EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND DIRECTOR COMPENSATION

The following is a discussion of compensation arrangements of our named executive officers (the “Named Executive Officers”). As an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), we are not required to include a Compensation Discussion and Analysis section and have elected to comply with the scaled disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies.

Our Named Executive Officers for the year ended December 31, 2019 include our principal executive officer and the next two most highly compensated executive officers during the year ended December 31, 2019:

Annual Base Salary

The base salary of our Named Executive Officers is generally determined and approved periodically or in connection with the commencement of employment of the executive, by our Board. As of December 31, 2019, base salaries for our Named Executive Officers, which became effective as of January 1, 2019, are provided below.

Bonus Compensation

From time to time our Board or Compensation Committee may approve bonuses for our Named Executive Officers based on individual performance, company performance or as otherwise determined appropriate. 

Pursuant to their respective employment agreements, Dr. Pham was, and each of Mr. Varner and Mr. Confer is, eligible to receive an annual cash bonus upon the achievement of performance objectives mutually agreed between the executive and the Board. During 2019, no performance objectives were established or agreed upon between the Board and our Named Executive Officers. The Board did not award bonuses to any of our Named Executive Officers for 2019.

Equity-Based Incentive Awards

Our equity-based incentive awards are designed to align our interests and those of our stockholders with those of our employees and consultants, including our Named Executive Officers. The Board is responsible for approving equity grants. Stock options were the only form of equity awards we granted to our Named Executive Officers in 2019.

We have historically used stock options as an incentive for long-term compensation to our Named Executive Officers because they are able to profit from stock options only if our stock price increases relative to the stock option’s exercise price, which exercise price is set at no less than the fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant. We may grant equity awards at such times as our Board determines appropriate. Our executives generally are awarded an initial grant in the form of a stock option in connection with their commencement of employment with us. Additional grants may be made periodically in order to specifically incentivize executives with respect to achieving certain corporate goals or to reward executives for exceptional performance.

Prior to the initial public offering of our common stock, we granted all stock options pursuant to our 2009 Equity Incentive Plan. Following our initial public offering, we have granted and will grant equity incentive awards under the terms of our 2018 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2018 Plan”).

All options are granted with an exercise price per share that is no less than the fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant of such award. Our stock option awards generally vest over a four-year period and may be subject to acceleration of vesting and exercisability under certain termination and change in control events. See “—Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End.”

In January 2019, the Board granted an option to purchase 615,384 shares to Mr. Varner, an option to purchase 432,692 shares to Dr. Pham and an option to purchase 230,769 shares to Mr. Confer. Each of these options was granted under the 2018 Plan, and each has an exercise price of $1.62 per share, the closing price of our common stock as reported on The Nasdaq Capital Market on January 25, 2019, the date of grant. One thirty-sixth of the options granted to each of Mr. Varner, Dr. Pham and Mr. Confer vest each month following January 14, 2019.

Agreements with Named Executive Officers

Employment Agreement with Rodney Varner

In April 2018, we entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Varner, our Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Varner’s employment under the agreement is at will and may be terminated at any time by us or by him. Under the terms of the agreement, Mr. Varner was initially entitled to receive an annual base salary of $350,000. The agreement provides that the Company may pay Mr. Varner a bonus as described above under “—Bonus Compensation” and provides that the Company may grant to Mr. Varner options to purchase shares of our common stock.

The agreement provides that during the term of Mr. Varner’s employment with us and for one year after the termination of his employment, Mr. Varner will not encourage any of our employees or consultants to leave Genprex and will not compete or assist others to compete with us.

If, prior to a change of control, we terminate Mr. Varner’s employment without cause or if Mr. Varner resigns for good reason, and Mr. Varner delivers to us a signed settlement agreement and general release of claims, we are obligated to pay Mr. Varner: (i) a severance payment equal to 18 months of Mr. Varner’s base salary then in effect; (ii) a payment equal to Mr. Varner’s then applicable annual target bonus, calculated at full attainment; (iii) reimbursement of COBRA premium payments made by Mr. Varner for the 12 months following such termination; and (iv) acceleration as to 100% of Mr. Varner’s unvested equity awards from us, subject in the case of (i) and (ii) to our having at least $5 million in cash or cash equivalents and a net worth of at least $5 million on the date of termination.

If, within 12 months following a change of control, Mr. Varner’s employment is terminated without cause or Mr. Varner resigns for good reason, and he delivers to us a signed settlement agreement and general release of claims, we are obligated to pay Mr. Varner: (i) a severance payment equal to 18 months of Mr. Varner’s base salary then in effect; (ii) a payment equal to Mr. Varner’s then applicable target bonus for 18 months, calculated at full attainment; (iii) reimbursement of COBRA premium payments made by Mr. Varner for the 18 months following such termination; and (iv) acceleration as to 100% of Mr. Varner’s unvested equity awards from us, subject in the case of (i) and (ii) to our having at least $5 million in cash or cash equivalents and a net worth of at least $5 million on the date of termination.

For the purposes of Mr. Varner’s employment agreement, “cause” means the occurrence of any of the following events: (i) a determination by our Board that Mr. Varner’s performance is unsatisfactory after there has been delivered to him a written demand for performance which describes the specific deficiencies in his performance and the specific manner in which his performance must be improved, and which provides 30 business days from the date of notice to remedy such performance deficiencies; (ii) Mr. Varner’s conviction of or plea of nolo contendere to a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude which our Board reasonably finds has had or will have a detrimental effect on our reputation or business; (iii) Mr. Varner’s engaging in an act of gross negligence or willful misconduct in the performance of his employment obligations and duties that materially harms us; (iv) Mr. Varner’s committing an act of fraud against, material misconduct or willful misappropriation of property belonging to us; or (v) Mr. Varner’s material breach of his confidentiality, invention assignment and noncompetition agreement with us or of any other unauthorized misuse of our trade secrets or proprietary information.

For purposes of Mr. Varner’s employment agreement, “good reason” means the occurrence of any of the following taken without Mr. Varner’s written consent and conditioned on (a) his providing us with notice of the basis for such resignation for good reason, (b) our failure to cure the event constituting good reason within 30 days after notice and (c) his termination of his employment within 30 days following the expiration of the cure period: (i) a material change in Mr. Varner’s position, titles, offices or duties; (ii) an assignment of any significant duties to Mr. Varner that are inconsistent with his positions or offices held under his employment agreement; (iii) a decrease in Mr. Varner’s then current annual base salary by more than 10% (other than in connection with a general decrease in the salary of all of our other similarly situated employees); or (iv) the relocation of Mr. Varner to a facility or a location more than 50 miles from his then current location.

Amended and Restated Employment Agreement with Julien L. Pham, MD, MPH

On May 23, 2018, we entered into an amended and restated employment agreement with Julien L. Pham, MD, MPH, who was then our President and Chief Operating Officer.

Effective as of March 12, 2020, Dr. Pham’s executive officer title was changed to President and Chief Scientific Officer. On April 27, Dr. Pham resigned his positions as our President and Chief Scientific Officer and as an employee of Genprex.

