the time of grant) may be granted either alone or in addition to Stock Awards provided for under Section 5 and the preceding provisions of this Section 6. Subject to the provisions of the Plan, the Board will have sole and complete authority to determine the persons to whom and the time or times at which such Other Stock Awards will be granted, the number of shares of Common Stock (or the cash equivalent thereof) to be granted pursuant to such Other Stock Awards and all other terms and conditions of such Other Stock Awards.
7.
Covenants of the Company.
(a) Availability of Shares. The Company will keep available at all times the number of shares of Common Stock reasonably required to satisfy then-outstanding Stock Awards.
(b) Securities Law Compliance. The Company will seek to obtain from each regulatory commission or agency having jurisdiction over the Plan such authority as may be required to grant Stock Awards and to issue and sell shares of Common Stock upon exercise of the Stock Awards; provided, however, that this undertaking will not require the Company to register under the Securities Act the Plan, any Stock Award or any Common Stock issued or issuable pursuant to any such Stock Award. If, after reasonable efforts and at a reasonable cost, the Company is unable to obtain from any such regulatory commission or agency the authority that counsel for the Company deems necessary for the lawful issuance and sale of Common Stock under the Plan, the Company will be relieved from any liability for failure to issue and sell Common Stock upon exercise of such Stock Awards unless and until such authority is obtained. A Participant will not be eligible for the grant of an Award or the subsequent issuance of cash or Common Stock pursuant to the Award if such grant or issuance would be in violation of any applicable securities law.
(c) No Obligation to Notify or Minimize Taxes. The Company will have no duty or obligation to any Participant to advise such holder as to the time or manner of exercising such Stock Award. Furthermore, the Company will have no duty or obligation to warn or otherwise advise such holder of a pending termination or expiration of an Award or a possible period in which the Award may not be exercised. The Company has no duty or obligation to minimize the tax consequences of an Award to the holder of such Award.
8.
Miscellaneous.
(a) Use of Proceeds from Sales of Common Stock. Proceeds from the sale of shares of Common Stock pursuant to Stock Awards will constitute general funds of the Company.
(b) Corporate Action Constituting Grant of Awards. Corporate action constituting a grant by the Company of an Award to any Participant will be deemed completed as of the date of such corporate
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action, unless otherwise determined by the Board, regardless of when the instrument, certificate, or letter evidencing the Award is communicated to, or actually received or accepted by, the Participant. In the event that the corporate records (e.g., Board consents, resolutions or minutes) documenting the corporate action approving the grant contain terms (e.g., exercise price, vesting schedule or number of shares) that are inconsistent with those in the Award Agreement or related grant documents as a result of a clerical error in the papering of the Award Agreement or related grant documents, the corporate records will control and the Participant will have no legally binding right to the incorrect term in the Award Agreement or related grant documents.
(c) Stockholder Rights. No Participant will be deemed to be the holder of, or to have any of the rights of a holder with respect to, any shares of Common Stock subject to an Award unless and until (i) such Participant has satisfied all requirements for exercise of, or the issuance of shares of Common Stock under, the Award pursuant to its terms, and (ii) the issuance of the Common Stock subject to such Award has been entered into the books and records of the Company.
(d) No Employment or Other Service Rights. Nothing in the Plan, any Award Agreement or any other instrument executed thereunder or in connection with any Award granted pursuant thereto will confer upon any Participant any right to continue to serve the Company or an Affiliate in the capacity in effect at the time the Award was granted or will affect the right of the Company or an Affiliate to terminate (i) the employment of an Employee with or without notice and with or without cause, (ii) the service of a Consultant pursuant to the terms of such Consultant’s agreement with the Company or an Affiliate, or (iii) the service of a Director pursuant to the bylaws of the Company or an Affiliate, and any applicable provisions of the corporate law of the state in which the Company or the Affiliate is incorporated, as the case may be.
(e) Change in Time Commitment. In the event a Participant’s regular level of time commitment in the performance of his or her services for the Company and any Affiliates is reduced (for example, and without limitation, if the Participant is an Employee of the Company and the Employee has a change in status from a full-time Employee to a part-time Employee or takes an extended leave of absence) after the date of grant of any Award to the Participant, the Board has the right in its sole discretion to (x) make a corresponding reduction in the number of shares or cash amount subject to any portion of such Award that is scheduled to vest or become payable after the date of such change in time commitment, and (y) in lieu of or in combination with such a reduction, extend the vesting or payment schedule applicable to such Award. In the event of any such reduction, the Participant will have no right with respect to any portion of the Award that is so reduced or extended.
(f) Incentive Stock Option Limitations. To the extent that the aggregate Fair Market Value (determined at the time of grant) of Common Stock with respect to which Incentive Stock Options are exercisable for the first time by any Optionholder during any calendar year (under all plans of the Company and any Affiliates) exceeds $100,000 (or such other limit established in the Code) or otherwise does not comply with the rules governing Incentive Stock Options, the Options or portions thereof that exceed such limit (according to the order in which they were granted) or otherwise do not comply with such rules will be treated as Nonstatutory Stock Options, notwithstanding any contrary provision of the applicable Option Agreement(s).
