Aeva Technologies, Inc. |
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter) |
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant) |
Aeva Technologies, Inc. |
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter) |
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant) |
1. | Elect the Class I director named in our Proxy Statement to hold office until the 2025 annual meeting of stockholders (the “2025 Annual Meeting”) and until their respective successors have been duly elected and qualified; |
2. | Ratify the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022; |
3. | Approve an amendment to our 2021 Incentive Award Plan to (i) increase the number of shares of our common stock reserved for issuance, and (ii) implement an evergreen share reserve increase pursuant to which the number of shares of our common stock reserved for issuance under the Incentive Plan will increase on an annual basis; |
4. | Approve our Employee Stock Purchase Plan to provide our eligible employees an opportunity to acquire our common stock from us; |
5. | Advisory (non-binding) vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers; |
6. | Advisory (non-binding) vote on the frequency of future advisory votes on executive compensation; |
7. | Transact any other business properly introduced at the Annual Meeting. |
| | By Order of the Board of Directors | |
| | ||
| | Soroush Salehian Dardashti | |
| | Chief Executive Officer |
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Internet | | | Phone | | | Mail | | | Via webcast during the Annual Meeting |
Visit www.proxyvote.com. You will need the 16-digit number included in your proxy card, voter instruction form or notice. | | | Call 1 800-690-6903 or the number on your voter instruction form. You will need the 16-digit number included in your proxy card, voter instruction form or notice. | | | Send your completed and signed proxy card or voter instruction form to Vote Processing c/o Broadridge, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, NY 11717.S | | | Visit www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/ AEVA2022. You will need the 16-digit number included in your proxy card, voter instruction form or notice. Online access begins at 10:00 a.m. (Pacific time). |
Proposal | | | Board Vote Recommendation | |||
Elect Class I Director (page 2) | | | ✔ | | | FOR each Director Nominee |
| | | | |||
Ratify the Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm for 2022 (page 11) | | | ✔ | | | FOR |
| | | | |||
Approve an Amendment to our 2021 Incentive Award Plan (page 14) | | | ✔ | | | FOR |
| | | | |||
Approve our Employee Stock Purchase Plan (page 21) | | | ✔ | | | FOR |
| | | | |||
Advisory (non-binding) vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers; (page 25) | | | ✔ | | | FOR |
| | | | |||
Advisory (non-binding) vote on the frequency of future advisory votes on executive compensation; (page 26) | | | ✔ | | | FOR “three years” |
• | independent director representation on our Audit, Compensation and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees, and our independent directors will meet regularly in executive sessions without the presence of our corporate officers or non-independent directors; and |
• | at least one of our directors qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). |
• | appointing, compensating, retaining, evaluating, terminating and overseeing our independent registered public accounting firm; |
• | discussing with our independent registered public accounting firm their independence from management; |
• | reviewing, with our independent registered public accounting firm, the scope and results of their audit; |
• | approving all audit and permissible non-audit services to be performed by our independent registered public accounting firm; |
• | overseeing the financial reporting process and discussing with management and our independent registered public accounting firm the quarterly and annual financial statements that we file with the SEC; |
• | overseeing our financial and accounting controls and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements; |
• | reviewing our policies on risk assessment and risk management; |
• | reviewing related person transactions; and |
• | establishing procedures for the confidential anonymous submission of concerns regarding questionable accounting, internal controls or auditing matters. |
• | reviewing and approving the corporate goals and objectives, evaluating the performance of and reviewing and approving, (either alone or, if directed by the Board of Directors, in conjunction with a majority of the independent members of the Board of Directors) the compensation of our Chief Executive Officer; |