Dr. Pham’s employment under the agreement was at will and could be terminated at any time by us or by him. Under the terms of the agreement, Dr. Pham was initially entitled to receive an annual base salary of $325,000. Dr. Pham was also entitled to receive a bonus upon the achievement of performance objectives agreed upon between our Board and Dr. Pham. The amount of the bonus for 2018 was up to 33.33% of Dr. Pham’s then-current base salary; the amount of the bonus after 2018 would be determined by our Board. The agreement provided for an initial grant of options to purchase an aggregate of 659,346 shares of our common stock to Dr. Pham, and provided that the Company could grant to Dr. Pham additional options to purchase shares of our common stock.

The agreement provided that during the term of Dr. Pham’s employment with us and for one year after the termination of his employment, Dr. Pham would not encourage any of our employees or consultants to leave Genprex and would not compete or assist others to compete with us.

If, prior to a change of control, we were to terminate Dr. Pham’s employment without cause or if Dr. Pham were to resign for good reason, and Dr. Pham delivered to us a signed settlement agreement and general release of claims, we would have been obligated to pay Dr. Pham: (i) a severance payment equal to 12 months of Dr. Pham’s base salary then in effect; (ii) a payment equal to Dr. Pham’s then applicable annual target bonus, calculated at full attainment; (iii) reimbursement of COBRA premium payments made by Dr. Pham for the 12 months following such termination; and (iv) acceleration as to 100% of Dr. Pham’s Time Based Options, subject in the case of (i) and (ii) to our having at least $5 million in cash or cash equivalents and a net worth of at least $5 million on the date of termination.

If, within 12 months following a change of control, Dr. Pham’s employment were terminated without cause or Dr. Pham were to resign for good reason, and he delivered to us a signed settlement agreement and general release of claims, we would have been obligated to pay Dr. Pham: (i) a severance payment equal to 12 months of Dr. Pham’s base salary then in effect; (ii) a payment equal to Dr. Pham’s then applicable annual target bonus, calculated at full attainment; (iii) reimbursement of COBRA premium payments made by Dr. Pham for the 12 months following such termination; and (iv) acceleration as to 100% of Dr. Pham’s unvested equity awards from us, subject in the case of (i) and (ii) to our having at least $5 million in cash or cash equivalents and a net worth of at least $5 million on the date of termination.

For the purposes of Dr. Pham’s employment agreement, “cause” meant the occurrence of any of the following events: (i) a determination by our Board that Dr. Pham’s performance was unsatisfactory after there had been delivered to him a written demand for performance which described the specific deficiencies in his performance and the specific manner in which his performance must be improved, and which provided 30 business days from the date of notice to remedy such performance deficiencies; (ii) Dr. Pham’s conviction of or plea of nolo contendere to a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude which our Board reasonably found had or would have a detrimental effect on our reputation or business; (iii) Dr. Pham’s engaging in an act of gross negligence or willful misconduct in the performance of his employment obligations and duties that materially harmed us; (iv) Dr. Pham’s committing an act of fraud against, material misconduct or willful misappropriation of property belonging to us; or (v) Dr. Pham’s material breach of his confidentiality, invention assignment and noncompetition agreement with us or of any other unauthorized misuse of our trade secrets or proprietary information.

For purposes of Dr. Pham’s employment agreement, “good reason” meant the occurrence of any of the following taken without Dr. Pham’s written consent and conditioned on (a) his providing us with notice of the basis for such resignation for good reason, (b) our failure to cure the event constituting good reason within 30 days after notice and (c) his termination of his employment within 30 days following the expiration of the cure period: (i) a material change in Dr. Pham’s position, titles, offices or duties other than as provided in the agreement; (ii) an assignment of any significant duties to Dr. Pham that were inconsistent with his positions or offices held under his employment agreement; (iii) a decrease in Dr. Pham’s then current annual base salary (other than in connection with a general decrease in the salary of all of our other similarly situated employees); or (iv) the requirement that Dr. Pham relocate his personal residence to a location more than 50 miles from his then current residence.

Separation Agreement with Julien L. Pham, MD, MPH

On April 27, 2020, we entered into a Separation Agreement (the "Separation Agreement") with Julien L. Pham, MD, MPH, in connection with Dr. Pham’s resignation from Genprex. Dr. Pham may revoke the Separation Agreement within a period of seven days after the execution date, after which time if not revoked, the Separation Agreement will become effective (the “Effective Date”). The Separation Agreement includes a general release of any claims of Dr. Pham against the Company and the other Releasees (as defined in the Separation Agreement), including, but not limited to, any claims under Dr. Pham’s Amended and Restated Executive Employment Agreement dated as of May 23, 2018 (the “Employment Agreement”) with the Company.

As consideration for the general release, and subject to Dr. Pham’s continued compliance with the terms and conditions of the Separation Agreement and the restrictive covenants contained in the Employment Agreement and the Confidential Information, Assignment of Inventions and Noncompetition Agreement attached as Exhibit A to the Employment Agreement (the “Confidentiality Agreement”), Dr. Pham will be entitled to receive the following: (i) payment of five months of Dr. Pham’s base salary of $375,000, or an aggregate of $156,250, subject to applicable withholding and payable in installments in accordance the Company’s normal payroll practices; (ii) reimbursement for five months of insurance coverage under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, if incurred; (iii) accelerated vesting of stock options with time-based vesting that would have vested had Dr. Pham remained employed with the Company, with the total number of shares for which such newly vested options are exercisable being 410,117; and (iv) a release of any claims of the Company against Dr. Pham.

Under the Separation Agreement, during the five months following the Effective Date, Dr. Pham will provide up to two hours per week of consultation services relating to the transition of his duties, if and as requested by the Company, for which the Company will compensate him at a rate of $500 per hour.  Also under the Separation Agreement, stock options with respect to 164,837 shares with vesting based on achievement of milestones will be forfeited. The Separation Agreement also contains customary provisions relating to, among other things, return of Company property and information and reaffirmation of Dr. Pham’s ongoing obligations under the Employment Agreement and the Confidentiality Agreement.

Employment Agreement with Ryan Confer

In April 2018, we entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Confer, our Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Confer’s employment under the agreement is at will and may be terminated at any time by us or by him. Under the terms of the agreement, Mr. Confer was initially entitled to receive an annual base salary of $240,000. The agreement provides that the Company may pay Mr. Confer a bonus as described above under “—Bonus Compensation” and provides that the Company may grant to Mr. Confer options to purchase shares of our common stock.

The agreement provides that during the term of Mr. Confer’s employment with us and for one year after the termination of his employment, Mr. Confer will not encourage any of our employees or consultants to leave Genprex and will not compete or assist others to compete with us.