(g) Investment Assurances. The Company may require a Participant, as a condition of exercising or acquiring Common Stock under any Award, (i) to give written assurances satisfactory to the Company as to the Participant’s knowledge and experience in financial and business matters and/or to employ a purchaser representative reasonably satisfactory to the Company who is knowledgeable and experienced in financial and business matters and that he or she is capable of evaluating, alone or together with the purchaser representative, the merits and risks of exercising the Award; and (ii) to give written assurances satisfactory to the Company stating that the Participant is acquiring Common Stock subject to the Award for the Participant’s own account and not with any present intention of selling or otherwise distributing the Common Stock. The foregoing requirements, and any assurances given pursuant to such requirements, will be inoperative if (A) the issuance of the shares upon the exercise or acquisition of Common Stock under the Stock Award has been registered under a then currently effective registration statement under the Securities Act, or (B) as to any particular requirement, a determination is made by counsel for the Company that such requirement need not be met in the circumstances under the then applicable securities laws. The
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Company may, upon advice of counsel to the Company, place legends on stock certificates issued under the Plan as such counsel deems necessary or appropriate in order to comply with applicable securities laws, including, but not limited to, legends restricting the transfer of the Common Stock.
(h) Withholding Obligations. Unless prohibited by the terms of an Award Agreement, the Company may, in its sole discretion, satisfy any federal, state or local tax withholding obligation relating to an Award by any of the following means or by a combination of such means: (i) causing the Participant to tender a cash payment; (ii) withholding shares of Common Stock from the shares of Common Stock issued or otherwise issuable to the Participant in connection with the Stock Award; provided, however, that no shares of Common Stock are withheld with a value exceeding the minimum amount of tax required to be withheld by law (or such lesser amount as may be necessary to avoid classification of the Stock Award as a liability for financial accounting purposes); (iii) withholding cash from an Award settled in cash; (iv) withholding payment from any amounts otherwise payable to the Participant; or (v) by such other method as may be set forth in the Award Agreement.
(i) Electronic Delivery. Any reference herein to a “written” agreement or document will include any agreement or document delivered electronically, filed publicly at www.sec.gov (or any successor website thereto) or posted on the Company’s intranet (or other shared electronic medium controlled by the Company to which the Participant has access).
(j) Deferrals. To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Board, in its sole discretion, may determine that the delivery of Common Stock or the payment of cash, upon the exercise, vesting or settlement of all or a portion of any Award may be deferred and may establish programs and procedures for deferral elections to be made by Participants. Deferrals by Participants will be made in accordance with Section 409A of the Code. Consistent with Section 409A of the Code, the Board may provide for distributions while a Participant is still an employee or otherwise providing services to the Company. The Board is authorized to make deferrals of Awards and determine when, and in what annual percentages, Participants may receive payments, including lump sum payments, following the Participant’s termination of Continuous Service, and implement such other terms and conditions consistent with the provisions of the Plan and in accordance with applicable law.
(k) Clawback/Recovery. All Awards granted under the Plan will be subject to recoupment in accordance with any clawback policy that the Company is required to adopt pursuant to the listing standards of any national securities exchange or association on which the Company’s securities are listed or as is otherwise required by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act or other applicable law. In addition, the Board may impose such other clawback, recovery or recoupment provisions in an Award Agreement as the Board determines necessary or appropriate, including but not limited to a reacquisition right in respect of previously acquired shares of Common Stock or other cash or property upon the occurrence of Cause. No recovery of compensation under such a clawback policy will be an event giving rise to a right to voluntary terminate employment upon a “resignation for good reason,” or for a “constructive termination” or any similar term under any plan of or agreement with the Company.
(l) Compliance with Section 409A. Unless otherwise expressly provided for in an Award Agreement, the Plan and Award Agreements will be interpreted to the greatest extent possible in a manner that makes the Plan and the Awards granted hereunder exempt from Section 409A of the Code, and, to the extent not so exempt, in compliance with Section 409A of the Code. If the Board determines that any Award granted hereunder is not exempt from and is therefore subject to Section 409A of the Code, the Award Agreement evidencing such Award will incorporate the terms and conditions necessary to avoid the consequences specified in Section 409A(a)(1) of the Code, and to the extent an Award Agreement is silent on terms necessary for compliance, such terms are hereby incorporated by reference into the Award Agreement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Plan (and unless the Award Agreement specifically provides otherwise), if the shares of Common Stock are publicly traded, and if a Participant holding an Award that constitutes “deferred compensation” under Section 409A of the Code is a “specified employee” for purposes of Section 409A of the Code, no distribution or payment of any amount that is due because of a “separation from service” (as defined in Section 409A of the Code without regard to alternative definitions thereunder) will be issued or paid before the date that is six months following the date of such Participant’s “separation from service” or, if earlier, the date of the Participant’s death, unless such distribution or payment can be
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made in a manner that complies with Section 409A of the Code, and any amounts so deferred will be paid in a lump sum on the day after such six month period elapses, with the balance paid thereafter on the original schedule.
9.
Adjustments upon Changes in Common Stock; Other Corporate Events.
(a) Capitalization Adjustments. In the event of a Capitalization Adjustment, the Board will appropriately and proportionately adjust: (i) the class(es) and maximum number of securities subject to the Plan pursuant to Section 3(a), (ii) the class(es) and maximum number of securities that may be issued pursuant to the exercise of Incentive Stock Options pursuant to Section 3(c), (iii) the class(es) and maximum number of securities that may be awarded to any Non-Employee Director pursuant to Section 3(d), and (iv) the class(es) and number of securities and price per share of stock subject to outstanding Stock Awards. The Board will make such adjustments, and its determination will be final, binding and conclusive.
