Amended and Restated 2018 Equity Incentive Plan, to be in effect upon the completion of this offering
Exhibit 10.3
NGM BIOPHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
AMENDED AND RESTATED 2018 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
(as of March 22, 2019)
1. | GENERAL. |
(a) Plan History.
(i) The Plan is the successor to and continuation of the NGM Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. 2008 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended, which expired on January 17, 2018 (the Prior Plan). All Awards granted on or after 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time on January 17, 2018 (the Effective Date) will be granted under this Plan. All awards granted under the Prior Plan remain subject to the terms of the Prior Plan.
(ii) The Plan was amended and restated by the Board on March 22, 2019 and approved by the stockholders on March 22, 2019 to incorporate certain provisions in connection with the Companys initial public offering (the Restatement).
(b) 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.
(c) Eligible Award Recipients. Employees, Directors and Consultants are eligible to receive Awards.
(d) 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 Awards, and (vi) Other Stock Awards.
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 an Award; and (F) the Fair Market Value applicable to an 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 or in any Award Agreement, in a manner and to the extent it will deem necessary or expedient to make the Plan or Award fully effective.
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(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 amend, suspend or terminate the Plan at any time, subject to Section 10.
(vi) 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 Participants rights under any Award may not be materially impaired by any such amendment unless such Participant consents in writing. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (1) a Participants 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 Participants 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 Participants 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 Applicable Law or listing requirements.
(vii) To adopt such rules, procedures and sub-plans related to the operation of the Plan as are necessary or appropriate to facilitate 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 modifications to the Plan or any Award Agreement of a ministerial nature that are made to facilitate compliance with Applicable Law in the relevant foreign jurisdiction).
(viii) To effect, with the consent of any materially adversely affected Participant, (A) the reduction of the exercise, purchase or strike price of any outstanding Award; (B) the cancellation of any outstanding 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 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.
(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.
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(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 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 retains 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 of the Exchange Act. In addition, the Board or the Committee, in its sole discretion, may delegate to a Committee (who need not be Non-Employee Directors) the authority to grant Awards to eligible persons who are not then subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act.
(d) Delegation to an Officer. The Board may delegate to one (1) or more Officers the authority to do one or both of the following: (i) designate Employees who are not Officers or Directors to be recipients of 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 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 Awards granted by such Officer and that such Officer may not grant an Award to himself or herself. Any such 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 14(q)(iii) below.
(e) Stock Plan Administrator. The Board or Committee may also appoint a Stock Plan Administrator, who will have the authority to administer the day-to-day operations of the Plan and to make certain ministerial decisions without Board or Committee approval as expressly provided in the Plan, an Award Agreement or pursuant to resolutions adopted by the Board or the Committee. The Stock Plan Administrator may not grant Awards.
(f) Effect of Decisions. All determinations, interpretations and constructions made by the Board or any Committee 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.
(i) Subject to any Capitalization Adjustment and the Evergreen Increase, the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock that may be issued pursuant to Awards from and after the Effective Date will not exceed 17,874,624 shares (post-split), which number is the sum of (A) 9,432,839 shares of Common Stock, and (B) Returning Shares from the Prior Plan, if any, which become available for grant under this Plan from time to time, in an aggregate amount not to exceed 8,441,785 shares (such aggregate number of shares described in (A) and (B) above, the Share Reserve).
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(ii) In addition, the Share Reserve will automatically increase on January 1st of each year, for a period of not more than ten years, commencing on January 1, 2020 and ending on (and including) January 1, 2029 in an amount equal to 4.0% of the total number of shares of Capital Stock outstanding on the December 31st immediately preceding calendar year (the Evergreen Increase). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board may act prior to January 1st of a given year to provide that there will be no Evergreen Increase for such year or that the Evergreen Increase for such year will be a lesser number of shares of Common Stock than would otherwise occur pursuant to the preceding sentence.
(iii) 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.
(iv) 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. As a single share may be subject to grant more than once (e.g., if a share subject to an Award is forfeited, it may be returned the Share Reserve and be made subject to grant again as provided in Section 3(b) below), the Share Reserve is not a limit on the number of Awards that can be granted.