If we terminate Mr. Confer’ employment without cause or if Mr. Confer resigns for good reason, and Mr. Confer delivers to us a signed settlement agreement and general release of claims, we are obligated to pay Mr. Confer: (i) a severance payment equal to 12 months of Mr. Confer’ base salary then in effect; (ii) a payment equal to Mr. Confer’s then applicable annual target bonus, calculated at full attainment; (iii) reimbursement of COBRA premium payments made by Mr. Confer for the 12 months following such termination; and (iv) acceleration as to 100% of Mr. Confer’s unvested equity awards from us, subject in the case of (i) and (ii) to our having at least $5 million in cash or cash equivalents and a net worth of at least $5 million on the date of termination.

For the purposes of Mr. Confer’s employment agreement, “cause” means the occurrence of any of the following events: (i) a determination by our Board that Mr. Confer’s performance is unsatisfactory after there has been delivered to him a written demand for performance which describes the specific deficiencies in his performance and the specific manner in which his performance must be improved, and which provides 30 business days from the date of notice to remedy such performance deficiencies; (ii) Mr. Confer’s conviction of or plea of nolo contendere to a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude which our Board reasonably finds has had or will have a detrimental effect on our reputation or business; (iii) Mr. Confer’s engaging in an act of gross negligence or willful misconduct in the performance of his employment obligations and duties that materially harms us; (iv) Mr. Confer’s committing an act of fraud against, material misconduct or willful misappropriation of property belonging to us; or (v) Mr. Confer’s material breach of his confidentiality, invention assignment and noncompetition agreement with us or of any other unauthorized misuse of our trade secrets or proprietary information.

For purposes of Mr. Confer’s employment agreement, “good reason” means the occurrence of any of the following taken without Mr. Confer’s written consent and conditioned on (a) his providing us with notice of the basis for such resignation for good reason, (b) our failure to cure the event constituting good reason within 30 days after notice and (c) his termination of his employment within 30 days following the expiration of the cure period: (i) a material change in Mr. Confer’s position, titles, offices or duties; (ii) an assignment of any significant duties to Mr. Confer that are inconsistent with his positions or offices held under his employment agreement; (iii) a decrease in Mr. Confer’s then current annual base salary by more than 10% (other than in connection with a general decrease in the salary of all of our other similarly situated employees); or (iv) the relocation of Mr. Confer to a facility or a location more than 50 miles from his then current location.

Any potential payments and benefits due upon a qualifying termination of employment or a change in control are further described below under “—Potential Payments and Benefits upon Termination or Change in Control.”

Potential Payments and Benefits upon Termination or Change in Control

Regardless of the manner in which a Named Executive Officer’s service terminates, each Named Executive Officer is entitled to receive amounts earned during his term of service, including unpaid salary. In addition, Dr. Pham was, and each of Mr. Varner and Mr. Confer is, entitled to receive certain benefits upon our termination of his employment without cause or his resignation for good reason, and Mr. Varner is entitled to receive certain additional benefits upon such a termination or resignation within 12 months after a change of control, all as provided above under “—Agreements with Named Executive Officers.”

Each of our Named Executive Officers holds stock options that were granted subject to the general terms and termination and change in control provisions of our 2009 Equity Incentive Plan and our 2018 Equity Incentive Plan. A description of the termination and change in control provisions in our 2009 Plan and 2018 Plan and applicable to the stock options granted to our Named Executive Officers is provided below under “—Equity Benefit Plans” and “—Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End” and above under “—Equity-Based Incentive Awards.”

Option Repricings

We did not engage in any repricings or other modifications or cancellations of any of our Named Executive Officers’ outstanding equity awards during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019.

Perquisites, Health, Welfare and Retirement Benefits

Our Named Executive Officers, during their employment with us, are eligible to participate in our employee benefit plans, including our medical, dental, vision, employee whole life, disability and accidental death and dismemberment insurance plans, in each case on the same basis as all of our other employees. We do not provide a 401(k) plan to our employees at this time.

We generally do not provide perquisites or personal benefits to our Named Executive Officers, except in limited circumstances. We do, however, pay the premiums for medical, dental, vision, employee whole life, disability and accidental death and dismemberment insurance for all of our employees, including our Named Executive Officers. Our Board may elect to adopt qualified or nonqualified benefit plans in the future if it determines that doing so is in our best interests.

Nonqualified Deferred Compensation

We do not maintain nonqualified defined contribution plans or other nonqualified deferred compensation plans. Our Board may elect to provide our officers and other employees with nonqualified defined contribution or other nonqualified deferred compensation benefits in the future if it determines that doing so is in our best interests.

Prohibition Against Speculative Trading

Our insider trading policy prohibits our officers, directors, other employees or consultants from engaging in short sales, transactions in put or call options, hedging transactions or other inherently speculative transactions with respect to our stock at any time. In addition, none of our executives, directors, other employees or consultants may margin, or make any offer to margin, or otherwise pledge as security, any of our stock, including without limitation, borrowing against such stock, at any time.

Equity Benefit Plans

2018 Equity Incentive Plan

Our Board and stockholders approved and adopted our 2018 Equity Incentive Plan in April 2018. The 2018 Plan became effective on April 3, 2018, upon the closing of the initial public offering of our common stock. No further grants will be made under the 2009 Plan.

Stock Awards. The 2018 Plan provides for the grant of incentive stock options, or ISOs, nonstatutory stock options, or NSOs, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock awards, restricted stock unit awards, performance based stock awards, and other forms of equity compensation, which we refer to collectively as stock awards. Additionally, the 2018 Plan provides for the grant of performance cash awards. ISOs may be granted only to employees. All other awards may be granted to employees, including officers, and to non-employee directors and consultants of us and our affiliates.

Share Reserve. Initially, the aggregate number of shares of our common stock that may be issued pursuant to stock awards under the 2018 Plan was 6,788,749 shares, which is the sum of (1) 3,605,037 new shares, plus (2) 554,963 shares reserved for issuance under our 2009 Plan at the time our 2018 Plan became effective, plus (3) up to 2,628,749 shares subject to outstanding stock options or other stock awards that would have otherwise returned to our 2009 Plan (such as upon the expiration or termination of a stock award prior to vesting).

The number of shares of our common stock reserved for issuance under our 2018 Plan will automatically increase on January 1 of each year, beginning on January 1, 2019 and continuing through and including January 1, 2028, by 5% of the total number of shares of our capital stock outstanding on December 31 of the preceding calendar year, or a lesser number of shares determined by our Board. Accordingly, on January 1, 2019, the number of shares of our common stock reserved for issuance under our 2018 Plan automatically increased by 761,957 shares of our common stock. As of December 31, 2019, stock options granted under our 2009 Plan covering a total of 2,491,152 shares, and stock options granted under our 2018 Plan covering a total of 3,491,771 shares were outstanding, and a total of 1,567,783hares remained available for issuance under our 2018 Plan.. The maximum number of shares that may be issued upon the exercise of ISOs under our 2018 Plan is 8,320,000 shares.