(b) Dissolution. Except as otherwise provided in the Stock Award Agreement, in the event of a Dissolution of the Company, all outstanding Stock Awards (other than Stock Awards consisting of vested and outstanding shares of Common Stock not subject to a forfeiture condition or the Company’s right of repurchase) will terminate immediately prior to the completion of such Dissolution, and the shares of Common Stock subject to the Company’s repurchase rights or subject to a forfeiture condition may be repurchased or reacquired by the Company notwithstanding the fact that the holder of such Stock Award is providing Continuous Service; provided, however, that the Board may, in its sole discretion, cause some or all Stock Awards to become fully vested, exercisable and/or no longer subject to repurchase or forfeiture (to the extent such Stock Awards have not previously expired or terminated) before the Dissolution is completed but contingent on its completion.
(c) Corporate Transaction. The following provisions will apply to Stock Awards in the event of a Corporate Transaction unless otherwise provided in the instrument evidencing the Stock Award or any other written agreement between the Company or any Affiliate and the Participant or unless otherwise expressly provided by the Board at the time of grant of a Stock Award. In the event of a Corporate Transaction, then, notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan, the Board may take one or more of the following actions with respect to Stock Awards, contingent upon the closing or completion of the Corporate Transaction:
(i) arrange for the surviving corporation or acquiring corporation (or the surviving or acquiring corporation’s parent company) to assume or continue the Stock Award or to substitute a similar stock award for the Stock Award (including, but not limited to, an award to acquire the same consideration paid to the stockholders of the Company pursuant to the Corporate Transaction);
(ii) arrange for the assignment of any reacquisition or repurchase rights held by the Company in respect of Common Stock issued pursuant to the Stock Award to the surviving corporation or acquiring corporation (or the surviving or acquiring corporation’s parent company);
(iii) accelerate the vesting, in whole or in part, of the Stock Award (and, if applicable, the time at which the Stock Award may be exercised) to a date prior to the effective time of such Corporate Transaction as the Board determines (or, if the Board does not determine such a date, to the date that is five days prior to the effective date of the Corporate Transaction), with such Stock Award terminating if not exercised (if applicable) at or prior to the effective time of the Corporate Transaction; provided, however, that the Board may require Participants to complete and deliver to the Company a notice of exercise before the effective date of a Corporate Transaction, which exercise is contingent upon the effectiveness of such Corporate Transaction;
(iv) arrange for the lapse, in whole or in part, of any reacquisition or repurchase rights held by the Company with respect to the Stock Award;
(v) cancel or arrange for the cancellation of the Stock Award, to the extent not vested or not exercised prior to the effective time of the Corporate Transaction, in exchange for such cash consideration, if any, as the Board, in its sole discretion, may consider appropriate; and
(vi) make a payment, in such form as may be determined by the Board equal to the excess, if any, of (A) the value of the property the Participant would have received upon the exercise of the Stock Award
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immediately prior to the effective time of the Corporate Transaction, over (B) any exercise price payable by such holder in connection with such exercise. For clarity, this payment may be $0 if the value of the property is equal to or less than the exercise price. Payments under this provision may be delayed to the same extent that payment of consideration to the holders of the Company’s Common Stock in connection with the Corporate Transaction is delayed as a result of escrows, earn outs, holdbacks or any other contingencies.
The Board need not take the same action or actions with respect to all Stock Awards or portions thereof or with respect to all Participants. The Board may take different actions with respect to the vested and unvested portions of a Stock Award.
(d) Change in Control. A Stock Award may be subject to additional acceleration of vesting and exercisability upon or after a Change in Control as may be provided in the Stock Award Agreement for such Stock Award or as may be provided in any other written agreement between the Company or any Affiliate and the Participant, but in the absence of such provision, no such acceleration will occur.
10.
Termination or Suspension of the Plan.
(a) The Board may suspend or terminate the Plan at any time. No Incentive Stock Option will be granted after the tenth anniversary of the earlier of (i) the date the Plan, as most recently amended, is adopted by the Board or (ii) the date the Plan, as most recently amended, is approved by the stockholders of the Company. No Awards may be granted under the Plan while the Plan is suspended or after it is terminated.
(b) No Impairment of Rights. Suspension or termination of the Plan will not materially impair rights and obligations under any Award granted while the Plan is in effect except with the written consent of the affected Participant or as otherwise permitted in the Plan.
11.
Effective Date of Plan.
The Plan will become effective on the Effective Date.
12.
Choice of Law.
The laws of the State of Delaware will govern all questions concerning the construction, validity and interpretation of this Plan, without regard to that state’s conflict of laws rules.
13.
Definitions. As used in the Plan, the following definitions will apply to the capitalized terms indicated below:
(a) “Affiliate” means, at the time of determination, any “parent” or “subsidiary” of the Company as such terms are defined in Rule 405. The Board will have the authority to determine the time or times at which “parent” or “subsidiary” status is determined within the foregoing definition.
(b) “Award” or “Stock Award” means any right to receive Common Stock granted under the Plan, including an Incentive Stock Option, a Nonstatutory Stock Option, a Restricted Stock Award, a Restricted Stock Unit Award, a Stock Appreciation Right, a Performance Stock Award or any Other Stock Award.
(c) “Award Agreement” means a written agreement between the Company and a Participant evidencing the terms and conditions of an Award.
(d) “Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.
(e) “Capitalization Adjustment” means any change that is made in, or other events that occur with respect to, the Common Stock subject to the Plan or subject to any Stock Award after the Effective Date without the receipt of consideration by the Company through merger, consolidation, reorganization, recapitalization, reincorporation, stock dividend, dividend in property other than cash, large nonrecurring cash dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, liquidating dividend, combination of shares, exchange of shares, change in corporate structure or any similar equity restructuring transaction, as that term is used in Statement of Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718 (or any
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successor thereto). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the conversion of any convertible securities of the Company will not be treated as a Capitalization Adjustment.