• | overseeing an evaluation of the performance of and reviewing and setting or making recommendations to our Board of Directors regarding the compensation of our other executive officers; |
• | reviewing and approving or making recommendations to our Board of Directors regarding our incentive compensation and equity-based plans, policies and programs; |
• | reviewing and approving or making recommendations to our Board of Directors regarding all employment agreements and severance arrangements for our executive officers; |
• | recommendations to our Board of Directors regarding the compensation of our directors; and |
• | retaining and overseeing any compensation consultants. |
• | identifying individuals qualified to become members of our Board of Directors, consistent with criteria approved by our Board of Directors; |
• | periodically reviewing our Board of Directors’ leadership structure and recommending any proposed changes to our Board of Directors; |
• | overseeing an annual evaluation of the effectiveness of our Board of Directors and its committees; and |
• | developing and recommending to our Board of Directors a set of corporate governance guidelines. |
| | 2021 | | | 2020 | |
Audit Fees | | | $1,250,700 | | | $259,000 |
Audit-Related Fees | | | 498,700 | | | 267,000 |
Tax Fees | | | — | | | — |
All Other Fees | | | — | | | — |
Total | | | $1,749,400 | | | $526,100 |
• | Stockholder approval is required for any repricing of options or stock appreciation rights; |
• | Administered by a committee composed of independent directors; |
• | No automatic single-trigger vesting upon a change in control; |
• | Specific limits on total director compensation; and |
• | No dividends will be paid on any unvested award until the award vests. |
• | Enabling us to continue to attract and retain the services of key employees who would be eligible to receive grants; |
• | Aligning participants’ interests with the interests of stockholders through incentives that are based upon the performance of our common stock; |
• | Motivating participants, through equity incentive awards, to achieve long-term growth in our business, in addition to short-term financial performance; and |
• | Providing a long-term equity incentive program that is competitive with those at companies with which we compete for talent. |
Dilutive effect of Share Reserve Increase | | | 9.7% |
Total potential dilution, including outstanding awards | | | 19.5% |
Annual burn rate | | | 4.66% |
• | Awards canceled or forfeited are not excluded from the calculation |
Year | | | Time-Vesting Full-Value Shares Granted | | | Options Granted | | | Total Awards | | | Basic Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding as of 12/31/2021 | | | Burn Rate = Total Awards/ Outstanding |
2022 | | | 7,207,201 | | | 1,335,000 | | | 8,542,201 | | | 183,181,262 | | | 4.66% |
Plan Name | | | Awards |
2021 Incentive Award Plan | | | 13,288,140 |
2016 Stock Incentive Plan | | | 11,550,382 |
• | If not terminated earlier by the Board, the Incentive Plan will terminate on March 11, 2031 |
• | The Incentive Plan will generally be administered by a committee comprised solely of independent members of the Board, which will be the Compensation Committee unless otherwise designated by the Board - the Board or Compensation Committee may designate a separate committee to make awards to employees who are not Section 16 officers |
• | Employees, consultants and non-employee directors are eligible to receive awards, but the Compensation Committee has the discretion to determine (i) who shall receive any awards and (ii) the terms and conditions of such awards |
• | the excess of the fair market value of such shares at the time of disposition (or death) over the purchase price; or |
• | the excess of the fair market value of the shares at the time of the grant of the option over the option price on the date of the option grant. |
• | every year; |
• | every two years; or |
• | every three years |
• | Soroush Salehian Dardashti, Chief Executive Officer; |
• | Mina Rezk, President and Chief Technology Officer; and |
• | Saurabh Sinha, Chief Financial Officer. |
• | Attract and retain a highly talented team of executives; |
• | Ensure that the interests of our executive officers are aligned with the interests of our stockholders; |
• | Reward our executive officers for their performance and motivate them to achieve the Company’s strategic goals; and |
• | Ensure that the total compensation paid to each of our named executive officers is fair, reasonable and competitive. |
What We Do | | | What We Don’t Do | ||||||