No person may be granted stock awards covering more than 1,040,000 shares of our common stock under our 2018 Plan during any calendar year pursuant to stock options, stock appreciation rights and other stock awards whose value is determined by reference to an increase over an exercise or strike price of at least 100% of the fair market value on the date the stock award is granted. Additionally, no person may be granted in a calendar year a performance stock award covering more than 2,080,000 shares or a performance cash award having a maximum value in excess of $2,000,000. Such limitations are designed to help assure that any deductions to which we would otherwise be entitled with respect to such awards will not be subject to the $1,000,000 limitation on the income tax deductibility of compensation paid to any covered executive officer imposed by Section 162(m) of the Code. In addition, the maximum number of shares of our common stock subject to stock awards granted under the 2018 Plan during any one calendar year to any non-employee director will not exceed $1,000,000 in total value, or, with respect to the calendar year in which a non-employee director is first appointed or elected to our Board, $2,000,000.

If a stock award granted under the 2018 Plan expires or otherwise terminates for any reason prior to exercise or settlement, the shares of our common stock not acquired pursuant to the stock award again will become available for subsequent issuance under the 2018 Plan. In addition, the following types of shares under the 2018 Plan may become available for the grant of new stock awards under the 2018 Plan: (1) shares that are forfeited to or repurchased by us prior to becoming fully vested; (2) shares withheld to satisfy income or employment withholding taxes; or (3) shares used to pay the exercise or purchase price of a stock award. Shares issued under the 2018 Plan may be previously unissued shares or reacquired shares bought by us on the open market. As of the date hereof, no awards have been granted and no shares of our common stock have been issued under the 2018 Plan.

Administration. Our Board, or a duly authorized committee thereof, has the authority to administer the 2018 Plan. Our Board may also delegate to one or more of our officers the authority to (1) designate employees (other than officers) to be recipients of certain stock awards, and (2) determine the number of shares of common stock to be subject to such stock awards. Subject to the terms of the 2018 Plan, our Board or the authorized committee, referred to herein as the plan administrator, determines recipients, dates of grant, the numbers and types of stock awards to be granted and the terms and conditions of the stock awards, including the period of their exercisability and vesting schedule applicable to a stock award. Subject to the limitations set forth below, the plan administrator will also determine the exercise price, strike price or purchase price of awards granted and the types of consideration to be paid for the award.

The plan administrator has the authority to modify outstanding awards under our 2018 Plan. Subject to the terms of our 2018 Plan, the plan administrator has the authority to reduce the exercise, purchase or strike price of any outstanding stock award, cancel any outstanding stock award in exchange for new stock awards, cash or other consideration, or take any other action that is treated as a repricing under generally accepted accounting principles, with the consent of any adversely affected participant.

Stock Options. ISOs and NSOs are granted pursuant to stock option agreements adopted by the plan administrator. The plan administrator determines the exercise price for a stock option, within the terms and conditions of the 2018 Plan, provided that the exercise price of a stock option generally cannot be less than 100% of the fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant. Options granted under the 2018 Plan vest at the rate specified by the plan administrator.

The plan administrator determines the term of stock options granted under the 2018 Plan, up to a maximum of 10 years. Unless the terms of an optionholder’s stock option agreement provide otherwise, if an optionholder’s service relationship with us, or any of our affiliates, ceases for any reason other than disability, death or cause, the optionholder may generally exercise any vested options for a period of three months following the cessation of service. The option term may be extended in the event that exercise of the option following such a termination of service is prohibited by applicable securities laws or our insider trading policy. If an optionholder’s service relationship with us or any of our affiliates ceases due to disability or death, or an optionholder dies within a certain period following cessation of service, the optionholder or a beneficiary may generally exercise any vested options for a period of 12 months in the event of disability and 18 months in the event of death. In the event of a termination for cause, all options generally terminate immediately upon the termination of the individual for cause. In no event may an option be exercised beyond the expiration of its term.

Acceptable consideration for the purchase of common stock issued upon the exercise of a stock option will be determined by the plan administrator and may include (1) cash, check, bank draft or money order, (2) a broker-assisted cashless exercise, (3) the tender of shares of our common stock previously owned by the optionholder, (4) a net exercise of the option if it is an NSO, and (5) other legal consideration approved by the plan administrator.

Unless the plan administrator provides otherwise, options generally are not transferable except by will, the laws of descent and distribution, or pursuant to a domestic relations order. An optionholder may designate a beneficiary, however, who may exercise the option following the optionholder’s death.

Tax Limitations on Incentive Stock Options. The aggregate fair market value, determined at the time of grant, of our common stock with respect to ISOs that are exercisable for the first time by an optionholder during any calendar year under all of our stock plans and the stock plans of any of our affiliates may not exceed $100,000. Options or portions thereof that exceed such limit will generally be treated as NSOs. No ISO may be granted to any person who, at the time of the grant, owns or is deemed to own stock possessing more than 10% of our total combined voting power or that of any of our affiliates unless (1) the option exercise price is at least 110% of the fair market value of the stock subject to the option on the date of grant, and (2) the term of the ISO does not exceed five years from the date of grant.

Restricted Stock Awards. Restricted stock awards are granted pursuant to restricted stock award agreements adopted by the plan administrator. Restricted stock awards may be granted in consideration for (1) cash, check, bank draft or money order, (2) services rendered to us or our affiliates, or (3) any other form of legal consideration. Common stock acquired under a restricted stock award may, but need not, be subject to a share repurchase option in our favor in accordance with a vesting schedule to be determined by the plan administrator. A restricted stock award may be transferred only upon such terms and conditions as set by the plan administrator. Except as otherwise provided in the applicable award agreement, restricted stock that has not vested will be forfeited or repurchased by us upon the participant’s cessation of continuous service for any reason.

Restricted Stock Unit Awards. Restricted stock unit awards are granted pursuant to restricted stock unit award agreements adopted by the plan administrator. Restricted stock unit awards may be granted in consideration for any form of legal consideration. A restricted stock unit award may be settled by cash, delivery of stock, a combination of cash and stock as deemed appropriate by the plan administrator, or in any other form of consideration set forth in the restricted stock unit award agreement. Additionally, dividend equivalents may be credited in respect of shares covered by a restricted stock unit award. Except as otherwise provided in the applicable award agreement, restricted stock units that have not vested will be forfeited upon the participant’s cessation of continuous service for any reason.

Stock Appreciation Rights. Stock appreciation rights are granted pursuant to stock appreciation grant agreements adopted by the plan administrator. The plan administrator determines the strike price for a stock appreciation right, which generally cannot be less than 100% of the fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant. Upon the exercise of a stock appreciation right, we will pay the participant an amount equal to the product of (1) the excess of the per share fair market value of our common stock on the date of exercise over the strike price, multiplied by (2) the number of shares of common stock with respect to which the stock appreciation right is exercised. A stock appreciation right granted under the 2018 Plan vests at the rate specified in the stock appreciation right agreement as determined by the plan administrator.