(f) “Cause” will have the meaning ascribed to such term in any written agreement between the Participant and the Company defining such term and, in the absence of such agreement, such term means, with respect to a Participant, the occurrence of any of the following events: (i) such Participant’s commission of any felony or any crime involving fraud, dishonesty or moral turpitude under the laws of the United States or any state thereof; (ii) such Participant’s attempted commission of, or participation in, a fraud or act of dishonesty against the Company; (iii) such Participant’s intentional, material violation of any contract or agreement between the Participant and the Company or of any statutory duty owed to the Company; (iv) such Participant’s unauthorized use or disclosure of the Company’s confidential information or trade secrets; (v) such Participant’s violation of a Company policy; or (vi) such Participant’s gross misconduct. The determination that a termination of the Participant’s Continuous Service is either for Cause or without Cause will be made by the Company, in its sole discretion. Any determination by the Company that the Continuous Service of a Participant was terminated with or without Cause for the purposes of outstanding Awards held by such Participant will have no effect upon any determination of the rights or obligations of the Company or such Participant for any other purpose.
(g) “Change in Control” means the occurrence, in a single transaction or in a series of related transactions, of any one or more of the following events:
(i) any Exchange Act Person becomes the Owner, directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing more than 50% of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities other than by virtue of a merger, consolidation or similar transaction. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Change in Control will not be deemed to occur (A) on account of the acquisition of securities of the Company directly from the Company, (B) on account of the acquisition of securities of the Company by an investor, any affiliate thereof or any other Exchange Act Person that acquires the Company’s securities in a transaction or series of related transactions the primary purpose of which is to obtain financing for the Company through the issuance of equity securities, (C) on account of the acquisition of securities of the Company by any individual who is, on the IPO Date, either an executive officer or a Director (either, an “IPO Investor”) and/or any entity in which an IPO Investor has a direct or indirect interest (whether in the form of voting rights or participation in profits or capital contributions) of more than 50% (collectively, the “IPO Entities”) or on account of the IPO Entities continuing to hold shares that come to represent more than 50% of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities as a result of the conversion of any class of the Company’s securities into another class of the Company’s securities having a different number of votes per share pursuant to the conversion provisions set forth in the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation; or (D) solely because the level of Ownership held by any Exchange Act Person (the “Subject Person”) exceeds the designated percentage threshold of the outstanding voting securities as a result of a repurchase or other acquisition of voting securities by the Company reducing the number of shares outstanding, provided that if a Change in Control would occur (but for the operation of this sentence) as a result of the acquisition of voting securities by the Company, and after such share acquisition, the Subject Person becomes the Owner of any additional voting securities that, assuming the repurchase or other acquisition had not occurred, increases the percentage of the then outstanding voting securities Owned by the Subject Person over the designated percentage threshold, then a Change in Control will be deemed to occur;
(ii) there is consummated a merger, consolidation or similar transaction involving (directly or indirectly) the Company and, immediately after the consummation of such merger, consolidation or similar transaction, the stockholders of the Company immediately prior thereto do not Own, directly or indirectly, either (A) outstanding voting securities representing more than 50% of the combined outstanding voting power of the surviving Entity in such merger, consolidation or similar transaction or (B) more than 50% of the combined outstanding voting power of the parent of the surviving Entity in such merger, consolidation or similar transaction, in each case in substantially the same proportions as their Ownership of the outstanding voting securities of the Company immediately prior to such transaction; provided, however, that a merger, consolidation or similar transaction will not constitute a
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Change in Control under this prong of the definition if the outstanding voting securities representing more than 50% of the combined voting power of the surviving Entity or its parent are owned by the IPO Entities;
(iii) there is consummated a sale, lease, exclusive license or other disposition of all or substantially all of the consolidated assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries, other than a sale, lease, license or other disposition of all or substantially all of the consolidated assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries to an Entity, more than 50% of the combined voting power of the voting securities of which are Owned by stockholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their Ownership of the outstanding voting securities of the Company immediately prior to such sale, lease, license or other disposition; provided, however, that a sale, lease, exclusive license or other disposition of all or substantially all of the consolidated assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries will not constitute a Change in Control under this prong of the definition if the outstanding voting securities representing more than 50% of the combined voting power of the acquiring Entity or its parent are owned by the IPO Entities; or
(iv) individuals who, on the date the Plan is adopted by the Board, are members of the Board (the “Incumbent Board”) cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority of the members of the Board; provided, however, that if the appointment or election (or nomination for election) of any new Board member was approved or recommended by a majority vote of the members of the Incumbent Board then still in office, such new member will, for purposes of this Plan, be considered as a member of the Incumbent Board.
Notwithstanding the foregoing or any other provision of this Plan, (A) the term Change in Control will not include a sale of assets, merger or other transaction effected exclusively for the purpose of changing the domicile of the Company, and (B) the definition of Change in Control (or any analogous term) in an individual written agreement between the Company or any Affiliate and the Participant will supersede the foregoing definition with respect to Awards subject to such agreement; provided, however, that if no definition of Change in Control or any analogous term is set forth in such an individual written agreement, the foregoing definition will apply. To the extent required for compliance with Section 409A of the Code, in no event will a Change in Control be deemed to have occurred if such transaction is not also a “change in the ownership or effective control of” the Company or “a change in the ownership of a substantial portion of the assets of” the Company as determined under Treasury Regulations Section 1.409A-3(i)(5) (without regard to any alternative definition thereunder). The Board may, in its sole discretion and without a Participant’s consent, amend the definition of “Change in Control” to conform to the definition of “Change in Control” under Section 409A of the Code, and the regulations thereunder.