(b) Reversion of Shares to the Share Reserve. From and after the Effective Date, any shares subject to an outstanding award granted under the Plan or the Prior Plan will be returned to the Share Reserve and will be available for issuance under the Plan (up to the maximum number set forth in Section 3(a)) (Returning Shares), if such shares are not issued because an award or any portion thereof: (i) expires or otherwise terminates for any reason prior to exercise or settlement; (ii) is settled in cash (i.e., the Participant receives cash rather than stock); (iii) the shares are forfeited back to or repurchased by the Company because of the failure to meet a contingency or condition required to vest; or (iv) the shares are reacquired by the Company in satisfaction of tax withholding obligations or as consideration for the exercise or purchase price of an award.
(c) Incentive Stock Option Limit. Subject to 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 36,000,000.
(d) Source of Shares; Use of Proceeds. 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. Proceeds from the sale of shares of Common Stock pursuant to Awards will constitute general funds of the Company.
(e) Limitation on Compensation of Non-Employee Directors. The maximum number of shares of Common Stock subject to 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 by the Company to such Non-Employee Director during such year for service on the Board, will not exceed $500,000 in total value, or $1,000,000 in the case of a Non-Employee Directors first year of service (calculating the value of any such awards based on the grant date fair value of such awards for financial reporting purposes and excluding, for this purpose, the value of any dividend equivalent payments paid pursuant to any award granted in a previous fiscal year).
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4. | ELIGIBILITY. |
(a) Eligibility for Specific 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). Awards other than Incentive Stock Options may be granted to Employees, Directors and Consultants; provided, however, that 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 Awards is treated as service recipient stock under Section 409A of the Code (for example, because the Awards are granted pursuant to a corporate transaction such as a spin off transaction), or (ii) the Company, in consultation with its legal counsel, has determined that such Awards are otherwise exempt from or alternatively 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 one hundred ten percent (110%) of the Fair Market Value on the date of grant and the Option is not exercisable after the expiration of five (5) 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. 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.
(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 one hundred percent (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 one hundred percent (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. Each SAR will be denominated in shares of Common Stock equivalents.
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(c) Exercise Procedure and Payment of Exercise Price for Options. In order to exercise an Option, the Participant must provide notice of exercise to the Stock Plan Administrator in compliance with the provisions of the Award Agreement or other procedures established by the Stock Plan Administrator. The exercise price 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, wire transfer, or money order payable to the Company;
(ii) provided that at the time of exercise the Common Stock is publicly traded and the Company has established procedures for cashless exercise, pursuant to a broker-assisted exercise, same day sale, or sell to cover 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 that are owned free and clear of any liens, claims, encumbrances or security interests, provided that (A) such tender would not violate the provisions of any Applicable Law, (B) any certificated shares must be endorsed or accompanied by an executed assignment separate from certificate, and (C) such shares have been held by the Participant for the minimum period necessary to avoid adverse accounting treatment;
(iv) 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.
(d) Exercise and Payment of a SAR. To exercise any outstanding SAR, the Participant must provide written notice of exercise to the Stock Plan Administrator in compliance with the provisions of the Award Agreement or other procedures established by the Stock Plan Administrator. 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.
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(e) Termination of Continuous Service. Except as otherwise provided in the applicable Award Agreement or other agreement between the Participant and the Company, if a Participants Continuous Service terminates (other than for Cause and other than upon the Participants 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 Participants Continuous Service (or such longer or shorter period specified in the applicable Award Agreement, which period will not be less than thirty (30) days if necessary to comply with Applicable Law unless such termination is for Cause) 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.
(f) Automatic Extension of Termination Date. Except as otherwise provided in the applicable Award Agreement, if the exercise of an Option or SAR following the termination of the Participants Continuous Service (other than for Cause and other than upon the Participants 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 Participants Continuous Service during which the exercise of the Option or SAR would not be in violation of such registration requirements, or (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 Participants Award Agreement, if the sale of any Common Stock received upon exercise of an Option or SAR following the termination of the Participants Continuous Service (other than for Cause) would violate the Trading Policy, then the Option or SAR will terminate on the earlier of (i) the expiration of a period of time (that need not be consecutive) equal to the applicable post-termination exercise period after the termination of the Participants 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 Trading Policy, or (ii) the expiration of the term of the Option or SAR as set forth in the applicable Award Agreement.
(g) Disability of Participant. Except as otherwise provided in the applicable Award Agreement or other agreement between the Participant and the Company, if a Participants Continuous Service terminates as a result of the Participants Disability, the Participant may exercise his or her Option or SAR (to the 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, 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.