The plan administrator determines the term of stock appreciation rights granted under the 2018 Plan, up to a maximum of 10 years. Unless the terms of a participant’s stock appreciation right agreement provides otherwise, if a participant’s service relationship with us or any of our affiliates ceases for any reason other than cause, disability or death, the participant may generally exercise any vested stock appreciation right for a period of three months following the cessation of service. The stock appreciation right term may be further extended in the event that exercise of the stock appreciation right following such a termination of service is prohibited by applicable securities laws. If a participant’s service relationship with us, or any of our affiliates, ceases due to disability or death, or a participant dies within a certain period following cessation of service, the participant or a beneficiary may generally exercise any vested stock appreciation right for a period of 12 months in the event of disability and 18 months in the event of death. In the event of a termination for cause, stock appreciation rights generally terminate immediately upon the occurrence of the event giving rise to the termination of the individual for cause. In no event may a stock appreciation right be exercised beyond the expiration of its term.

Performance Awards. The 2018 Plan permits the grant of performance-based stock and cash awards that may qualify as performance-based compensation that is not subject to the $1,000,000 limitation on the income tax deductibility of compensation paid to a covered executive officer imposed by Section 162(m) of the Code. To help assure that the compensation attributable to performance-based awards will so qualify, our Compensation Committee can structure such awards so that stock or cash will be issued or paid pursuant to such award only after the achievement of certain pre-established performance goals during a designated performance period.

The performance goals that may be selected include one or more of the following: (1) earnings (including earnings per share and net earnings); (2) earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation; (3) earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization; (4) earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and legal settlements; (5) earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, legal settlements and other income (expense); (6) earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, legal settlements, other income (expense) and stock-based compensation; (7) earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, legal settlements, other income (expense), stock-based compensation and changes in deferred revenue; (8) earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, legal settlements, other income (expense), stock-based compensation, other non-cash expenses and changes in deferred revenue; (9) total stockholder return; (10) return on equity or average stockholder’s equity; (11) return on assets, investment, or capital employed; (12) stock price; (13) margin (including gross margin); (14) income (before or after taxes); (15) operating income; (16) operating income after taxes; (17) pre-tax profit; (18) operating cash flow; (19) sales or revenue targets; (20) increases in revenue or product revenue; (21) expenses and cost reduction goals; (22) improvement in or attainment of working capital levels; (23) economic value added (or an equivalent metric); (24) market share; (25) cash flow; (26) cash flow per share; (27) cash balance; (28) cash burn; (29) cash collections; (30) share price performance; (31) debt reduction; (32) implementation or completion of projects or processes (including, without limitation, discovery of a preclinical drug candidate, recommendation of a drug candidate to enter a clinical trial, clinical trial initiation, clinical trial enrollment and dates, clinical trial results, regulatory filing submissions (such as IND, BLA and NDA), regulatory filing acceptances, regulatory or advisory committee interactions, regulatory approvals, and product supply); (33) stockholders’ equity; (34) capital expenditures; (35) financings; (36) operating profit or net operating profit; (37) workforce diversity; (38) growth of net income or operating income; (39) employee retention; (40) initiation of studies by specific dates; (41) budget management; (42) submission to, or approval by, a regulatory body (including, but not limited to the FDA) of an applicable filing or a product; (43) regulatory milestones; (44) progress of internal research or development programs; (45) progress of partnered programs; (46) partner satisfaction; (47) timely completion of clinical trials; (48) milestones related to research development (including, but not limited to, preclinical and clinical studies), product development and manufacturing; (49) expansion of sales in additional geographies or markets; (50) research progress, including the development of programs; (51) strategic partnerships or transactions (including in-licensing and out-licensing of intellectual property; (52) filing of patent applications and granting of patents; and (53) and to the extent that an award is not intended to comply with Section 162(m) of the Code, other measures of performance selected by our Board.

The performance goals may be based on a company-wide basis, with respect to one or more business units, divisions, affiliates, or business segments, and in either absolute terms or relative to the performance of one or more comparable companies or the performance of one or more relevant indices. Unless specified otherwise (1) in the award agreement at the time the award is granted or (2) in any other document setting forth the performance goals at the time the goals are established, we will appropriately make adjustments in the method of calculating the attainment of performance goals as follows: (a) to exclude restructuring and/or other nonrecurring charges; (b) to exclude exchange rate effects; (c) to exclude the effects of changes to generally accepted accounting principles; (d) to exclude the effects of any statutory adjustments to corporate tax rates; (e) to exclude the effects of any “items of an unusual nature or of infrequency of occurrence or non-recurring items” as determined under generally accepted accounting principles; (f) to exclude the dilutive effects of acquisitions or joint ventures; (g) to assume that any business divested by us achieved performance objectives at targeted levels during the balance of a performance period following such divestiture; (h) to exclude the effect of any change in the outstanding shares of our common stock by reason of any stock dividend or split, stock repurchase, reorganization, recapitalization, merger, consolidation, spin-off, combination or exchange of shares or other similar corporate change, or any distributions to common stockholders other than regular cash dividends; (i) to exclude the effects of stock based compensation and the award of bonuses under our bonus plans; (j) to exclude costs incurred in connection with potential acquisitions or divestitures that are required to be expensed under generally accepted accounting principles; (k) to exclude the goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges that are required to be recorded under generally accepted accounting principles; (l) to exclude the effect of any other unusual, non-recurring gain or loss or other extraordinary item; and (m) to exclude the effects of the timing of acceptance for review and/or approval of submissions to the FDA or any other regulatory body. In addition, we retain the discretion to reduce or eliminate the compensation or economic benefit due upon attainment of the goals. The performance goals may differ from participant to participant and from award to award.

Other Stock Awards. The plan administrator may grant other awards based in whole or in part by reference to our common stock. The plan administrator will set the number of shares under the stock award and all other terms and conditions of such awards.

Changes to Capital Structure. In the event that there is a specified type of change in our capital structure, such as a stock split or recapitalization, appropriate adjustments will be made to (1) the class and maximum number of shares reserved for issuance under the 2018 Plan, (2) the class and maximum number of shares by which the share reserve may increase automatically each year, (3) the class and maximum number of shares that may be issued upon the exercise of ISOs, (4) the class and maximum number of shares subject to stock awards that can be granted to any person in a calendar year (as established under the 2018 Plan pursuant to Section 162(m) of the Code), and (5) the class and number of shares and exercise price, strike price, or purchase price, if applicable, of all outstanding stock awards.

Corporate Transactions. In the event of certain specified significant corporate transactions (or a change in control, as described below), the plan administrator has the discretion to take any of the following actions with respect to stock awards:

Our plan administrator is not obligated to treat all stock awards, even those that are of the same type, in the same manner.

Under the 2018 Plan, a corporate transaction is generally the consummation of (1) a sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of our assets, (2) a sale or other disposition of more than 50% of our outstanding securities, (3) a merger, consolidation or similar transaction following which we are not the surviving corporation, or (4) a merger, consolidation or similar transaction following which we are the surviving corporation but the shares of our common stock outstanding immediately prior to such transaction are converted or exchanged into other property by virtue of the transaction.