(h) “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, including any applicable regulations and guidance thereunder.
(i) “Committee” means a committee of one or more Directors to whom authority has been delegated by the Board in accordance with Section 2(c).
(j) “Common Stock” means the common stock of the Company.
(k) “Company” means Outlook Therapeutics, Inc., a Delaware corporation.
(l) “Consultant” means any person, including an advisor, who is (i) engaged by the Company or an Affiliate to render consulting or advisory services and is compensated for such services, or (ii) serving as a member of the board of directors of an Affiliate and is compensated for such services. However, service solely as a Director, or payment of a fee for such service, will not cause a Director to be considered a “Consultant” for purposes of the Plan. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a person is treated as a Consultant under this Plan only if a Form S-8 Registration Statement under the Securities Act is available to register either the offer or the sale of the Company’s securities to such person.
(m) “Continuous Service” means that the Participant’s service with the Company or an Affiliate, whether as an Employee, Director or Consultant, is not interrupted or terminated. A change in the capacity in which the Participant renders service to the Company or an Affiliate as an Employee, Director or
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Consultant or a change in the Entity for which the Participant renders such service, provided that there is no interruption or termination of the Participant’s service with the Company or an Affiliate, will not terminate a Participant’s Continuous Service; provided, however, that if the Entity for which a Participant is rendering services ceases to qualify as an Affiliate, as determined by the Board, in its sole discretion, such Participant’s Continuous Service will be considered to have terminated on the date such Entity ceases to qualify as an Affiliate. For example, a change in status from an Employee of the Company to a Consultant of an Affiliate or to a Director will not constitute an interruption of Continuous Service. To the extent permitted by law, the Board or the chief executive officer of the Company, in that party’s sole discretion, may determine whether Continuous Service will be considered interrupted in the case of (i) any leave of absence approved by the Board or chief executive officer, including sick leave, military leave or any other personal leave, or (ii) transfers between the Company, an Affiliate, or their successors. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a leave of absence will be treated as Continuous Service for purposes of vesting in an Award only to such extent as may be provided in the Company’s leave of absence policy, in the written terms of any leave of absence agreement or policy applicable to the Participant, or as otherwise required by law. In addition, to the extent required for exemption from or compliance with Section 409A of the Code, the determination of whether there has been a termination of Continuous Service will be made, and such term will be construed, in a manner that is consistent with the definition of “separation from service” as defined under Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-1(h) (without regard to any alternative definition thereunder).
(n) “Corporate Transaction” means the consummation, in a single transaction or in a series of related transactions, of any one or more of the following events:
(i) a sale or other disposition of all or substantially all, as determined by the Board, in its sole discretion, of the consolidated assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries;
(ii) a sale or other disposition of at least 50% of the outstanding securities of the Company;
(iii) a merger, consolidation or similar transaction following which the Company is not the surviving corporation; or
(iv) a merger, consolidation or similar transaction following which the Company is the surviving corporation but the shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately preceding the merger, consolidation or similar transaction are converted or exchanged by virtue of the merger, consolidation or similar transaction into other property, whether in the form of securities, cash or otherwise.
(o) “Director” means a member of the Board.
(p) “Disability” means, with respect to a Participant, the inability of such Participant to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can be expected to result in death or that has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months, as provided in Sections 22(e)(3) and 409A(a)(2)(c)(i) of the Code, and will be determined by the Board on the basis of such medical evidence as the Board deems warranted under the circumstances.
(q) “Dissolution” means when the Company, after having executed a certificate of dissolution with the State of Delaware, has completely wound up its affairs. Conversion of the Company into a Limited Liability Company will not be considered a “Dissolution” for purposes of the Plan.
(r) “Effective Date” means the effective date of this Plan, which is the earlier of (i) the date that this Plan is first approved by the Company’s stockholders, and (ii) the date this Plan is adopted by the Board.
(s) “Employee” means any person employed by the Company or an Affiliate. However, service solely as a Director, or payment of a fee for such services, will not cause a Director to be considered an “Employee” for purposes of the Plan.
(t) “Entity” means a corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other entity.
(u) “Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
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(v) “Exchange Act Person” means any natural person, Entity or “group” (within the meaning of Section 13(d) or 14(d) of the Exchange Act), except that “Exchange Act Person” will not include (i) the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company, (ii) any employee benefit plan of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company or any trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company, (iii) an underwriter temporarily holding securities pursuant to a registered public offering of such securities, (iv) an Entity Owned, directly or indirectly, by the stockholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their Ownership of stock of the Company; or (v) any natural person, Entity or “group” (within the meaning of Section 13(d) or 14(d) of the Exchange Act) that, as of the Effective Date, is the Owner, directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing more than 50% of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities.
(w) “Fair Market Value” means, as of any date, the value of the Common Stock determined as follows:
(i) If the Common Stock is listed on any established stock exchange or traded on any established market, the Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock will be, unless otherwise determined by the Board, the closing sales price for such stock as quoted on such exchange or market (or the exchange or market with the greatest volume of trading in the Common Stock) on the date of determination, as reported in a source the Board deems reliable.