(h) Death of Participant. Except as otherwise provided in the applicable Award Agreement or other agreement between the Participant and the Company, if (i) a Participants Continuous Service terminates as a result of the Participants death, or (ii) the Participant dies within the period (if any) specified in the Award Agreement for exercisability after the termination of the Participants 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 Participants estate,
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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 Participants death, but only within the period ending on the earlier of (i) the date twelve (12) months following the date of death, and (ii) the expiration of the term of such Option or SAR as set forth in the Award Agreement. If, after the Participants death, the Option or SAR is not exercised within the applicable time frame, the Option or SAR (as applicable) will terminate.
(i) Termination for Cause. Except as explicitly provided otherwise in a Participants Award Agreement or other individual written agreement between the Company or any Affiliate and the Participant, if a Participants Continuous Service is terminated for Cause, the Option or SAR will terminate immediately upon such Participants 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.
(j) Non-Exempt Employees. If an Option or SAR is granted to an Employee who is a non-exempt employee for purposes of the U.S. 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 Participants retirement (as such term may be defined in the Participants Award Agreement, in another agreement between the Participant and the Company, or, if no such definition, in accordance with the Companys 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.
(k) Early Exercise of Options. An Option may, but need not, include a provision whereby the Participant may elect at any time before the Participants Continuous Service terminates to exercise the Option as to any part or all of the shares of Common Stock subject to the Option prior to the full vesting of the Option. The Company will not be required to exercise any repurchase right covering unvested shares until at least six (6) months (or such longer or shorter period of time required to avoid classification of the Option as a liability for financial accounting purposes) have elapsed following exercise of the Option unless the Board otherwise specifically provides in the Award Agreement.
(l) 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 Participant during any calendar year (under all plans of the Company and any Affiliates) exceeds one hundred thousand dollars ($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 Award Agreement(s).
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6. | PROVISIONS OF AWARDS OTHER THAN OPTIONS AND SARS. |
(a) Restricted Stock Awards. Each Restricted Stock Award will be in such form and will contain such terms and conditions as the Board deems appropriate. The terms and conditions of Restricted Stock Awards may change from time to time, and the terms and conditions of separate Award Agreements need not be identical. Each Award Agreement evidencing a Restricted Stock Award 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 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) Transferability. Rights to acquire shares of Common Stock under the Restricted Award Agreement will be transferable by the Participant only upon such terms and conditions as are set forth in the applicable Award Agreement, as the Board will determine in its sole discretion, so long as Common Stock awarded under the Restricted Stock Award remains subject to the terms of the applicable Award Agreement.
(iii) Dividends. A Restricted Stock Award may provide that any dividends paid on shares of Common Stock subject to the Restricted Stock Award 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.
(iv) Right of Repurchase. The Restricted Stock Award may include a provision whereby the Company may elect to repurchase all or any part of the unvested shares of Common Stock acquired by the Participant pursuant to the Restricted Stock Award.
(b) Restricted Stock Unit Awards. Each Restricted Stock Unit Award 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 Awards may change from time to time, and the terms and conditions of separate Restricted Stock Unit Awards need not be identical. Each Award Agreement evidencing a Restricted Stock Unit Award 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) Settlement. 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 applicable Award Agreement.
(iii) 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.
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(iv) 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 applicable 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.
(c) Performance Awards. A Performance Award is an Award that may be granted, may vest or may be exercised contingent upon the attainment during a Performance Period of certain Performance Goals. A Performance Award may but need not require the Participants completion of a specified period of Continuous Service. The length of any Performance Period, the Performance Goals to be achieved during the Performance Period, the manner of calculating the Performance Criteria and the measure of whether and to what degree such Performance Goals have been attained will be conclusively determined by the Board in its sole discretion. The Board may adjust or eliminate the compensation or economic benefit due upon attainment of Performance Goals. In addition, to the extent permitted by Applicable Law and the applicable Award Agreement, the Board may determine that cash may be used in payment of Performance Awards.
(d) Other Stock Awards. Other forms of 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 one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock at the time of grant) may be granted either alone or in addition to 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 Awards.
(b) Compliance With Law. 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 Awards and to issue and sell shares of Common Stock upon exercise or vesting of the Awards; provided, however, that this undertaking will not require the Company to register the Plan, any Award or any Common Stock issued or issuable pursuant to any such Award under the Securities Act or other Applicable Law. 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 or advisable 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 or vesting of such 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 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 or tax treatment of exercising such 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.