Change in Control. In addition to the above, the plan administrator may provide, in an individual award agreement or in any other written agreement between a participant and us that the stock award will be subject to additional acceleration of vesting and exercisability in the event of a change in control. Under the 2018 Plan, a change in control is generally (1) the acquisition by a person or entity of more than 50% of our combined voting power other than by merger, consolidation or similar transaction; (2) a consummated merger, consolidation or similar transaction immediately after which our stockholders cease to own more than 50% of the combined voting power of the surviving entity (or its parent); (3) a consummated sale, lease, exclusive license or other disposition of all or substantially of our assets; (4) a complete dissolution or liquidation of the Company, except for a liquidation into a parent corporation; or (5) when a majority of our Board becomes comprised of individuals who were not serving on our Board on the date of adoption of the 2018 Plan, or the incumbent board, or whose nomination, appointment, or election was not approved by a majority of the incumbent board then still in office.

Amendment and Termination. Our Board has the authority to amend, suspend, or terminate our 2018 Plan, provided that such action does not impair the existing rights of any participant without such participant’s written consent. No ISOs may be granted after the 10th anniversary of the date our Board adopted our 2018 Plan.

2009 Equity Incentive Plan

Our Board and our stockholders approved our 2009 Equity Incentive Plan in November 2009. The 2009 Plan was subsequently amended by our Board and stockholders, most recently in August 2012. As of December 31, 2019, there were outstanding stock options covering a total of 2,491,152 shares that were granted under our 2009 Plan and no additional shares available for grant under the 2009 Plan.

No additional awards will be granted under the 2009 Plan, and all outstanding awards granted under the 2009 Plan that are repurchased, forfeited, expire or are canceled will become available for grant under the 2018 Plan in accordance with its terms.

If a stock award granted under the 2009 Plan is forfeited to us or repurchased by us because of the failure to meet a contingency or condition required for vesting, such shares will become available for subsequent issuance under the 2018 Plan. In addition, shares withheld to satisfy income or employment withholding taxes and shares used to pay the exercise price of a stock option will become available for the grant of new stock awards under the 2018 Plan. Shares issued under the 2009 Plan may be authorized but unissued or reacquired common stock.

Administration. Our Board, or a duly authorized committee thereof, has the authority to administer the 2009 Plan. Subject to the terms of the 2009 Plan, our Board or the authorized committee, referred to herein as the plan administrator, determines recipients, dates of grant, the numbers and types of stock awards to be granted and the terms and conditions of the stock awards, including the period of their exercisability and vesting schedule applicable to a stock award. Subject to the limitations set forth below, the plan administrator will also determine the exercise price, strike price or purchase price of awards granted and the types of consideration to be paid for the award.

The plan administrator has the authority to modify outstanding awards under our 2009 Plan. Subject to the terms of our 2009 Plan, the plan administrator has the authority to reduce the exercise price of any outstanding stock option, cancel any outstanding stock option in exchange for new stock awards, cash or other consideration, or take any other action that is treated as a repricing under generally accepted accounting principles, with the consent of any adversely affected participant.

Stock Options. ISOs and NSOs are granted pursuant to stock option agreements adopted by the plan administrator. The plan administrator determines the exercise price for a stock option, within the terms and conditions of the 2009 Plan, provided that the exercise price of a stock option generally cannot be less than 100% of the fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant. Options granted under the 2009 Plan vest at the rate specified by the plan administrator.

The plan administrator determines the term of stock options granted under the 2009 Plan, up to a maximum of 10 years. Unless the terms of an optionholder’s stock option agreement provide otherwise, if an optionholder’s service relationship with us, or any of our affiliates, ceases for any reason other than disability or death, the optionholder may generally exercise any vested options for a period of three months following the cessation of service, with respect to employee optionholders. The option term may be extended in the event that exercise of the option following such a termination of service is prohibited by applicable securities laws. If an optionholder’s service relationship with us or any of our affiliates ceases due to death, or an optionholder dies within a certain period following cessation of service, the optionholder or a beneficiary may generally exercise any vested options for a period of 12 months following the date of death. If an optionholder’s service relationship with us or any of our affiliates ceases due to disability, the optionholder may generally exercise any vested options for a period of 12 months following the cessation of service. In no event may an option be exercised beyond the expiration of its term.

Acceptable consideration for the purchase of common stock issued upon the exercise of a stock option will be as determined by the plan administrator.

Unless the plan administrator provides otherwise, options generally are not transferable except by will or by the laws of descent and distribution.

Changes to Capital Structure. In the event that there is a specified type of change in our capital structure, such as a stock split or recapitalization, appropriate adjustments will be made to (a) the class and maximum number of shares reserved for issuance under the 2009 Plan, (b) the class and maximum number of shares that may be issued upon the exercise of ISOs, and (c) the class and number of shares and price per share of stock subject to all outstanding stock awards.

Corporate Transactions. In the event of a change in control, unless otherwise provided in a stock award or other written agreement between us and the holder of a stock award, each stock award will be treated as the plan administrator determines, arranging for the assumption or substitution of a stock award by a successor entity. If the successor entity does not assume or substitute for the stock award, the vesting and exercisability, if applicable, of the stock award will accelerate in full.

Our plan administrator is not obligated to treat all stock awards or portions thereof or all holders of stock awards, even those that are of the same type, in the same manner.

Under the 2009 Plan, a change in control is generally the occurrence of (1) any transaction or series of related transactions in which in excess of 50% of our voting power is transferred; (2) the replacement of a majority of the members of our Board during any 12-month period by directors whose appointment or election is not endorsed by a majority of the members of our Board prior to the date of such appointment or election; or (3) the acquisition by a third party of our assets that have a total gross fair market value equal to or more than 50% of the total gross fair market value of all of our assets immediately prior to such acquisition.

Change in Control. The plan administrator may provide, in an individual award agreement or in any other written agreement between a participant and us that the stock award will be subject to additional acceleration of vesting and exercisability in the event of a change in control.

Amendment and Termination. Our Board has the authority to amend, alter, suspend, or terminate our 2009 Plan, provided that such action does not impair the existing rights of any participant without such participant’s written consent.

2018 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

The 2018 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, or ESPP, will become effective when the Board determines to make this benefit available to employees. The purpose of the ESPP is to retain the services of new employees and secure the services of new and existing employees while providing incentives for such individuals to exert maximum efforts toward our success and that of our affiliates.

Share Reserve. The ESPP authorizes the issuance of 208,050 shares of our common stock pursuant to purchase rights granted to our employees or to employees of any of our designated affiliates. The number of shares of our common stock reserved for issuance under the ESPP will automatically increase on January 1 of each calendar year, beginning on January 1, 2019 and continuing through and including January 1, 2028 by 2% of the total number of shares of our capital stock outstanding on December 31 of the preceding calendar year, or a lesser number of shares determined by our Board. Our Board determined that the number of shares of our common stock reserved for issuance under the ESPP would not be increased on January 1, 2019. The ESPP is intended to qualify as an “employee stock purchase plan” within the meaning of Section 423 of the Code. As of the date hereof, no shares of our common stock have been purchased under the ESPP.