(ii) Unless otherwise provided by the Board, if there is no closing sales price for the Common Stock on the date of determination, then the Fair Market Value will be the closing selling price on the last preceding date for which such quotation exists.
(iii) In the absence of such markets for the Common Stock, the Fair Market Value will be determined by the Board in good faith and in a manner that complies with Sections 409A and 422 of the Code.
(x) “Incentive Stock Option” means an option granted pursuant to Section 5 of the Plan that is intended to be, and that qualifies as, an “incentive stock option” within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code.
(y) “IPO Date” means the date of the underwriting agreement between the Company and the underwriter(s) managing the initial public offering of the Common Stock, pursuant to which the Common Stock is priced for the initial public offering.
(z) “Non-Employee Director” means a Director who either (i) is not a current employee or officer of the Company or an Affiliate, does not receive compensation, either directly or indirectly, from the Company or an Affiliate for services rendered as a consultant or in any capacity other than as a Director (except for an amount as to which disclosure would not be required under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K promulgated pursuant to the Securities Act (“Regulation S-K”)), does not possess an interest in any other transaction for which disclosure would be required under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K, and is not engaged in a business relationship for which disclosure would be required pursuant to Item 404(b) of Regulation S-K; or (ii) is otherwise considered a “non-employee director” for purposes of Rule 16b-3.
(aa) “Nonstatutory Stock Option” means any option granted pursuant to Section 5 of the Plan that does not qualify as an Incentive Stock Option.
(bb) “Officer” means a person who is an officer of the Company within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act.
(cc) “Option” means an Incentive Stock Option or a Nonstatutory Stock Option to purchase shares of Common Stock granted pursuant to the Plan.
(dd) “Option Agreement” means a written agreement between the Company and an Optionholder evidencing the terms and conditions of an Option grant. Each Option Agreement will be subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.
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(ee) “Optionholder” means a person to whom an Option is granted pursuant to the Plan or, if applicable, such other person who holds an outstanding Option.
(ff) “Other Stock Award” means an award based in whole or in part by reference to the Common Stock which is granted pursuant to the terms and conditions of Section 6(d).
(gg) “Other Stock Award Agreement” means a written agreement between the Company and a holder of an Other Stock Award evidencing the terms and conditions of an Other Stock Award grant. Each Other Stock Award Agreement will be subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.
(hh) “Own,” “Owned,” “Owner,” “Ownership” A person or Entity will be deemed to “Own,” to have “Owned,” to be the “Owner” of, or to have acquired “Ownership” of securities if such person or Entity, directly or indirectly, through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship or otherwise, has or shares voting power, which includes the power to vote or to direct the voting, with respect to such securities.
(ii) “Participant” means a person to whom an Award is granted pursuant to the Plan or, if applicable, such other person who holds an outstanding Stock Award.
(jj) “Performance Criteria” means the one or more criteria that the Board will select for purposes of establishing the Performance Goals for a Performance Period. The Performance Criteria that will be used to establish such Performance Goals may be based on any one of, or combination of, the following as determined by the Board: (i) earnings (including earnings per share and net earnings); (ii) earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation; (iii) earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization; (iv) earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and legal settlements; (v) earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, legal settlements and other income (expense); (vi) earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, legal settlements, other income (expense) and stock-based compensation; (vii) earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, legal settlements, other income (expense), stock-based compensation and changes in deferred revenue; (viii) earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, legal settlements, other income (expense), stock-based compensation, other non-cash expenses and changes in deferred revenue; (ix) total stockholder return; (x) return on equity or average stockholder’s equity; (xi) return on assets, investment, or capital employed; (xii) stock price; (xiii) margin (including gross margin); (xiv) income (before or after taxes); (xv) operating income; (xvi) operating income after taxes; (xvii) pre-tax profit; (xviii) operating cash flow; (xix) sales or revenue targets; (xx) increases in revenue or product revenue; (xxi) expenses and cost reduction goals; (xxii) improvement in or attainment of working capital levels; (xxiii) economic value added (or an equivalent metric); (xxiv) market share; (xxv) cash flow; (xxvi) cash flow per share; (xxvii) cash balance; (xxviii) cash burn; (xxix) cash collections; (xxx) share price performance; (xxxi) debt reduction; (xxxii) implementation or completion of projects or processes (including, without limitation, clinical trial initiation, clinical trial enrollment and dates, clinical trial results, regulatory filing submissions, regulatory filing acceptances, regulatory or advisory committee interactions, regulatory approvals, new and supplemental indications for existing products, and product supply); (xxxiii) stockholders’ equity; (xxxiv) capital expenditures; (xxxv) debt levels; (xxxvi) operating profit or net operating profit; (xxxvii) workforce diversity; (xxxviii) growth of net income or operating income; (xxxix) billings; (xl) bookings; (xli) employee retention; (xlii) initiation of phases of clinical trials and/or studies by specific dates; (xliii) acquisition of new customers, including institutional accounts; (xliv) customer retention and/or repeat order rate; (xlv) number of institutional customer accounts (xlvi) budget management; (xlvii) improvements in sample and test processing times; (xlviii) regulatory milestones; (xlix) progress of internal research or clinical programs; (l) progress of partnered programs; (li) partner satisfaction; (lii) milestones related to samples received and/or tests run; (liii) expansion of sales in additional geographies or markets; (liv) research progress, including the development of programs; (lv) submission to, or approval by, a regulatory body (including, but not limited to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration) of an applicable filing or a product; (lvi) timely completion of clinical trials; (lvii) milestones related to samples received and/or tests or panels run; (lviii) expansion of sales in additional geographies or markets; (lix) research progress, including the development of programs; (lx) patient samples processed and billed; (lxi) sample processing operating metrics (including, without limitation, failure rate maximums and reduction of repeat rates); (lxii) strategic partnerships or transactions (including in-licensing and out-licensing of intellectual property; and (lxiii) other measures of performance selected by the Board.