✔ | | | Maintain an industry-specific peer group for evaluating the competitiveness of our pay | | | ✘ | | | Provide tax gross-up payments for any change-in-control payments |
| | | |||||||
✔ | | | Consult with an independent compensation consultant on compensation levels and practices | | | ✘ | | | Provide special or supplemental executive retirement plans that are exclusive to the executive population |
✔ | | | Deliver executive compensation primarily through performance-based pay | | | | |
• | Developing a group of peer companies to help us determine the appropriate level of overall compensation for our executive officers in fiscal 2022; |
• | Evaluating the overall competitiveness of our compensation program for our executive officers in fiscal 2022; |
• | Evaluating the appropriateness and overall competitiveness of our Company-wide equity compensation guidelines, burn rate and the size of our equity plan share reserve; and |
• | Assessing each separate element of compensation, with a goal of ensuring that the compensation we offer to our executive officers in fiscal 2022 and beyond is deemed appropriate, competitive and fair. |
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Name and Principal Position | | | FY2020 Salary | | | FY2021 Salary |
Soroush Salehian Dardashti Chief Executive Officer | | | $320,000 | | | $450,000 |
Mina Rezk President and Chief Technology Officer | | | $370,000 | | | $500,000 |
Name | | | |
Soroush Salehian Dardashti | | | $1,000,000 |
Mina Rezk | | | $1,000,000 |
Saurabh Sinha | | | $100,000 |
Name and Principal Position | | | Year | | | Salary ($) | | | Bonus ($)(1) | | | Option Awards ($) | | | Stock Awards ($) | | | All other compensation ($) | | | Total ($) |
Soroush Salehian Dardashti Chief Executive Officer | | | 2021 | | | 450,000 | | | 1,551,000 | | | — | | | — | | | 12,300(2) | | | 2,013,300 |
| 2020 | | | 320,000 | | | 120,000 | | | 2,070,051 | | | — | | | | | 2,510,051 | |||
Mina Rezk President & Chief Technology Officer | | | 2021 | | | 500,000 | | | 2,001,000 | | | — | | | — | | | 129,878(3) | | | 2,630,878 |
| 2020 | | | 370,000 | | | 120,000 | | | 3,848,697 | | | — | | | 105,156 | | | 4,443,853 | ||
Saurabh Sinha Chief Financial Officer | | | 2021 | | | 300,000 | | | 311,000 | | | — | | | | | | | 611,000 | ||
| 2020 | | | 76,367 | | | — | | | — | | | 8,026,241 | | | | | 8,102,608 |
1) | 2021 bonus amounts reflect (i) discretionary bonuses paid to the named individual upon the completion of the Company’s deSPAC transaction, as detailed in the “deSPAC Cash Transaction Bonus” table above; (ii) a Company-wide spot bonus in the amount of $1,000 awarded in December 2021; and (iii) the 2021 annual bonus paid in May 2022, whereby the Company awarded Messrs. Dardashti, Rezk and Sinha cash bonuses of $550,000, $1,000,000, and $210,000, respectively, for services in 2021. |
2) | Amount shown reflects a $3,600 meal allowance and a 401(k) plan matching contribution in the amount of $8,700. |
3) | Amount shown reflects $56,204 in housing and living expense, $40,785 in Company paid airfare, $3,600 in meal allowance and $8,700 in 401(k) matching contributions for Mr. Rezk. |
| | | | Option Awards(1) | | | | | | | Stock Awards | ||||||||||
Name | | | Grant Date | | | Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Exercisable | | | Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Unexercisable | | | Option Exercise Price ($) | | | Option Expiration Date | | | Number Of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested (#) | | | Market Value of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested ($)(4) |
Soroush Salehian Dardashti | | | 1/23/2020(2) | | | 868,930 | | | 944,491 | | | 0.5476 | | | 1/23/2030 | | | — | | | |
| 2/6/2019 | | | 1,880,461 | | | — | | | 0.2622 | | | 2/6/2029 | | | — | | | |||
Mina Rezk | | | 1/23/2020(2) | | | 1,615,540 | | | 1,756,023 | | | 0.5476 | | | 1/23/2030 | | | — | | | |
| | 2/6/2019 | | | 3,496,203 | | | — | | | 0.2622 | | | 2/6/2029 | | | — | | | ||
Saurabh Sinha | | | 11/18/2020(3) | | | — | | | — | | | — | | | | | 820,940 | | | 6,206,306 |
1) | Each option grant is subject to the terms of our 2016 Stock Incentive Plan (“2016 Plan”). Shares underlying each award granted under our 2016 Plan are shares of common stock of the Company. |
2) | Shares subject to the stock option vest in 48 equal installments on each monthly anniversary of the grant date, subject to accelerated vesting upon a termination of employment with the Company without “cause” or a resignation for “good reason” (each such term as defined in the applicable award agreement) that occurs in connection with or 12 months after the closing of a Business Combination (as defined in the applicable award agreement). |
3) | The restricted stock unit award to Mr. Sinha became eligible to vest only in the event a certain business combination was successfully completed, which occurred in connection with the completion of the deSPAC transaction. With respect to 864,155 of the shares subject to the restricted stock unit award, 25% of such shares vested on September 28, 2021, and the remaining 75% of such underlying shares vest in six equal semi-annual installments thereafter and with respect to 172,827 of the shares subject to the restricted stock unit award, 25% of such shares vested on March 12, 2022, and the remaining 75% of such underlying shares will vest in six equal semi-annual installments thereafter; however all of the shares subject to the restricted stock unit award will vest upon the termination of the recipient’s service to the company without cause (as defined in the 2016 Plan) or by Mr. Sinha for good reason (as defined in the recipient’s employment offer letter) within 12 months following a change in control. |
4) | The market value is based on the $7.56 fair market value of our common stock on December 31, 2021, the closing selling price of our common stock on such date. |
| | Stock Awards | ||||
Name | | | Number of Shares Acquired on Vesting (#) | | | Value Realized on Vesting ($) |
Saurabh Sinha | | | 216,042 | | | 1,698,090 |
• | 12 months (9 months in the case of Mr. Sinha) of the then-current base salary, payable in a lump sum in cash; |
• | An amount equal to the target bonus for the then-current year, payable in a lump sum in cash; |
• | Company-paid coverage under the Company’s group health plan or monthly payments necessary to cover the full premiums for continued coverage under the Company’s plan through COBRA, which payments will be grossed up for applicable taxes, for up to 12 months following the date of termination (but ceasing once equivalent employer-paid coverage is otherwise available). |
• | 12 months of the then-current base salary (or the officer’s base salary in effect immediately prior to the Change in Control, if higher), payable in a lump sum in cash; |
• | An amount equal to the target bonus for the then-current year (or the target bonus in effect immediately prior to the Change in Control, if higher), payable in a lump sum in cash; |
• | accelerated vesting of all outstanding stock options and other stock-based awards that are subject solely to time-based vesting; and |
• | continued health benefits as described above. |
Executive | | | Executive Benefits and Payment upon Termination | | | Termination by Company without Cause or Voluntary Resignation for Good Reason within 12 months Following a Change in Control ($) |
Soroush Salehian Dardashti | | | Acceleration of Option Shares | | | $6,623,148 |
| | Acceleration of Restricted Stock Units | | | — | |
Mina Rezk | | | Acceleration of Option Shares | | | $12,313,935 |
| | Acceleration of Restricted Stock Units | | | — | |
Saurabh Sinha | | | Acceleration of Option Shares | | | — |
| | Acceleration of Restricted Stock Units | | | $6,206,306 |
• | a $50,000 annual cash retainer; |
• | an additional $10,000 cash retainer for service on each committee; and |
• | $150,000 annual RSU grant with a grant date of the annual meeting and vesting on the first anniversary of the grant date (subject to continued service) or upon a change of control. |
• | each person who is the beneficial owner of more than 5% of the outstanding shares of common stock; |
• | each of the Company’s named executive officers and directors; and |
• | all of the Company’s executive officers and directors as a group. |
Name and Address of Beneficial Owners | | | Number of Shares of Common Stock Beneficially Owned | | | Percentage of Outstanding Common Stock |
5% Stockholders: | | | | | ||
Entities affiliated with Sylebra Capital LTD(1) | | | 27,101,533 | | | 12.4% |
Canaan Partners XI LLC(2) | | | 18,485,197 | | | 8.5% |
Entities affiliated with Lux Ventures IV, L.P.(3) | | | 16,651,687 | | | 7.6% |
| | | | |||
Directors and Named Executive Officers: | | | | | ||
Soroush Salehian Dardashti(4) | | | 27,440,307 | | | 12.4% |
Mina Rezk(5) | | | 51,017,737 | | | 22.8% |
Saurabh Sinha(6) | | | 465,940 | | | * |
Shahin Farshchi | | | 19,407 | | | * |
Hrach Simonian | | | — | | | — |
Erin Polek | | | — | | | — |
Christopher Eberle | | | — | | | — |
Stephen Zadesky | | | — | | | — |
Ahmed Fattouh | | | — | | | — |
Directors and executive officers as a group (9 individuals) | | | 78,943,391 | | | 34.7% |
* | Indicates less than 1% |
1) | Solely based on information in a Form 13F jointly filed with the SEC on August 16, 2022 by Sylebra Capital LTD and Sylebra Capital LLC, indicating it had sole voting and dispositive power for 27,101,533 shares of our common stock. |
2) | Solely based on information in a Form 13F filed with the SEC on August 10, 2022 by Canaan Partners XI LLC, indicating it had sole voting and dispositive power for 18,485,197 shares of our common stock. |
3) | Solely based on information in a Schedule 13D filed with the SEC on August 5, 2022 by Lux Venture Partners IV, LLC; Lux Ventures IV, L.P.; Lux Co-Invest Partners, LLC; and Lux Co-Invest Opportunities, L.P. The Schedule 13D indicates that as of August 1, 2022, Lux Ventures IV, L.P. directly owns 14,692,316 shares of our common stock and Lux Co-Invest Opportunities, L.P. directly owns |
4) | Interests shown consist of (a) 24,275,340 shares of our common stock held by a trust for which Mr. Salehian serves as the trustee and (b) 3,164,967 shares subject to options exercisable within 60 days of September 1, 2022. |
5) | Interests shown consist of (a) 45,133,344 shares of our common stock held by a trust for which Mr. Rezk serves as the trustee and (b) 5,884,393 shares subject to options exercisable within 60 days of September 1, 2022. |
6) | Interests shown consist of (a) 183,191 shares of our common stock held directly by Mr. Sinha, (b) 153,125 shares subject to options exercisable within 60 days of September 1, 2022 and (c) 129,624 restricted stock units that will vest within 60 days of September 1, 2022. |
• | the risks, costs, and benefits to the Company; |
• | the impact on a director’s independence in the event the related person is a director, immediate family member of a director or an entity with which a director is affiliated; |
• | the terms of the transaction; |
• | the availability of other sources for comparable services or products; and |
• | the terms available to or from, as the case may be, unrelated third parties. |
• | providing stockholders with the ability to submit appropriate questions in advance of the meeting to ensure thoughtful responses from management and the Board; |
• | providing stockholders with the ability to submit appropriate questions real-time via the meeting website; and |
• | answering as many questions submitted in accordance with the meeting rules of conduct as possible in the time allotted for the meeting without discrimination. |
• | If you received a paper copy of the proxy materials by mail, mail the completed proxy card in the enclosed return envelope; |
• | Call 1 800-690-6903; or |
• | Log on to the internet at www.proxyvote.com and follow the instructions at that site. The website address for internet voting is also provided on your Notice of Availability. |
• | FOR the nominee for director named in this Proxy Statement; and |
• | FOR the ratification of the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for 2022. |
Proposal | | | | | Vote Required | | | Broker Discretionary Voting Allowed | |
Proposal 1 | | | Election of Class I Director | | | Plurality of Votes Cast for each Director Nominee | | | No |
Proposal 2 | | | Ratification of Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm | | | Majority of Votes Cast | | | Yes |
Proposal 3 | | | Approval the Amendment to our 2021 Incentive Award Plan | | | Majority of Votes Cast | | | No |
Proposal 4 | | | Approval our Employee Stock Purchase Plan | | | Majority of Votes Cast | | | No |
Proposal | | | | | Vote Required | | | Broker Discretionary Voting Allowed | |
Proposal 5 | | | Advisory (non-binding) vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers; | | | Majority of Votes Cast | | | No |
Proposal 6 | | | Advisory (non-binding) vote on the frequency of future advisory votes on executive compensation; | | | Majority of Votes Cast | | | No |
• | FOR election of our Board-nominated slate of directors (see Proposal 1); |
• | FOR the ratification of the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, to be the auditors of our annual financial statements for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022 (see Proposal 2). |
• | FOR the approval of the amendment to our 2021 Incentive Award Plan (see Proposal 3); |
• | FOR the approval our Employee Stock Purchase Plan (see Proposal 4); |
• | FOR the approval of the advisory (non-binding) vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers (see Proposal 5); |
• | FOR the frequency of the advisory (non-binding) vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers by held every three years (see Proposal 6). |
• | Filing written notice of revocation before our Annual Meeting with our Vice President of Legal at 555 Ellis Street, Mountain View, California 94043; |
• | Signing a proxy bearing a later date and delivering it before our Annual Meeting; or |
• | Attending the live webcast and voting online during the Annual Meeting. |