Outside Director Compensation Policy
Exhibit 10.7
COUCHBASE, INC.
OUTSIDE DIRECTOR COMPENSATION POLICY
Adopted and approved by the Board of Directors on June 16, 2021
Couchbase, Inc. (the Company) believes that providing cash and equity compensation to its members of the Board of Directors (the Board, and members of the Board, the Directors) represents an effective tool to attract, retain and reward Directors who are not employees of the Company (the Outside Directors). This Outside Director Compensation Policy (the Policy) is intended to formalize the Companys policy regarding the compensation to its Outside Directors. Unless otherwise defined herein, capitalized terms used in this Policy will have the meaning given to such terms in the Companys 2021 Equity Incentive Plan (the Plan), or if the Plan is no longer in place, the meaning given to such terms or any similar terms in the equity plan then in place. Each Outside Director will be solely responsible for any tax obligations incurred by such Outside Director as a result of the equity and cash payments such Outside Director receives under this Policy.
Subject to Section 8 of this Policy, this Policy will be effective as of the Registration Date (such date, the Effective Date).
1. Cash Compensation.
Annual Cash Retainer
Each Outside Director will be paid an annual cash retainer of $30,000. There are no per-meeting attendance fees for attending Board meetings. This cash compensation will be paid quarterly in arrears on a prorated basis.
Committee Annual Cash Retainer
Effective as of the Effective Date, each Outside Director who serves as the chair of the Board, the lead Outside Director, or the chair or a member of a committee of the Board, as applicable, listed below will be eligible to earn additional annual cash fees (paid quarterly in arrears on a prorated basis) as follows:
Chair of the Board
| $
| 20,000
|
| |
Lead Independent Director
| $
| 15,000
|
| |
Chair of Audit Committee:
| $
| 20,000
|
| |
Member of Audit Committee:
| $
| 10,000
|
| |
Chair of Compensation Committee:
| $
| 12,000
|
| |
Member of Compensation Committee:
| $
| 6,000
|
| |
Chair of Nominating Committee:
| $
| 7,500
|
| |
Member of Nominating Committee:
| $
| 3,750
|
|
For clarity, each Outside Director who serves as the chair of a committee shall receive only the additional annual cash fee as the chair of the committee, and not the additional annual cash fee as a member of the committee.
2. Equity Compensation. Outside Directors will be eligible to receive all types of Awards (except Incentive Stock Options) under the Plan (or the applicable equity plan in place at the time of grant), including discretionary Awards not covered under this Policy. All grants of Awards to Outside Directors pursuant to Section 2 of this Policy will be automatic and nondiscretionary, except as otherwise provided herein, and will be made in accordance with the following provisions:
(a) No Discretion. No person will have any discretion to select which Outside Directors will be granted any Awards under this Policy or to determine the number of Shares to be covered by such Awards.
(b) Initial Award. Each individual who first becomes an Outside Director following the Effective Date will be granted an award of restricted stock units (an Initial Award) covering a number of Shares having a Value (as defined below) of $300,000, rounded down to the nearest whole Share. The Initial Award will be automatically granted on the first trading date on or after the date on which such individual first becomes an Outside Director (the Start Date), whether through election by the stockholders of the Company or appointment by the Board to fill a vacancy. If an individual was a member of the Board and also an employee, becoming an Outside Director due to termination of employment will not entitle the Outside Director to an Initial Award.
Subject to Section 3 of this Policy, each Initial Award will vest as to 1/3 of the Shares subject to the Initial Award on each anniversary of the date the applicable Outside Directors service as an Outside Director commenced, in each case subject to the Outside Director continuing to be a Service Provider through the applicable vesting date.
(c) Pro-Rated Annual Award. An Outside Director will only receive an Award under this Section 2(c) (a Pro-Rated Annual Award) if the Start Date is not on the date of an Annual Meeting (as defined below). If the Outside Directors Start Date is an Annual Meeting, then the Directors shall receive the Annual Award described in Section 2(d) and no Pro-Rated Annual Award. If an Outside Director is eligible for a Pro-Rated Annual Award, then the Outside Director shall be automatically granted on the Start Date an award of restricted stock units covering a number of Shares having a Value of (x) $170,000 multiplied by (y) the fraction obtained by dividing (A) the number of full months during the period beginning on the Start Date and ending on the one-year anniversary of the date of the then-most recent Annual Meeting by (B) 12. The Pro-Rated Annual Award will vest on the earlier of (i) the one-year anniversary of the date the Pro-Rated Annual Award is granted or (ii) the day prior to the date of the Annual Meeting next following the date the Pro-Rated Annual Award is granted, in each case, subject to the Outside Director continuing to be a Service Provider through the applicable vesting date.
(d) Annual Award. On the date of each annual meeting of the Companys stockholders following the Effective Date (each, an Annual Meeting), each Outside Director will be automatically granted an award of restricted stock units (an Annual Award) covering a number of Shares having a Value of $170,000, rounded down to the nearest whole Share.
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Subject to Section 3 of this Policy, each Annual Award will vest on the earlier of (i) the one-year anniversary of the date the Annual Award is granted or (ii) the day prior to the date of the Annual Meeting next following the date the Annual Award is granted, in each case, subject to the Outside Director continuing to be a Service Provider through the applicable vesting date.
(e) Value. For purposes of this Policy, Value means the average of the closing trading price of the Companys common stock for the 20-trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the date of grant.
(f) Deferral. Outside Directors will be permitted to defer the settlement of Awards granted under this Section 2 in accordance with a deferral election made in accordance with Section 409A.
3. Change in Control. In the event of a Change in Control, each Outside Directors Awards accelerate.
4. Limitations. Any cash compensation and Awards granted to an Outside Director shall be subject to the limits provided in Section 11 of the Plan.
5. Travel Expenses. Each Outside Directors reasonable, customary and documented travel expenses to Board or Board committee meetings will be reimbursed by the Company.
6. Additional Provisions. All provisions of the Plan not inconsistent with this Policy will apply to Awards granted to Outside Directors.
7. Section 409A. In no event will cash compensation or expense reimbursement payments under this Policy be paid after the later of (i) 15th day of the 3rd month following the end of the Companys fiscal year in which the compensation is earned or expenses are incurred, as applicable, or (ii) 15th day of the 3rd month following the end of the calendar year in which the compensation is earned or expenses are incurred, as applicable, in compliance with the short-term deferral exception under Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the final regulations and guidance thereunder, as may be amended from time to time (together, Section 409A). It is the intent of this Policy that this Policy and all payments hereunder be exempt from or otherwise comply with the requirements of Section 409A so that none of the compensation to be provided hereunder will be subject to the additional tax imposed under Section 409A, and any ambiguities or ambiguous terms herein will be interpreted to be so exempt or comply. In no event will the Company reimburse an Outside Director for any taxes imposed or other costs incurred as a result of Section 409A.
8. Revisions. The Board may amend, alter, suspend or terminate this Policy at any time and for any reason. No amendment, alteration, suspension or termination of this Policy will materially impair the rights of an Outside Director with respect to compensation that already has been paid or awarded, unless otherwise mutually agreed between the Outside Director and the Company. Termination of this Policy will not affect the Boards or the Compensation Committees ability to exercise the powers granted to it under the Plan with respect to Awards granted under the Plan pursuant to this Policy prior to the date of such termination.
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