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8. | TAX WITHHOLDING AND RESPONSIBILITY FOR TAXES. |
(a) Satisfaction of Withholding Obligation. Unless otherwise provided in an Award Agreement, and subject to Applicable Law, the Company may, in its sole discretion, satisfy any U.S. or non-U.S. obligation to withhold any Tax-Related Items 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 issued or otherwise issuable to the Participant in connection with the Award; (iii) withholding cash from an Award settled in cash; (iv) withholding payment from any amounts otherwise payable to the Participant; or (v) withholding from the proceeds of the sale of shares of Common Stock acquired at exercise or settlement of an Award and sold either through a voluntary sale or through a mandatory sale arranged by the Company (on the Participants behalf without further consent).
(b) Withholding Tax Rates. Depending on the withholding method, the Company or an Affiliate may withhold or account for Tax-Related Items by considering applicable minimum statutory withholding amounts or other applicable withholding rates, including maximum applicable rates, in which case a Participant may receive a refund of any over-withheld amount in cash and will have no entitlement to the Common Stock equivalent. If the obligation for Tax-Related Items is satisfied by withholding a number of shares of Common Stock, for tax purposes, a Participant is deemed to have been issued the full number of shares of Common Stock, notwithstanding that a number of the shares of Common Stock is held back solely for the purpose of paying the Tax-Related Items. In the event that the amount of the Companys withholding obligation in connection with such Award was greater than the amount actually withheld by the Company, a Participant will indemnify and hold the Company harmless from any failure by the Company to withhold the proper amount.
9. | GENERAL PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO ALL AWARDS. |
(a) 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 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 constituting the grant contain terms (e.g., exercise price, vesting schedule or number of shares) that are inconsistent with those in the Award Agreement as a result of a clerical error in the papering of the Award Agreement, the corporate records will control and the Participant will have no legally binding right to the incorrect term in the Award Agreement.
(b) Vesting. The total number of shares of Common Stock subject to an Award may vest in periodic installments that may or may not be equal, and the vesting provisions of individual Awards may vary. The Board may also impose such restrictions on or conditions to the vesting and/or exercisability of an Award in its sole discretion.
(c) Termination of Continuous Service. Except as otherwise provided in the applicable Award Agreement or as determined by the Board, if a Participants Continuous Service terminates for any reason, vesting of an Award will cease and such portion of an Award that has not vested will be forfeited, and the Participant will have no further right, title or interest in any then-unvested portion of the Award. In addition, 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 such termination, subject to the terms of the applicable Award Agreement.
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(d) Transfer Restrictions. Except as expressly provided in the Plan or an applicable Award Agreement, or otherwise determined by the Board or the Stock Plan Administrator, Awards granted under the Plan may not be transferred or assigned by the Participant, except by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and any Options, SARs or Other Awards that are exercisable may only be exercisable during the lifetime of the Participant only by the Participant. In addition, to the extent consistent with the Companys bylaws, unvested shares of Common Stock underlying an Award may be (i) held in book entry form subject to the Companys instructions until any restrictions relating to the Award lapse; or (ii) evidenced by a certificate, which certificate will be held in such form and manner as determined by the Stock Plan Administrator. After vested shares subject to an Award have been issued, or in the case of Restricted Stock and similar awards, after the issued shares have vested, the holder of such shares is free to assign, hypothecate, donate, encumber or otherwise dispose of any interest in such shares provided that any such actions are in compliance with the provisions herein, the terms of the Trading Policy and Applicable Law. The Stock Plan Administrator may permit transfer of Awards in a manner that is not prohibited by Applicable Law; provided that no Option or SAR may be transferred for consideration.
(e) Beneficiary Designation. A Participant may, by delivering written notice to the Company (or designated broker or third party service provider) in a form approved by the Stock Plan Administrator, designate a third party who, upon the death of the Participant, will thereafter be entitled to exercise any Award and receive the Common Stock or other consideration resulting from exercise or settlement of an Award. However, the Company may prohibit designation of a beneficiary at any time, including due to any conclusion by the Stock Plan Administrator that such designation would be inconsistent with the provisions of Applicable Law.
(f) 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 the Award has been entered into the books and records of the Company.
(g) 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 Consultants 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 domiciled or incorporated, as the case may be. Furthermore, to the extent the Company is not the employer of a Participant, the grant of an Award will not establish an employment or other service relationship between the Company and the Participant. Nothing in the Plan, any Award Agreement or any other instrument executed in connection with any Award will constitute any promise or commitment by the Company or an Affiliate regarding future work assignments, future compensation or any other term or condition of employment or service.