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(kk) “Performance Goals” means, for a Performance Period, the one or more goals established by the Board for the Performance Period based upon the Performance Criteria. Performance Goals may be based on a Company-wide basis, with respect to one or more business units, divisions, Affiliates, or business segments, and in either absolute terms or relative to the performance of one or more comparable companies or the performance of one or more relevant indices. The Board is authorized at any time in its sole discretion, to adjust or modify the calculation of a Performance Goal for such Performance Period in order to prevent the dilution or enlargement of the rights of Participants, (a) in the event of, or in anticipation of, any unusual or extraordinary corporate item, transaction, event or development; (b) in recognition of, or in anticipation of, any other unusual or nonrecurring events affecting the Company, or the financial statements of the Company in response to, or in anticipation of, changes in applicable laws, regulations, accounting principles, or business conditions; or (c) in view of the Board’s assessment of the business strategy of the Company, performance of comparable organizations, economic and business conditions, and any other circumstances deemed relevant. Specifically, the Board is authorized to make adjustment in the method of calculating attainment of Performance Goals and objectives for a Performance Period as follows: (i) to exclude the dilutive effects of acquisitions or joint ventures; (ii) to assume that any business divested by the Company achieved performance objectives at targeted levels during the balance of a Performance Period following such divestiture; and (iii) to exclude the effect of any change in the outstanding shares of common stock of the Company by reason of any stock dividend or split, stock repurchase, reorganization, recapitalization, merger, consolidation, spin-off, combination or exchange of shares or other similar corporate change, or any distributions to common stockholders other than regular cash dividends. In addition, the Board is authorized to make adjustment in the method of calculating attainment of Performance Goals and objectives for a Performance Period as follows: (i) to exclude restructuring and/or other nonrecurring charges; (ii) to exclude exchange rate effects, as applicable, for non-U.S. dollar denominated net sales and operating earnings; (iii) to exclude the effects of changes to generally accepted accounting standards required by the Financial Accounting Standards Board; (iv) to exclude the effects of any items that are “unusual” in nature or occur “infrequently” as determined under generally accepted accounting principles; (v) to exclude the effects to any statutory adjustments to corporate tax rates; and (vi) to make other appropriate adjustments determined by the Board.
(ll) “Performance Period” means the period of time selected by the Board over which the attainment of one or more Performance Goals will be measured for the purpose of determining a Participant’s right to and the payment of a Stock Award. Performance Periods may be of varying and overlapping duration, at the sole discretion of the Board.
(mm) “Performance Stock Award” means a Stock Award granted under the terms and conditions of Section 6(c)(i).
(nn) “Plan” means this Outlook Therapeutics, Inc. 2015 Equity Incentive Plan.
(oo) “Restricted Stock Award” means an award of shares of Common Stock which is granted pursuant to the terms and conditions of Section 6(a).
(pp) “Restricted Stock Award Agreement” means a written agreement between the Company and a holder of a Restricted Stock Award evidencing the terms and conditions of a Restricted Stock Award grant. Each Restricted Stock Award Agreement will be subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.
(qq) “Restricted Stock Unit Award” means a right to receive shares of Common Stock which is granted pursuant to the terms and conditions of Section 6(b).
(rr) “Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement” means a written agreement between the Company and a holder of a Restricted Stock Unit Award evidencing the terms and conditions of a Restricted Stock Unit Award grant. Each Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement will be subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.
(ss) “Rule 16b-3” means Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act or any successor to Rule 16b-3, as in effect from time to time.
(tt) “Rule 405” means Rule 405 promulgated under the Securities Act.
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(uu) “Rule 701” means Rule 701 promulgated under the Securities Act.
(vv) “Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
(ww) “Stock Appreciation Right” or “SAR” means a right to receive the appreciation on Common Stock that is granted pursuant to the terms and conditions of Section 5.
(xx) “Stock Appreciation Right Agreement” means a written agreement between the Company and a holder of a Stock Appreciation Right evidencing the terms and conditions of a Stock Appreciation Right grant. Each Stock Appreciation Right Agreement will be subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.
(yy) “Stock Award Agreement” means a written agreement between the Company and a Participant evidencing the terms and conditions of a Stock Award grant. Each Stock Award Agreement will be subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.
(zz) “Subsidiary” means, with respect to the Company, (i) any corporation of which more than 50% of the outstanding capital stock having ordinary voting power to elect a majority of the board of directors of such corporation (irrespective of whether, at the time, stock of any other class or classes of such corporation will have or might have voting power by reason of the happening of any contingency) is at the time, directly or indirectly, Owned by the Company, and (ii) any partnership, limited liability company or other entity in which the Company has a direct or indirect interest (whether in the form of voting or participation in profits or capital contribution) of more than 50%.
(aaa) “Ten Percent Stockholder” means a person who Owns (or is deemed to Own pursuant to Section 424(d) of the Code) stock possessing more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or any Affiliate.