Administration. Our Board has delegated its authority to administer the ESPP to our Compensation Committee. The ESPP is implemented through a series of offerings of purchase rights to eligible employees. Under the ESPP, we may specify offerings with durations of not more than 27 months, and may specify shorter purchase periods within each offering. Each offering will have one or more purchase dates on which shares of our common stock will be purchased for employees participating in the offering. An offering may be terminated under certain circumstances.

Payroll Deductions. Generally, all regular employees, including executive officers, employed by us or by any of our designated affiliates, may participate in the ESPP and may contribute, normally through payroll deductions, up to 15% of their earnings for the purchase of our common stock under the ESPP. Unless otherwise determined by our Board, common stock will be purchased for accounts of employees participating in the ESPP at a price per share equal to the lower of (a) 85% of the fair market value of a share of our common stock on the first date of an offering or (b) 85% of the fair market value of a share of our common stock on the date of purchase.

Limitations. Employees may have to satisfy one or more of the following service requirements before participating in the ESPP, as determined by our Board: (a) customarily employed for more than 20 hours per week, (b) customarily employed for more than five months per calendar year or (c) continuous employment with us or one of our affiliates for a period of time (not to exceed two years). No employee may purchase shares under the ESPP at a rate in excess of $25,000 worth of our common stock based on the fair market value per share of our common stock at the beginning of an offering for each year such a purchase right is outstanding. Finally, no employee will be eligible for the grant of any purchase rights under the ESPP if immediately after such rights are granted, such employee has voting power over 5% or more of our outstanding capital stock measured by vote or value pursuant to Section 424(d) of the Code.

Changes to Capital Structure. In the event that there occurs a change in our capital structure through such actions as a stock split, merger, consolidation, reorganization, recapitalization, reincorporation, stock dividend, dividend in property other than cash, large nonrecurring cash dividend, liquidating dividend, combination of shares, exchange of shares, change in corporate structure or similar transaction, the Board will make appropriate adjustments to (a) the class and number of shares reserved under the ESPP, (b) the class and maximum number of shares by which the share reserve may increase automatically each year, (c) the class and number of shares and purchase price of all outstanding offerings and purchase rights and (d) the class and number of shares that are the subject of the purchase limits under each ongoing offering.

Corporate Transactions. In the event of certain significant corporate transactions, including the consummation of: (1) a sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of our assets, (2) the sale or other disposition of more than 50% of our outstanding securities, (3) a merger, consolidation or similar transaction where we do not survive the transaction, and (4) a merger, consolidation or similar transaction where we do survive the transaction but the shares of our common stock outstanding immediately prior to such transaction are converted or exchanged into other property by virtue of the transaction, any then-outstanding rights to purchase our stock under the ESPP may be assumed, continued or substituted for by any surviving or acquiring entity (or its parent company). If the surviving or acquiring entity (or its parent company) elects not to assume, continue or substitute for such purchase rights, then the participants’ accumulated payroll contributions will be used to purchase shares of our common stock within 10 business days prior to such corporate transaction, and such purchase rights will terminate immediately after such purchase.

Plan Amendments, Termination. Our Board has the authority to amend or terminate our ESPP, provided that, except in certain circumstances, any such amendment or termination may not materially impair any outstanding purchase rights without the holder’s consent. We will obtain stockholder approval of any amendment to our ESPP as required by applicable law or listing requirements.

We have reimbursed and will continue to reimburse all of our non-employee directors for their travel, lodging and other reasonable expenses incurred in attending meetings of our Board and committees of our Board.

Our Board adopted an Outside Director Compensation Policy in April 2018 that became effective in connection with our initial public offering, was amended in November 2018 and is applicable to all of our non-employee directors. This compensation policy provides that non-employee directors will receive the following compensation elements, as applicable, for service on our Board and its committees:

Each annual cash retainer and each additional annual cash fee will be paid quarterly in arrears on a prorated basis.

Each initial option grant and each annual option grant will vest as to all of the shares subject to the option upon the earlier of (i) the one-year anniversary of the grant date and (ii) the day prior to the next annual stockholder meeting occurring after the grant date.

Each of the option grants described above will vest and become exercisable subject to the director’s continuous service to us, provided that each option will vest in full upon a change in control (as defined under our 2018 Plan). The term of each option will be 10 years, subject to earlier termination as provided in the 2018 Plan. The options will be granted under our 2018 Plan, the terms of which are described in more detail above under “—Equity Benefit Plans—2018 Equity Incentive Plan.”

RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

The following includes a summary of transactions since January 1, 2018 to which we have been a party, including transactions in which the amount involved in the transaction exceeds the lesser of $120,000 and 1% of the average of our total assets at year-end for the last two completed fiscal years, and in which any of our directors, executive officers or, to our knowledge, beneficial owners of more than 5% of any class of our voting securities or any member of the immediate family of any of the foregoing persons had or will have a direct or indirect material interest, other than equity and other compensation, termination, change in control and other arrangements, which are described elsewhere in this proxy statement. We are not otherwise a party to a current related party transaction, and no transaction is currently proposed, in which the amount of the transaction exceeds the lesser of $120,000 and 1% of the average of our total assets at year-end for the last two completed fiscal years and in which a related person had or will have a direct or indirect material interest.

Loan from Domecq Sebastian, LLC

On December 8, 2017, we received a loan from Domecq Sebastian, LLC in the amount of $200,000 and executed a Promissory Note under which we agreed to repay the loan on or before March 31, 2018, with interest at a rate of 15% per annum. Domecq Sebastian, LLC is the beneficial owner of more than 5% of a class of our voting securities and is affiliated with David Nance, a former director and officer who is now deceased. The note carried a 18% default interest on amounts paid after the maturity date. We repaid this note in April 2018 with a portion of the proceeds of the initial public offering of our common stock.

Purchase of Shares in Our Initial Public Offering by Christy Mallinson Nance

Christy Mallinson Nance, who holds voting and dispositive power over the securities held by Domecq Sebastian, LLC, purchased an aggregate of 50,000 shares of our common stock in our initial public offering in April 2018.

Issuances of Shares to Jack A. Roth, MD, FACS

Pursuant to a Consulting Agreement dated November 5, 2009 between us and Jack A. Roth, MD, FACS, the beneficial owner of more than 5% of a class of our voting securities and the Chairman of our Scientific and Medical Advisory Board, we issue to Dr. Roth shares of our common stock each year. We issue these shares to Dr. Roth at the beginning of each calendar quarter. Under this arrangement, we issued to Dr. Roth an aggregate of 76,842 shares of our common stock in 2018 and an aggregate of 20,000 shares of our common stock in 2019.

Purchase of Shares in Our Initial Public Offering by JREG Investments, Ltd.

JREG Investments, Ltd., an affiliate of Dr. Roth, purchased an aggregate of 40,000 shares of our common stock in our initial public offering in April 2018.

Issuances of Warrants to Affiliates of Viet-An Hoan Ly

In April 2020, we issued a warrant to purchase 500,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $2.27 per share to Cancer Revolution, LLC, in conjunction with past and future services provided to us. Cancer Revolution is an entity affiliated with Viet-An Hoan Ly, the beneficial owner of more than 5% of a class of our voting securities. This warrant is currently exercisable with respect to 300,000 shares, and becomes vested with respect to the remaining 200,000 shares upon commencement of patient enrollment in a Phase I clinical trial of a diabetes drug candidate based on technology we have licensed from the University of Pittsburgh. This warrant expires on April 24, 2030, and is currently outstanding.

In July 2018, we issued (a) a warrant to purchase 425,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $5.00 per share to Cancer Revolution, LLC, and (b) a warrant to purchase 144,352 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $5.00 per share to Inception Capital Management, LLC, each of which is an entity affiliated with Mr. Ly, in conjunction with past and future services provided to us. These warrants are currently exercisable, expire on July 27, 2023, and are currently outstanding.

Loan from Viet-An Hoan Ly

On March 9, 2018, we received a loan from Viet Ly in the amount of $25,000 and executed a Promissory Note under which we agreed to repay the loan on or before June 9, 2018, with no interest rate if paid prior to maturity and a rate of 10% per annum if not paid on maturity. We repaid this note in April 2018 with a portion of the proceeds of the initial public offering of our common stock.

Royalty Payments to Introgen Research Institute, Inc.

Pursuant to an Amended Collaboration and Assignment Agreement dated July 1, 2011 between us and Introgen Research Institute, Inc., or IRI (the “2011 IRI Collaboration Agreement”), we are obligated to IRI a royalty of 1% of net sales of licensed products and 1% of certain other payments received by us, with respect to intellectual property owned by the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center ("MD Anderson") and licensed to us by IRI. This royalty obligation continues for 21 years after the later of the termination of certain license and sublicense agreements between MD Anderson and us. IRI is affiliated with Rodney Varner, our Chief Executive Officer and the Chairman of our Board. We made no payments under the 2011 IRI Collaboration Agreement in 2018 or 2019.

Loan from Rodney Varner

On March 28, 2018, we received a loan from Rodney Varner in the amount of $45,000 and executed a Promissory Note under which we agreed to repay the loan on or before April 6, 2018, with no interest rate if paid prior to maturity and a rate of 10% per annum if not paid on maturity. We repaid this note prior to the maturity date with a portion of the proceeds from the initial public offering of our common stock.

Purchase of Shares in Our Initial Public Offering by Rodney Varner

Mr. Varner purchased an aggregate of 10,000 shares of our common stock in our initial public offering in April 2018.

Employment and Consulting Arrangements

Employment Agreement with Catherine M. Vaczy

On March 12, 2020, in connection with the appointment of Catherine M. Vaczy as our Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, we entered into an employment agreement with Ms. Vaczy that governs the terms of her employment with us.

 Ms. Vaczy’s employment under the agreement is at will and may be terminated at any time by us or by her. Under the terms of the agreement, Ms. Vaczy is initially entitled to receive an annual base salary of $365,000. Ms. Vaczy is also entitled to receive a bonus upon the achievement of performance objectives agreed upon between our Board of Directors and Ms. Vaczy.

The agreement provides that for twelve months after the termination of her employment, Ms. Vaczy will not encourage any of our employees or consultants to leave Genprex and that during the term of Ms. Vaczy’s employment with us and for six months after the termination of her employment, Ms. Vaczy will not compete or assist others to compete with us.

If we terminate Ms. Vaczy’s employment without cause or if Ms. Vaczy resigns for good reason, in either case before a change of control or within twelve months following a change of control, and Ms. Vaczy delivers to us a signed settlement agreement and general release of claims, we are obligated to pay Ms. Vaczy: (i) a severance payment equal to six months of Ms. Vaczy’s base salary then in effect; (ii) a payment equal to one-half of Ms. Vaczy’s then applicable annual target bonus (provided that any portion of the target bonus that relates to performance criteria that have been achieved shall be calculated at full attainment); (iii) reimbursement of COBRA premium payments made by Ms. Vaczy for the six months following such termination; and (iv) acceleration as to 100% of Ms. Vaczy’s unvested equity awards from us, subject in the case of (i) and (ii) to our having at least $5 million in cash or cash equivalents and a net worth of at least $5 million on the date of termination.

For the purposes of Ms. Vaczy’s employment agreement, “cause” means the occurrence of any of the following events: (i) a determination by our Board of Directors that Ms. Vaczy’s performance is unsatisfactory after there has been delivered to her a written demand for performance which describes the specific deficiencies in her performance and the specific manner in which her performance must be improved, and which provides 30 business days from the date of notice to remedy such performance deficiencies; (ii) Ms. Vaczy’s conviction of or plea of nolo contendere to a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude which our Board of Directors reasonably finds has had or will have a detrimental effect on our reputation or business; (iii) Ms. Vaczy’s engaging in an act of gross negligence or willful misconduct in the performance of her employment obligations and duties that materially harms us; (iv) Ms. Vaczy’s committing an act of fraud against, material misconduct or willful misappropriation of property belonging to us; or (v) Ms. Vaczy’s material breach of her confidentiality, invention assignment and noncompetition agreement with us or of any other unauthorized misuse of our trade secrets or proprietary information.

For purposes of Ms. Vaczy’s employment agreement, “good reason” means the occurrence of any of the following taken without Ms. Vaczy’s written consent and conditioned on (a) her providing us with notice of the basis for such resignation for good reason, (b) our failure to cure the event constituting good reason within 30 days after notice and (c) her termination of her employment within 30 days following the expiration of the cure period: (i) a material change in Ms. Vaczy’s position, titles, offices or duties; (ii) an assignment of any significant duties to Ms. Vaczy that are inconsistent with her positions or offices held under her employment agreement; (iii) a decrease in Ms. Vaczy’s then current annual base salary by more than 10% (other than in connection with a general decrease in the salary of all of our other similarly situated employees); or (iv) the relocation of Ms. Vaczy to a facility or a location more than 50 miles from her then current location.

Employment Agreement with Michael T. Redman

On March 12, 2020, in connection with the appointment of Michael T. Redman as our Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, we entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Redman that governs the terms of his employment with us

Mr. Redman’s employment under the agreement is at will and may be terminated at any time by us or by him. Under the terms of the agreement, Mr. Redman is initially entitled to receive an annual base salary of $300,000. Mr. Redman is also entitled to receive a bonus upon the achievement of performance objectives agreed upon between our Board of Directors and Mr. Redman.

The agreement provides that for twelve months after the termination of his employment, Mr. Redman will not encourage any of our employees or consultants to leave Genprex and that during the term of Mr. Redman’s employment with us and for twelve months after the termination of his employment, