SEC Form DEF 14A filed by T2 Biosystems Inc.

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

SCHEDULE 14A

(RULE 14a-101)

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT

SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No. )

 

 

Filed by the Registrant ☒

Filed by a Party other than the Registrant ☐

Check the appropriate box:

 

☐	Preliminary Proxy Statement

 

☐	Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))

 

☒	Definitive Proxy Statement

 

☐	Definitive Additional Materials

 

☐	Soliciting Material under §240.14a-12

T2 Biosystems, Inc.

(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)

Payment of Filing Fee (Check all boxes that apply):

 

☒	No fee required.

 

☐	Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.

 

☐	Fee computed on table in exhibit required by Item 25(b) per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11

 

 

 

T2 Biosystems, Inc.

101 Hartwell Ave.

Lexington, MA 02421

NOTICE OF 2024 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

Notice is hereby given that the 2024 Annual Meeting (the “Annual Meeting”) of Stockholders of T2 Biosystems, Inc. (the “Company”) will be held on December 30 2024, at 9 a.m, Eastern time. This year’s Annual Meeting will be held solely by means of remote communications, which will be conducted via live webcast on the Internet, providing a consistent experience to all stockholders regardless of location. You will be able to attend the meeting online, vote your shares electronically and submit your questions during the Annual Meeting by visiting www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/TTOO2024. There will not be a physical meeting. Details regarding how to participate in the meeting online and the business to be conducted at the Annual Meeting are more fully described in the enclosed proxy statement.

The Annual Meeting will be held for the following purposes:

 

1.

To elect three (3) directors, Laura Adams, Robin Toft and Seymour Liebman, to serve as Class I directors until the 2027 annual meeting of stockholders and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified, subject to his or her earlier resignation or removal;

 

2.

To vote upon the approval of the amendment and restatement of our 2014 Incentive Award Plan;

 

3.

To ratify the appointment of BDO USA, LLP (“BDO”) as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024; and

 

4.

To transact such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting or at any and all adjournments or postponements thereof.

The proposal for the election of the directors, Proposal 1, relates solely to the election of the three Class I directors nominated by the Board of Directors.

We are pleased to take advantage of the Securities and Exchange Commission rules that allow companies to furnish their proxy materials over the Internet. We are mailing to many of our stockholders a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the “Internet Notice”) instead of a paper copy of our proxy materials and our 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K (the “2024 Annual Report”). The Internet Notice contains instructions on how to access the proxy materials and to cast your vote. The Internet Notice also contains instructions on how to request a paper copy of our proxy materials and our 2024 Annual Report. Stockholders who are not mailed an Internet Notice will be mailed paper copies of the proxy materials and the 2024 Annual Report. This process allows us to provide our stockholders with the information they need on a more timely basis, while reducing the environmental impact and lowering the costs of printing and distributing our proxy materials and 2024 Annual Report.

Only Company stockholders of record at the close of business on November 5, 2024 (the “Record Date”) are entitled to notice of and vote at the Annual Meeting and any adjournment or postponement thereof. A complete list of such stockholders will be open to the examination of any stockholder for a period of ten days ending on the day before the Annual Meeting for a purpose germane to the Annual Meeting by sending an

email to [email protected], stating the purpose of the request and providing proof of ownership of our stock. The list of these stockholders will also be available on the bottom of your screen during the Annual Meeting after entering the 16-digit control number included on your Internet Notice or on your proxy card or on the instructions that accompanied your proxy materials. The Annual Meeting may be adjourned without notice other than by announcement at the Annual Meeting if the time, place, if any, and the means of remote communications, if any, by which stockholders and proxy holders may be deemed to be present in person and vote at such adjourned meeting are (i) announced at the Annual Meeting, (ii) displayed, during the time scheduled for the Annual Meeting, on the same electronic network used to enable you to participate in the Annual Meeting or (iii) set forth in this Notice of Annual Meeting.

Your vote is important. Whether or not you are able to participate in the Annual Meeting online, it is important that your shares be represented. To ensure that your vote is recorded promptly, please vote as soon as possible, even if you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, by submitting your proxy by telephone, via the Internet at the address listed on the Internet Notice or proxy card or, if you received paper copies of these materials, by signing, dating and returning the proxy card, which requires no postage if mailed in the United States.

 

Lexington, Massachusetts

November 20, 2024

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

GENERAL INFORMATION			1
OVERVIEW OF PROPOSALS			5
PROPOSAL 1 ELECTION OF DIRECTORS			6
PROPOSAL 2 APPROVAL OF AN AMENDMENT TO THE 2014 INCENTIVE AWARD PLAN			9
PROPOSAL 3 RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS			21
TRANSACTION OF OTHER BUSINESS			23
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT			24
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS			27
RELATED PERSON TRANSACTIONS			28
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE INTERLOCKS AND INSIDER PARTICIPATION			30
DELINQUENT SECTION 16(A) REPORTS			30
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE			31
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION			37
DIRECTOR COMPENSATION			46
HOUSEHOLDING OF PROXY MATERIALS			49
STOCKHOLDER MATTERS			51
APPENDIX A – 2014 INCENTIVE AWARD PLAN, AS AMENDED AND RESTATED

T2 BIOSYSTEMS, INC.

PROXY STATEMENT

FOR THE 2024 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

GENERAL INFORMATION

Our Board of Directors (the “Board of Directors” or “Board”) has made this Proxy Statement and related materials available to you on the Internet, or at your request has delivered printed versions to you by mail, in connection with the Board of Directors’ solicitation of proxies for our 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”), and any adjournment or postponement of the Annual Meeting. If you requested printed versions of these materials by mail, they will also include a proxy card for the Annual Meeting. This Proxy Statement and related materials will be released on or about November 20, 2024 to our stockholders our stockholders of record at the close of business on November 5, 2024 (the “Record Date”).

Pursuant to rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), we are providing access to our proxy materials over the Internet. Accordingly, we are sending a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the “Internet Notice”) to our stockholders as of the Record Date. The mailing of the Internet Notice to our stockholders is anticipated to begin on or about November 20, 2024.

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE INTERNET AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING TO BE HELD ON DECEMBER 30, 2024: This proxy statement, the accompanying proxy card or voting instruction card and our 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K are available at http://www.proxyvote.com.

In this Proxy Statement, the terms, the “Company,” “T2 Biosystems,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to T2 Biosystems, Inc. and our wholly-owned subsidiary. The mailing address of our principal executive offices is T2 Biosystems, Inc., 101 Hartwell Ave., Lexington, MA 02421.

How to Attend the Virtual Annual Meeting

You may attend the Annual Meeting online only if you are a T2 Biosystems’ stockholder of record as of the Record Date, or if you hold a valid proxy from a stockholder of record as of the Record Date for the Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting will be held solely by means of remote communications and is scheduled to be held on December 30, 2024 at 9:00 a.m., Eastern time, via live webcast through the following link: www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/TTOO2024. You will need the 16-digit control number provided on the Internet Notice, on your proxy card (if applicable) or on the instructions that accompanied your proxy materials. You may attend the Annual Meeting, vote, and submit a question during the Annual Meeting by visiting www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/TTOO2024 and using our 16-digit control number. If you are not a stockholder of record but hold shares as a beneficial owner in “street name”, you should contact your bank or broker to obtain your 16-digit control number or otherwise vote through the bank or broker. If you lose your 16-digit control number, you may join the Annual Meeting as a “Guest” but you will not be deemed to be present at the Annual Meeting and will not be able to vote, ask questions or access the list of stockholders as of the Record Date. The meeting webcast will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m., Eastern time. We encourage you to access the meeting 15 minutes prior to the start time to allow ample time for check-in procedures.

Reasons for Virtual Annual Meeting

We believe that hosting a virtual meeting this year is in the best interest of the Company and its stockholders. A virtual meeting enables increased stockholder attendance and participation because stockholders can participate from any location around the world. A virtual meeting can also provide cost savings for our stockholders and us and is also environmentally friendly and sustainable over the long term. There will not be a physical meeting location.

 

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Technical Difficulties

We will have technicians ready to assist you with any technical difficulties you may have accessing the virtual meeting website. If you encounter any technical difficulties with the virtual meeting platform on the meeting date, please call the technical support number to be provided on the website portal used to access the virtual meeting.

Question and Answer Session

As part of the Annual Meeting, we will hold a live Q&A session, during which we intend to answer questions submitted during the meeting that are pertinent to the Company and the Annual Meeting matters, as time permits. Only stockholders that have accessed the Annual Meeting as a stockholder (rather than a “Guest”) by following the procedures outlined above in “How to Attend the Virtual Meeting” will be permitted to submit questions during the Annual Meeting. Each stockholder entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting is limited to no more than two questions. Questions should be succinct and only cover a single topic. We will not address questions that are, among other things:

 

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irrelevant to the business of the Company or to the business of the Annual Meeting;

 

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related to material non-public information of the Company, including the status or results of our business since our last Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q;

 

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related to any pending, threatened or ongoing litigation;

 

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related to personal grievances;

 

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derogatory references to individuals or that are otherwise in bad taste;

 

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substantially repetitious of questions already made by another stockholder;

 

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in excess of the two question limit;

 

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in furtherance of the stockholder’s personal or business interests; or

 

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out of order or not otherwise suitable for the conduct of the Annual Meeting as determined by the person presiding at the Annual Meeting in their reasonable judgment.

Additional information regarding the Q&A session will be available in the “Rules of Conduct” available on the Annual Meeting webpage for stockholders that have accessed the Annual Meeting as a stockholder of record or as the holder of a valid proxy from a stockholder of record (rather than a “Guest”) by following the procedures outlined above in “How to Attend the Virtual Meeting”.

Stockholders Entitled to Vote; Record Date

As of the close of business on November 5, 2024, the record date for determination of stockholders entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting (referred to herein as the “Record Date”), 20,562,964 shares of our Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”) were outstanding and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting.

Voting Rights

Only holders of our Common Stock at the close of business on the Record Date are entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting. Each share of our Common Stock is entitled to one vote on all matters to be voted on at the Annual Meeting and stockholders do not have cumulative voting rights.

 

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Quorum

The presence in person (via remote communication) or proxy of the holders of at least one-third in voting power of the Common Stock issued and outstanding and entitled to vote on the Record Date is required to constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at the Annual Meeting. Because there is at least one “routine” matter to be considered by our stockholders at the Annual Meeting, shares of Common Stock on the Record Date that are voted “abstain” or “withheld” and broker “non-votes” are counted as present for purposes of determining whether a quorum is present at the Annual Meeting.

Votes Required

Assuming that a quorum is present at the Annual Meeting, other than with respect to the election of directors, each of the proposals to be considered at the Annual Meeting requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority in voting power of the votes cast affirmatively or negatively (excluding abstentions) at the Annual Meeting. Directors are elected by a plurality of the votes cast by the stockholders at a meeting at which a quorum is present, which means that the three (3) director nominees with the greatest number of votes cast at the Annual Meeting, even if less than a majority, will be elected.

Broker Non-Votes

A broker “non-vote” occurs when a nominee holding shares for a beneficial owner does not vote on a particular proposal because the nominee does not have discretionary voting power with respect to that proposal and has not received voting instructions with respect to that proposal from the beneficial owner.

If your shares are held in “street name” by a brokerage firm, your brokerage firm is required to vote your shares according to your instructions. If you do not give instructions to your brokerage firm, the brokerage firm will still be able to vote your shares with respect to certain “routine” items but will not be allowed to vote your shares with respect to “non-routine” items. Each of Proposals 1 and 2 (as defined below) is a “non-routine” item. If you do not instruct your broker how to vote with respect to those proposals, your broker may not vote for those proposals, and those votes will be counted as broker “non-votes.” Proposal 3 is considered to be a “routine” item, and your brokerage firm will be able to vote on this proposal even if it does not receive instructions from you. However, broker non-votes may still arise with respect to these matters if the broker does not receive your voting instructions and chooses not to exercise its discretionary authority with respect to such matter.

Abstentions

A “vote withheld,” in the case of the proposal regarding the election of directors, or an “abstention,” with respect to the other proposals, occurs when a stockholder represented at the meeting in person or by proxy makes the affirmative choice not to vote for or against a matter. Votes withheld and abstentions are counted as present and entitled to vote for purposes of determining a quorum. Votes withheld have no effect on the election of directors (Proposal 1) and abstentions will have no effect on Proposals 2 and 3.

Voting

Electronically At the Meeting

This year’s Annual Meeting will be held entirely online to allow greater participation. Stockholders may participate in the Annual Meeting by visiting the following website at the time of the Annual Meeting: www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/TTOO2024. To participate in the Annual Meeting, you will need the 16-digit control number included on your Internet Notice, on your proxy card or on the instructions that accompanied your proxy materials. Shares held in your name as the stockholder of record on the Record Date may be voted electronically during the Annual Meeting. However, even if you plan to attend the Annual Meeting online, the Company recommends that you vote your shares as promptly as possible and in advance over the

 

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Internet (www.proxyvote.com) or telephone (1-800-579-1639) so that your vote will be counted if you later decide not to attend the Annual Meeting. Promptly voting your shares will ensure the presence of a quorum at the Annual Meeting and will save us the expense of further solicitation. Submitting your proxy now will not prevent you from voting your shares at the Annual Meeting if you desire to do so, since your proxy is revocable at your option.

By Proxy

If you do not wish to vote at the Annual Meeting or will not be participating in the Annual Meeting, you may vote by proxy. You can vote by proxy over the Internet (www.proxyvote.com) or telephone (1-800-579-1639) and by following the instructions provided in the Internet Notice, or, if you requested printed copies of the proxy materials by mail, you can vote by mailing your proxy as described in the proxy materials. Internet and telephone voting facilities for stockholders of record will be available 24 hours a day and will close at 11:59 p.m., Eastern time, on December 29, 2024. If you complete and submit your proxy before the Annual Meeting, the persons named as proxies will vote the shares represented by your proxy in accordance with your instructions. If you submit a proxy without giving voting instructions, your shares will be voted in the manner recommended by the Board of Directors on all matters presented in this Proxy Statement, and as the persons named as proxies may determine in their discretion with respect to any other matters properly presented at the Annual Meeting.

If any other matters are properly presented for consideration at the Annual Meeting, including, among other things, consideration of a motion to adjourn the Annual Meeting to another time or place (including, without limitation, for the purpose of soliciting additional proxies), the persons named in the enclosed proxy card and acting thereunder will have discretion to vote on those matters in accordance with their best judgment. We do not currently anticipate that any other matters will be raised at the Annual Meeting.

Revocability of Proxy

You may revoke your proxy by (1) following the instructions on the Internet Notice and entering a new vote by mail, over the Internet or via telephone before the taking of the vote at the Annual Meeting or (2) electronically attending the Annual Meeting and voting (although attendance at the Annual Meeting without voting will not in and of itself revoke a proxy). Any written notice of revocation or subsequent proxy card must be received by our Corporate Secretary prior to the taking of the vote at the Annual Meeting. Such written notice of revocation or subsequent proxy card should be sent to our principal executive offices at T2 Biosystems, Inc., 101 Hartwell Ave., Lexington, MA 02421, Attention: Corporate Secretary.

If a broker, bank, or other nominee holds your shares, you must contact them in order to find out how to change your vote, or you may vote at the Annual Meeting by obtaining a proxy from the broker, bank, or other nominee that holds your shares as of record.

Expenses of Solicitation

T2 Biosystems is making this solicitation and will pay the entire cost of preparing and distributing the Internet Notice and these proxy materials and soliciting votes. If you choose to access the proxy materials or vote over the Internet, you are responsible for any Internet access charges that you may incur. Our officers and employees may, without compensation other than their regular compensation, solicit proxies through further mailings, personal conversations, facsimile transmissions, e-mails, or otherwise. We have hired Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. to assist us in the distribution of proxy materials. Proxy solicitation expenses that we will pay include those for preparation, mailing, returning, and tabulating the proxies.

 

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OVERVIEW OF PROPOSALS

This Proxy Statement contains three proposals requiring stockholder action:

 

1.

The election of three (3) directors, Laura Adams, Robin Toft and Seymour Liebman, to serve as Class I directors until the 2027 annual meeting of stockholders and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified, subject to his or her earlier resignation or removal (“Proposal 1”).

 

2.

The approval of the amendment and restatement of our 2014 Incentive Award Plan (“Proposal 2”).

 

3.

The ratification of the appointment of BDO USA, LLP (“BDO”) as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024 (“Proposal 3”).

We may also transact such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting or at any and all adjournments or postponements thereof. The proposals are discussed in more detail in the pages that follow.

 

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PROPOSAL 1

ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

The Board of Directors is divided into three classes. One class is elected each year at the annual meeting of stockholders for a term of three years. Our certificate of incorporation provides that vacancies on the Board of Directors shall be filled only by the affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining directors, even if less than a quorum, or by a sole remaining director and not by stockholders, unless our Board of Directors determines by resolution that any such vacancy shall be filled by the stockholders. A director elected by the Board of Directors to fill a vacancy in a class shall hold office for the remainder of the full term of that class, and until the director’s successor is duly elected and qualified or until his or her earlier resignation, death, or removal.

The terms of the Class I directors are scheduled to expire on the date of the Annual Meeting. Based on the recommendation of the nominating and corporate governance committee of the Board of Directors, the Board of Directors’ nominees for election by the stockholders at the Annual Meeting are the current Class I members: Laura Adams, Robin Toft and Seymour Liebman. If elected, each nominee will serve as a director until the annual meeting of stockholders in 2027 and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified, or until his or her earlier death, resignation, or removal.

The names of and certain information about the directors in each of the three classes are set forth below. There are no family relationships among any of our directors or executive officers. We currently have seven directors on our Board.

It is intended that the proxy in the form enclosed will be voted, unless otherwise indicated, “for” the election of each of nominees named below to the Board of Directors as Class I directors. If any of such nominees should for any reason be unable or unwilling to serve as a director at any time prior to the Annual Meeting, the proxies in the form enclosed will be voted “for” the election of such substitute nominee as the Board of Directors may designate prior to the Annual Meeting. The Board of Directors has no reason to believe that the nominees named below will be unable to serve if elected. Each of the nominees named below has consented to being named in this proxy statement and to serve if elected.

Nominees for Class I Directors (term to expire at the 2027 Annual Meeting)

The names of the nominees for Class I directors and certain information about them as of November 5, 2024 is set forth below.

 

Name		Positions and Offices Held with T2 Biosystems		Director Since				Age
Laura Adams		Director			2021				68
Robin Toft		Director			2020				64
Seymour Liebman		Director			2016				75

In addition, the names of the continuing Class II and Class III directors and certain information about them as of November 5, 2024 is set forth below.

 

Name

Positions and Offices Held with T2 Biosystems

Director Since

Class and Year in Which Term Will Expire

Age

Ninfa Saunders

Director

2020

Class II-2025

72

John Sperzel

Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, President and Director

2020

Class II-2025

61

David Elsbree

Director

2014

Class III-2026

77

Jack Cumming

Director

2014

Class III-2026

79

 

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Set forth below are the biographies of each director, as well as a discussion of the particular experience, qualifications, attributes, and skills that led our Board of Directors to conclude that each person nominated to serve or currently serving on our Board of Directors should serve as a director. In addition to the information presented below, we believe that each director meets the minimum qualifications established by the nominating and corporate governance committee of our Board of Directors.

John Sperzel has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of our Board of Directors since January 2020 and has served as Chairman of our Board of Directors since July 2021. From March 2014 to January 2020, Mr. Sperzel was the Chief Executive Officer, President and a member of the Board of Directors of Chembio Diagnostics, Inc., a point-of-care diagnostics company focused on infectious diseases. From September 2011 to December 2013, Mr. Sperzel was the Chief Executive Officer and President of International Technidyne Corporation, a developer of point-of-care cardiovascular diagnostic testing solutions. Mr. Sperzel received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration/Management from Plymouth State College. Mr. Sperzel’s extensive management experience as a senior executive and his diagnostic company experience contributed to our Board of Directors’ conclusion that he should serve as a director of our company.

Laura Adams has served as a member of our Board of Directors since October 2021. Since 1998, Ms. Adams has been Principal at Laura Adams Consulting, a strategic advisory firm serving the healthcare industry. Ms. Adams has served as Special Adviser to the National Academy of Medicine, a non-governmental organization that provides national and international advice on issues relating to digital health, medicine, health policy, and biomedical science, since November 2019. From April 2019 to April 2021 she served as a Catalyst for X4 Health, a company working with health systems to partner with patients and families in new designs of care. From 2001 to 2019 she was the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Rhode Island Quality Institute, a center for collaborative innovation that advances health and care information. Ms. Adams received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Northern Colorado and a Masters of Science from the University of Northern Colorado Health Center. Ms. Adams’ extensive knowledge of and experience with digital health and healthcare quality initiatives contributed to our Board of Directors’ conclusion that she should serve as a director of our company.

Robin Toft has served as a member of our Board of Directors since June 2020. Ms. Toft has been employed by ZRG Partners (formerly Toft Group), an executive search firm that focuses on biotechnology, pharmaceutical, diagnostics, medical device, life science tools and healthcare high tech companies since July 2010 and currently serves as Advisor Global Life Sciences & Board Diversity. Prior to the ZRG Partners, Ms. Toft was employed by Sanford Rose Associates – Toft Group from 2006 to 2010. Prior to that, Ms. Toft was employed by Roche Diagnostics, a diagnostics company that manufactures equipment and reagents for research and medical diagnostic applications from January 2003 to November 2005, as Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations. Ms. Toft holds a B.S. in Medical Technology (Clinical Laboratory Science) from Michigan State University. Ms. Toft’s leadership and industry experience contributed to our Board of Directors’ conclusion that she should serve as a director of our company.

Seymour Liebman has served as a member of our Board of Directors since September 2016. Mr. Liebman has been employed by Canon USA, Inc., a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial imaging solutions to the United States and to the Latin American and the Caribbean markets, since 1974 and currently serves as the Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel and Senior Managing Executive Officer of Canon Inc., Japan. Mr. Liebman received his J.D. from Touro Law School, his M.S. in mathematics from Rutgers University, his M.S. in accounting from Long Island University and his B.A. in mathematics from Hofstra University. Mr. Liebman’s management and board experience contributed to our Board of Directors’ conclusion that he should serve as a director of our company.

Ninfa Saunders has served as a member of our Board of Directors since June 2020. Ms. Saunders served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Navicent Health, the second largest hospital in Georgia from October 2012 to October 2020. Prior to joining Navicent Health, Ms. Saunders served as President and COO of

 

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Virtua Health, the largest health system in southern New Jersey, from 2003 to 2012. Dr. Saunders has a Doctorate in Healthcare Administration from the Medical University of South Carolina, a Master’s of Business Administration from Emory University, a Master of Science in Nursing from Rutgers University and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Concordia College. Ms. Saunders’ leadership and industry experience contributed to our Board of Directors’ conclusion that she should serve as a director of our company.

Jack Cumming has served as a member of our Board of Directors since July 2014 and Lead Independent Director since June 2020. He also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of TransMed7, LLC. Mr. Cumming has also served as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Cumming & Associates LLC, a strategic advisory firm serving the healthcare industry since January 2014. From August 2000 until December 2013, Mr. Cumming served in a number of leadership roles at Hologic Inc., a diagnostics company, including as Chief Executive Officer from 2001 through 2009 and again from July 2013 through December 2013, as President from 2001 until 2003, as Chairman of the Board from 2002 until 2007 and again from 2008 through 2011, and as Global Strategic Advisor from 2011 through July 2013. Mr. Cumming attended the University of South Carolina. Mr. Cumming’s extensive knowledge of and experience with diagnostic product companies and expertise as a strategic advisor focused on the healthcare industry contributed to our Board of Directors’ conclusion that he should serve as a director of our company.

David Elsbree has served as a member of our Board of Directors since July 2014. From 1970 until 2004, Mr. Elsbree was employed by Deloitte & Touche, most recently as a senior partner. Mr. Elsbree served in a number of leadership roles in the firm’s high technology practice, including partner-in-charge of the New England High Technology Practice. Mr. Elsbree served on the Board of Directors of Art Technology Group, Inc. from June 2004 until January 2011 and on the board of directors of Acme Packet, Inc. from November 2006 until March 2013. Mr. Elsbree received his B.A. from Northeastern University. Mr. Elsbree’s extensive knowledge of and experience with technology companies and financial expertise contributed to our Board of Directors’ conclusion that he should serve as a director of our company.

Vote Required and Board of Directors’ Recommendation

Under our bylaws, directors are elected by a plurality of the votes cast by the stockholders at a meeting at which a quorum is present, which means that the three (3) director nominees with the greatest number of votes cast at the Annual Meeting, even if less than a majority, will be elected. Broker non-votes and abstentions with respect to election of directors will not be treated as votes cast and, therefore, will not affect the outcome of the election of directors at the Annual Meeting

The proposal for the election of the directors relates solely to the election of the three Class I directors nominated by the Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors recommends that stockholders vote FOR the election of each of

the Class I director nominees listed above.

 

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PROPOSAL 2

APPROVAL OF THE AMENDMENT AND RESTATEMENT OF THE T2 BIOSYSTEMS, INC. 2014 INCENTIVE AWARD PLAN

Introduction

Our stockholders are being asked to approve an amendment and restatement of our 2014 Incentive Award Plan, or the 2014 Plan. The proposed amended and restated 2014 Plan is referred to herein as the “Restated Plan.” Our Board of Directors approved the Restated Plan on November 4, 2024, subject to stockholder approval. The Restated Plan is described in more detail below. If the Restated Plan is not approved by our stockholders, the Restated Plan will not become effective, the existing 2014 Plan will continue in full force and effect, and we may continue to grant awards under the 2014 Plan, subject to its terms, conditions and limitations, using the shares available for issuance thereunder.

We strongly believe that an employee equity compensation program is a necessary and powerful incentive and retention tool that benefits all stockholders. The 2014 Plan was first adopted by our Board of Directors and approved by our stockholders in 2014 in connection with our initial public offering. The 2014 Plan was amended and restated on June 17, 2016 and again June 25, 2021 and September 15, 2023 after approval by our stockholders at our annual meeting of stockholders held in 2016, 2021 and 2023, respectively. As of November 5, 2024, a total of 989,830 shares of our Common Stock were reserved under the existing 2014 Plan, the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock subject to stock options and restricted stock units under the existing 2014 Plan was 7,999, no awards other than stock options and restricted stock units were outstanding under the plan, and a total of 981,831 shares of Common Stock remained available under the existing 2014 Plan for future issuance, excluding shares of common stock subject to the Contingent RSU Grants and the Restated Plan.

Overview of Proposed Amendments

 

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Increase in Share Reserve. If approved by the stockholders, the Restated Plan will provide for an increase of 2,448,169 shares over the number of shares of Common Stock currently available for issuance under the 2014 Plan. The shares of Common Stock remaining available for issuance as of November 5, 2024 under the 2014 Plan are insufficient to meet our forecasted needs during the year. After carefully forecasting our anticipated workforce, we believe that this increase will be sufficient for at least one year’s worth of equity-based grants under our current compensation program. The Board will continue to evaluate equity needs in the context of the business and broader compensation program in the future.

 

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The Restated Plan was also updated to reflect current best practices, including:

 

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No Annual “Evergreen” Provision. The Restated Plan requires stockholder approval to increase the maximum number of shares that can be granted under the Restated Plan. Unlike the existing 2014 Plan, the Restated Plan does not contain an annual “evergreen” to automatically increase the number of shares available for issuance each year.

 

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No liberal share recycling. The Restated Plan provides that shares withheld by the company to cover exercise prices or taxes are not “recycled” back into the share reserve.

 

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Express prohibitions. The Restated Plan contains express prohibitions on:

 

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Dividend payments on unvested restricted stock units and performance stock units;

 

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Dividend payments on unexercised options and stock appreciation rights;

 

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“Reload” options;

 

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Payment of option exercise price with a promissory note;

 

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Transferring awards to financial institutions.

 

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No discount options or stock appreciation rights. The Restated Plan clarifies that the exercise price per share subject to each option or stock appreciation right will be not less than 100% of the fair market value of a share on the date the option or stock appreciation right is granted.

 

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Removal or repealed laws. The Restated Plan provides for certain other updates to reflect changes in applicable laws and to modernize certain provisions of the 2014 Plan, including the removal of certain inoperative provisions due to changes of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”).

 

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Extended Term. The Restated Plan provides for a new 10-year term, continuing in effect until 2034.

The Restated Plan is not being amended in any material respect other than to reflect the changes described above.

Equity Incentive Award Information

The table below presents information about the number of shares that were subject to outstanding equity awards under the equity plans, including the 2014 Plan, the Amended and Restated 2006 Employee, Director and Consultant Stock Plan, or the 2006 Plan, and the Inducement Award Plan, and the shares remaining available for issuance under such plans, each at December 31, 2023. We ceased granting awards under the 2006 Plan when the 2014 Plan became effective.

 

		Number of Shares				As a % of Shares Outstanding (1)				Dollar Value (2)
2006 Plan
Options outstanding			45				—	%		$	—
Shares remaining and available for grant under the 2006 Plan			—				—	%		$	—
2014 Plan
Options outstanding			493				0.01	%		$	—
Unvested restricted stock units outstanding			2,891				0.07	%		$	18,155
Shares remaining and available for grant under the 2014 Plan (3)			825,533				20.34	%		$	5,184,347
Inducement Award Plan
Options outstanding			1,035				0.03	%		$	—
Unvested restricted stock units outstanding			800				0.02	%		$	5,024
Shares remaining and available for grant under the Inducement Award Plan			5,038				0.12	%		$	31,639
Weighted average exercise price of all outstanding options		$	12,371.09
Weighted average remaining contractual term of all outstanding options			6.08 years

 

(1)	Based on 4,058,381 shares of our Common Stock outstanding as of December 31, 2023.

(2)

Based on the closing price of our Common Stock on December 31, 2023, of $6.28 per share for unvested restricted stock units and shares remaining and available for grant. For outstanding stock options, Dollar Value is based on the intrinsic value of the options as of December 31, 2024, which is the difference between the closing price of our Common Stock on December 31, 2023 of $6.28 and the option strike price.

(3)	Does not include possible future increases to the share reserve under the evergreen provision of the existing 2014 Plan.

 

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We also maintain our 2014 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, or the 2014 Purchase Plan, which is a plan intended to qualify under Section 423 of the Code. Additional information regarding the 2006 Plan, the Inducement Award Plan and the 2014 Purchase Plan is provided under “Equity Compensation Plan Information” below.

Factors the Board of Directors Considered

In determining whether to approve the Restated Plan, our Board of Directors considered the following:

 

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We expect the share reserve under the Restated Plan to provide us with enough shares for awards for approximately 1 year, assuming we continue to grant awards consistent with our current practices and historical usage, as reflected in our historical burn rate, and further dependent on the price of our shares and hiring activity during the next few years, forfeitures of outstanding awards under the 2014 Plan, and noting that future circumstances may require us to change our current equity grant practices. We cannot predict our future equity grant practices, the future price of our shares or future hiring activity with any degree of certainty at this time, and the share reserve under the Restated Plan could last for a shorter or longer time.

 

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If the Restated Plan is not approved by stockholders, the existing 2014 Plan will remain in effect and, the share reserve under the existing 2014 Plan will remain at 981,831. We believe this would significantly impair the Company’s ability to utilize the plan for its intended purpose of allowing us to motivate, attract and retain the services of members of directors, employees and consultants upon whose judgment, interest and special effort the successful conduct of our operation is largely dependent.

 

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In 2023, 2022 and 2021, we granted equity awards representing a total of approximately 9,507 shares, 2,400 shares and 2,041 shares, respectively, under all of our Equity Plans. This level of equity awards represents a three-year average burn rate of approximately 3.2% of fully diluted common shares outstanding. Equity burn rate is calculated by dividing the number of shares subject to equity awards granted during the fiscal year by the number of shares outstanding at the end of the period.

 

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In fiscal years 2023, 2022 and 2021 the end of year overhang rate (calculated by dividing (1) the sum of the number of shares subject to equity awards under all of our Equity Plans outstanding at the end of the calendar year plus shares remaining available under our Equity Plans for issuance for future awards at the end of the calendar year by (2) the number of shares outstanding at the end of the calendar year) was 30.3%, 7.3% and 15.8%, respectively.

In light of the factors described above, and the fact that the ability to continue to grant equity compensation is vital to our ability to continue to attract and retain employees in the extremely competitive labor markets in which we compete, our Board of Directors has determined that approval of the Restated Plan is reasonable and appropriate at this time. Our Board of Directors will not create a subcommittee to evaluate the risk and benefits for issuing shares under the Restated Plan.

Key Features of the Restated Plan

The Restated Plan reflects a range of compensation and governance best practices, with some of the key features of the Restated Plan as follows:

 

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No Increase to Shares Available for Issuance without Stockholder Approval. Without stockholder approval, the Restated Plan generally prohibits an increase in the total number of shares of common stock that may otherwise be issued or transferred under the Restated Plan (other than in connection with certain corporate reorganizations and other events).

 

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No Repricing of Awards. The plan administrator may not without the approval of the company’s stockholders (1) lower the exercise price of an option or stock appreciation right, or SAR, after it is

 

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granted or (2) cancel an option or SAR when the exercise price exceeds the fair market value of the underlying shares in exchange for cash, another award or a combination thereof (other than in connection with certain corporate reorganizations or other events).

 

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No In-the-Money Option or Stock Appreciation Right Grants. The Restated Plan prohibits the grant of options or SARs with an exercise or base price less than 100% of the fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant.

 

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Independent Administration. The compensation committee of our Board of Directors (“compensation committee”), which consists of two or more non-employee directors, generally will administer the Restated Plan. The full Board of Directors will administer the Restated Plan with respect to awards granted to members of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors or compensation committee may delegate certain of its duties and authorities to a committee of one or more directors, officers or service providers of the company for awards to certain individuals, within specific guidelines and limitations. However, no delegation of authority is permitted with respect to awards made to individuals who (1) are subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act, or (2) are officers of the Company and have been delegated authority to grant or amend awards under the Restated Plan.

 

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No Automatic Change in Control Vesting for Awards. The Restated Plan does not have automatic accelerated vesting provisions for awards in connection with a change in control.

 

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Limitations on Grants. The maximum amount of cash and other compensation and the aggregate grant date fair value of awards granted to a non-employee director of our company for services as a non-employee director during any calendar year may not, in the aggregate, exceed $700,000 (or, in the fiscal year of any director’s initial service, $950,000), subject to the limited exceptions.

Stockholder Approval Requirement

Stockholder approval of the Restated Plan is necessary in order for us to meet the stockholder approval requirements of NASDAQ and comply with requirements relating to ISOs under the Code. If the Restated Plan is not approved by our stockholders, the Restated Plan will not become effective, the existing 2014 Plan will continue in full force and effect, and we may continue to grant awards under the 2014 Plan, subject to its terms, conditions and limitations, using the shares available for issuance thereunder.

Summary of the Restated Plan

The principal features of the Restated Plan are summarized below, but the summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Restated Plan itself, which is attached as Appendix A to this proxy statement.

Purpose

The purpose of the Restated Plan is to promote our success and enhance our value by linking the individual interests of the members of the Board of Directors and our employees and consultants to those of our stockholders and by providing such individuals with an incentive for outstanding performance to generate superior returns to our stockholders. The Restated Plan is further intended to provide us flexibility in our ability to motivate, attract, and retain the services of members of the Board of Directors, our employees and our consultants upon whose judgment, interest, and special effort the successful conduct of our operation is largely dependent.

Eligibility and Administration

Our employees, consultants and directors, and the employees and consultants of our subsidiaries, will be eligible to receive awards under the Restated Plan, but only employees may be granted ISOs. As of November 5, 2024, there were 6 non-employee directors and 104 employees who would have been eligible for awards under

 

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the Restated Plan had it been in effect on such date. Except for the Contingent RSU Grants, awards under the 2014 Plan are within the discretion of the Compensation Committee and we cannot determine how many individuals in each of the categories described above will receive awards.

The Restated Plan will be administered by our Board of Directors with respect to awards to non-employee directors and by our Board of Directors or compensation committee with respect to other participants, each of which may delegate its duties and responsibilities to committees of our directors, officers or service providers (referred to collectively as the plan administrator below), subject to certain limitations that may be imposed under Section 16 of the Exchange Act and stock exchange rules, as applicable. The plan administrator will have the authority to make all determinations and interpretations under, prescribe all forms for use with, and adopt rules for the administration of, the Restated Plan, subject to its express terms and conditions. The plan administrator will also set the terms and conditions of all awards under the Restated Plan, including any vesting and vesting acceleration conditions.

Shares Available

The number of shares authorized for issuance under the existing 2014 Plan is the sum of (1) 823,529 shares, (2) any shares that were granted under the 2006 Plan which are forfeited, lapse unexercised or are settled in cash subsequent to the effective date of the 2014 Plan and (3) an annual increase on the first day of each calendar year, beginning January 1, 2015 and ending on and including January 1, 2026, equal to the lesser of (A) 4% of the shares outstanding (on an as-converted basis) on the final day of the immediately preceding calendar year and (B) such smaller number of shares determined by the Company’s Board of Directors; provided, however, no more than 35 million shares may be issued upon the exercise of incentive stock options. As of November 5, 2024, a total of 981,831 shares of common stock remained available for issuance under the existing 2014 Plan, and such reserve may be subject to increase pursuant to forfeitures of 2006 Plan awards. This amount excludes shares of common stock subject to the Contingent RSU Grants and the Plan Amendment. As a result, a portion of the restricted stock unit awards made to certain employees and non-employee directors were granted subject to stockholder approval of the Restated Plan (the “Contingent RSU Grants”). For additional information about the Contingent RSU Grants, please see the section below titled “New Plan Benefits”.

In the event that stockholders do not approve the Restated Plan, the number of shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the 2014 Plan will not increase pursuant to the Restated Plan Amendment and the Contingent RSU Grants will be forfeited. Awards will continue to be made under the 2014 Plan to the limited extent that there are available shares of common stock to do so.

The maximum aggregate number of shares that may be issued or transferred pursuant to awards under the Restated Plan is 3,430,000. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the number of shares of stock that may be issued pursuant to ISOs under the Restated Plan may not exceed an aggregate of 35,000,000 shares. All of the foregoing share numbers may be adjusted for changes in our capitalization and certain corporate transactions, as described below under the heading “Certain Transactions.”

Shares used to pay the exercise price or purchase price of an award or to satisfy the withholding obligations for tax-related items related to an award will not become available for future grant or sale under the Restated Plan.

If an award under the Restated Plan is forfeited, expires, lapses for any reason, or is settled for cash without the delivery of shares to the holder, any shares subject to such award may, to the extent of such forfeiture, expiration, lapse or cash settlement, be used again for new grants under the Restated Plan. Awards granted under the Restated Plan upon the assumption of, or in substitution for, awards authorized or outstanding under a qualifying equity plan maintained by an entity with which we enter into a merger or similar corporate transaction will not reduce the shares available for grant under the Restated Plan.

 

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Provisions of the Restated Plan Relating to Director Compensation

The Restated Plan provides that the plan administrator may establish compensation for non-employee directors from time to time subject to the Restated Plan’s limitations. Our Board of Directors or its authorized committee may modify non-employee director compensation from time to time in the exercise of its business judgment, taking into account factors, circumstances and considerations as it deems relevant from time to time, provided that the sum of any cash or other compensation and the grant date fair value of any equity awards granted as compensation for services as a non-employee director may not exceed $950,000]during the fiscal year of a non-employee director’s initial service and $700,000 in any subsequent fiscal year. The plan administrator may make exceptions to this limit for individual non-employee directors in extraordinary circumstances, as the plan administrator may determine in its discretion, provided that the non-employee director receiving such additional compensation may not participate in the decision to award such compensation or in other contemporaneous compensation decisions involving non-employee directors. Any awards or other compensation paid or provided to an individual for his or her services as an employee, or for his or her services as a consultant (other than as a non-employee director), will not count for purposes of the foregoing limits.

Awards

The Restated Plan provides for the grant of stock options, including ISOs, and nonqualified stock options, or NSOs, restricted stock, dividend equivalents, stock payments, restricted stock units, or RSUs, performance awards, SARs, and stock payments. No determination has been made as to the types or amounts of awards that will be granted to specific individuals pursuant to the Restated Plan. Certain awards under the Restated Plan may constitute or provide for a deferral of compensation, subject to Section 409A of the Code, which may impose additional requirements on the terms and conditions of such awards. All awards under the Restated Plan will be set forth in award agreements, which will detail the terms and conditions of the awards, including any applicable vesting and payment terms and post-termination exercise limitations. Awards other than cash awards generally will be settled in shares of our common stock, but the plan administrator may provide for cash settlement of any award. A brief description of each award type follows.

 

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Stock Options. Stock options provide for the purchase of shares of our common stock in the future at an exercise price set on the grant date. ISOs, in contrast to NSOs, may provide tax deferral beyond exercise and favorable capital gains tax treatment to their holders if certain holding periods and other requirements of the Code are satisfied. The exercise price of a stock option will not be less than 100% of the fair market value of the underlying share on the date of grant (or 110% in the case of ISOs granted to certain significant stockholders). The term of a stock option may not be longer than ten years (or five years in the case of ISOs granted to certain significant stockholders). Vesting conditions determined by the plan administrator may apply to stock options and may include continued service, performance and other conditions.

 

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SARs. SARs entitle their holder, upon exercise, to receive from us an amount equal to the appreciation of the shares subject to the award between the grant date and the exercise date. The base price of a SAR will not be less than 100% of the fair market value of the underlying share on the date of grant, and the term of a SAR may not be longer than ten years. Vesting conditions determined by the plan administrator may apply to SARs and may include continued service, performance and other conditions.

 

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Restricted Stock and RSUs. Restricted stock is an award of nontransferable shares of our common stock that remain forfeitable unless and until specified conditions are met, and which may be subject to a purchase price. RSUs are contractual promises to deliver shares of our common stock in the future, which may also remain forfeitable unless and until specified conditions are met. Delivery of the shares underlying RSUs may be deferred under the terms of the award or at the election of the participant, if the plan administrator permits such a deferral. Conditions applicable to restricted stock and RSUs may be based on continuing service, the attainment of performance goals and such other conditions as the plan administrator may determine.

 

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Performance Awards. Performance awards are cash bonus awards, stock bonus awards, performance awards or other incentive awards that are paid in cash, shares or a combination of both. Generally, these awards will be based upon the attainment of specific performance goals that are established by the plan administrator and relate to one or more performance criteria on a specified date or dates determined by the plan administrator.

 

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Stock Payments. Stock payments are awards of fully vested shares of our common stock that may, but need not, be made in lieu of base salary, bonus, fees or other cash compensation otherwise payable to any individual who is eligible to receive awards.

 

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Dividend Equivalents. Dividend equivalents represent the right to receive the equivalent value of dividends paid on shares of our common stock and may be granted alone or in tandem with awards. Dividend equivalents are credited as of dividend record dates during the period between the date an award is granted and the date such award vests, is exercised, is distributed or expires, as determined by the plan administrator.

Unless otherwise determined by the administrator, a holder of an award will possess no incidents of ownership with respect to the shares represented by such award, unless and until such shares are transferred to the holder pursuant to the terms of the Restated Plan and applicable award agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, the holder of an award granted under the Restated Plan will not be entitled to receive any dividends or other distributions paid with respect to a share underlying such award until the portion of such award covering such share has fully vested and such share has been issued (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company) pursuant to such award.

Certain Transactions

The plan administrator has broad discretion to take action under the Restated Plan, as well as to make adjustments to the terms and conditions of existing and future awards and the Restated Plan, to prevent the dilution or enlargement of intended benefits and facilitate necessary or desirable changes in the event of certain transactions and events affecting our common stock, such as stock dividends, stock splits, mergers, acquisitions, consolidations and other corporate transactions occurring after the effectiveness of the Restated Plan. Adjustments the plan administrator may make in these circumstances, to the extent consistent with applicable laws, include changes to (1) the aggregate number and type of shares that may be issued under the Restated Plan (including, but not limited to, adjustments of the number of shares available under the plan and the maximum number of shares which may be subject to one or more awards to a participant pursuant to the plan during any calendar year), (2) the number and kind of shares, or other securities or property or cash, subject to outstanding awards, (3) the number and kind of shares or other securities or property or cash for which automatic grants are subsequently to be made to new and continuing non-employee directors pursuant to the Restated Plan, (4) the terms and conditions of outstanding awards (including, without limitation, any applicable performance targets or criteria with respect thereto), and (5) the grant or exercise price per share for any outstanding awards. In the event of certain non-reciprocal transactions with our stockholders known as “equity restructurings” occurring after the effectiveness of the Restated Plan, the plan administrator will make proportionate adjustments to outstanding awards, including, but not limited to, adjustments to the number and type of shares subject to each outstanding awards and the exercise price of outstanding awards. In the event of a change in control of our company (as defined in the Restated Plan) or a reorganization, merger, liquidation or similar corporate transaction, or any other unusual or non-recurring transactions affecting us or our financial statements, or a change in applicable accounting principles or law, the plan administrator may (i) terminate awards for cash or replace awards with other property or rights; (ii) provide that outstanding awards will be assumed or substituted by a successor entity; (iii) adjust the number and types of shares (or other securities or property or cash) subject to outstanding awards; (iv) provide that outstanding awards will be fully vested and exercisable; or (v) terminate any outstanding awards, including vested and/or unvested portion thereof, in exchange for no consideration. Individual award agreements may provide for additional accelerated vesting and payment provisions.

 

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Foreign Participants, Claw-Back Provisions, Transferability and Participant Payments

The plan administrator may modify award terms, establish subplans and adjust other terms and conditions of awards, subject to the share limits described above. All awards will be subject to the provisions of any claw-back policy implemented by our company to the extent set forth in such claw-back policy or in the applicable award agreement. With limited exceptions for estate planning, domestic relations orders, certain beneficiary designations and the laws of descent and distribution, awards under the Restated Plan are generally non-transferable prior to vesting, and are exercisable only by the participant. With regard to tax withholding, exercise price and purchase price obligations arising in connection with awards under the Restated Plan, the plan administrator may, in its discretion, accept cash or check, shares of our common stock that meet specified conditions, a “market sell order” or such other consideration as it deems suitable.

Plan Amendment and Termination

Our Board of Directors may amend or terminate the Restated Plan at any time; however, except in connection with certain changes in our capital structure, stockholder approval will generally be required in accordance with applicable law, for any amendment that increases the number of shares available under the Restated Plan. No award may be granted pursuant to the Restated Plan after the tenth anniversary of the date on which our Board of Directors adopted the Restated Plan.

Repricing Not Permitted

The plan administrator may not without the approval of the company’s stockholders (1) lower the exercise price of an option or stock appreciation right, or SAR, after it is granted or (2) cancel an option or SAR when the exercise price exceeds the fair market value of the underlying shares in exchange for cash, another award or a combination thereof (other than in connection with certain corporate reorganizations or other events).

Payment and Transferability

A promissory note may note be used as a form of consideration for exercising an award. Holders of an award will not have the ability to transfer any outstanding award to a financial institution.

Federal Income Tax Consequences Associated with the Restated Plan

The federal income tax consequences of the Restated Plan under current federal income tax law are summarized in the following discussion, which deals with the general tax principles applicable to the Restated Plan and is intended for general information only. The following discussion of federal income tax consequences does not purport to be a complete analysis of all of the potential tax effects of the Restated Plan. It is based upon laws, regulations, rulings and decisions now in effect, all of which are subject to change. Foreign, state and local tax laws, and employment, estate and gift tax considerations are not discussed, and may vary depending on individual circumstances and from locality to locality.

 

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Stock Options and Stock Appreciation Rights. A Restated Plan participant generally will not recognize taxable income and we generally will not be entitled to a tax deduction upon the grant of a stock option or stock appreciation right. The tax consequences of exercising a stock option and the subsequent disposition of the shares received upon exercise will depend upon whether the option qualifies as an “incentive stock option” as defined in Section 422 of the Code. The Restated Plan permits the grant of options that are intended to qualify as incentive stock options as well as options that are not intended to so qualify; however, incentive stock options may be granted only to our employees and employees of our parent or subsidiary corporations, if any. Upon exercising an option that does not qualify as an incentive stock option when the fair market value of our stock is higher than the exercise price of the option, a Restated Plan participant generally will recognize taxable income at ordinary income tax rates equal to the excess of the fair market value of the stock on the date of exercise over the purchase price,

 

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and we (or our subsidiaries, if any) generally will be entitled to a corresponding tax deduction for compensation expense, in the amount equal to the amount by which the fair market value of the shares purchased exceeds the purchase price for the shares. Upon a subsequent sale or other disposition of the option shares, the participant will recognize a short term or long term capital gain or loss in the amount of the difference between the sales price of the shares and the participant’s tax basis in the shares.

Upon exercising an incentive stock option, a Restated Plan participant generally will not recognize taxable income, and we will not be entitled to a tax deduction for compensation expense. However, upon exercise, the amount by which the fair market value of the shares purchased exceeds the purchase price will be an item of adjustment for alternative minimum tax purposes. The participant will recognize taxable income upon a sale or other taxable disposition of the option shares. For federal income tax purposes, dispositions are divided into two categories: qualifying and disqualifying. A qualifying disposition generally occurs if the sale or other disposition is made more than two years after the date the option was granted and more than one year after the date the shares are transferred upon exercise. If the sale or disposition occurs before these two periods are satisfied, then a disqualifying disposition generally will result.

Upon a qualifying disposition of incentive stock option shares, the participant will recognize long term capital gain in an amount equal to the excess of the amount realized upon the sale or other disposition of the shares over their purchase price. If there is a disqualifying disposition of the shares, then the excess of the fair market value of the shares on the exercise date (or, if less, the price at which the shares are sold) over their purchase price will be taxable as ordinary income to the participant. If there is a disqualifying disposition in the same year of exercise, it eliminates the item of adjustment for alternative minimum tax purposes. Any additional gain or loss recognized upon the disposition will be recognized as a capital gain or loss by the participant.

We will not be entitled to any tax deduction if the participant makes a qualifying disposition of incentive stock option shares. If the participant makes a disqualifying disposition of the shares, we should be entitled to a tax deduction for compensation expense in the amount of the ordinary income recognized by the participant.

Upon exercising or settling a stock appreciation right, a Restated Plan participant will recognize taxable income at ordinary income tax rates, and we should be entitled to a corresponding tax deduction for compensation expense, in the amount paid or value of the shares issued upon exercise or settlement. Payments in shares will be valued at the fair market value of the shares at the time of the payment, and upon the subsequent disposition of the shares the participant will recognize a short term or long term capital gain or loss in the amount of the difference between the sales price of the shares and the participant’s tax basis in the shares.

 

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Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units. A Restated Plan participant generally will not recognize taxable income and we generally will not be entitled to a tax deduction upon the grant of restricted stock or restricted stock units. Upon the termination of restrictions on restricted stock or the payment of restricted stock units, the participant will recognize taxable income at ordinary income tax rates, and we should be entitled to a corresponding tax deduction for compensation expense, in the amount paid to the participant or the amount by which the then fair market value of the shares received by the participant exceeds the amount, if any, paid for them. Upon the subsequent disposition of any shares, the participant will recognize a short term or long term capital gain or loss in the amount of the difference between the sales price of the shares and the participant’s tax basis in the shares. However, a Restated Plan participant granted restricted stock that is subject to forfeiture or repurchase through a vesting schedule such that it is subject to a “risk of forfeiture” (as defined in Section 83 of the Code) may, to the extent permitted by the administrator, make an election under Section 83(b) of the Code to recognize taxable income at ordinary income tax rates, at the time of the grant, in an amount equal to the fair market value of the shares of common stock on the date of grant, less the amount paid, if any, for such shares. We should be entitled to a corresponding tax deduction for compensation, in the

 

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amount recognized as taxable income by the participant. If a timely Section 83(b) election is made, the participant will not recognize any additional ordinary income on the termination of restrictions on restricted stock, and we will not be entitled to any additional tax deduction.

 

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Dividend Equivalents, Stock Payment Awards and Performance Awards. A Restated Plan participant generally will not recognize taxable income and we will not be entitled to a tax deduction upon the grant of dividend equivalents, stock payment awards or performance awards until cash or shares are paid or distributed to the participant. At that time, any cash payments or the fair market value of shares that the participant receives will be taxable to the participant at ordinary income tax rates and we should be entitled to a corresponding tax deduction for compensation expense. Payments in shares will be valued at the fair market value of the shares at the time of the payment, and upon the subsequent disposition of the shares, the participant will recognize a short term or long term capital gain or loss in the amount of the difference between the sales price of the shares and the participant’s tax basis in the shares.

 

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Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code. Certain types of awards under the Restated Plan may constitute, or provide for, a deferral of compensation under Section 409A of the Code. Unless certain requirements set forth in Section 409A of the Code are complied with, holders of such awards may be taxed earlier than would otherwise be the case (e.g., at the time of vesting instead of the time of payment) and may be subject to an additional 20% federal income tax (and, potentially, certain interest penalties). To the extent applicable, the Restated Plan and awards granted under the Restated Plan will generally be structured and interpreted in a manner intended to comply with Section 409A of the Code and the Department of Treasury regulations and other interpretive guidance that may be issued pursuant to Section 409A of the Code.

Share Price

As of November 5, 2024, the per share closing price of our common stock was $0.80.

New Plan Benefits

As discussed above, on November 4, 2024, our Board approved Contingent RSU Grants to the individuals named below. The Contingent RSU Grants are subject to approval by our stockholders of the Restated Plan. If stockholders do not approve the Restated Plan, the Contingent RSU Grants will be forfeited.

The table below contains information about the Contingent RSU Grants.

 

Name and Position		Dollar value ($)				Number of units(1)
Named Executive Officers
John Sperzel Chairman and Chief Executive Officer							980,000
John Sprague Chief Financial Officer							360,000
Michael Gibbs General Counsel							380,000
Executive Officer Group (4)							2,080,000
Non-Employee Director Group (6)							160,000
Non-Executive Officer Employee Group							1,090,000

 

(1)	Consists of restricted stock units.

The Contingent RSU Grants were granted on November 4, 2024. If the Restated Plan is approved by stockholders, Contingent RSU Grants made to our executives and non-executive officer employees will vest as to 50% of the shares subject thereto on the six-month anniversary of the date of grant, and will vest as to the

 

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remaining shares subject to the Contingent RSU Grant in three equal annual installments beginning on the first anniversary of the date of grant of the award, provided that the award holder remains in our continuous service on each vesting date.

If the Restated Plan is approved by stockholders, Contingent RSU Grants made to our non-employee directors will vest in two equal annual installments beginning on the first anniversary of the date of grant of the award, provided that the non-employee director remains in our continuous service as of each vesting date.

All Contingent RSU Grants will be forfeited if stockholders do not approve the Restated Plan.

Future awards under the 2014 Plan will be made at the discretion of the Compensation Committee. Other than the Contingent RSU Grants as summarized in the table above, the benefits that will be paid or awarded under the 2014 Plan cannot currently be determined.

Plan Benefits

Awards under the Restated Plan are subject to the discretion of the plan administrator and, other than awards that will be made automatically under our non-employee director compensation program if the program is not amended, no determinations have been made by the plan administrator as to any future awards that may be granted pursuant to the Restated Plan. Therefore, it is not possible to determine the benefits that will be received in the future by participants in the Restated Plan. The following table sets forth, with respect to the individuals and groups identified therein, information regarding stock options, restricted stock units and stock awards awarded under the 2014 Plan through November 5, 2024:

 

		Number of Shares Subject to Stock Options				Number of Restricted Stock Units				Number of Shares Subject to Stock Awards
John Sperzel, Chief Executive Officer and Director			—				980,680				—
John Sprague, Chief Financial Officer			22				360,225				—
Michael Gibbs, SVP and General Counsel			81				380,242				2
Laura Adams, Director Nominee			—				25,044				—
Robin Toft, Director Nominee			—				31,425				—
Seymour Liebman, Director Nominee			17				25,080				—
All current executive officers as a group (4 persons)			103				2,081,287				2
All current non-executive directors as a group (6 persons)			37				166,740				—
Each associate of any directors, executive officers or nominees			—				—				—
Each other person who received or is to receive 5 percent of such options and awards			—				—				—
All non-executive employees as a group (100 persons) (1)			185				1,092,361				—

 

(1)	Includes all current non-executive employees.

Vote Required; Recommendation of the Board of Directors

The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority in voting power of the votes cast affirmatively or negatively (excluding abstentions) by the stockholders present or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on

 

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this proposal at the Annual Meeting is required to approve the Restated Plan. Broker non-votes and abstentions will not be considered a “vote cast” affirmatively or negatively and will have no effect on the voting for this proposal.

The Board of Directors recommends that stockholders vote FOR approval of

the amendment and restatement of our 2014 Incentive Award Plan

 

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PROPOSAL 3

RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS

The audit committee of the Board of Directors (the “audit committee”) has appointed BDO as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024. The Board of Directors recommends that stockholders vote for ratification of this appointment. If this proposal is not approved at the Annual Meeting, the audit committee will reconsider its appointment. Even if the appointment is ratified, the audit committee may, in its discretion, direct the appointment of a different independent registered accounting firm at any time during the year if the audit committee determines that such a change would be in our stockholders’ best interests.

BDO has audited our financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023. We expect a representative of BDO to attend the Annual Meeting and be available to respond to appropriate questions from stockholders. They will have the opportunity to make a statement if they desire to do so.

BDO Fees

The following table sets forth fees billed for professional audit services and other services rendered to us by BDO, our independent registered public accounting firm, and its affiliates for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2023.

 

		Fiscal 2022				Fiscal 2023
Audit Fees		$	593,692			$	775,143
Audit-Related Fees			200,000				200,000
Tax Fees			58,000				69,430
All Other Fees			—				—
Total		$	851,692				1,044,573

Audit Fees. Audit fees in 2022 and 2023 consisted of fees billed for professional services performed by BDO for the audit of our annual consolidated financial statements, the review of interim consolidated financial statements, and related services that are normally provided in connection with registration statements.

Audit-Related Fees. Audit-related fees in 2022 and 2023 consisted of fees related to the delivery of comfort letters in connection with registered equity offerings.

Tax Fees. Tax fees in 2022 and 2023 consisted of fees for professional services, including tax consulting and compliance performed by BDO.

All Other Fees. There were no such fees incurred in 2022 or 2023.

Audit Committee Pre-Approval of Audit and Non-Audit Services

It is the policy of our audit committee that all services to be provided by our independent registered public accounting firm, including audit services and permitted audit-related and non-audit services, must be approved in advance by our audit committee.

All BDO services and fees in the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 were pre-approved by our audit committee.

 

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Vote Required and Board of Directors’ Recommendation

The approval of Proposal 3 requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority in voting power of the votes cast affirmatively or negatively (excluding abstentions) by the stockholders present or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on this proposal at the Annual Meeting. Shares that are voted “abstain” will not affect the outcome of this proposal.

The Board of Directors recommends that stockholders vote FOR ratification of the appointment of

BDO as our independent registered public accounting firm.

 

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TRANSACTION OF OTHER BUSINESS

The Board of Directors knows of no other matters that will be presented for consideration at the Annual Meeting. If any other matters are properly brought before the Annual Meeting, it is the intention of the persons named in the accompanying proxy to vote on such matters in accordance with their best judgment.

 

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SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

The following table sets forth certain information regarding beneficial ownership of our Common Stock as of November 5, 2024, for: each person known to us to be the beneficial owner of more than five percent of our outstanding Common Stock; each of our named executive officers; each of our directors and nominees; and all of our directors and executive officers as a group.

Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC and generally includes voting or investment power with respect to securities. Except as noted by footnote, and subject to community property laws where applicable, we believe based on the information provided to us that the persons and entities named in the table below have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of our Common Stock shown as beneficially owned by them.

The table lists applicable percentage ownership based on 20,562,964 shares of our Common Stock outstanding as of November 5, 2024. The number of shares beneficially owned includes shares of our Common Stock that each person has the right to acquire within 60 days of November 5, 2024, except as noted in the footnotes below, including upon the exercise of stock options and vesting of restricted stock units. These stock options and restricted stock units shall be deemed to be outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage of outstanding shares of our Common Stock owned by such person but shall not be deemed to be outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage of outstanding shares of our Common Stock owned by any other person.

 

		Shares Beneficially Owned Title or Class of Securities:
		Common Stock
Name of Beneficial Owner		Shares				Percent
5% or Greater Stockholders
CRG (1)			10,677,973				51.9	%
Armistice Capital, LLC (2)			1,396,000				6.8	%
Named Executive Officers and Directors
John Sperzel (3)			1,000					*
Michael Gibbs (4)			216					*
John Sprague (5)			208
Jack Cumming (6)			62					*
David B Elsbree (7)			33					*
Seymour Liebman (8)			1,313					*
Dr. Ninfa M. Saunders (9)			73					*
Robin Toft (10)			6,426					*
Laura Adams (11)			44					*
All executive officers and directors as a group (10 persons) (12)			9,486					*%

 

*	Less than 1%.

(1)

Based on a Schedule 13D filed on May 13, 2024, Nathan D. Hukill, CR Group L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (“CR Group”), CRG Partners III L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (“CRG Partners III”), CRG Partners III – Parallel Fund “A” L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (“CRG Parallel Fund A”), CRG Partners III – Parallel Fund “B” (Cayman) L.P., a limited partnership organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (“CRG Parallel Fund B”), CRG Partners III (Cayman) Lev AIV I L.P., a limited partnership organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (“CRG Lev AIV”), and CRG Partners III (Cayman) Unlev AIV I L.P., a limited partnership organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (“CRG Unlev AIV”), share voting and dispositive power with respect to such shares. CRG Parallel Fund A, CRG Parallel Fund B, CRG Lev AIV, CRG Unlev AIV and CRG Partners III are collectively referred to as the “CRG Entities.” CR Group serves as the investment manager for the CRG Entities. CR Group is indirectly controlled by

 

24

Mr. Hukill. The address of CR Group, the CRG Entities and Mr. Hukill is 1000 Main St., Suite 2500, Houston, TX 77002.

(2)	Based on a Schedule 13G filed on November 14, 2024, Armistice Capital, LLC and Steven Boyd share voting and dispositive power with respect to such shares. The address of Armistice Capital, LLC and Mr. Boyd is 510 Madison Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10022.

(3)	Consists of (a) 400 shares of Common Stock and (b) options to purchase 600 shares of Common Stock which Mr. Sperzel has the right to acquire pursuant to outstanding stock options which are, or will be, immediately exercisable within 60 days of November 5, 2024

(4)	Consists of (a) 135 shares of Common Stock and (b) options to purchase 81 shares of Common Stock which Mr. Gibbs has the right to acquire pursuant to outstanding stock options which are, or will be, immediately exercisable within 60 days of November 5, 2024.

(5)	Consists of (a) 141 shares of Common Stock and (b) options to purchase 67 shares of Common Stock which Mr. Sprague has the right to acquire pursuant to outstanding stock options which are, or will be, immediately exercisable within 60 days of November 5, 2024.

(6)	Consists of (a) 52 shares of Common Stock and (b) options to purchase 10 shares of Common Stock, which Mr. Cumming has the right to acquire pursuant to outstanding stock options which are, or will be, immediately exercisable within 60 days of November 5, 2024.

(7)	Consists of (a) 23 shares of Common Stock and (b) options to purchase 10 shares of Common Stock which Mr. Elsbree has the right to acquire pursuant to outstanding stock options which are, or will be, immediately exercisable within 60 days of November 5, 2024.

(8)

Based on information set forth in a Schedule 13D filed with the SEC by Canon U.S.A., Inc. on September 21, 2016, this amount includes 1,211 shares held by Canon U.S.A., Inc. Mr. Seymour Liebman is the Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel of Canon U.S.A., Inc. and the Senior Managing Executive Officer of Canon Inc., Japan and may be deemed to have beneficial ownership of the shares held by Canon U.S.A., Inc. Canon U.S.A., Inc. and Mr. Liebman each disclaim beneficial ownership of the shares held directly or indirectly by Canon U.S.A., Inc., except to the extent of its pecuniary interest therein, if any. In addition, this amount consists of (a) 85 shares of Common Stock and (b) options to purchase 17 shares of Common Stock which Mr. Liebman has the right to acquire pursuant to outstanding stock options which are, or will be, immediately exercisable within 60 days of November 5, 2024.

(9)	Consists of 73 shares of Common Stock for Ms. Saunders.

(10)	Consists of (a) 57 shares of Common Stock for Ms. Toft and (b) 6,369 restricted stock units vesting within 60 days of November 5, 2024.

(11)	Consists of 44 shares of Common Stock for Ms. Adams.

(12)

Consists of (a) 2,332 shares of Common Stock, (b) 785 shares of Common Stock which our directors and executive officers as a group have the right to acquire pursuant to outstanding stock options which are, or will be, immediately exercisable within 60 days of November 5, 2024 and (c) 6,369 restricted stock units vesting within 60 days of November 5, 2024.

Change of Control

On July 3, 2023, the Company converted $10.0 million of its outstanding indebtedness with CRG Servicing LLC (“CRG”) in exchange for 483,457 shares of Common Stock (after giving effect to the Company’s subsequent reverse stock split) and 93,297.26 shares of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Series B Preferred Stock”). The Series B Preferred Stock was governed by the Certification of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Series B Certificate of Designation”).

On May 6, 2024, the Company converted $15.0 million of its outstanding indebtedness with entities affiliated with CRG in exchange for 3,280,618 shares of Common Stock and 17,146.48 shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Series A Preferred Stock”). The Series A Preferred Stock was governed by the Certification of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Series A Certificate of Designation”).

 

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On May 9, 2024, the Company amended and restated each of the Series A Certificate of Designation and the Series B Certificate of Designation to remove the beneficial ownership limitations regarding the ability to convert the Series A Preferred Stock and Series B Preferred Stock, respectively, into shares of Common Stock without regard to the beneficial ownership of the shareholder following such conversion. Following such amendment and restatement, CRG converted all of the outstanding shares of Series A Preferred Stock and Series B Preferred Stock into an aggregate of 1,824,800 shares of Common Stock, resulting in CRG’s ownership of approximately 69% of the Company’s outstanding shares of Common Stock at that time.

As of November 5, 2024, CRG currently beneficially owns approximately 51.9% of the Company’s outstanding shares of common stock.

 

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EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

The following table identifies our executive officers and significant employees and sets forth their current position(s) at T2 Biosystems and their ages as of the date hereof.

 

Name		Age		Position
John Sperzel		61		President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors
John Sprague		65		Chief Financial Officer
Michael Gibbs, Esq.		53		Senior Vice President and General Counsel
Roger Smith, PhD		59		Senior Vice President of Science Research and Development
Brett Giffin		66		Chief Commercial Officer

Information concerning John Sperzel, our Chief Executive Officer, may be found above under “Board of Directors”.

John Sprague has served as our Chief Financial Officer since January 2018. Prior to joining our company, Mr. Sprague was Chief Financial Officer at Caliber Imaging & Diagnostics, Inc., a medical technologies company that designs, develops and markets innovative digital imaging solutions that show tissue at the cellular level using in-vivo confocal microscopes designed specifically for imaging skin and other tissues for pathology and life sciences, from February 2017 to January 2018. From 2011 to 2017, Mr. Sprague held various positions at GE Healthcare, with his last assignment serving as Finance Manager of GE’s North American Core Imaging business. Mr. Sprague is a certified public accountant and received his B.S. in accounting from Boston College.

Michael Gibbs, Esq. has served as our Senior Vice President and General Counsel since January 2016. Mr. Gibbs joined our company in December 2014 as Senior Corporate Counsel. From 2011 until he joined our company, Mr. Gibbs was General Counsel for Keystone Dental, Inc., a medical device company focused on dental implants and biomaterials. From 2003 to 2011, Mr. Gibbs was a corporate attorney with the law firm Bingham McCutchen LLP (now Morgan Lewis & Bockius). Prior to joining Bingham McCutchen LLP, he was an officer in the United States Marine Corps, departing with the rank of Major. Mr. Gibbs received his J.D. from Boston College Law School and his B.S. in Political Science from Syracuse University.

Brett Giffin has served as our Chief Commercial Officer since November 2021. Prior to joining the company, Mr. Giffin served as a Managing Director for Mancini Burfield Edgerton, a retained executive search and management consulting firm focused on life sciences from April 2019 until November 2021. From September 2017 to April 2019, Mr. Giffin was the Chief Executive Officer of Fibronostics, a healthcare technology company developing and commercializing algorithm-based diagnostic tests. From June 2015 to September 2017, Mr. Giffin was the Chief Executive Officer and President of 3SI Systems, LLC, a healthcare technology company offering a novel software and hardware IT based speech recognition workflow system. Mr. Giffin received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Christopher Newport University and a Masters degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.

Roger Smith, Ph.D. has served as the Senior Vice President of Science Research and Development since March 2022. Mr. Smith joined our company in January 2014 as Senior Manager of Assay Development. From 2011 until joining our company in 2014 he was Head of Microbiology at Semprus Biosciences, a company focused on the development of novel microbial resistant surfaces for medical devices. From 2007 to 2012 he was Head of Microbial Genetics at the Broad Institute focused on the production of microbial libraries that were used for novel drug discovery. Dr. Smith received his Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Rochester and completed post-doctoral studies at Harvard Medical School. He has authored numerous scientific publications in the fields of microbiology and medical devices and holds several patents.

 

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RELATED PERSON TRANSACTIONS

Policies for Approval of Related Person Transactions

We have adopted a written policy that transactions with directors, officers and holders of 5% or more of our voting securities and their affiliates, or each, a related party, must be approved by our audit committee or another independent body of our Board of Directors. All related party transactions shall be disclosed in our applicable filings with the SEC as required under SEC rules.

Transactions with Related Persons

Based on a review of the transactions and arrangements between us and any related person or related person’s affiliate, we describe below the transactions or arrangements since January 1, 2021 in which any related person or related person affiliate has a direct or indirect material interest and the amount involved exceeds $120,000.

Indemnification Agreements with Executive Officers and Directors. We have entered into an indemnification agreement with each of our directors and executive officers. These indemnification agreements and our certificate of incorporation and our bylaws include provisions requiring us to indemnify each of our directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL. See the “Limitation of Liability and Indemnification Agreements” section for further details.

Limitation of Liability and Indemnification Agreements We have adopted provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws that limit or eliminate the personal liability of our directors to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, as it now exists or may in the future be amended.

Consequently, a director will not be personally liable to us or our stockholders for monetary damages or breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except for liability for:

 

•

any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders;

 

•

any act or omission not in good faith or that involves intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law;

 

•

any unlawful payments related to dividends or unlawful stock purchases, redemptions or other distributions; or

 

•

any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit.

These limitations of liability do not alter director liability under the federal securities laws and do not affect the availability of equitable remedies such as an injunction or rescission.

In addition, our bylaws provide that:

 

•

we will indemnify our directors, officers and, in the discretion of our Board of Directors, certain employees to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, as it now exists or may in the future be amended; and

 

•

we will advance reasonable expenses, including attorneys’ fees, to our directors and, in the discretion of our Board of Directors, to our officers and certain employees, in connection with legal proceedings relating to their service for or on behalf of us, subject to limited exceptions.

We have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and executive officers. These agreements provide that we will indemnify each of our directors, such executive officers and, at times, their affiliates to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law. We will advance expenses, including attorneys’ fees

 

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(but excluding judgments, fines and settlement amounts), to each indemnified director, executive officer or affiliate in connection with any proceeding in which indemnification is available and we will indemnify our directors and officers for any action or proceeding arising out of that person’s services as a director or officer brought on behalf of us and/or in furtherance of our rights. Additionally, each of our directors may have certain rights to indemnification, advancement of expenses and/or insurance provided by their affiliates, which indemnification relates to and might apply to the same proceedings arising out of such director’s services as a director referenced herein. Nonetheless, we have agreed in the indemnification agreements that our obligations to those same directors are primary and any obligation of the affiliates of those directors to advance expenses or to provide indemnification for the expenses or liabilities incurred by those directors are secondary.

We also maintain general liability insurance which covers certain liabilities of our directors and officers arising out of claims based on acts or omissions in their capacities as directors or officers, including liabilities under the Securities Act.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers, or persons controlling the registrant under the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.

 

29

COMPENSATION COMMITTEE INTERLOCKS AND INSIDER PARTICIPATION

During 2023, Ms. Toft and Mr. Cumming served as a member of our compensation committee. None of these individuals was at any time during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 one of our officers or employees or had any relationship requiring disclosure under Item 404 of Regulation S-K, and none was a former officer of the Company. None of our executive officers currently serves, or in the past fiscal year has served, as a member of the Board of Directors or compensation committee of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving on our Board of Directors or compensation committee.

Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our officers and directors and persons who beneficially own more than 10% of any class of our equity securities registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act (collectively, “Reporting Persons”) to file reports of beneficial ownership and changes in beneficial ownership with the SEC. Based on a review of copies of Forms 3, 4 or 5 filed by the Company on behalf of its directors and officers and upon any written representations of the Reporting Persons received by us, the Company believes that during and with respect to the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, there has been compliance with all Section 16(a) filing requirements applicable to such Reporting Persons, except that one Form 4 for Mr. Sperzel, Mr. Gibbs and Mr. Sprague, and two Form 4’s for Mr. Giffin were inadvertently filed late.

 

30

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Board and Committee Matters

Board Leadership and Independence. Our Board of Directors has determined that all members of the Board of Directors, (including John W. Cumming, David B. Elsbree, Ninfa Saunders, Laura Adams, Seymour Liebman and Robin Toft), except John Sperzel, are independent, as determined in accordance with Nasdaq rules. The Board of Directors also determined that Thierry Bernard, who resigned from the Board of Directors on January 2, 2024, was independent. In making such independence determination, the Board of Directors considered the relationships that each such non-employee director has with us and all other facts and circumstances that the Board of Directors deemed relevant in determining their independence, including the beneficial ownership of our capital stock by each non-employee director. In considering the independence of the directors listed above, our Board of Directors considered the association of our directors with the holders of more than 5% of our Common Stock.

Our Board of Directors is currently chaired by John Sperzel, our President and Chief Executive Officer. Jack Cumming currently serves as our lead director. The lead director’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to: presiding over all meetings of the Board of Directors at which the chairperson is not present, including any executive sessions of the independent directors; approving Board meeting schedules and agendas; and acting as the liaison between the independent directors and the chief executive officer and chairperson of the Board. Our Corporate Governance Guidelines further provide flexibility for our Board of Directors to modify our leadership structure in the future as it deems appropriate. Our Board has determined that combining the roles of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer is in the best interests of our Company and its stockholders at this time because it promotes unified leadership by Mr. Sperzel and allows for a single, clear focus for management to execute the Company’s strategy and business plans. For these reasons and because of the strong leadership of Mr. Sperzel, our Board has concluded that our current leadership structure is appropriate at this time.

However, our Board of Directors will continue to periodically review our leadership structure and may make such changes in the future as it deems appropriate. The Board recognizes that one of its key responsibilities is to evaluate and determine its optimal leadership structure to provide robust oversight of management. The Board believes that, given the dynamic and competitive environment in which we operate, the optimal board leadership structure may vary as circumstances warrant. The Board periodically reviews its leadership structure to determine whether it continues to best serve the Company and its stockholders. From time to time, the Company proactively engages with stockholders throughout the year to learn their perspectives on significant issues, and intends to continue to do so, including with respect to gathering stockholder perspectives on the Board’s leadership structure.

Board Meetings and Committees. Our Board of Directors held eleven meetings during 2023. The independent directors regularly hold executive sessions at meetings of the Board of Directors. During 2023, each of the directors then in office other than Thierry Bernard attended at least 75% of the aggregate of all meetings of the Board of Directors and all meetings of the committees of the Board of Directors on which such director then served. Continuing directors. Nominees for election as directors in a given year are encouraged to attend the annual meeting of stockholders. All directors then serving attended our annual meeting of stockholders in September 2023.

Stockholder Communications. Any stockholder wishing to communicate with our Board of Directors, a particular director or the chair of any committee of the Board of Directors may do so by sending written correspondence to our principal executive offices, to the attention of the Chair, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. All such communications will be delivered to the Board of Directors or the applicable director or committee chair. The Company reserves the right to not forward to Board members any abusive, threatening, or otherwise inappropriate materials.

 

31

During 2023, our Board of Directors had three standing committees: audit committee, compensation committee, and nominating and corporate governance committee, each of which has a written charter. You can access our current committee charters, our Corporate Governance Guidelines, and our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics in the “Corporate Governance” section of the “Investors” page of our website located at http://investors.t2biosystems.com/corporate-governance-highlights, or by writing to our Secretary at our offices at 101 Hartwell Avenue, Lexington, MA, 02421.

Anti-Hedging Policy. Our Board of Directors has adopted an Insider Trading Policy, which applies to all of our directors, officers and employees. The policy prohibits our directors, officers and employees and any entities they control from engaging in all hedging or monetization transactions (including prepaid variable forward contracts, equity swaps, collars, and exchange funds), or otherwise engage in transactions, that hedge or offset, or are designed to hedge or offset, any decrease in the market value of our equity securities.

Audit Committee.

David Elsbree, Ninfa Saunders and Seymour Liebman, who joined the audit committee on January 2, 2024, currently serve on the audit committee, which is chaired by David Elsbree. Thierry Bernard served on the audit committee until January 2, 2024. Our Board of Directors has determined that each member of the audit committee is currently, and was during 2023, “independent” for audit committee purposes as that term is defined in the rules of the SEC and the applicable Nasdaq Rules. Our Board of Directors has designated David Elsbree as an “audit committee financial expert,” as defined under the applicable rules of the SEC. The audit committee’s responsibilities include:

 

•

appointing, overseeing the independence of, and setting the compensation of our independent auditor;

 

•

overseeing the work of the independent auditor, including through the receipt and consideration of reports from such firm;

 

•

reviewing and discussing with management and our independent auditor our annual and quarterly financial statements and related disclosures;

 

•

coordinating the Board’s oversight of our internal control over financial reporting, disclosure controls and procedures;

 

•

discussing our risk management and risk assessment policies;

 

•

establishing procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters;

 

•

reviewing the company’s policies and procedures for reviewing and approving or ratifying any related person transactions;

 

•

meeting independently with our internal auditing staff, if any, independent auditors and management; and

 

•

preparing the audit committee report included below.

The audit committee held nine meetings during 2023. The audit committee operates under a written charter that satisfies the applicable standards of the SEC and Nasdaq.

Compensation Committee.

In 2023, Robin Toft and Jack Cumming served on the compensation committee, which is chaired by Robin Toft. Under Nasdaq Rules, we are permitted to phase in our compliance with the independent compensation committee requirements set forth in Nasdaq Rule 5605(d). Our Board of Directors has determined

 

32

that each member of the compensation committee is currently, and was during 2023, “independent” as that term is defined in the applicable Nasdaq Rules. The compensation committee’s responsibilities include:

 

•

reviewing and approving, or recommending for approval by our Board of Directors, our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation;

 

•

reviewing and approving, or recommending for approval by our Board of Directors with respect to, the compensation of our other executive officers;

 

•

overseeing an evaluation of our senior executives;

 

•

overseeing and administering our cash and equity incentive plans;

 

•

reviewing and making recommendations to our Board of Directors with respect to director compensation;

 

•

reviewing and discussing annually with management our “Compensation Discussion and Analysis,” if applicable; and

 

•

preparing the annual compensation committee report, if applicable.

The compensation committee may delegate its authority under its charter to one or more subcommittees as it deems appropriate from time to time as further described in its charter. The compensation committee may also delegate to an officer the authority to grant equity awards to certain employees, as further described in its charter and subject to the terms of our equity plans. The compensation committee has delegated to our Chief Executive Officer the authority to issue stock options and restricted stock units under our 2014 Incentive Award Plan to certain of our non-officer employees. For information regarding the role of executive officers and compensation consultants in establishing executive and director compensation please refer to “Executive Compensation—Overview” below.

The compensation committee held four meetings during 2023. The Compensation Committee operates under a written charter adopted by the Board.

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

In 2023, Jack Cumming and Robin Toft served on the nominating and corporate governance committee, which is chaired by Mr. Cumming. Our Board of Directors has determined that each of them is “independent” as that term is defined in the applicable Nasdaq Rules. The nominating and corporate governance committee’s responsibilities include:

 

•

recommending to our Board the persons to be nominated for election as directors and to each of the Board committees;

 

•

reviewing and making recommendations to the Board with respect to management succession planning;

 

•

developing and recommending to the Board corporate governance guidelines; and

 

•

overseeing an annual evaluation of the Board of Directors.

The nominating and corporate governance committee held one meeting during 2023.

The nominating and corporate governance committee considers candidates for Board membership suggested by its members and the Chief Executive Officer. In evaluating the suitability of individual candidates (both new candidates and current Board members), the nominating and corporate governance committee, in recommending candidates for election, and the Board, in approving (and, in the case of vacancies, appointing) such candidates, may take into account many factors, including: personal and professional integrity, ethics and values; experience

 

33

in corporate management, such as serving as an officer or former officer of a publicly held company; strong finance experience; relevant social policy concerns; experience relevant to the Company’s industry; experience as a board member or executive officer of another publicly held company; relevant academic expertise or other proficiency in an area of the Company’s operations; diversity of expertise and experience in substantive matters pertaining to the Company’s business relative to other board members; diversity of background and perspective, including, but not limited to, with respect to age, gender, race, place of residence and specialized experience; practical and mature business judgment, including, but not limited to, the ability to make independent analytical inquiries; and any other relevant qualifications, attributes or skills. The Board evaluates each individual in the context of the Board as a whole, with the objective of assembling a group that can best perpetuate the success of the business and represent stockholder interests through the exercise of sound judgment using its diversity of experience in these various areas. In determining whether to recommend a director for re-election, the nominating and corporate governance committee may also consider the director’s past attendance at meetings and participation in and contributions to the activities of the Board.

Additionally, in selecting nominees for directors, the nominating and corporate governance committee will review candidates recommended by stockholders in the same manner and using the same general criteria as candidates recruited by the committee and/or recommended by the Board. Any stockholder who wishes to recommend a candidate for consideration by the committee as a nominee for director should follow the procedures described later in this proxy statement under the heading “Stockholder Matters—Stockholder Recommendations for Director Nominations.” The nominating and corporate governance committee will also consider whether to nominate any person proposed by a stockholder in accordance with the provisions of our bylaws relating to stockholder nominations as described later in this proxy statement under the heading “Stockholder Matters—Procedures for Submitting Stockholder Proposals.”

Risk Oversight. Risk assessment and oversight are an integral part of our governance and management processes. Our Board of Directors oversees the management of risks inherent in the operation of our business and the implementation of our business strategies, including business continuity risks, such as risks relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our Board of Directors performs this oversight role by using several different levels of review. In connection with its reviews of the operations and corporate functions of our company, our Board of Directors addresses the primary risks associated with those operations and corporate functions. In addition, our Board of Directors reviews the risks associated with our company’s business strategies periodically throughout the year as part of its consideration of undertaking any such business strategies.

Each of our Board committees also coordinates oversight of the management of our risk that falls within the committee’s areas of responsibility. In performing this function, each committee has full access to management,

as well as the ability to engage advisors. Our Chief Financial Officer or Chief Executive Officer reports regularly to the audit committee and is responsible for identifying, evaluating and implementing risk management controls and methodologies to address any identified risks. In connection with its risk management role, our audit committee meets privately with representatives from our independent registered public accounting firm, and privately with our Chief Financial Officer or Chief Executive Officer.

Our Board encourages management to promote a culture that incorporates risk management into our corporate strategy and day-to-day business operations. Management’s involvement in day-to-day risk management enables the Company’s disclosure committee, which consists of members of management, in the effective design, establishment, maintenance, review, and evaluation of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures. The Company’s management, led by our Chief Executive Officer and executive team, implements and supervises day-to-day risk management processes. Management discusses strategic and operational risks at regular management meetings and conducts specific strategic planning and review sessions during the year that include a focused discussion and analysis of the risks facing us. Throughout the year, senior management reviews these risks with the Board at regular Board meetings as part of management presentations that focus on particular business functions, operations or strategies, and presents the steps taken by management to mitigate or eliminate such risks.

 

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Audit Committee Report

The information contained in this report shall not be deemed to be (1) “soliciting material,” (2) “filed” with the SEC, (3) subject to Regulations 14A or 14C of the Exchange Act, or (4) subject to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Exchange Act. This report shall not be deemed incorporated by reference into any of our other filings under the Exchange Act or the Securities Act, except to the extent that we specifically incorporate it by reference into such filing.

The audit committee operates under a written charter approved by the Board of Directors, which provides that its responsibilities include appointing, overseeing the independence of, and setting the compensation of the independent registered public accounting firm engaged as our independent auditor, BDO; pre-approving all audit and non-audit services to be provided by the independent auditor; overseeing the work of the independent auditor, including through the receipt and consideration of reports from such firm; reviewing and discussing with management and our independent auditor our annual and quarterly financial statements and related disclosures; coordinating the Board’s oversight of our internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures; discussing our risk management and risk assessment policies; establishing procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters; reviewing the company’s policies and procedures for reviewing and approving or ratifying any related person transactions; and meeting independently with our internal auditing staff, if any, independent auditors and management.

The audit committee assists the Board of Directors with the oversight of our financial reporting process. Management is responsible for our internal controls, financial reporting process, and compliance with laws and regulations and ethical business standards. BDO is responsible for performing an independent audit of our consolidated financial statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). The audit committee’s main responsibility is to monitor and oversee this process.

The audit committee reviewed and discussed our audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 with management and the independent auditor. BDO presented the matters required to be discussed by the applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) and the Securities and Exchange Commission. The audit committee has received the written disclosures and the letter from the independent registered public accounting firm required by applicable requirements of the PCAOB regarding the independent registered public accounting firm’s communications with the audit committee concerning independence, and has discussed with the independent registered public accounting firm the independent registered public accounting firm’s independence.

The audit committee considered any fees paid to BDO for the provision of non-audit related services and does not believe that these fees compromise BDO’s independence in performing the audit.

Based on the review and discussions referred to above, the audit committee recommended to the Board of Directors that such audited financial statements be included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, for filing with the SEC.

 

 

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Board Diversity Matrix

The following matrix discloses, as of November 5, 2024, the gender and demographic backgrounds of our Board as self-identified by its members in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5606.

 

Board Size:
Total Number of Directors
Gender:		Male				Female				Non-binary				Gender Undisclosed
Total Number of Directors			4				3				0				0
Number of directors who identify in any of the categories below:
African American or Black			0				0				0				0
Alaskan Native or American Indian			0				0				0				0
Asian			0				1				0				0
Hispanic or Latinx			0				0				0				0
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander			0				0				0				0
White			4				2				0				0
Two or More Races or Ethnicities			0				0				0				0
LGBTQ+			0				0				0				0
Undisclosed			0				0				0				0

 

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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

This section discusses the material components of the executive compensation program offered to our named executive officers identified below. For 2023, our named executive officers and their positions as of December 31, 2023 were:

 

•

John Sperzel, Chairman of the Board of Directors, President and Chief Executive Officer;

 

•

John Sprague, Chief Financial Officer; and

 

•

Michael Gibbs, Senior Vice President and General Counsel.

Overview

Our compensation programs are designed to:

 

•

attract and retain individuals with superior ability and managerial experience;

 

•

align executive officers’ incentives with our corporate strategies, business objectives and the long-term interests of our stockholders; and

 

•

increase the incentive to achieve key strategic performance measures by linking incentive award opportunities to the achievement of performance objectives and by providing a portion of total compensation for executive officers in the form of ownership in the company.

Our compensation committee is primarily responsible for establishing and approving, or recommending for approval by the Board of Directors, the compensation for all of our executive officers. The compensation committee oversees our compensation and benefit plans and policies, administers our equity incentive plans and reviews and approves, or recommends for approval by the Board of Directors, all compensation decisions relating to all of our executive officers, including our President and Chief Executive Officer. The compensation committee typically considers, and during 2023 did consider, recommendations from our President and Chief Executive Officer regarding the compensation of our executive officers other than for himself. Our compensation committee has the authority under its charter to engage the services of a consulting firm or other outside advisor to assist it in designing our compensation programs and in making compensation decisions and has engaged Arnosti Consulting to provide these services. The compensation committee reviewed compensation assessments provided by Arnosti Consulting comparing our executive compensation program to that of a group of peer companies within our industry and met with Arnosti Consulting to discuss compensation of our executive officers, including the President and Chief Executive Officer, and to receive input and advice. The compensation committee had considered the adviser independence factors required under SEC rules as they relate to Arnosti Consulting and does not believe Arnosti Consulting’s work in 2023 raised a conflict of interest.

Executive Compensation Components

Our executive compensation program consists of base salary, cash incentive bonuses, long-term incentive compensation in the form of stock options and restricted stock units, and a broad-based benefits program. We have not adopted any formal guidelines for allocating total compensation between long-term and short-term compensation, cash compensation and non-cash compensation, or among different forms of non-cash compensation. The compensation committee considers a number of factors in setting compensation for its executive officers, including company performance, as well as the executive’s performance, experience, responsibilities and the compensation of executive officers in similar positions at comparable companies.

 

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Base Salary

Our named executive officers receive base salaries to compensate them for the satisfactory performance of duties to our company. The base salary payable to each named executive officer is intended to provide a fixed component of compensation reflecting the executive’s skill set, experience, role and responsibilities. Base salaries for our named executive officers have generally been set at levels deemed necessary to attract and retain individuals with superior talent. Based on such analysis, for 2023, Mr. Sperzel’s annual base salary was $575,000 (unchanged from 2022), Mr. Sprague’s annual base salary was $385,000 (increased from $375,000) and Mr. Gibbs’ base salary was $390,000 (increased from $375,000). Base salary increases were effective March 1, 2023.

Cash Incentive Compensation

Each of our named executive officers is eligible to participate in an annual cash incentive compensation program which provides participants with an opportunity to earn variable cash incentive compensation based on individual and company performance. For 2023, Mr. Sperzel’s target bonus was 100% of his base salary (unchanged from 2022), Mr. Sprague’s target bonus was 60% of his base salary (unchanged from 2022), and Mr. Gibbs’ target bonus was 60% of his base salary (unchanged from 2022).

Objectives for the 2023 annual cash incentive compensation program were established in January 2023 by our compensation committee and generally related to the attainment of clinical, business development and financing milestones and certain publication, commercialization and operational goals. The determination of 2023 bonus amounts was based on a non-formulaic assessment of these goals, as well as our compensation committee’s subjective evaluation of our company’s overall performance and each named executive officer’s individual performance and contribution to our company. The compensation committee did not assign specific weights to any elements of our bonus program in determining 2023 bonuses.

After considering these factors, the Board of Directors, based upon the recommendation of our compensation committee, approved bonuses for our named executive officers for 2023 as set forth in the “Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation” column of our 2023 Summary Compensation Table.

Equity-Based Compensation

We generally grant stock options and restricted stock unit awards to our employees, including our named executive officers, as the long-term incentive component of our compensation program. We typically grant stock options or restricted stock units to employees when they commence employment with us and may thereafter grant additional options and restricted stock unit awards in the discretion of our Board of Directors. Our stock options granted upon commencement of employment typically vest as to 25% of the shares subject to the option on the first anniversary of the date of grant and in substantially equal monthly installments over the ensuing 36 months, subject to the holder’s continued employment with us. Additional stock options granted after the commencement of employment typically vest in substantially equal monthly installments over 48 months. Our restricted stock unit awards typically vest in substantially equal annual installments over 24 to 36 months, subject to the holder’s continued employment with us. Each restricted stock unit entitles the holder to receive one share of our Common Stock or its cash value upon vesting or a later settlement date. From time to time, our Board of Directors may also construct alternate vesting schedules as it determines are appropriate to motivate particular employees.

Due to the limited number of shares available for grant under our equity plan, and in order to preserve shares for equity grants to other employees, there were no stock options or restricted stock unit awards granted to our named executive officers in 2023.

 

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Retirement, Health, Welfare and Additional Benefits

Our named executive officers are eligible to participate in our employee benefit plans and programs, including medical and dental benefits, flexible spending accounts and short-and long-term disability and life insurance, to the same extent as our other full-time employees, subject to the terms and eligibility requirements of those plans. Our named executive officers are also eligible to participate in a tax-qualified 401(k) defined contribution plan to the same extent as all of our other full-time employees. We make company contributions for participants in the 401(k) plan equal to 50% of the participant’s contribution, up to 2% of the participant’s eligible compensation or $3,000 per year, whichever is lesser.

2023 Summary Compensation Table

 

Name and Principal Position		Year				Salary ($)(1)				Bonus ($)(2)				Stock Awards ($)(3)				Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation ($)(4)				All Other Compensation ($)(5)				Total ($)
John Sperzel,			2023				575,000				—				—				287,500				3,000				865,500
President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors			2022				575,000				—				1,119,840				287,500				3,000				1,985,340
John Sprague,			2023				382,500				80,000				—				115,500				3,000				581,000
Chief Financial Officer			2022				368,333				—				279,960				111,000				3,000				762,293
Michael Gibbs,			2023				387,500				80,000				—				152,100				3,000				622,600
SVP and General Counsel			2022				371,833				—				279,960				112,500				3,000				767,293

 

(1)	Amounts in this column represent base salaries earned for 2023 and 2022 and reflect mid-year changes

(2)

Represents $80,000 each of retention bonuses to Mr. Sprague and Mr. Gibbs. On March 30, 2023, the Company entered into agreements with Mr. Sprague and Mr. Gibbs that provide for the payment of retention bonuses, subject to the respective executive’s continued employment through certain payment dates, of $80,000 each, to be paid in two installments of $40,000. The first installment, of $40,000 each, was paid in July 2023, and the second installment, of $40,000 each, was paid in November 2023.

(3)

Represents the aggregate grant date fair value of the restricted stock unit awards granted during the given year computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718, excluding the effect of estimated forfeitures. For a description of the assumptions used in valuing these awards, see Note 10 to the audited consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

(4)	Represents awards earned under our annual cash incentive compensation program. For additional information regarding these amounts, see the section titled “Executive Compensation Components—Cash Incentive Compensation” above.

(5)	Represents Company matching contributions under our 401(k) plan of $3,000 each to Mr. Sperzel, Mr. Sprague, and Mr. Gibbs.

 

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Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End Table—2023

 

		Option Awards																				Stock Awards
Name		Vesting Commencement Date				Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options Exercisable (#)				Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options Unexercisable (#)(1)				Option Exercise Price ($)				Option Expiration Date				Number of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested (#)(2)				Market Value of Shares of Units of Stock That Have Not Vested ($)(3)
John Sperzel
			1/8/2020				587				13				5,750.00				1/8/2030
			2/24/2021																				67				420.43
			2/20/2022																				320				2,008.00
John Sprague
			1/30/2018				45				—				25,400.00				3/1/2028
			2/21/2019				12				—				18,600.00				2/21/2029
			9/10/2019				10				—				7,150.00				9/10/2029
			2/24/2021																				29				181.98
			2/20/2022																				80				502.00
Michael Gibbs
			12/1/2014				8				—				85,050.00				12/1/2024
			1/20/2016				11				—				45,100.00				1/20/2026
			2/9/2017				6				—				28,350.00				2/9/2027
			3/1/2018				17				—				25,400.00				3/1/2028
			2/21/2019				11				—				18,600.00				2/21/2029
			9/10/2019				9				—				7,150.00				9/10/2029
			3/24/2020				18				1				1,950.00				3/24/2030
			2/24/2021																				29				181.98
			2/20/2022																				80				502.00

 

(1)

All unvested options for Mr. Sperzel vest in substantially equal monthly installments over the 48 month vesting period from the vesting commencement date, subject to his continued employment with us through the applicable vesting date. The unvested options for Mr. Gibbs with a vesting commencement date of March 24, 2020 vest in substantially equal monthly installments over the 48 month period from the vesting commencement date; subject to Mr. Gibbs’s continued employment with us through the applicable vesting date. The options are subject to potential accelerated vesting as described in the sections titled “Employment Letter Agreements with Our Named Executive Officers” and “Potential Payments upon a Change in Control” below.