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SPECIAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS OFOUTLOOK THERAPEUTICS, INC.September 17, 2020 GO GREEN e-Consent makes it easy to go paperless. With e-Consent, you can quickly access your proxymaterial, statements and other eligible documents online, while reducing costs, clutter andpaper waste. Enroll today via www.astfinancial.com to enjoy online access. NOTICE OF INTERNET AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS: The Proxy Statement and Proxy Card are available at http://www.astproxyportal.com/ast/22704 Please sign, date and mailyour proxy card in theenvelope provided as soonas possible. Please detach along perforated line and mail in the envelope provided. 20030000000000000000 2 091720 THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” PROPOSAL 1.PLEASE SIGN, DATE AND RETURN PROMPTLY IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE. PLEASE MARK YOUR VOTE IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS SHOWN HERE x Proposal 1. To approve the amendment and restatement of the Company's2015 Equity Incentive Plan to increase the shares of commonstock issuable thereby FOR AGAINST ABSTAINTHIS PROXY, WHEN PROPERLY EXECUTED WILL BE VOTED AS DIRECTED, OR IFNO DIRECTION IS GIVEN, WILL BE VOTED AS THE BOARD RECOMMENDS. THEPROXIES ARE AUTHORIZED TO VOTE IN THEIR DISCRETION UPON SUCH OTHERBUSINESS NOT KNOW AS MAY PROPERLY COME BEFORE THE SPECIAL MEETINGOR ANY POSTPONEMENTS OR ADJOURNEMENTS THEREOF. To change the address on your account, please check the box at right andindicate your new address in the address space above. Please note thatchanges to the registered name(s) on the account may not be submitted viathis method. Signature of Stockholder Date: Signature of Stockholder Date: Note:Please sign exactly as your name or names appear on this Proxy. When shares are held jointly, each holder should sign. When signing as executor, administrator, attorney, trustee or guardian, please give fulltitle as such. If the signer is a corporation, please sign full corporate name by duly authorized officer, giving full title as such. If signer is a partnership, please sign in partnership name by authorized person.
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SPECIAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS OFOUTLOOK THERAPEUTICS, INC.September 17, 2020 PROXY VOTING INSTRUCTIONS INTERNET- Access “www.voteproxy.com” and follow the on-screeninstructions or scan the QR code with your smartphone. Have your proxycard available when you access the web page.TELEPHONE- Call toll-free 1-800-PROXIES (1-800-776-9437) in theUnited States or 1-718-921-8500from foreign countries and follow the instructions. Have your proxy card available when you call.Vote online/phone until 11:59 PM ET the day before the meeting.MAIL-Sign, date and mail your proxy card in the envelope provided assoon as possible.VIRTUALLY AT THE MEETING-The company will be hosting the meet-ing live via the Internet. To attend the meeting via the Internet pleasevisit https://web.lumiagm.com/269779073 (password: otlk2020) andbe sure to have available the control number.GO GREEN-e-Consent makes it easy to go paperless. With e-Consent, you can quickly access your proxy materials, statements and other eligible documents online, while reducing costs, clutter and paper waste. Enroll today via www.astfinancial.com to enjoyonline access. COMPANY NUMBER ACCOUNT NUMBER Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials:The Proxy Statement and Proxy Cardare available at http://www.astproxyportal.com/ast/22704 Please detach along perforated line and mail in the envelope provided IFyou are not voting via telephone or the Internet. 20030000000000000000 2 091720 THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” PROPOSAL 1.PLEASE SIGN, DATE AND RETURN PROMPTLY IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE. PLEASE MARK YOUR VOTE IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS SHOWN HERE X Proposal 1. To approve the amendment and restatement of the Company's2015 Equity Incentive Plan to increase the shares of commonstock issuable thereby FOR AGAINST ABSTAIN THIS PROXY, WHEN PROPERLY EXECUTED WILL BE VOTED AS DIRECTED, OR IFNO DIRECTION IS GIVEN, WILL BE VOTED AS THE BOARD RECOMMENDS. THEPROXIES ARE AUTHORIZED TO VOTE IN THEIR DISCRETION UPON SUCH OTHERBUSINESS NOT KNOW AS MAY PROPERLY COME BEFORE THE SPECIAL MEETINGOR ANY POSTPONEMENTS OR ADJOURNEMENTS THEREOF. To change the address on your account, please check the box at right andindicate your new address in the address space above. Please note thatchanges to the registered name(s) on the account may not be submitted viathis method. Signature of Stockholder Date: Signature of Stockholder Date: Note:Please sign exactly as your name or names appear on this Proxy. When shares are held jointly, each holder should sign. When signing as executor, administrator, attorney, trustee or guardian, please give fulltitle as such. If the signer is a corporation, please sign full corporate name by duly authorized officer, giving full title as such. If signer is a partnership, please sign in partnership name by authorized person.
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OUTLOOK THERAPEUTICS, INC.PROXY FOR SPECIAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS TO BE HELD SEPTEMBER 17, 2020THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORSTHIS PROXY CARD IS VALID ONLY WHEN SIGNED AND DATED The undersigned hereby constitutes and appoints Ralph H. Thurman and Lawrence A.Kenyon, and each of them as proxies, each with full power of substitution, and authorizeseach of them to represent and to vote all of the shares of common stock that the undersignedis entitled to vote at the Special Meeting of Stockholders (the “Special Meeting”) of OutlookTherapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”) in such manner as they, or either of them, may determineon any matters that may properly come before the Special Meeting or any postponements oradjournments thereof and to vote on the matters set forth on the reverse side as directed bythe undersigned. The Special Meeting will be held virtually via the Interneton September 17,2020, 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The undersigned hereby revokes any proxies previously given.(Continued and to be signed on the reverse side.) 1.1 14475