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(h) Effect on Other Employee Benefit Plans. The value of any Award granted under the Plan, as determined upon grant, vesting or settlement, will not be included as compensation, earnings, salaries, or other similar terms used when calculating any Participants benefits under any employee benefit plan sponsored by the Company or any Affiliate, except as such plan otherwise expressly provides. The Company expressly reserves its rights to amend, modify, or terminate any of the Companys or any Affiliates employee benefit plans.
(i) Change in Time Commitment. In the event a Participants 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) 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 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, modify 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 modified.
(j) Changes in Service Status; Transfers; Leaves of Absence.
(i) A change in the capacity in which the Participant renders service to the Company or an Affiliate as an Employee, Director or Consultant or a change in the Entity for which the Participant renders such service, provided that there is no interruption or termination of the Participants service with the Company or an Affiliate, will not terminate a Participants 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 or the Stock Plan Administrator in its sole discretion, such Participants 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.
(ii) To the extent permitted by Applicable Law, the Board or the Stock Plan Administrator, in that partys sole discretion, may determine whether Continuous Service will be considered interrupted in the case of any leave of absence approved by the Board or the Stock Plan Administrator, including sick leave, military leave or any other personal leave. 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 written terms of any leave of absence agreement or policy applicable to the Participant, or as otherwise required by Applicable Law.
(k) 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 Participants 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 Participants 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 Award has been registered under a then currently effective registration
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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 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.
(l) Electronic Delivery and Participation. 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 Companys intranet (or other shared electronic medium controlled by the Company to which the Participant has access). By accepting any Award, the Participant consents to receive documents by electronic delivery and, if requested by the Company, to participate in the Plan through an online electronic system established and maintained by the Stock Plan Administrator or another third party service provider selected by the Stock Plan Administrator. The form of delivery of any shares of Common Stock (e.g., a certificate or electronic entry evidencing such shares) shall be determined by the Stock Plan Administrator.
(m) 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. It is intended that 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 Participants termination of Continuous Service, and implement such other terms and conditions consistent with the provisions of the Plan and in accordance with Applicable Law.
(n) Compliance with Section 409A of the Code. Unless otherwise expressly provided for in a specific 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. 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). In addition, the Board may, in its sole discretion and without a Participants consent, amend the definition of Change in Control (or similar definition) in any Award Agreement to conform to such definitions in Treasury Regulations Section 1.409A-3(i)(5). 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 Participants separation from service or, if earlier, the date of the Participants death,
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unless such distribution or payment can be 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. In no event will any Participant have a right to payment or reimbursement or otherwise from the Company or its Affiliates, or their successors or assigns, for any taxes imposed or other costs incurred as a result of Section 409A of the Code.
(o) 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 Companys securities are listed or as is otherwise required by the U.S. 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.
10. | 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 Share Reserve, (ii) the class(es) and maximum number of securities by which the Share Reserve is to increase automatically pursuant to the Evergreen Increase; (iii) the class(es) and maximum number of securities that may be issued pursuant to the exercise of Incentive Stock Options, and (iv) the class(es) and number of securities and price per share of stock subject to outstanding Awards. The Board will make such adjustments, and its determination will be final, binding and conclusive. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, no fractional shares or rights for fractional shares of Common Stock will be created pursuant to a Capitalization Adjustment. The Board will, in its discretion, determine an equivalent benefit for any fractional shares or fractional shares that might be created by the adjustments referred to in this section.
(b) Dissolution or Liquidation. Except as otherwise provided in the Award Agreement, in the event of a dissolution or liquidation of the Company, all outstanding Awards (other than Awards consisting of vested and outstanding shares of Common Stock not subject to a forfeiture condition or not subject to the Companys right of repurchase) will terminate immediately prior to the completion of such dissolution or liquidation, and the shares of Common Stock subject to the Companys repurchase rights or subject to a forfeiture condition may be repurchased or reacquired by the Company notwithstanding the fact that the holder of such Award is providing Continuous Service, provided, however, that the Board may, in its sole discretion, cause some or all Awards to become fully vested, exercisable and/or no longer subject to repurchase or forfeiture (to the extent such Awards have not previously expired or terminated) before the dissolution or liquidation is completed but contingent on its completion.
(c) Corporate Transaction. The following provisions shall apply to Awards in the event of a Corporate Transaction unless otherwise provided in the instrument evidencing the Award or any other written agreement between the Company or any Affiliate and the holder of the Award or unless otherwise expressly provided by the Board at the time of grant of an Award.
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(i) Awards May Be Assumed. Except as otherwise stated in the Award Agreement, in the event of a Corporate Transaction, any surviving corporation or acquiring corporation (or the surviving or acquiring corporations parent company) may assume or continue any or all Awards outstanding under the Plan or may substitute similar awards for Awards outstanding under the Plan (including but not limited to, awards to acquire the same consideration paid to the stockholders of the Company pursuant to the Corporate Transaction), and any reacquisition or repurchase rights held by the Company in respect of Common Stock issued pursuant to Awards may be assigned by the Company to the successor of the Company (or the successors parent company, if any), in connection with such Corporate Transaction. A surviving corporation or acquiring corporation (or its parent) may choose to assume or continue only a portion of an Award or substitute a similar stock award for only a portion of an Award. The terms of any assumption, continuation or substitution shall be set by the Board in accordance with the provisions of Section 2.
(ii) Awards Held by Current Participants. Except as otherwise stated in the Award Agreement, in the event of a Corporate Transaction in which the surviving corporation or acquiring corporation (or its parent company) does not assume or continue such outstanding Awards or substitute similar stock awards for such outstanding Awards, then with respect to Awards that have not been assumed, continued or substituted and that are held by Participants whose Continuous Service has not terminated prior to the effective time of the Corporate Transaction (referred to as the Current Participants), the vesting of such Awards (and, if applicable, the time at which such Awards may be exercised) shall (contingent upon the effectiveness of the Corporate Transaction) be accelerated in full to a date prior to the effective time of such Corporate Transaction as the Board shall determine (or, if the Board shall not determine such a date, to the date that is five (5) days prior to the effective time of the Corporate Transaction), and such Awards shall terminate if not exercised (if applicable) at or prior to the effective time of the Corporate Transaction, and any reacquisition or repurchase rights held by the Company with respect to such Awards shall lapse (contingent upon the effectiveness of the Corporate Transaction).
(iii) Awards Held by Persons other than Current Participants. Except as otherwise stated in the Award Agreement, in the event of a Corporate Transaction in which the surviving corporation or acquiring corporation (or its parent company) does not assume or continue such outstanding Awards or substitute similar stock awards for such outstanding Awards, then with respect to Awards that have not been assumed, continued or substituted and that are held by persons other than Current Participants, the vesting of such Awards (and, if applicable, the time at which such Award may be exercised) shall not be accelerated and such Awards (other than an Award consisting of vested and outstanding shares of Common Stock not subject to the Companys right of repurchase) shall terminate if not exercised (if applicable) prior to the effective time of the Corporate Transaction; provided, however, that any reacquisition or repurchase rights held by the Company with respect to such Awards shall not terminate and may continue to be exercised notwithstanding the Corporate Transaction.
(iv) Payment for Awards in Lieu of Exercise. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event an Award will terminate if not exercised prior to the effective time of a Corporate Transaction, the Board may provide, in its sole discretion, that the holder of such Award may not exercise such Award but will receive a payment, in such form as may be determined by the Board, equal to the excess, if any, of (A) the per share amount (or value of property per share) payable to holders of Common Stock in connection with the Corporate Transaction, over (B) the per share exercise price under the applicable Award, multiplied by the number of vested shares subject to the Award (after taking into account any acceleration benefits, including pursuant to Section 10(c)(ii) above). For clarity, this payment may be zero ($0) if the amount per share (or value of property per share) payable to the holders of the Common
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Stock is equal to or less than the exercise price of the Award. In addition, any escrow, holdback, earnout or similar provisions in the definitive agreement for the Corporate Transaction may apply to such payment to the holder of the Award to the same extent and in the same manner as such provisions apply to the holders of Common Stock.
(d) Change in Control. An Award may be subject to additional acceleration of vesting and exercisability upon or after a Change in Control as may be provided in the Award Agreement for such 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.
(e) Moratorium on Exercises. The Board or the Stock Plan Administrator may prohibit the exercise of any Option, SAR or other exercisable Award during a period of up to 30 days prior to the consummation of any pending Capitalization Adjustment, or any other change affecting the shares or the share price of the Common Stock, including any Corporate Transaction, for reasons of administrative convenience.
11. | AMENDMENT, TERMINATION OR SUSPENSION OF THE PLAN. |
(a) Amendments. The Board may amend the Plan in any respect the Board deems necessary or advisable, subject to the limitations of Applicable Law and this section. If required by Applicable Law or listing requirements, 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 (excluding any Capitalization Adjustment), (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.
(b) Suspension or Termination. The Board may suspend or terminate the Plan at any time. The Plan, as amended by the Restatement, has no fixed term; however, no Incentive Stock Options may be granted after January 16, 2028. No Awards may be granted under the Plan while the Plan is suspended or after it is terminated.
(c) No Impairment of Rights. No amendment, suspension or termination of the Plan will 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.
12. | EFFECTIVE DATE OF PLAN AND RESTATEMENT. |
This Plan became effective on the Effective Date, and the Restatement will become effective on the IPO Date.
13. | 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 states conflict of laws rules.
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14. | 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 majority-owned 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 majority-owned subsidiary status is determined within the foregoing definition.
(b) Applicable Law means any applicable securities, federal, state, foreign, material local or municipal or other law, statute, constitution, principle of common law, resolution, ordinance, code, edict, decree, rule, listing rule, regulation, judicial decision, ruling or requirement issued, enacted, adopted, promulgated, implemented or otherwise put into effect by or under the authority of any governmental or regulatory body or self-regulatory organization (including the Nasdaq Stock Market and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority).
(c) 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 Award or any Other Stock Award.
(d) Award Agreement means a written agreement between the Company and a Participant evidencing the terms and conditions of an Award. The term Award Agreement will also include any other written agreement between the Company or an Affiliate and a Participant containing additional terms and conditions of, or amendments to, an Award.
(e) Board means the Board of Directors of the Company.
(f) Capital Stock means each and every class of capital stock of the Company, regardless of the number of votes per share.
(g) 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 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 successor thereto). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the conversion of any convertible securities of the Company will not be treated as a Capitalization Adjustment.
(a) Cause will have the meaning ascribed to such term in any written agreement between the Participant and the Company or an Affiliate 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 Participants commission of any felony or any crime involving fraud, dishonesty or moral turpitude under the laws of the United States or any state thereof, or any applicable foreign jurisdiction; (ii) such Participants attempted commission of, or participation in, a fraud or act of dishonesty against the Company or any Affiliate; (iii) such Participants intentional, material violation of any contract or agreement between the Participant and the Company or an Affiliate or of any statutory duty owed to the Company or an Affiliate; (iv) such Participants unauthorized use or disclosure of the Companys or an Affiliates confidential information or trade secrets; or (v) such Participants gross misconduct or gross negligence. The determination that a termination of the Participants 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.
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(b) Change in Control or Change of 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 fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the Companys 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 Companys 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 or (C) 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 fifty percent (50%) of the combined outstanding voting power of the surviving Entity in such merger, consolidation or similar transaction or (B) more than fifty percent (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;
(iii) the stockholders of the Company approve or the Board approves a plan of complete dissolution or liquidation of the Company, or a complete dissolution or liquidation of the Company shall otherwise occur, except for a liquidation into a parent corporation;
(iv) 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 fifty percent (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; or
(v) individuals who, on the date this 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 shall, for purposes of this Plan, be considered as a member of the Incumbent Board.
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Notwithstanding the foregoing definition 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.
(c) Code means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, including any applicable regulations and guidance thereunder.
(d) Committee means a committee of one or more Directors to whom authority has been delegated by the Board in accordance with
Section 2(c).
(e) Common Stock means the Common Stock of the Company.
(f) Company means NGM Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and any successor thereto.
(g) 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 Companys securities to such person.
(h) Continuous Service means that the Participants service with the Company or an Affiliate, whether as an Employee, Director or Consultant, is not interrupted or terminated.
(i) 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 more than fifty percent (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.
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(j) Director means a member of the Board.
(k) 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 twelve (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.
(l) Effective Date means the effective date of this Plan, which is January 17, 2018.
(m) 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.
(n) Entity means a corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other entity.
(o) Exchange Act means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
(p) 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 an 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 fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the Companys then outstanding securities.
(q) 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.
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(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.
(r) 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.
(s) 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.
(t) 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 of the Exchange Act.
(u) Nonstatutory Stock Option means any option granted pursuant to Section 5 of the Plan that does not qualify as an Incentive Stock Option.
(v) Officer means any person designated by the Company as an officer.
(w) Option means an Incentive Stock Option or a Nonstatutory Stock Option to purchase shares of Common Stock granted pursuant to the Plan.
(x) 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(c).
(y) 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.
(z) Participant means a person to whom an Award is granted pursuant to the Plan or, if applicable, such other person who holds an outstanding Award.
(aa) Performance Award means an award that may vest or may be exercised contingent upon the attainment during a Performance Period of certain Performance Goals and which is granted pursuant to the terms and conditions of Section 6(c).
(bb) 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: (1) earnings (including earnings per share and net earnings);
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(2) earnings before any combination of the following: interest, taxes, amortization, legal settlements, other income (expense), stock-based compensation and/or changes in deferred revenue; (3) profits, including operating profit, net operating profit, or pre-tax profit; (4) total stockholder return; (5) stockholders equity, including return on equity or average stockholders equity; (6) return on assets, investment, or capital employed; (7) stock price or stock price performance; (8) margin (including gross margin); (9) income (before or after taxes), including net income, operating income, and growth in net or operating income; (10) cash flow, including operating cash flow and cash flow per share; (11) sales or revenue targets, including increases in revenue or product revenue; (12) expenses and cost reduction goals; (13) improvement in or attainment of working capital levels; (14) economic value added (or an equivalent metric); (15) market share; (16) debt levels or debt reduction; (17) implementation or completion of projects or processes (including, without limitation, clinical trial initiation, clinical trial enrollment, clinical trial completion or results, new and supplemental indications for existing products, regulatory filing submissions, regulatory filing acceptances, regulatory or advisory committee interactions, regulatory approvals, and product supply); (18) capital expenditures; (19) patient enrollment rates; (20) budget management; (21) 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 candidate; (22) submission of INDs and new drug applications or other regulatory achievements or milestones; (23) progress of internal research or clinical programs; (24) progress of partnered programs; (25) partner or customer satisfaction; (26) strategic partnerships or transactions (including in-licensing and out-licensing of intellectual property; (27) workforce diversity; (28) employee retention; and (29) any other measure of performance selected by the Board.
(cc) 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. Unless specified otherwise by the Board (i) in the Award Agreement at the time the Award is granted or (ii) in such other document setting forth the Performance Goals at the time the Performance Goals are established, the Board will appropriately make adjustments in the method of calculating the attainment of Performance Goals for a Performance Period as follows: (1) to exclude restructuring and/or other nonrecurring charges; (2) to exclude exchange rate effects; (3) to exclude the effects of changes to generally accepted accounting principles; (4) to exclude the effects of items that are unusual in nature or occur infrequently as determined under generally accepted accounting principles; (6) to exclude the dilutive effects of acquisitions or joint ventures; (7) 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; (8) 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; (9) to exclude the effects of stock-based compensation and the award of bonuses under the Companys bonus plans; (10) to exclude costs incurred in connection with potential acquisitions or divestitures that are required to be expensed under generally accepted accounting principles; and (11) to exclude the goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges that are required to be recorded under generally accepted accounting principles. In addition, the Board retains the discretion to reduce 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 such 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 Award Agreement or the written terms of a Performance Award.
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(dd) 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 Participants right to vesting, exercise and/or settlement of an Award. Performance Periods may be of varying and overlapping duration, at the sole discretion of the Board.
(ee) Plan means this NGM Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. Amended and Restated 2018 Equity Incentive Plan, as it may be amended from time to time.
(ff) Restricted Stock Award means an award of shares of Common Stock which is granted pursuant to the terms and conditions of Section 6(a).
(gg) Restricted Stock Unit Award or RSU Award means a right to receive shares of Common Stock which is granted pursuant to the terms and conditions of Section 6(b).
(hh) Rule 405 means Rule 405 promulgated under the Securities Act.
(ii) Securities Act means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
(jj) 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.
(kk) Stock Plan Administrator means one or more Officers or Employees designated by the Board to administer the day-to-day operations of the Plan pursuant to Section 2(e) and the provisions of the Plan.
(ll) Subsidiary means, with respect to the Company, (i) any corporation of which more than fifty percent (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 fifty percent (50%) .
(mm) Tax-Related Items means income tax, social insurance, payroll tax, fringe benefit tax, payment on account or other tax related items related to a Participants Award or participation in the Plan and legally applicable to a Participant.
(nn) 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 ten percent (10%) of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or any Affiliate.
(oo) Trading Policy means the Companys policy permitting certain individuals to sell Company shares only during certain window periods and/or otherwise restricts the ability of certain individuals to transfer or encumber shares of Capital Stock, as in effect from time to time.
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