(2)

The unvested restricted stock units for Mr. Sperzel, Mr. Sprague and Mr. Gibbs with a vesting commencement date of February 20, 2022 vest in three substantially equal annual installments beginning on February 20, 2023, subject to the holder’s continued employment with us through the applicable vesting date and potential accelerated vesting as described in the sections titled “Employment Letter Agreements with Our Named Executive Officers” and “Potential Payments upon a Change in Control” below. All unvested restricted stock units for Mr. Sperzel, Mr. Sprague and Mr. Gibbs with a vesting commencement date of February 24, 2021 vest in three substantially equal annual installments beginning on February 24, 2022, each subject to the holder’s continued employment with us through the applicable vesting date and potential accelerated vesting as described in the sections titled “Employment Letter Agreements with Our Named Executive Officers” and “Potential Payments upon a Change in Control” below.

(3)	Based on the closing price of our Common Stock on December 31, 2023 of $6.28.

 

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Employment Arrangements with Our Named Executive Officers

We have entered into employment and/or severance letter agreements with each of the named executive officers. Certain key terms of these agreements are described below. We believe that these terms serve our retention objectives by permitting our named executive officers to maintain continued focus and dedication to their responsibilities in order to maximize stockholder value, including in the event of a transaction that could result in a change in control of the Company.

John Sperzel. We have entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Sperzel, which provides that if Mr. Sperzel’s employment is terminated by us without cause or by Mr. Sperzel for good reason, in each case, other than on or within 12 months following the date of a change of control, subject to his signing and not revoking a general release of claims in our favor, he will be entitled to receive 12 months of base salary continuation, plus a pro-rata portion of his target annual cash bonus for the calendar year in which the termination occurs, payable at such time as such year’s annual bonus would have been paid had his employment not terminated, and reimbursement for a portion (based on active employee cost sharing rates) of COBRA healthcare premiums for up to 12 months following termination. In the event that Mr. Sperzel’s employment is terminated by us without cause or by Mr. Sperzel for good reason, in each, case on or within 12 months following the date of a change in control, subject to his signing and not revoking a release of claims in our favor, he will be entitled to receive 18 months of base salary continuation, plus a pro-rata portion of his target annual cash bonus for the calendar year in which the termination occurs, payable at such time as such year’s annual bonus would have been paid had his employment not terminated, reimbursement for a portion (based on active employee cost sharing rates) of COBRA healthcare premiums for up to 18 months following termination and full accelerated vesting of all equity or equity-based awards held by Mr. Sperzel.

Mr. Sperzel has also entered into a non-compete, non-disclosure and invention assignment agreement with us pursuant to which he has agreed to refrain from disclosing our confidential information indefinitely and from competing with us or soliciting our employees or consultants for 12 months following termination of his employment.

John Sprague. We have entered into a change of control severance letter agreement with Mr. Sprague, which provides that if Mr. Sprague’s employment is terminated by us without cause within the 3 months preceding or the 12 months following a change in control, or if Mr. Sprague resigns his employment for good reason within the 12 months following a change in control, and he timely executes and does not revoke a release of claims in our favor, he will be entitled to receive 12 months of base salary continuation, accelerated vesting of all outstanding unvested equity awards, a pro-rated bonus payment and reimbursement for a portion (based on active employee cost sharing rates) of healthcare premiums for up to 12 months. In addition, if his employment is terminated by us without cause not related to a change in control, or if Mr. Sprague resigns his employment for good reason not related to a change in control, and he timely executes and does not revoke a release of claims in our favor, he will be entitled to receive 9 months of base salary continuation and reimbursement for a portion (based on active employee cost sharing rates) of healthcare premiums for up to 9 months.

On March 30, 2023, the Company entered into a letter agreement with Mr. Sprague that provided for the payment of a retention bonus in the total aggregate amount of $80,000, to be paid in two installments of $40,000. The first installment, in the amount of $40,000, was paid within five business days following June 30, 2023, and the second installment, in the amount of $40,000, was paid within five business days following November 15, 2023. Each such installment payment was subject to Mr. Sprague’s continued employment through such payment date.

On March 31, 2024, the Company entered into a similar letter agreement with Mr. Sprague that provides for the payment of a retention bonus in the total aggregate amount of $80,000, to be paid in two installments of $40,000. The first installment, in the amount of $40,000, was paid within five business days following June 30, 2024, and the second installment, in the amount of $40,000, shall be paid within five business days following

 

41

November 15, 2024. Each such installment payment is subject to Mr. Sprague’s continued employment through such payment date.

Mr. Sprague has also entered into a non-compete, non-disclosure and invention assignment agreement with us pursuant to which he has agreed to refrain from disclosing our confidential information indefinitely and from competing with us or soliciting our employees or consultants for 12 months following termination of his employment.

Michael Gibbs. We have entered into a change of control severance letter agreement with Mr. Gibbs, which provides that if Mr. Gibbs’ employment is terminated by us without cause within the 3 months preceding or the 12 months following a change in control, or if Mr. Gibbs resigns his employment for good reason within the 12 months following a change in control, and he timely executes and does not revoke a release of claims in our favor, he will be entitled to receive six months of base salary continuation, accelerated vesting of all outstanding unvested equity awards and reimbursement for a portion (based on active employee cost sharing rates) of healthcare premiums for up to 12 months. In 2022, we amended and restated the severance letter agreement with Mr. Gibbs, which provides that if Mr. Gibbs’ employment is terminated by us without cause within the 3 months preceding or the 12 months following a change in control, or if Mr. Gibbs resigns his employment for good reason within the 12 months following a change in control, and he timely executes and does not revoke a release of claims in our favor, he will be entitled to receive 12 months of base salary continuation, accelerated vesting of all outstanding unvested equity awards, a pro-rated bonus payment and reimbursement for a portion (based on active employee cost sharing rates) of healthcare premiums for up to 12 months. In addition, if his employment is terminated by us without cause not related to a change in control, or if Mr. Gibbs resigns his employment for good reason not related to a change in control, and he timely executes and does not revoke a release of claims in our favor, he will be entitled to receive 9 months of base salary continuation and reimbursement for a portion (based on active employee cost sharing rates) of healthcare premiums for up to 9 months.

On March 30, 2023, the Company entered into a letter agreement with Mr. Gibbs that provided for the payment of a retention bonus in the total aggregate amount of $80,000, to be paid in two installments of $40,000. The first installment, in the amount of $40,000, was paid within five business days following June 30, 2023, and the second installment, in the amount of $40,000, was paid within five business days following November 15, 2023. Each such installment payment was subject to Mr. Gibbs’s continued employment through such payment date.

On March 31, 2024, the Company entered into a similar letter agreement with Mr. Gibbs that provides for the payment of a retention bonus in the total aggregate amount of $80,000, to be paid in two installments of $40,000. The first installment, in the amount of $40,000, was paid within five business days following June 30, 2024, and the second installment, in the amount of $40,000, shall be paid within five business days following November 15, 2024. Each such installment payment is subject to Mr. Gibbs’s continued employment through such payment date.

Mr. Gibbs has also entered into a non-compete, non-disclosure and invention assignment agreement with us pursuant to which he has agreed to refrain from disclosing our confidential information indefinitely and from competing with us or soliciting our employees or consultants for 12 months following termination of his employment.

Potential Payments Upon a Change in Control

As described above, under the terms of their individual agreements with the Company, Mr. Sperzel, Mr. Sprague and Mr. Gibbs may become entitled to payments or benefits in connection with certain terminations of employment that occur at specified times around a change in control.

In addition, the agreements governing Mr. Sperzel’s, Mr. Sprague’s and Mr. Gibbs’ unvested stock options and restricted stock units provide for full accelerated vesting if their employment is terminated by us without cause within the 3 months preceding or the 12 months following a change of control or if they resign for good reason within 12 months following a change in control.

 

42

Pay vs Performance Table

The following table sets forth information concerning the compensation of our named executive officers (“NEOs”) for each of the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and 2023, and our financial performance for each such fiscal year:

 

(a)		(b)				(c)				(d)				(e)				(f)				(h)
																		Value of Initial Fixed $100 Investment Based on:
Year		Summary Compensation Table Total for PEO ($)				Compensation Actually Paid to PEO ($)(1)				Average Summary Compensation Table Total for Non-PEO NEOs ($)				Average Compensation Actually Paid to Non-PEO NEOs ($)(1)				Total Shareholder Return ($)(2)				Net Income ($)
2023			865,500				812,148				601,800				588,462				0.10				(50,077,000	)
2022			1,985,340				586,046				764,793				349,913				2.29				(62,003,000	)
2021			3,505,500				483,637				1,704,674				717,186				41.63				(49,241,000	)

 

(1)

Amounts represent compensation actually paid to our principal executive officer (“PEO”) and the average compensation actually paid to our remaining NEOs for the relevant fiscal year, as determined under SEC rules (and described below), which includes the individuals indicated in the table below for each fiscal year:

 

Year		PEO		Non-PEO NEOs
2023		John Sperzel		John Sprague and Michael Gibbs
2022		John Sperzel		John Sprague and Michael Gibbs
2021		John Sperzel		Alec Barclay and Michael Gibbs

Compensation actually paid to our NEOs represents the “Total” compensation reported in the Summary Compensation Table for the applicable fiscal year, such “Total” as adjusted for fiscal 2023 as follows:

 

		2023
Adjustments		PEO				Average Non-PEO NEOs
Deduction for Amounts Reported under the “Stock Awards” and “Option Awards” Columns in the Summary Compensation Table for Applicable FY			—				—
Increase based on ASC 718 Fair Value of Awards Granted during Applicable FY that Remain Unvested as of Applicable FY End, determined as of Applicable FY End			—				—
Increase based on ASC 718 Fair Value of Awards Granted during Applicable FY that Vested during Applicable FY, determined as of Vesting Date			—				—
Increase/deduction for Awards Granted during Prior FY that were Outstanding and Unvested as of Applicable FY End, determined based on change in ASC 718 Fair Value from Prior FY End to Applicable FY End			(43,432	)			(10,858	)
Increase/deduction for Awards Granted during Prior FY that Vested During Applicable FY, determined based on change in ASC 718 Fair Value from Prior FY End to Vesting Date			(9,920	)			(2,480	)
Deduction of ASC 718 Fair Value of Awards Granted during Prior FY that were Forfeited during Applicable FY, determined as of Prior FY End			—				—
Increase based on Dividends or Other Earnings Paid during Applicable FY prior to Vesting Date			—				—
TOTAL ADJUSTMENTS			(53,352	)			(13,338	)

 

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The fair value or change in fair value, as applicable, of stock awards and option awards was determined by reference to (x) for restricted stock unit awards, the closing price of our common stock on the applicable measurement date, (y) for performance stock unit awards (excluding market-conditioned (relative TSR-based) performance stock unit awards), the closing price of our common stock on the applicable measurement date multiplied by the probability of achievement as of such date and (z) for market-conditioned performance stock unit awards, a Monte Carlo simulation with reference to the risk free rate, dividend yield and volatility assumptions as of the applicable measurement date. For stock options, the fair value or change in fair value, as applicable, was determined using a Black-Scholes valuation model. The model references the closing stock price, in addition to the stock option’s strike price, expected life, volatility, expected dividend yield, and risk-free rate as of the measurement date.

(2) Company total shareholder return (“TSR”) is calculated by assuming that a $100 investment was made on the day prior to the first fiscal year reported and reinvesting all dividends until the last day of each reported fiscal year.

Narrative Disclosure to Pay Versus Performance Table

Relationship Between Financial Performance Measures

The graphs below compare the compensation actually paid to our PEO and the average of the compensation actually paid to our remaining NEOs, with (i) our cumulative total shareholder return (“TSR”), and (ii) our net income, in each case, for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and 2023.

TSR amounts reported in the graph assume an initial fixed investment of $100.

 

 

 

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DIRECTOR COMPENSATION

The following table presents the total compensation for each person who served as a non-employee member of our Board of Directors during 2023. Mr. Sperzel did not receive compensation for his service as a director in 2023. Mr. Sperzel’s compensation for his services as an employee is discussed above.

Director Compensation Table—2023

 

		Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($)				Total ($)
John W. Cumming			96,000				96,000
David B. Elsbree			60,000				60,000
Seymour Liebman			40,000				40,000
Ninfa M. Saunders			50,000				50,000
Robin Toft			60,000				60,000
Laura Adams			40,000				40,000
Thierry Bernard			50,000				50,000

The table below shows the aggregated numbers of outstanding option awards (exercisable and unexercisable) and unvested stock awards held as of December 31, 2023 by each non-employee director.

 

		Option Awards Outstanding at 2023 Fiscal Year End				Unvested Stock Awards Outstanding at 2023 Fiscal Year End
John W. Cumming			23				—
David B. Elsbree			23				—
Seymour Liebman			17				—
Ninfa M. Saunders			—				—
Robin Toft			—				—
Laura Adams			—				7
Thierry Bernard			—				—

We maintain a non-employee director compensation program pursuant to which all non-employee directors were paid cash compensation as set forth below for 2023:

 

		Annual Retainer ($)
Board of Directors:
All non-employee members			40,000
Additional retainer for Lead Independent Director			40,000
Audit Committee:
Chairperson			20,000
Membership			10,000
Compensation Committee:
Chairperson			15,000
Membership			6,000
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee:
Chairperson			10,000
Membership			5,000

 

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Annual retainers are earned on a quarterly basis and paid in arrears following the end of each calendar quarter. Retainers are prorated for partial quarters of service. Each director also has the opportunity to elect to be paid the director’s $40,000 annual retainer for board service in the form of restricted stock units that vest in a single installment on January 1 of the following year.

In addition to the annual retainer, the non-employee director compensation program provides for an annual equity grant of restricted stock units to continuing non-employee directors who have been serving for at least six months. The non-employee director compensation program was updated, effective March 2022, as to the restricted stock unit awards for the continuing non-employee directors. On the date of the annual meeting of stockholders, continuing non-employee directors will be granted an award of restricted stock units equal to (A) 2,600 in the case of the Chairman and Lead Independent Director, and (B) 2,300 for all other Non-Employee Directors (which number shall be subject to adjustment in accordance with the applicable equity incentive plan of the Company in the event of any stock splits, dividends, recapitalizations and the like). The restricted stock units subject to the annual grant will vest in a single installment on the earlier of (i) the first anniversary of the grant date and (ii) the date of the next annual meeting of stockholders, subject to the director’s continued service on the Board of Directors. The non-employee director compensation program also provides for an initial non-employee director grant of restricted stock units covering a number of shares equal to one and a half times the number of restricted stock units subject to the last (or concurrent) annual grant for continuing directors. Such grant shall be made on the date he or she first became a non-employee director. The initial grant vests in substantially equal installments on each of the first three anniversaries of the date of grant, subject to the director’s continued service on the Board of Directors. Due to the limited number of shares available for grant under our equity plan, and in order to preserve shares for equity grants to employees, the members of the Board of Directors waived the annual equity grant in 2023.

 

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EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION

The following table provides information on our equity compensation plans as of December 31, 2023.

 

Plan Category		Number of Securities to be Issued Upon Exercise of Outstanding Options, and Rights				Weighted Average Exercise Price of Outstanding Options, and Rights				Number of Securities Available for Future Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders (1)			3,429	(2)		$	26,567.26	(3)			1,220,010	(4)
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders (5)			1,835	(6)			4,991.82	(7)			5,038
Total			5,264			$	12,371.09				1,225,048

 

(1)

Consists of the Amended and Restated 2006 Employee, Director and Consultant Stock Plan, or the 2006 Plan, the 2014 Incentive Award Plan, as amended and restated, or the 2014 Plan, and the 2014 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, or 2014 ESPP. We ceased issuing new awards under the 2006 Plan when the 2014 Plan became effective.

(2)	Consists of 45 outstanding options to purchase shares of our common stock under the 2006 Plan, 493 outstanding options to purchase shares of our common stock under the 2014 Plan, and 2,891 outstanding restricted stock units under the 2014 Plan.

(3)	Represents the weighted-average exercise price of options under the 2014 Plan and 2006 Plan as of December 31, 2023. Amounts shown do not take into account any restricted stock units awarded under the 2014 Plan, which do not have an exercise price.

(4)

Pursuant to the terms of the 2014 Plan, the number of shares of common stock available for issuance under the 2014 Plan automatically increases on January 1 of each year, beginning January 1, 2015 and ending on and including January 1, 2026. The annual increase in the number of shares is equal to the lesser of: (A) 4% of our shares of common stock outstanding (on an as-converted basis) on the final day of the immediately preceding calendar year; and (B) such smaller number of shares of common stock determined by the Board of Directors; provided, however, no more than 35 million shares may be issued upon the exercise of incentive stock options. Pursuant to the terms of the 2014 ESPP, as amended and restated effective October 2023, the aggregate number of shares that may be issued pursuant to rights granted under the 2014 ESPP shall be 400,000 shares. As of December 31, 2023, a total of 394,477 shares of stock were available for issuance under the 2014 ESPP, 100,000 of which were subject to purchase with respect to the purchase period in effect as of December 31, 2023, which purchase period ends on May 15, 2024.

(5)	Consists of the Inducement Award Plan. See Note 10 to the audited consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a description of the material features of the plan.

(6)	Consists of outstanding options to purchase shares of our common stock under the Inducement Award Plan.

(7)	Represents the weighted-average exercise price of options under the Inducement Award Plan.

 

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HOUSEHOLDING OF PROXY MATERIALS

Some banks, brokers, and other nominee record holders may be participating in the practice of “householding” proxy statements and annual reports. This means that only one copy of the Internet Notice, or the Proxy Statement, and Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, as applicable, is being delivered to multiple stockholders sharing an address unless we have received contrary instructions. We agree to deliver promptly, upon written or oral request, a separate copy of the proxy materials, as requested, to any stockholder at the shared address to which a single copy of those documents was delivered. If you prefer to receive separate copies of the proxy materials, contact Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. at 1-866-540-7095 or in writing at Broadridge, Householding Department, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, New York 11717. If you are currently a stockholder sharing an address with another stockholder and wish to receive only one copy of future proxy materials for your household, please contact Broadridge at the above phone number or address.

 

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ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

A copy of T2 Biosystems’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, including financial statements and schedules thereto but not including exhibits, as filed with the SEC, will be sent to any stockholder of record on November 5, 2024 without charge upon written request addressed to: T2 Biosystems, Inc.; Attention: Secretary; 101 Hartwell Lane; Lexington, MA 02421. A reasonable fee will be charged for copies of exhibits. You also may access this Proxy Statement and our Annual Report on Form 10-K at www.proxyvote.com. You also may access our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 at www.t2biosystems.com.

 

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STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

Stockholder Recommendations for Director Nominations

Any stockholder wishing to recommend a director candidate for consideration by the nominating and corporate governance committee should provide the following information to the Chair of the nominating and corporate governance committee, T2 Biosystems, Inc., 101 Hartwell Ave., Lexington, Massachusetts 02421: (a) a brief statement outlining the reasons the nominee would be an effective director for T2 Biosystems; (b) (i) the name, age, and business and residence addresses of the candidate, (ii) the principal occupation or employment of the candidate for the past five years, as well as information about any other Board of Directors and board committees on which the candidate has served during that period, (iii) the number of shares of T2 Biosystems stock, if any, beneficially owned by the candidate and (iv) details of any business or other significant relationship the candidate has ever had with T2 Biosystems; (c) (i) the stockholder’s name and record address and the name and address of the beneficial owner of T2 Biosystems shares, if any, on whose behalf the proposal is made and (ii) the number of shares of T2 Biosystems stock that the stockholder and any such other beneficial owner beneficially own; and (d) the other information specified in T2 Biosystems’ bylaws as then in effect. The nominating and corporate governance committee may seek further information from or about the stockholder making the recommendation, the candidate, or any such other beneficial owner, including information about all business and other relationships between the candidate and the stockholder and between the candidate and any such other beneficial owner.

Other Stockholder Proposals

Any stockholder proposing to bring any business other than a director candidate before an annual meeting of stockholders, which business must relate to a proper matter under Delaware law for stockholder action, must provide the following information to the Chair of the nominating and corporate governance committee: (a) a brief description of the business desired to be brought before the annual meeting; (b) the text of the proposal (including the exact text of any resolutions proposed for consideration and, in the event that such business includes a proposal to amend the bylaws, the exact text of the proposed amendment); (c) the reasons for conducting such business at the annual meeting; (d) the proposing stockholder’s name and record address and the name and address of the beneficial owner of T2 Biosystems shares, if any, on whose behalf the proposal is made; and (e) the other information specified in T2 Biosystems’ bylaws as then in effect.

Procedure for Submitting Stockholder Proposals

Stockholder proposals, including proposed director nominations, intended to be presented at the 2025 annual meeting of our stockholders must satisfy the requirements set forth in the advance notice provision under our bylaws. To be timely for the 2025 annual meeting of stockholders, any such proposal must have been delivered in writing to, or mailed and received by, our Corporate Secretary at our principal executive offices no earlier than September 1, 2025, and no later than October 1, 2025. If the date of the 2025 annual meeting of the stockholders is scheduled to take place more than 30 days before or more than 60 days after December 30, 2025, notice by the stockholder must be delivered no earlier than the 120th day prior to the 2025 annual meeting and no later than the close of business on the later of (1) the 90th day prior to such annual meeting or (2) the 10th day following the day on which public disclosure of the 2025 annual meeting date is first made.

In addition, any stockholder proposal, including proposed director nominations, intended to be included in the proxy statement for the 2025 annual meeting of our stockholders must also satisfy the SEC regulations under Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act, and be received not later than July 21, 2025. If the date of the annual meeting is moved by more than 30 days from the date contemplated at the time of the previous year’s proxy statement, then notice must be received within a reasonable time before we begin to print and send proxy materials. If that happens, we will publicly announce the deadline for submitting a proposal in a press release or in a document filed with the SEC.

 

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In addition to satisfying the foregoing requirements under our bylaws, to comply with the universal proxy rules, stockholders who intend to solicit proxies in support of director nominees other than our nominees for the 2024 annual meeting must provide notice that sets forth the information required by Rule 14a-19 under the Exchange Act.

We reserve the right to reject, rule out of order or take other appropriate action with respect to any proposal that does not comply with these or other applicable requirements.

 

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Appendix A

T2 BIOSYSTEMS, INC.

2014 INCENTIVE AWARD PLAN

(as amended and restated effective [●], 2024)

ARTICLE 1.

PURPOSE

The purpose of the T2 Biosystems, Inc. 2014 Incentive Award Plan (as it may be amended or restated from time to time, the “Plan”) is to promote the success and enhance the value of T2 Biosystems, Inc. (the “Company”) by linking the individual interests of the members of the Board, Employees, and Consultants to those of Company stockholders and by providing such individuals with an incentive for outstanding performance to generate superior returns to Company stockholders. The Plan is further intended to provide flexibility to the Company in its ability to motivate, attract, and retain the services of members of the Board, Employees, and Consultants upon whose judgment, interest, and special effort the successful conduct of the Company’s operation is largely dependent. This Plan constitutes an amendment and restatement of the T2 Biosystems, Inc. 2014 Incentive Award Plan, as amended and restated effective October 12, 2023 (the “Prior 2014 Plan”).

ARTICLE 2.

DEFINITIONS AND CONSTRUCTION

Wherever the following terms are used in the Plan they shall have the meanings specified below, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The singular pronoun shall include the plural where the context so indicates.

2.1 “Administrator” shall mean the entity that conducts the general administration of the Plan as provided in Article 11. With reference to the duties of the Committee under the Plan which have been delegated to one or more persons pursuant to Section 11.6, or as to which the Board has assumed, the term “Administrator” shall refer to such person(s) unless the Committee or the Board has revoked such delegation or the Board has terminated the assumption of such duties.

2.2 “Applicable Accounting Standards” shall mean Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States, International Financial Reporting Standards or such other accounting principles or standards as may apply to the Company’s financial statements under United States federal securities laws from time to time.

2.3 “Applicable Law” shall mean any applicable law, including without limitation: (i) provisions of the Code, the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and any rules or regulations thereunder; (ii) corporate, securities, tax or other laws, statutes, rules, requirements or regulations, whether federal, state, local or foreign; and (iii) rules of any securities exchange or automated quotation system on which the Shares are listed, quoted or traded.

2.4 “Automatic Exercise Date” shall mean, with respect to an Option or a Stock Appreciation Right, the last business day of the applicable Option Term or Stock Appreciation Right Term that was established by the Administrator for such Option or Stock Appreciation Right (e.g., the last business day prior to the tenth anniversary of the date of grant of such Option or Stock Appreciation Right if the Option or Stock Appreciation Right initially had a ten-year Option Term or Stock Appreciation Right Term, as applicable); provided that with respect to an Option or Stock Appreciation Right that has been amended pursuant to this Plan so as to alter the applicable Option Term or Stock Appreciation Right Term, “Automatic Exercise Date” shall mean the last business day of the applicable Option Term or Stock Appreciation Right Term that was established by the Administrator for such Option or Stock Appreciation Right as amended.

2.5 “Award” shall mean an Option, a Restricted Stock award, a Restricted Stock Unit award, a Performance Award, a Dividend Equivalents award, a Stock Payment award or a Stock Appreciation Right, which may be awarded or granted under the Plan (collectively, “Awards”).

2.6 “Award Agreement” shall mean any written notice, agreement, terms and conditions, contract or other instrument or document evidencing an Award, including through electronic medium, which shall contain such terms and conditions with respect to an Award as the Administrator shall determine consistent with the Plan.

2.7 “Board” shall mean the Board of Directors of the Company.

2.8 “Change in Control” shall mean and includes each of the following:

(a) A transaction or series of transactions (other than an offering of Common Stock to the general public through a registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission or a transaction or series of transactions that meets the requirements of clause (i) and (ii) of paragraph (c) below) whereby any “person” or related “group” of “persons” (as such terms are used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act) (other than the Company, any of its Subsidiaries, an employee benefit plan maintained by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or a “person” that, prior to such transaction, directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, the Company) directly or indirectly acquires beneficial ownership (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) of securities of the Company possessing more than 50% of the total combined voting power of the Company’s securities outstanding immediately after such acquisition; or

(b) During any period of two consecutive years, individuals who, at the beginning of such period, constitute the Board together with any new Director(s) (other than a Director designated by a person who shall have entered into an agreement with the Company to effect a transaction described in Section 2.9(a) or Section 2.9(c)) whose election by the Board or nomination for election by the Company’s stockholders was approved by a vote of at least two-thirds of the Directors then still in office who either were Directors at the beginning of the two-year period or whose election or nomination for election was previously so approved, cease for any reason to constitute a majority thereof; or

(c) The consummation by the Company (whether directly involving the Company or indirectly involving the Company through one or more intermediaries) of (x) a merger, consolidation, reorganization, or business combination or (y) a sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets in any single transaction or series of related transactions or (z) the acquisition of assets or stock of another entity, in each case other than a transaction:

(i) which results in the Company’s voting securities outstanding immediately before the transaction continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the Company or the person that, as a result of the transaction, controls, directly or indirectly, the Company or owns, directly or indirectly, all or substantially all of the Company’s assets or otherwise succeeds to the business of the Company (the Company or such person, the “Successor Entity”)) directly or indirectly, at least a majority of the combined voting power of the Successor Entity’s outstanding voting securities immediately after the transaction, and

(ii) after which no person or group beneficially owns voting securities representing 50% or more of the combined voting power of the Successor Entity; provided, however, that no person or group shall be treated for purposes of this Section 2.8(c)(ii) as beneficially owning 50% or more of the combined voting power of the Successor Entity solely as a result of the voting power held in the Company prior to the consummation of the transaction.

In addition, if a Change in Control constitutes a payment event with respect to any portion of an Award that provides for the deferral of compensation and is subject to Section 409A of the Code, the transaction or event described in subsection (a), (b), (c) or (d) with respect to such Award (or portion thereof) must also constitute a “change in control event,” as defined in Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-3(i)(5) to the extent required by Section 409A.

The Committee shall have full and final authority, which shall be exercised in its discretion, to determine conclusively whether a Change in Control of the Company has occurred pursuant to the above definition, and the date of the occurrence of such Change in Control and any incidental matters relating thereto; provided that any exercise of authority in conjunction with a determination of whether a Change in Control is a “change in control event” as defined in Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-3(i)(5) shall be consistent with such regulation.

2.9 “Code” shall mean the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time, together with the regulations and official guidance promulgated thereunder.

2.10 “Committee” shall mean the Compensation Committee of the Board, or another committee or subcommittee of the Board or the Compensation Committee, appointed as provided in Section 11.1.

2.11 “Common Stock” shall mean the common stock of the Company, par value $0.001 per share.

2.12 “Company” shall have the meaning set forth in Article 1.

2.13 “Consultant” shall mean any consultant or adviser engaged to provide services to the Company or any Subsidiary that qualifies as a consultant under the applicable rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission for registration of shares on a Form S-8 Registration Statement.

2.14 “Director” shall mean a member of the Board, as constituted from time to time.

2.15 “Dividend Equivalent” shall mean a right to receive the equivalent value (in cash or Shares) of dividends paid on Shares, awarded under Section 8.2.

2.16 “DRO” shall mean a domestic relations order as defined by the Code or Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended from time to time, or the rules thereunder.

2.17 “Effective Date” shall mean [●].

2.18 “Eligible Individual” shall mean any person who is an Employee, a Consultant or a Non-Employee Director, as determined by the Committee.

2.19 “Employee” shall mean any officer or other employee (as determined in accordance with Section 3401(c) of the Code) of the Company or of any Subsidiary.

2.20 “Equity Restructuring” shall mean a nonreciprocal transaction between the Company and its stockholders, such as a stock dividend, stock split, spin-off, rights offering or recapitalization through a large, nonrecurring cash dividend, that affects the number or kind of Shares (or other securities of the Company) or the share price of Common Stock (or other securities) and causes a change in the per share value of the Common Stock underlying outstanding Awards.

2.21 “Exchange Act” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time.

2.22 “Expiration Date” shall have the meaning given to such term in Section 12.1.

2.23 “Fair Market Value” shall mean, as of any given date, the value of a Share determined as follows:

(a) If the Common Stock is listed on any (i) established securities exchange (such as the New York Stock Exchange, the NASDAQ Global Market and the NASDAQ Global Select Market), (ii) national market system or (iii) automated quotation system, its Fair Market Value shall be the closing sales price for a Share as quoted on such exchange or system for such date or, if there is no closing sales price for a Share on the date in question, the closing sales price for a Share on the last preceding date for which such quotation exists, as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Administrator deems reliable;

(b) If the Common Stock is not listed on an established securities exchange, national market system or automated quotation system, but the Common Stock is regularly quoted by a recognized securities dealer, its Fair Market Value shall be the mean of the high bid and low asked prices for such date or, if there are no high bid and low asked prices for a Share on such date, the high bid and low asked prices for a Share on the last preceding date for which such information exists, as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Administrator deems reliable; or

(c) If the Common Stock is neither listed on an established securities exchange, national market system or automated quotation system nor regularly quoted by a recognized securities dealer, its Fair Market Value shall be established by the Administrator in good faith.

2.24 “Greater Than 10% Stockholder” shall mean an individual then owning (within the meaning of Section 424(d) of the Code) more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or any subsidiary corporation (as defined in Section 424(f) of the Code) or parent corporation thereof (as defined in Section 424(e) of the Code).

2.25 “Holder” shall mean a person who has been granted an Award.

2.26 “Incentive Stock Option” shall mean an Option that is intended to qualify as an incentive stock option and conforms to the applicable provisions of Section 422 of the Code.

2.27 “Non-Employee Director” shall mean a Director of the Company who is not an Employee.

2.28 “Non-Employee Director Equity Compensation Policy” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 4.5.

2.29 “Non-Qualified Stock Option” shall mean an Option that is not an Incentive Stock Option.

2.30 “Option” shall mean a right to purchase Shares at a specified exercise price, granted under Article 6. An Option shall be either a Non-Qualified Stock Option or an Incentive Stock Option; provided, however, that Options granted to Non-Employee Directors and Consultants shall only be Non-Qualified Stock Options.

2.31 “Option Term” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 5.6.

2.32 “Parent” shall mean any entity (other than the Company), whether domestic or foreign, in an unbroken chain of entities ending with the Company if each of the entities other than the Company beneficially owns, at the time of the determination, securities or interests representing at least fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting power of all classes of securities or interests in one of the other entities in such chain.

2.33 “Performance Award” shall mean a cash bonus award, stock bonus award, performance award or other incentive award that is paid in cash, Shares or a combination of both, awarded under Section 8.1.

2.34 “Performance Stock Unit” shall mean a Performance Award awarded under Section 8.1 which is denominated in units of value including dollar value of Shares.

2.35 “Permitted Transferee” shall mean, with respect to a Holder, any “family member” of the Holder, as defined in the instructions to use the Form S-8 Registration Statement under the Securities Act, or any other transferee specifically approved by the Administrator after taking into account Applicable Law.

2.36 “Plan” shall have the meaning set forth in Article 1.

2.37 “Prior 2014 Plan” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble.

2.38 “Prior Plan” shall mean the T2 Biosystems, Inc. Amended and Restated 2006 Employee, Director and Consultant Stock Plan, as such plan may be amended from time to time.

2.39 “Restricted Stock” shall mean Common Stock awarded under Article 6 that is subject to certain restrictions and may be subject to risk of forfeiture or repurchase.

2.40 “Restricted Stock Unit” shall mean the right to receive Shares awarded under Article 7.

2.41 “Securities Act” shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

2.42 “Shares” shall mean shares of Common Stock.

2.43 “Stock Appreciation Right” shall mean a stock appreciation right granted under Article 9.

2.44 “Stock Appreciation Right Term” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 9.4.

2.45 “Stock Payment” shall mean (a) a payment in the form of Shares, or (b) an option or other right to purchase Shares, as part of a bonus, deferred compensation or other arrangement, awarded under Section 8.3.

2.46 “Subsidiary” shall mean any entity (other than the Company), whether domestic or foreign, in an unbroken chain of entities beginning with the Company if each of the entities other than the last entity in the unbroken chain beneficially owns, at the time of the determination, securities or interests representing at least 50% of the total combined voting power of all classes of securities or interests in one of the other entities in such chain.

2.47 “Substitute Award” shall mean an Award granted under the Plan upon the assumption of, or in substitution for, outstanding equity awards granted by a company or other entity in connection with a corporate transaction, such as a merger, combination, consolidation or acquisition of property or stock; provided, however, that in no event shall the term “Substitute Award” be construed to refer to an award made in connection with the cancellation and repricing of an Option or Stock Appreciation Right.

2.48 “Termination of Service” shall mean:

(a) As to a Consultant, the time when the engagement of a Holder as a Consultant to the Company or a Subsidiary is terminated for any reason, with or without cause, including, without limitation, by resignation, discharge, death, disability or retirement, but excluding terminations where the Consultant simultaneously commences or remains in employment or service with the Company or any Subsidiary.

(b) As to a Non-Employee Director, the time when a Holder who is a Non-Employee Director ceases to be a Director for any reason, including, without limitation, a termination by resignation, failure to be elected, death, disability or retirement, but excluding terminations where the Holder simultaneously commences or remains in employment or service with the Company or any Subsidiary.

(c) As to an Employee, the time when the employee-employer relationship between a Holder and the Company or any Subsidiary is terminated for any reason, including, without limitation, a termination by resignation, discharge, death, disability or retirement; but excluding terminations where the Holder simultaneously commences or remains in employment or service, including service as a director, with the Company or any Subsidiary.

The Administrator, in its discretion, shall determine the effect of all matters and questions relating to any Termination of Service, including, without limitation, the question of whether a Termination of Service resulted from a discharge for cause and all questions of whether particular leaves of absence constitute a Termination of Service; provided, however, that, with respect to Incentive Stock Options, unless the Administrator otherwise provides in the terms of the Award Agreement or otherwise, or as otherwise required by Applicable Law, a leave of absence, change in status from an employee to an independent contractor or other change in the employee-employer relationship shall constitute a Termination of Service only if, and to the extent that, such leave of absence, change in status or other change interrupts employment for the purposes of Section 422(a)(2) of the

Code. For purposes of the Plan, a Holder’s employee-employer relationship or consultancy relations shall be deemed to be terminated in the event that the Subsidiary employing or contracting with such Holder ceases to remain a Subsidiary following any merger, sale of stock or other corporate transaction or event (including, without limitation, a spin-off).

ARTICLE 3.

SHARES SUBJECT TO THE PLAN

3.1 Number of Shares.

(a) Subject to Sections 3.1(b) and 12.2, the maximum aggregate number of Shares which may be issued or transferred pursuant to Awards under the Plan is the sum of: (i) 3,430,000 Shares and (ii) any Shares which as of the Effective Date are subject to awards granted under the Prior Plan which are forfeited, lapse unexercised or are settled in cash and which following the Effective Date are not issued under the Prior Plan; provided, however, no more than 35,000,000 Shares may be issued upon the exercise of Incentive Stock Options. From and after the Effective Date, no awards shall be granted under the Prior Plan. Any award outstanding under the Prior Plan as of the Effective Date shall continue to be subject to the terms and conditions of the Prior Plan.

(b) To the extent all or a portion of an Award is forfeited, expires, lapses for any reason, or is settled for cash without the delivery of Shares to the Holder, any Shares subject to such Award or portion thereof shall, to the extent of such forfeiture, expiration, lapse or cash settlement, again be available for the grant of an Award under the Plan. Shares that are actually issued pursuant to the Plan under any Award will not be returned to the Plan and will not become available for future distribution under the Plan; provided, however, that any Shares repurchased by or surrendered to the Company under Section 6.4 so that such Shares are returned to the Company shall again be available for the grant of an Award under the Plan. Shares used to pay the exercise price or purchase price of an Award or to satisfy the withholding obligations for tax-related items related to an Award will not become available for future grant or sale under the Plan. To the extent an Award under the Plan is paid out in cash rather than Shares, such cash payment will not result in reducing the number of Shares available for issuance under the Plan, including, for the avoidance of doubt, the payment of Dividend Equivalents in cash in conjunction with any outstanding Awards. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 3.1(b), no Shares may again be optioned, granted or awarded if such action would cause an Incentive Stock Option to fail to qualify as an incentive stock option under Section 422 of the Code.

(c) To the extent permitted by Applicable Law, Substitute Awards shall not reduce the Shares authorized for grant under the Plan.

3.2 Stock Distributed. Any Shares distributed pursuant to an Award may consist, in whole or in part, of authorized and unissued Common Stock, treasury Common Stock or Common Stock purchased on the open market.

3.3 Limitation on Awards to Non-Employee Directors. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in the Plan, the Administrator may establish compensation for Non-Employee Directors from time to time, subject to the limitations in the Plan. The Administrator will from time to time determine the terms, conditions and amounts of all such Non-Employee Director compensation in its discretion and pursuant to the exercise of its business judgment, taking into account such factors, circumstances and considerations as it shall deem relevant from time to time, provided that the sum of any cash compensation, or other compensation, and the value (determined as of the grant date in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718, or any successor thereto) of Awards granted to a Non-Employee Director as compensation for services as a Non-Employee Director during any fiscal year of the Company may not exceed $700,000, increased to $950,000 in the fiscal year of a Non-Employee Director’s initial service as a Non-Employee Director. The Administrator may make exceptions to this limit for individual Non-Employee Directors in extraordinary circumstances, as the Administrator may determine in its discretion, provided that the Non-Employee Director

receiving such additional compensation may not participate in the decision to award such compensation or in other contemporaneous compensation decisions involving Non-Employee Directors. Any Awards or other compensation paid or provided to an individual for his or her services as an Employee, or for his or her services as a Consultant (other than as a Non-Employee Director), will not count for purposes of the limitation under this Section 3.3.

ARTICLE 4.

GRANTING OF AWARDS

4.1 Participation. The Administrator may, from time to time, select from among all Eligible Individuals, those to whom an Award shall be granted and shall determine the nature and amount of each Award, which shall not be inconsistent with the requirements of the Plan. Except as provided in Section 4.5 regarding the grant of Awards pursuant to the Non-Employee Director Equity Compensation Policy, no Eligible Individual shall have any right to be granted an Award pursuant to the Plan.

4.2 Award Agreement. Each Award shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement that sets forth the terms, conditions and limitations for such Award, which may include the term of the Award, the provisions applicable in the event of the Holder’s Termination of Service, and the Company’s authority to unilaterally or bilaterally amend, modify, suspend, cancel or rescind an Award. Award Agreements evidencing Incentive Stock Options shall contain such terms and conditions as may be necessary to meet the applicable provisions of Section 422 of the Code.

4.3 Limitations Applicable to Section 16 Persons. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan, the Plan, and any Award granted or awarded to any individual who is then subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act, shall be subject to any additional limitations set forth in any applicable exemptive rule under Section 16 of the Exchange Act (including Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act and any amendments thereto) that are requirements for the application of such exemptive rule. To the extent permitted by Applicable Law, the Plan and Awards granted or awarded hereunder shall be deemed amended to the extent necessary to conform to such applicable exemptive rule.

4.4 At-Will Employment; Voluntary Participation. Nothing in the Plan or Award Agreement shall confer upon any Holder any right to continue in the employ of, or as a Director or Consultant for, the Company or any Subsidiary, or shall interfere with or restrict in any way the rights of the Company and any Subsidiary, which rights are hereby expressly reserved, to discharge any Holder at any time for any reason whatsoever, with or without cause, and with or without notice, or to terminate or change all other terms and conditions of employment or engagement, except to the extent expressly provided otherwise in a written agreement between the Holder and the Company or any Subsidiary. Participation by each Holder in the Plan shall be voluntary and nothing in the Plan shall be construed as mandating that any Eligible Individual shall participate in the Plan.

4.5 Non-Employee Director Awards. The Administrator, in its discretion, may provide that Awards granted to Non-Employee Directors shall be granted pursuant to a written nondiscretionary formula established by the Administrator (the “Non-Employee Director Equity Compensation Policy”), subject to the limitations of the Plan. The Non-Employee Director Equity Compensation Policy shall set forth the type of Award(s) to be granted to Non-Employee Directors, the number of Shares to be subject to Non-Employee Director Awards, the conditions on which such Awards shall be granted, become exercisable and/or payable and expire, and such other terms and conditions as the Administrator shall determine in its discretion. The Non-Employee Director Equity Compensation Policy may be modified by the Administrator from time to time in its discretion.

4.6 Stand-Alone and Tandem Awards. Awards granted pursuant to the Plan may, in the discretion of the Administrator, be granted either alone, in addition to, or in tandem with, any other Award granted pursuant to the Plan. Awards granted in addition to or in tandem with other Awards may be granted either at the same time as or at a different time from the grant of such other Awards.

ARTICLE 5.

OPTIONS

5.1 Granting of Options to Eligible Individuals. The Administrator is authorized to grant Options to Eligible Individuals from time to time, in its discretion, on such terms and conditions as it may determine, which shall not be inconsistent with the Plan.

5.2 Option Exercise Price. The exercise price per Share subject to each Option shall be set by the Administrator, but shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date the Option is granted (or, as to Incentive Stock Options, on the date the Option is modified, extended or renewed for purposes of Section 424(h) of the Code). In addition, in the case of Incentive Stock Options granted to a Greater Than 10% Stockholder, such price shall not be less than 110% of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date the Option is granted (or the date the Option is modified, extended or renewed for purposes of Section 424(h) of the Code).

5.3 Option Vesting.

(a) The period during which the right to exercise, in whole or in part, an Option vests in the Holder shall be set by the Administrator and the Administrator may determine that an Option may not be exercised in whole or in part for a specified period after it is granted. Such vesting may be based on service with the Company or any Subsidiary or any other criteria selected by the Administrator, including performance goals or performance criteria. At any time after the grant of an Option, the Administrator, in its discretion and subject to whatever terms and conditions it selects, may accelerate the period during which an Option vests.

(b) No portion of an Option which is unexercisable at a Holder’s Termination of Service shall thereafter become exercisable, except as may be otherwise provided by the Administrator either in the Award Agreement evidencing the grant of an Option or by action of the Administrator following the grant of the Option. Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator in the Award Agreement or by action of the Administrator following the grant of the Option, the portion of an Option that is unexercisable at a Holder’s Termination of Service shall automatically expire upon such Termination of Service.

5.4 Manner of Exercise. All or a portion of an exercisable Option shall be deemed exercised upon delivery of all of the following to the Secretary of the Company, the stock administrator of the Company or such other person or entity designated by the Administrator, or his, her or its office, as applicable:

(a) A written or electronic notice complying with the applicable rules established by the Administrator stating that the Option, or a portion thereof, is exercised. The notice shall be signed by the Holder or other person then entitled to exercise the Option or such portion of the Option.

(b) Such representations and documents as the Administrator, in its discretion, deems necessary or advisable to effect compliance with Applicable Law. The Administrator may, in its discretion, also take whatever additional actions it deems appropriate to effect such compliance including, without limitation, placing legends on share certificates and issuing stop-transfer notices to agents and registrars.

(c) In the event that the Option shall be exercised by any person or persons other than the Holder, appropriate proof of the right of such person or persons to exercise the Option, as determined in the discretion of the Administrator.

(d) Full payment of the exercise price and applicable withholding taxes for the shares with respect to which the Option, or portion thereof, is exercised, in a manner permitted by Section 10.1 and Section 10.2.

5.5 Partial Exercise. An exercisable Option may be exercised in whole or in part. However, an Option shall not be exercisable with respect to fractional Shares unless otherwise determined by the Administrator and the Administrator may require that, by the terms of the Option, a partial exercise must be with respect to a minimum number of shares.

5.6 Option Term. The term of each Option (the “Option Term”) shall be set by the Administrator in its discretion; provided, however, that the Option Term shall not be more than ten (10) years from the date the Option is granted, or five (5) years from the date an Incentive Stock Option is granted to a Greater Than 10% Stockholder. The Administrator shall determine the time period, including the time period following a Termination of Service, during which the Holder has the right to exercise the vested Options, which time period may not extend beyond the last day of the Option Term. Except as limited by the requirements of Section 409A of the Code or the first sentence of this Section 5.6, the Administrator may extend the Option Term of any outstanding Option, and may extend the time period during which vested Options may be exercised, in connection with any Termination of Service of the Holder, and may amend, subject to Section 12.1, any other term or condition of such Option relating to such a Termination of Service.

5.7 Expiration of Option Term: Automatic Exercise of In-The-Money Options. Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator (in an Award Agreement or otherwise) or as otherwise directed by an Option Holder in writing to the Company, each Option outstanding on the Automatic Exercise Date with an exercise price per share that is less than the Fair Market Value per share of Common Stock as of such date shall automatically and without further action by the Option Holder or the Company be exercised on the Automatic Exercise Date. In the discretion of the Administrator, payment of the exercise price of any such Option shall be made pursuant to Section 10.1(b) or Section 10.1(c) and the Company or any Subsidiary shall deduct or withhold an amount sufficient to satisfy all taxes associated with such exercise in accordance with Section 10.2. Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator, this Section 5.7 shall not apply to an Option if the Holder of such Option incurs a Termination of Service on or before the Automatic Exercise Date. For the avoidance of doubt, no Option with an exercise price per share that is equal to or greater than the Fair Market Value per share of Common Stock on the Automatic Exercise Date shall be exercised pursuant to this Section 5.7.

5.8 Notification Regarding Disposition. The Holder shall give the Company prompt written or electronic notice of any disposition of Shares acquired by exercise of an Incentive Stock Option which occurs within (a) two years from the date of granting (including the date the Option is modified, extended or renewed for purposes of Section 424(h) of the Code) such Option to such Holder, or (b) one year after the transfer of such Shares to such Holder.

5.8 No Rights as a Stockholder. Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator, a Holder of an Option shall possess no incidents of ownership with respect to the Shares represented by such Option, unless and until such Shares are transferred to the Holder pursuant to the terms of this Plan and Award Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, the Holder of an Option granted under the Plan will not be entitled to receive any dividends or other distributions paid with respect to a Share underlying such Option until the portion of such Option covering such Share has fully vested and such Share has been issued (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company) pursuant to such Option.

ARTICLE 6.

RESTRICTED STOCK

6.1 Award of Restricted Stock.

(a) The Administrator is authorized to grant Restricted Stock to Eligible Individuals, and shall determine the terms and conditions, including the restrictions applicable to each award of Restricted Stock, which terms and conditions shall not be inconsistent with the Plan, and may impose such conditions on the issuance of such Restricted Stock as it deems appropriate.

(b) The Administrator shall establish the purchase price, if any, and form of payment for Restricted Stock; provided, however, that if a purchase price is charged, such purchase price shall be no less than the par value, if any, of the Shares to be purchased, unless otherwise permitted by Applicable Law. In all cases, legal consideration shall be required for each issuance of Restricted Stock.

6.2 Rights as Stockholders. Subject to Section 6.4, upon issuance of Restricted Stock, the Holder shall have, unless otherwise provided by the Administrator, all the rights of a stockholder with respect to said Shares, subject to the restrictions in each individual Award Agreement, including the right to receive all dividends and other distributions paid or made with respect to the Shares; provided, however, that, in the discretion of the Administrator, any extraordinary distributions with respect to the Shares shall be subject to the restrictions set forth in Section 6.3.

6.3 Restrictions. All shares of Restricted Stock (including any shares received by Holders thereof with respect to shares of Restricted Stock as a result of stock dividends, stock splits or any other form of recapitalization) shall, in the terms of each individual Award Agreement, be subject to such restrictions and vesting requirements as the Administrator shall provide. Such restrictions may include, without limitation, restrictions concerning voting rights and transferability and such restrictions may lapse separately or in combination at such times and pursuant to such circumstances or based on such criteria as selected by the Administrator, including, without limitation, criteria based on the Holder’s duration of employment, directorship or consultancy with the Company, performance goals, performance criteria, Company performance, individual performance or other criteria selected by the Administrator. By action taken after the Restricted Stock is issued, the Administrator may, on such terms and conditions as it may determine to be appropriate, accelerate the vesting of such Restricted Stock by removing any or all of the restrictions imposed by the terms of the applicable Award Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, the Holder of Restricted Stock granted under the Plan will not be entitled to receive any dividends or other distributions paid with respect to a Share underlying such Restricted Stock until the portion of such Restricted Stock covering such Share has fully vested, and all periods of restriction with respect to such Share have lapsed, and such Share has been issued (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company) pursuant to such Restricted Stock. Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator, Restricted Stock may not be sold or encumbered until all restrictions are terminated or expire.

6.4 Repurchase or Forfeiture of Restricted Stock. Except as otherwise determined by the Administrator at the time of the grant of the Award or thereafter, (a) if no price was paid by the Holder for the Restricted Stock, upon a Termination of Service during the applicable restriction period, the Holder’s rights in unvested Restricted Stock then subject to restrictions shall lapse, and such Restricted Stock shall be surrendered to the Company and cancelled without consideration, and (b) if a price was paid by the Holder for the Restricted Stock, upon a Termination of Service during the applicable restriction period, the Company shall have the right to repurchase from the Holder the unvested Restricted Stock then subject to restrictions at a cash price per share equal to the price paid by the Holder for such Restricted Stock or such other amount as may be specified in the applicable Award Agreement.

6.5 Certificates for Restricted Stock. Restricted Stock granted pursuant to the Plan may be evidenced in such manner as the Administrator shall determine. Certificates or book entries evidencing shares of Restricted Stock shall include an appropriate legend referring to the terms, conditions, and restrictions applicable to such Restricted Stock. The Company, in its discretion, may (a) retain physical possession of any stock certificate evidencing shares of Restricted Stock until the restrictions thereon shall have lapsed and/or (b) require that the stock certificates evidencing shares of Restricted Stock be held in custody by a designated escrow agent (which may but need not be the Company) until the restrictions thereon shall have lapsed and that the Holder deliver a stock power, endorsed in blank, relating to such Restricted Stock.

6.6 Section 83(b) Election. To the extent permitted by the Administrator, if a Holder makes an election under Section 83(b) of the Code to be taxed with respect to the Restricted Stock as of the date of transfer of the Restricted Stock rather than as of the date or dates upon which the Holder would otherwise be taxable under Section 83(a) of the Code, the Holder shall be required to deliver a copy of such election to the Company promptly after filing such election with the Internal Revenue Service.

ARTICLE 7.

RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS

7.1 Grant of Restricted Stock Units. The Administrator is authorized to grant Awards of Restricted Stock Units to any Eligible Individual selected by the Administrator in such amounts and subject to such terms and conditions as determined by the Administrator.

7.2 Purchase Price. The Administrator shall specify the purchase price, if any, to be paid by the Holder to the Company with respect to any Restricted Stock Unit award; provided, however, that value of the consideration shall not be less than the par value of a Share, unless otherwise permitted by Applicable Law.

7.3 Vesting of Restricted Stock Units. At the time of grant, the Administrator shall specify the date or dates on which the Restricted Stock Units shall become fully vested and nonforfeitable, and may specify such conditions to vesting as it deems appropriate, including, without limitation, vesting based upon the Holder’s duration of service to the Company or any Subsidiary, Company performance, individual performance or other specific criteria, in each case on a specified date or dates or over any period or periods, as determined by the Administrator.

7.4 Maturity and Payment. At the time of grant, the Administrator shall specify the maturity date applicable to each grant of Restricted Stock Units, which shall be no earlier than the vesting date or dates of the Award and

may be determined at the election of the Holder (if permitted by the applicable Award Agreement); provided that, except as otherwise set forth in an applicable Award Agreement, the maturity date relating to each Restricted Stock Unit shall not occur following the later of (a) the 15^th day of the third month following the end of the calendar year in which the applicable portion of the Restricted Stock Unit vests; or (b) the 15^th day of the third month following the end of the Company’s fiscal year in which the applicable portion of the Restricted Stock Unit vests. On the maturity date, the Company shall, subject to Section 10.4, transfer to the Holder one unrestricted, fully transferable Share for each Restricted Stock Unit scheduled to be paid out on such date and not previously forfeited, or in the discretion of the Administrator, an amount in cash equal to the Fair Market Value of such Shares on the maturity date or a combination of cash and Common Stock as determined by the Administrator.

7.5 No Rights as a Stockholder. Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator, a Holder of Restricted Stock Units shall possess no incidents of ownership with respect to the Shares represented by such Restricted Stock Units, unless and until such Shares are transferred to the Holder pursuant to the terms of this Plan and the Award Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, the Holder of Restricted Stock Units granted under the Plan will not be entitled to receive any dividends or other distributions paid with respect to a Share underlying such Restricted Stock Units until the portion of such Restricted Stock Units covering such Share has fully vested, and all periods of restriction with respect to such Share have lapsed, and such Share has been issued (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company) pursuant to such Restricted Stock Units.

ARTICLE 8.

PERFORMANCE AWARDS, DIVIDEND EQUIVALENTS, STOCK PAYMENTS

8.1 Performance Awards.

(a) The Administrator is authorized to grant Performance Awards, including Awards of Performance Stock Units and other Awards determined in the Administrator’s discretion from time to time, to any Eligible Individual. The value of Performance Awards, including Performance Stock Units, may be linked to the attainment of performance goals or other specific criteria, whether or not objective, determined by the Administrator, in each case on a specified date or dates or over any period or periods and in such amounts as may be determined by the Administrator.

(b) Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator, a Holder of a Performance Award shall possess no incidents of ownership with respect to the Shares represented by such Performance Award, unless and until such Shares are transferred to the Holder pursuant to the terms of this Plan and Award Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, the Holder of a Performance Award granted under the Plan will not be entitled to receive any dividends or other distributions paid with respect to a Share underlying such Performance Award until the portion of such Performance Award covering such Share has fully vested and such Share has been issued (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company) pursuant to such Performance Award.

8.2 Dividend Equivalents.

(a) Dividend Equivalents may be granted by the Administrator based on dividends declared on the Common Stock, to be credited as of dividend payment dates with respect to dividends with record dates that occur during the period between the date an Award is granted to a Holder and the date such Award vests, is exercised, is distributed or expires, as determined by the Administrator. Such Dividend Equivalents shall be converted to cash or additional Shares by such formula and at such time and subject to such restrictions and limitations as may be determined by the Administrator. For the avoidance of doubt, the Holder holding an Award granted under the Plan will not be entitled to receive any Dividend Equivalents or other distributions paid with respect to a Share underlying such Award until the portion of such Award covering such Share has fully vested, and all periods of restriction with respect to such Share have lapsed, and such Share has been issued (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company) pursuant to such Award.

8.3 Stock Payments.

(a) The Administrator is authorized to make Stock Payments to any Eligible Individual. The number or value of Shares of any Stock Payment shall be determined by the Administrator and may be based upon one or more performance goals or any other specific criteria, including service to the Company or any Subsidiary, determined by the Administrator. Shares underlying a Stock Payment which is subject to a vesting schedule or other conditions or criteria set by the Administrator shall not be issued until those conditions have been satisfied. Unless otherwise provided by the Administrator, a Holder of a Stock Payment shall have no rights as a Company stockholder with respect to such Stock Payment until such time as the Stock Payment has vested and the Shares underlying the Award have been issued to the Holder. Stock Payments may, but are not required to, be made in lieu of base salary, bonus, fees or other cash compensation otherwise payable to such Eligible Individual.

(b) Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator, a Holder of a Stock Payment shall possess no incidents of ownership with respect to the Shares represented by such Stock Payment, unless and until such Shares are transferred to the Holder pursuant to the terms of this Plan and Award Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, the Holder of a Stock Payment granted under the Plan will not be entitled to receive any dividends or other distributions paid with respect to a Share underlying such Stock Payment until the portion of such Stock Payment covering such Share has fully vested and such Share has been issued (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company) pursuant to such Stock Payment.

8.4 Purchase Price. The Administrator may establish the purchase price of a Performance Award or Shares distributed as a Stock Payment award; provided, however, that value of the consideration shall not be less than the par value of a Share, unless otherwise permitted by Applicable Law.

ARTICLE 9.

STOCK APPRECIATION RIGHTS

9.1 Grant of Stock Appreciation Rights.

(a) The Administrator is authorized to grant Stock Appreciation Rights to Eligible Individuals from time to time, in its discretion, on such terms and conditions as it may determine, which shall not be inconsistent with the Plan.

(b) A Stock Appreciation Right shall entitle the Holder (or other person entitled to exercise the Stock Appreciation Right pursuant to the Plan) to exercise all or a specified portion of the Stock Appreciation Right (to the extent then exercisable pursuant to its terms) and to receive from the Company an amount determined by multiplying the difference obtained by subtracting the exercise price per share of the Stock Appreciation Right from the Fair Market Value on the date of exercise of the Stock Appreciation Right by the number of Shares with respect to which the Stock Appreciation Right shall have been exercised, subject to any limitations the Administrator may impose. The exercise price per Share subject to each Stock Appreciation Right shall be set by the Administrator, but shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value on the date the Stock Appreciation Right is granted.

9.2 Stock Appreciation Right Vesting.

(a) The period during which the right to exercise, in whole or in part, a Stock Appreciation Right vests in the Holder shall be set by the Administrator, and the Administrator may determine that a Stock Appreciation Right may not be exercised in whole or in part for a specified period after it is granted. Such vesting may be based on service with the Company or any Subsidiary, performance criteria, performance goals or any other criteria selected by the Administrator. At any time after grant of a Stock Appreciation Right, the Administrator, in its discretion and subject to whatever terms and conditions it selects, may accelerate the period during which a Stock Appreciation Right vests.

(b) No portion of a Stock Appreciation Right which is unexercisable at a Holder’s Termination of Service shall thereafter become exercisable, except as may be otherwise provided by the Administrator in an Award Agreement or by action of the Administrator following the grant of the Stock Appreciation Right. Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator in the Award Agreement or by action of the Administrator following the grant of the Stock Appreciation Right, the portion of a Stock Appreciation Right which is unexercisable at a Holder’s Termination of Service shall automatically expire thirty (30) days following such Termination of Service.

9.3 Manner of Exercise. All or a portion of an exercisable Stock Appreciation Right shall be deemed exercised upon delivery of all of the following to the Secretary of the Company, the stock administrator of the Company, or such other person or entity designated by the Administrator, or his, her or its office, as applicable:

(a) A written or electronic notice complying with the applicable rules established by the Administrator stating that the Stock Appreciation Right, or a portion thereof, is exercised. The notice shall be signed by the Holder or other person then entitled to exercise the Stock Appreciation Right or such portion of the Stock Appreciation Right.

(b) Such representations and documents as the Administrator, in its discretion, deems necessary or advisable to effect compliance with Applicable Law. The Administrator, in its discretion, may also take whatever additional actions it deems appropriate to effect such compliance, including, without limitation, placing legends on share certificates and issuing stop-transfer notices to agents and registrars.

(c) In the event that the Stock Appreciation Right shall be exercised by any person or persons other than the Holder, appropriate proof of the right of such person or persons to exercise the Stock Appreciation Right, as determined in the discretion of the Administrator.

(d) Full payment of the exercise price and applicable withholding taxes for the Shares with respect to which the Stock Appreciation Right, or portion thereof, is exercised, in a manner permitted by Section 10.1 and Section 10.2.

9.4 Stock Appreciation Right Term. The term of each Stock Appreciation Right (the “Stock Appreciation Right Term”) shall be set by the Administrator in its discretion; provided, however, that the Stock Appreciation Right Term shall not be more than ten (10) years from the date the Stock Appreciation Right is granted. The Administrator shall determine the time period, including the time period following a Termination of Service, during which the Holder has the right to exercise the vested Stock Appreciation Rights, which time period may not extend beyond the last day of the Stock Appreciation Right Term applicable to such Stock Appreciation Right. Except as limited by the requirements of Section 409A of the Code or the first sentence of this Section 9.4, the Administrator may extend the Stock Appreciation Right Term of any outstanding Stock Appreciation Right, and may extend the time period during which vested Stock Appreciation Rights may be exercised, in connection with any Termination of Service of the Holder, and may amend, subject to Section 12.1, any other term or condition of such Stock Appreciation Right relating to such a Termination of Service.

9.5 Payment. Payment of the amounts payable with respect to Stock Appreciation Rights pursuant to this Article 9 shall be in cash, Shares (based on Fair Market Value as of the date the Stock Appreciation Right is exercised), or a combination of both, as determined by the Administrator.

9.6 Expiration of Stock Appreciation Right Term: Automatic Exercise of In-The-Money Stock Appreciation Rights. Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator (in an Award Agreement or otherwise) or as otherwise directed by a Stock Appreciation Right Holder in writing to the Company, each Stock Appreciation Right outstanding on the Automatic Exercise Date with an exercise price per share that is less than the Fair Market Value per share of Common Stock as of such date shall automatically and without further action by the Stock Appreciation Right Holder or the Company be exercised on the Automatic Exercise Date. In the discretion of the Administrator, the Company or any Subsidiary shall deduct or withhold an amount sufficient to satisfy all taxes associated with such exercise in accordance with Section 10.2. Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator, this Section 9.6 shall not apply to a Stock Appreciation Right if the Holder of such Stock Appreciation Right incurs a Termination of Service on or before the Automatic Exercise Date. For the avoidance of doubt, no Stock Appreciation Right with an exercise price per share that is equal to or greater than the Fair Market Value per share of Common Stock on the Automatic Exercise Date shall be exercised pursuant to this Section 9.6.

9.7 No Rights as a Stockholder. Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator, a Holder of a Stock Appreciation Right shall possess no incidents of ownership with respect to the Shares represented by such Stock Appreciation Right, unless and until such Shares are transferred to the Holder pursuant to the terms of this Plan and Award Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, the Holder of a Stock Appreciation Right granted under the Plan will not be entitled to receive any dividends or other distributions paid with respect to a Share underlying such Stock Appreciation Right until the portion of such Stock Appreciation Right covering such Share has fully vested and such Share has been issued (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company) pursuant to such Stock Appreciation Right.

ARTICLE 10.

ADDITIONAL TERMS OF AWARDS

10.1 Payment. The Administrator shall determine the methods by which payments by any Holder with respect to any Awards (including any applicable tax-related items) granted under the Plan shall be made, including, without limitation: (a) cash, wire or check, (b) Shares (including, in the case of payment of the exercise price of an Award, Shares issuable pursuant to the exercise of the Award) held for such period of time as may be required by the Administrator in order to avoid adverse accounting consequences, in each case, having a Fair Market Value on the date of delivery equal to the aggregate payments required, (c) delivery of a written or

electronic notice that the Holder has placed a market sell order with a broker acceptable to the Company with respect to Shares then issuable upon exercise or vesting of an Award, and that the broker has been directed to pay a sufficient portion of the net proceeds of the sale to the Company in satisfaction of the aggregate payments required; provided that payment of such proceeds is then made to the Company upon settlement of such sale, or (d) any other form of legal consideration acceptable to the Administrator in its discretion. The Administrator shall also determine the methods by which Shares shall be delivered or deemed to be delivered to Holders. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan to the contrary, no Holder who is a Director or an “executive officer” of the Company within the meaning of Section 13(k) of the Exchange Act shall be permitted to make payment with respect to any Awards granted under the Plan, or continue any extension of credit with respect to such payment, with a loan from the Company or a loan arranged by the Company in violation of Section 13(k) of the Exchange Act. A promissory note may not be used as a form of consideration for exercising an Award.

10.2 Tax Withholding. The Company or any Subsidiary shall have the authority and the right to deduct or withhold, or require a Holder to remit to the Company, an amount sufficient to satisfy federal, state, local and foreign taxes (including the Holder’s FICA, employment tax or other social security contribution obligation) required by law to be withheld with respect to any taxable event concerning a Holder arising as a result of the Plan. The Administrator, in its discretion and in satisfaction of the foregoing requirement, may withhold, or allow a Holder to elect to have the Company withhold, Shares otherwise issuable under an Award (or allow the surrender of Shares). The number of Shares which may be so withheld or surrendered shall be determined by the Company and shall be limited to the number of Shares which have a fair market value on the date of withholding or repurchase no greater than the aggregate amount of such liabilities based on the maximum statutory withholding rates for federal, state, local and foreign income tax and payroll tax purposes that are applicable to such supplemental taxable income. The Administrator shall determine the fair market value of the Shares, consistent with applicable provisions of the Code, for tax withholding obligations for any Award.

10.3 Transferability of Awards.

(a) Except as otherwise provided in Section 10.3(b):

(i) No Award under the Plan may be sold, pledged, assigned or transferred in any manner other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution or, subject to the consent of the Administrator, pursuant to a DRO, unless and until such Award has been exercised, or the Shares underlying such Award have been issued, and all restrictions applicable to such Shares have lapsed;

(ii) No Award or interest or right therein shall be liable for the debts, contracts or engagements of the Holder or the Holder’s successors in interest or shall be subject to disposition by transfer, alienation, anticipation, pledge, hypothecation, encumbrance, assignment or any other means whether such disposition be voluntary or involuntary or by operation of law by judgment, levy, attachment, garnishment or any other legal or equitable proceedings (including bankruptcy), and any attempted disposition thereof shall be null and void and of no effect, except to the extent that such disposition is permitted by Section 10.3(a)(i); and

(iii) During the lifetime of the Holder, only the Holder may exercise an Award (or any portion thereof) granted to such Holder under the Plan, unless it has been disposed of pursuant to a DRO; after the death of the Holder, any exercisable portion of an Award may, prior to the time when such portion becomes unexercisable under the Plan or the Award Agreement, be exercised by the Holder’s personal representative or by any person empowered to do so under the deceased Holder’s will or under the then-applicable laws of descent and distribution.

(b) Notwithstanding Section 10.3(a), the Administrator, in its discretion, may determine to permit a Holder to transfer an Award other than an Incentive Stock Option to any one or more Permitted Transferees, subject to the following terms and conditions: (i) an Award transferred to a Permitted Transferee shall not be assignable or transferable by the Permitted Transferee other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution; (ii) an Award transferred to a Permitted Transferee shall continue to be subject to all the terms and conditions of the Award as applicable to the original Holder (other than the ability to further transfer the Award); and (iii) the

Holder and the Permitted Transferee shall execute any and all documents requested by the Administrator, including, without limitation documents to (A) confirm the status of the transferee as a Permitted Transferee, (B) satisfy any requirements for an exemption for the transfer under Applicable Law and (C) evidence the transfer.

(c) Notwithstanding Section 10.3(a), a Holder may, in the manner determined by the Administrator, designate a beneficiary to exercise the rights of the Holder and to receive any distribution with respect to any Award upon the Holder’s death. A beneficiary, legal guardian, legal representative, or other person claiming any rights pursuant to the Plan is subject to all terms and conditions of the Plan and any Award Agreement applicable to the Holder, except to the extent the Plan and Award Agreement otherwise provide, and to any additional restrictions deemed necessary or appropriate by the Administrator. If the Holder is married or a domestic partner in a domestic partnership qualified under Applicable Law and resides in a community property state, a designation of a person other than the Holder’s spouse or domestic partner, as applicable, as the Holder’s beneficiary with respect to more than 50% of the Holder’s interest in the Award shall not be effective without the prior written or electronic consent of the Holder’s spouse or domestic partner. If no beneficiary has been designated or survives the Holder, payment shall be made to the person entitled thereto pursuant to the Holder’s will or the laws of descent and distribution. Subject to the foregoing, a beneficiary designation may be changed or revoked by a Holder at any time; provided that the change or revocation is filed with the Administrator prior to the Holder’s death. Holders shall not have the ability to transfer any outstanding Award to a financial institution.

10.4 Conditions to Issuance of Shares.

(a) Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Company shall not be required to issue or deliver any certificates or make any book entries evidencing Shares issuable pursuant to any Award, unless and until the Board or the Committee has determined, with advice of counsel, that the issuance of such Shares is in compliance with Applicable Law and the Shares are covered by an effective registration statement or applicable exemption from registration. In addition to the terms and conditions provided herein, the Board or the Committee may require that a Holder make such reasonable covenants, agreements and representations as the Board or the Committee, in its discretion, deems advisable in order to comply with Applicable Law.

(b) All Share certificates delivered pursuant to the Plan and all Shares issued pursuant to book entry procedures are subject to any stop-transfer orders and other restrictions as the Administrator deems necessary or advisable to comply with Applicable Law. The Administrator may place legends on any Share certificate or book entry to reference restrictions applicable to the Shares.

(c) The Administrator shall have the right to require any Holder to comply with any timing or other restrictions with respect to the settlement, distribution or exercise of any Award, including a window-period limitation, as may be imposed in the discretion of the Administrator.

(d) No fractional Shares shall be issued and the Administrator, in its discretion, shall determine whether cash shall be given in lieu of fractional Shares or whether such fractional Shares shall be eliminated by rounding down.

(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan, unless otherwise determined by the Administrator or required by Applicable Law, the Company shall not deliver to any Holder certificates evidencing Shares issued in connection with any Award and instead such Shares shall be recorded in the books of the Company (or, as applicable, its transfer agent or stock plan administrator).

10.5 Forfeiture and Claw-Back Provisions. Pursuant to its general authority to determine the terms and conditions applicable to Awards under the Plan, the Administrator shall have the right to provide, in an Award Agreement or otherwise, or to require a Holder to agree by separate written or electronic instrument, that:

(a) (i) Any proceeds, gains or other economic benefit actually or constructively received by the Holder upon any receipt or exercise of the Award, or upon the receipt or resale of any Shares underlying the Award, shall be paid to the Company, and (ii) the Award shall terminate and any unexercised portion of the Award

(whether or not vested) shall be forfeited, if (x) a Termination of Service occurs prior to a specified date, or within a specified time period following receipt or exercise of the Award, or (y) the Holder at any time, or during a specified time period, engages in any activity in competition with the Company, or which is inimical, contrary or harmful to the interests of the Company, as further defined by the Administrator or (z) the Holder incurs a Termination of Service for “cause” (as such term is defined in the discretion of the Administrator, or as set forth in a written agreement relating to such Award between the Company and the Holder); and

(b) All Awards (including any proceeds, gains or other economic benefit actually or constructively received by the Holder upon any receipt or exercise of any Award or upon the receipt or resale of any Shares underlying the Award) shall be subject to the provisions of any claw-back policy implemented by the Company, including, without limitation, any claw-back policy adopted to comply with the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and any rules or regulations promulgated thereunder, to the extent set forth in such claw-back policy and/or in the applicable Award Agreement.

10.6 Repricing. Subject to Section 12.2, the Administrator shall not, without the approval of the stockholders of the Company, (i) authorize the amendment of any outstanding Option or Stock Appreciation Right to reduce its price per share, or (ii) cancel any Option or Stock Appreciation Right in exchange for cash, another award (including an Award) or any combination thereof when the Option or Stock Appreciation Right price per share exceeds the Fair Market Value of the underlying Shares. Subject to Section 12.2, the Administrator shall have the authority, without the approval of the stockholders of the Company, to amend any outstanding Award to increase the price per share or to cancel and replace an Award with the grant of an Award having a price per share that is greater than or equal to the price per share of the original Award. Furthermore, for purposes of this Section 10.6, except in connection with a corporate transaction involving the Company (including, without limitation, any stock dividend, stock split, extraordinary cash dividend, recapitalization, reorganization, merger, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, combination or exchange of shares), the terms of outstanding Awards may not be amended to reduce the exercise price per share of outstanding Options or Stock Appreciation Rights or cancel outstanding Options or Stock Appreciation Rights in exchange for cash, other Awards or Options or Stock Appreciation Rights with an exercise price per share that is less than the exercise price per share of the original Options or Stock Appreciation Rights without the approval of the stockholders of the Company.

ARTICLE 11.

ADMINISTRATION

11.1 Administrator. The Committee (or another committee or a subcommittee of the Board assuming the functions of the Committee under the Plan) shall administer the Plan (except as otherwise permitted herein) and, unless otherwise determined by the Board, shall consist solely of two or more Non-Employee Directors, each of whom is intended to qualify as both a “non-employee director” as defined by Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act or any successor rule and an “independent director” under the rules of any securities exchange or automated quotation system on which the Shares are listed, quoted or traded. Except as may otherwise be provided in any charter of the Committee, appointment of Committee members shall be effective upon acceptance of appointment. Committee members may resign at any time by delivering written or electronic notice to the Board. Vacancies in the Committee may only be filled by the Board. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (a) the full Board, acting by a majority of its members in office, shall conduct the general administration of the Plan with respect to Awards granted to Non-Employee Directors and, with respect to such Awards, the terms “Administrator” and “Committee” as used in the Plan shall be deemed to refer to the Board and (b) the Board or Committee may delegate its authority hereunder to the extent permitted by Section 11.6.

11.2 Duties and Powers of Committee. It shall be the duty of the Committee to conduct the general administration of the Plan in accordance with its provisions. The Committee shall have the power to interpret the Plan and Award Agreements, and to adopt such rules for the administration, interpretation and application of the Plan as are not inconsistent therewith, to interpret, amend or revoke any such rules and to amend any Award

Agreement; provided that the rights or obligations of the Holder of the Award that is the subject of any such Award Agreement are not materially affected adversely by such amendment, unless the consent of the Holder is obtained or such amendment is otherwise permitted under Section 10.5 or Section 12.10. Any such grant or award under the Plan need not be the same with respect to each Holder. Any such interpretations and rules with respect to Incentive Stock Options shall be consistent with the provisions of Section 422 of the Code. In its discretion, the Board may at any time and from time to time exercise any and all rights and duties of the Committee under the Plan except with respect to matters which under Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act or any successor rule, or any regulations or rules issued thereunder, or the rules of any securities exchange or automated quotation system on which the Shares are listed, quoted or traded are required to be determined in the discretion of the Committee.

11.3 Action by the Committee. Unless otherwise established by the Board or in any charter of the Committee, a majority of the Committee shall constitute a quorum and the acts of a majority of the members present at any meeting at which a quorum is present, and acts approved in writing by all members of the Committee in lieu of a meeting, shall be deemed the acts of the Committee. Each member of the Committee is entitled to, in good faith, rely or act upon any report or other information furnished to that member by any officer or other employee of the Company or any Subsidiary, the Company’s independent certified public accountants, or any executive compensation consultant or other professional retained by the Company to assist in the administration of the Plan.

11.4 Authority of Administrator. Subject to the Company’s Bylaws, the Committee’s Charter and any specific designation in the Plan, the Administrator has the exclusive power, authority and sole discretion to:

(a) Designate Eligible Individuals to receive Awards;

(b) Determine the type or types of Awards to be granted to Eligible Individuals;

(c) Determine the number of Awards to be granted and the number of Shares to which an Award will relate;

(d) Determine the terms and conditions of any Award granted pursuant to the Plan, including, but not limited to, the exercise price, grant price, purchase price, any performance criteria, any restrictions or limitations on the Award, any schedule for vesting, lapse of forfeiture restrictions or restrictions on the exercisability of an Award, and accelerations or waivers thereof, and any provisions related to non-competition and recapture of gain on an Award, based in each case on such considerations as the Administrator in its sole discretion determines; provided, however, that no term of an Award shall provide for automatic “reload” grants of additional Awards upon the exercise of an Option or Stock Appreciation Right;

(e) Determine whether, to what extent, and pursuant to what circumstances an Award may be settled in, or the exercise price of an Award may be paid in cash, Shares, other Awards, or other property, or an Award may be canceled, forfeited, or surrendered;

(f) Prescribe the form of each Award Agreement, which need not be identical for each Holder;

(g) Decide all other matters that must be determined in connection with an Award;

(h) Establish, adopt or revise any rules and regulations as it may deem necessary or advisable to administer the Plan;

(i) Interpret the terms of, and any matter arising pursuant to, the Plan or any Award Agreement;

(j) Make all other decisions and determinations that may be required pursuant to the Plan or as the Administrator deems necessary or advisable to administer the Plan; and

(k) Accelerate wholly or partially the vesting or lapse of restrictions of any Award or portion thereof at any time after the grant of an Award, subject to whatever terms and conditions it selects.

11.5 Administrator Interpretations; Decisions Binding. The Administrator has full authority and discretion to interpret the Plan’s terms. The Administrator’s interpretation of the Plan, any Awards granted pursuant to the Plan, and any Award Agreement and all decisions and determinations by the Administrator with respect to the Plan are final, binding and conclusive on all parties.

11.6 Delegation of Authority. To the extent permitted by Applicable Law, the Board or Committee may from time to time delegate to a committee of one or more members of the Board, one or more officers of the Company, or one or more service providers of the Company, the authority to grant or amend Awards or to take other administrative actions pursuant to this Article 11; provided, however, that in no event shall an officer or service provider of the Company be delegated the authority to grant awards to, or amend awards held by, the following individuals: (a) individuals who are subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act or (b) officers of the Company (or Directors) to whom authority to grant or amend Awards has been delegated hereunder; provided, further, that any delegation of administrative authority shall only be permitted to the extent it is permissible under Applicable Law. Any delegation hereunder shall be subject to the restrictions and limits that the Board or Committee specifies at the time of such delegation, and the Board may at any time rescind the authority so delegated or appoint a new delegatee. At all times, the delegatee appointed under this Section 11.6 shall serve in such capacity at the pleasure of the Board and the Committee.

ARTICLE 12.

MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

12.1 Amendment, Suspension or Termination of the Plan. Except as otherwise provided in this Section 12.1, the Plan may be wholly or partially amended or otherwise modified, suspended or terminated at any time or from time to time by the Board or the Committee. However, the Administrator may not take any action without approval of the Company’s stockholders given in accordance with Applicable Law, including, except as provided in Section 12.2, increasing the limits imposed in Section 3.1 on the maximum number of Shares which may be issued under the Plan. Except as provided in Section 12.10, no amendment, suspension or termination of the Plan shall, without the consent of the Holder, materially impair any rights or obligations under any Award theretofore granted or awarded, unless the Award itself otherwise expressly so provides. No Awards may be granted or awarded during any period of suspension or after termination of the Plan, and in no event may any Award be granted under the Plan after November 8, 2034 (the “Expiration Date”). Any Awards that are outstanding on the Expiration Date shall remain in force according to the terms of the Plan and the applicable Award Agreement.

12.2 Changes in Common Stock or Assets of the Company, Acquisition or Liquidation of the Company and Other Corporate Events.

(a) In connection with the occurrence of any Equity Restructuring, and notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 12.2, the Administrator shall equitably adjust each outstanding Award, which adjustments may include adjustments to the number and type of securities subject to each outstanding Award and/or the exercise price or grant price thereof, if applicable, the grant of new Awards, and/or the making of a cash payment, as the Administrator deems appropriate to reflect such Equity Restructuring. The adjustments provided under this Section 12.2(a) shall be nondiscretionary and shall be final and binding on the affected Holder and the Company; provided that whether an adjustment is equitable shall be determined in the discretion of the Administrator.

(b) In the event that the Administrator determines that any dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, Common Stock, other securities, or other property), Change in Control, reorganization, merger, amalgamation, consolidation, combination, repurchase, recapitalization, liquidation, dissolution, or sale, transfer, exchange or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, or sale or exchange of

Common Stock or other securities of the Company, issuance of warrants or other rights to purchase Common Stock or other securities of the Company, or other similar corporate transaction or event, as determined by the Administrator, affects the Common Stock such that an adjustment is determined by the Administrator to be appropriate in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended by the Company to be made available under the Plan or with respect to any Award, the Administrator may make equitable adjustments to the extent consistent with Applicable Laws, if any, to reflect such change with respect to: (i) the aggregate number and kind of shares that may be issued under the Plan (including, but not limited to, adjustments of the limitations in Sections 3.1, 3.3 and 3.4 on the maximum number and kind of shares which may be issued under the Plan); (ii) the number and kind of Shares (or other securities or property or cash) subject to outstanding Awards; (iii) the number and kind of Shares (or other securities or property or cash) for which automatic grants are subsequently to be made to new and continuing Non-Employee Directors pursuant to Section 4.5; (iv) the terms and conditions of any outstanding Awards (including, without limitation, any applicable performance targets or criteria with respect thereto); and (v) the grant or exercise price per share for any outstanding Awards under the Plan.

(c) In the event of any transaction or event described in Section 12.2(b) or any unusual or nonrecurring transactions or events affecting the Company, any Subsidiary of the Company, or the financial statements of the Company or any Subsidiary, or of changes in Applicable Law or accounting principles, the Administrator, in its discretion, and on such terms and conditions as it deems appropriate, either by the terms of the Award or by action taken prior to the occurrence of such transaction or event and either automatically or upon the Holder’s request, is hereby authorized to take any one or more of the following actions whenever the Administrator determines that such action is appropriate in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available under the Plan or with respect to any Award under the Plan, to facilitate such transactions or events or to give effect to such changes in laws, regulations or principles:

(i) To provide for either (A) termination of any such Award in exchange for an amount of cash, if any, equal to the amount that would have been attained upon the exercise of such Award or realization of the Holder’s rights (and, for the avoidance of doubt, if as of the date of the occurrence of the transaction or event described in this Section 12.2 the Administrator determines in good faith that no amount would have been attained upon the exercise of such Award or realization of the Holder’s rights, then such Award may be terminated by the Company without payment) or (B) the replacement of such Award with other rights or property selected by the Administrator, in its discretion, having an aggregate value not exceeding the amount that could have been attained upon the exercise of such Award or realization of the Holder’s rights had such Award been currently exercisable or payable or fully vested;

(ii) To provide that such Award be assumed by the successor or survivor corporation, or a parent or subsidiary thereof, or shall be substituted for by similar options, rights or awards covering the stock of the successor or survivor corporation, or a parent or subsidiary thereof, with appropriate adjustments as to the number and kind of shares and prices;

(iii) To make adjustments in the number and type of shares of the Company’s stock (or other securities or property or cash) subject to outstanding Awards, and in the number and kind of outstanding Restricted Stock and/or in the terms and conditions of (including the grant or exercise price), and the criteria included in, outstanding Awards and Awards which may be granted in the future;

(iv) To provide that such Award shall be exercisable or payable, or fully vested with respect to all shares covered thereby, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Plan or the applicable Award Agreement; and

(v) To provide that the Award, including the vested and/or unvested portion thereof, will terminate and cannot vest, be exercised or become payable after such event in exchange for no consideration.

(d) The Administrator, in its discretion, may include such further provisions and limitations in any Award, agreement or certificate, as it may deem equitable and in the best interests of the Company that are not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan.

(e) Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator, no adjustment or action described in this Section 12.2 or in any other provision of the Plan shall be authorized to the extent that such adjustment would cause the Plan to violate Section 422(b)(1) of the Code. Furthermore, no such adjustment or action shall be authorized to the extent such adjustment or action would result in short-swing profits liability under Section 16 of the Exchange Act or violate the exemptive conditions of Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act unless the Administrator determines that the Award is not to comply with such exemptive conditions.

(f) The existence of the Plan, the Award Agreement and the Awards granted hereunder shall not affect or restrict in any way the right or power of the Company or the stockholders of the Company to make or authorize any adjustment, recapitalization, reorganization or other change in the Company’s capital structure or its business, any merger or consolidation of the Company, any issue of stock or of options, warrants or rights to purchase stock or of bonds, debentures, preferred or prior preference stocks whose rights are superior to or affect the Common Stock or the rights thereof or which are convertible into or exchangeable for Common Stock, or the dissolution or liquidation of the Company, or any sale or transfer of all or any part of its assets or business, or any other corporate act or proceeding, whether of a similar character or otherwise.

(g) No action shall be taken under this Section 12.2 which shall cause an Award to fail to comply with Section 409A of the Code, to the extent applicable.

(h) In the event of any pending stock dividend, stock split, combination or exchange of shares, merger, consolidation or other distribution (other than normal cash dividends) of Company assets to stockholders, or any other change affecting the Shares or the share price of the Common Stock including any Equity Restructuring or Change in Control, for reasons of administrative convenience, the Company, in its discretion, may refuse to permit the exercise of any Award during a period of up to thirty (30) days prior to the consummation of any such transaction.

12.3 Approval of Plan by Stockholders. This amended and restated Plan shall be submitted for the approval of the Company’s stockholders within twelve (12) months after the date of the Board’s initial adoption hereof and shall become effective on the date it is approved by the Company’s stockholders. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Prior 2014 Plan shall remain in effect on its existing terms unless and until this amended and restated Plan is approved by the Company’s stockholders.

12.4 No Stockholders Rights. Except as otherwise provided herein, a Holder shall have none of the rights of a stockholder with respect to Shares covered by any Award until the Holder becomes the record owner of such Shares.

12.5 Paperless Administration. In the event that the Company establishes, for itself or using the services of a third party, an automated system for the documentation, granting or exercise of Awards, such as a system using an internet website or interactive voice response, then the paperless documentation, granting or exercise of Awards by a Holder may be permitted through the use of such an automated system.

12.6 Effect of Plan upon Other Compensation Plans. The adoption of the Plan shall not affect any other compensation or incentive plans in effect for the Company or any Subsidiary. Nothing in the Plan shall be construed to limit the right of the Company or any Subsidiary: (a) to establish any other forms of incentives or compensation for Employees, Directors or Consultants of the Company or any Subsidiary, or (b) except as otherwise provided in the penultimate sentence of Section 3.1(a), to grant or assume options or other rights or awards otherwise than under the Plan in connection with any proper corporate purpose including without limitation, the grant or assumption of options in connection with the acquisition by purchase, lease, merger, consolidation or otherwise, of the business, stock or assets of any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, firm or association.

12.7 Compliance with Laws. The Plan, the granting and vesting of Awards under the Plan and the issuance and delivery of Shares and the payment of money under the Plan or under Awards granted or awarded hereunder are subject to compliance with all Applicable Law (including but not limited to state, federal and foreign securities law and margin requirements), and to such approvals by any listing, regulatory or governmental authority as may, in the opinion of counsel for the Company, be necessary or advisable in connection therewith. Any securities delivered under the Plan shall be subject to such restrictions, and the person acquiring such

securities shall, if requested by the Company, provide such assurances and representations to the Company as the Company may deem necessary or desirable to assure compliance with all Applicable Law. To the extent permitted by Applicable Law, the Plan and Awards granted or awarded hereunder shall be deemed amended to the extent necessary to conform to Applicable Law.

12.8 Titles and Headings, References to Sections of the Code or Exchange Act. The titles and headings of the Sections in the Plan are for convenience of reference only and, in the event of any conflict, the text of the Plan, rather than such titles or headings, shall control. References to sections of the Code or the Exchange Act shall include any amendment or successor thereto.

12.9 Governing Law. The Plan and any agreements hereunder shall be administered, interpreted and enforced under the internal laws of the State of Delaware without regard to conflicts of laws thereof or of any other jurisdiction.

12.10 Section 409A. To the extent that the Administrator determines that any Award granted under the Plan is subject to Section 409A of the Code, the Award Agreement evidencing such Award shall incorporate the terms and conditions required by Section 409A of the Code. To the extent applicable, the Plan and any Award Agreements shall be interpreted in accordance with Section 409A of the Code, including without limitation any such regulations or other guidance that may be issued after the Effective Date. Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary, in the event that following the Effective Date the Administrator determines that any Award may be subject to Section 409A of the Code (including Department of Treasury guidance as may be issued after the Effective Date), the Administrator may adopt such amendments to the Plan and the applicable Award Agreement or adopt other policies and procedures (including amendments, policies and procedures with retroactive effect), or take any other actions, that the Administrator determines are necessary or appropriate to (a) exempt the Award from Section 409A of the Code and/or preserve the intended tax treatment of the benefits provided with respect to the Award, or (b) comply with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code and thereby avoid the application of any penalty taxes under such Section.

12.11 No Rights to Awards. No Eligible Individual or other person shall have any claim to be granted any Award pursuant to the Plan, and neither the Company nor the Administrator is obligated to treat Eligible Individuals, Holders or any other persons or Awards (or portions thereof) uniformly.

12.12 Unfunded Status of Awards. The Plan is intended to be an “unfunded” plan for incentive compensation. With respect to any payments not yet made to a Holder pursuant to an Award, nothing contained in the Plan or any Award Agreement shall give the Holder any rights that are greater than those of a general creditor of the Company or any Subsidiary.

12.13 Indemnification. To the extent allowable pursuant to Applicable Law, each member of the Committee or of the Board shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Company from any loss, cost, liability, or expense that may be imposed upon or reasonably incurred by such member in connection with or resulting from any claim, action, suit, or proceeding to which he or she may be a party or in which he or she may be involved by reason of any action or failure to act pursuant to the Plan and against and from any and all amounts paid by him or her in satisfaction of judgment in such action, suit, or proceeding against him or her; provided he or she gives the Company an opportunity, at its own expense, to handle and defend the same before he or she undertakes to handle and defend it on his or her own behalf. The foregoing right of indemnification shall not be exclusive of any other rights of indemnification to which such persons may be entitled pursuant to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws, as a matter of law, or otherwise, or any power that the Company may have to indemnify them or hold them harmless.

12.14 Relationship to other Benefits. No payment pursuant to the Plan shall be taken into account in determining any benefits under any pension, retirement, savings, profit sharing, group insurance, welfare or other benefit plan of the Company or any Subsidiary except to the extent otherwise expressly provided in writing in such other plan or an agreement thereunder.

12.15 Expenses. The expenses of administering the Plan shall be borne by the Company and its Subsidiaries.

* * * * *

SCAN TO VIEW MATERIALS & VOTE T2 BIOSYSTEMS, INC. 101 HARTWELL AVENUE LEXINGTON, MA 02421 VOTE BY INTERNET Before The Meeting - Go to www.proxyvote.com or scan the QR Barcode above Use the Internet to transmit your voting instructions and for electronic delivery of information. Vote by 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time on December 29, 2024. Have your proxy card in hand when you access the web site and follow the instructions to obtain your records and to create an electronic voting instruction form. During The Meeting - Go to www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/TTOO2024 You may attend the meeting via the Internet and vote during the meeting. Have the information that is printed in the box marked by the arrow available and follow the instructions. VOTE BY PHONE - 1-800-690-6903 Use any touch-tone telephone to transmit your voting instructions. Vote by 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time on December 29, 2024. Have your proxy card in hand when you call and then follow the instructions. VOTE BY MAIL Mark, sign and date your proxy card and return it in the postage-paid envelope we have provided or return it to Vote Processing, c/o Broadridge, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, NY 11717. TO VOTE, MARK BLOCKS BELOW IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS FOLLOWS: V59478-P21440 KEEP THIS PORTION FOR YOUR RECORDS THIS PROXY CARD IS VALID ONLY WHEN SIGNED AND DATED. DETACH AND RETURN THIS PORTION ONLY T2 BIOSYSTEMS, INC. For Withhold For All To withhold authority to vote for any individual All All Except nominee(s), mark “For All Except” and write the The Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR number(s) of the nominee(s) on the line below. the following: 1. To elect three (3) directors to serve as Class I directors until the 2027 annual meeting of stockholders and until his/her successor is duly elected and qualified, subject to his/her earlier resignation or removal; Nominees: 01) Laura Adams 02) Robin Toft 03) Seymour Liebman The Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR the following proposals: For Against Abstain To vote upon the approval of the amendment and restatement of our 2014 Incentive Award Plan; To ratify the appointment of BDO USA, LLP (“BDO”) as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024; and To transact such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting or at any and all adjournments or postponements thereof. Signature [PLEASE SIGN WITHIN BOX] Date Signature (Joint Owners) Date Please sign exactly as your name(s) appear(s) hereon. When signing as attorney, executor, administrator, or other fiduciary, please give full title as such. Joint owners should each sign personally. All holders must sign. If the signatory is a corporation or partnership, please sign in full corporate or partnership name by authorized officer.

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting: The Notice and Proxy Statement and Form 10-K are available at www.proxyvote.com. V59479-P21440 T2 BIOSYSTEMS, INC. PROXY STATEMENT FOR THE 2024 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS GENERAL INFORMATION Our Board of Directors (the “Board of Directors” or “Board”) has made the Proxy Statement and related materials available to you on the Internet, or at your request has delivered printed versions to you by mail, in connection with the Board of Directors’ solicitation of proxies for our 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) to be held at 9:00 a.m., Eastern Time on Monday, December 30, 2024, at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/TTOO2024, and any adjournment of the Annual Meeting. If you requested printed versions of these materials by mail, they will also include a proxy card for the Annual Meeting. The Proxy Statement and related materials will be released on or about November 20, 2024 to our stockholders as of the record date of the Annual Meeting. Pursuant to rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), we are providing access to our proxy materials over the Internet. Accordingly, we are sending a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the “Internet Notice”) to our stockholders as of the record date of the Annual Meeting. The mailing of the Internet Notice to our stockholders is anticipated to begin on or about November 20, 2024. The stockholder hereby appoints John Sperzel and Michael Gibbs, or either of them, as proxies, each with the power to appoint their substitute, and hereby authorizes them to represent and to vote, as designated on the reverse side of this ballot, all of the shares of common stock of T2 Biosystems, Inc. that the stockholder is entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting and any adjournment or postponement thereof. THIS PROXY, WHEN PROPERLY EXECUTED, WILL BE VOTED IN THE MANNER DESCRIBED HEREIN. IF NO SUCH DIRECTIONS ARE MADE, THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ RECOMMENDATIONS. PLEASE MARK, SIGN, DATE AND RETURN THIS PROXY CARD PROMPTLY USING THE ENCLOSED REPLY ENVELOPE Continued and to be signed on reverse side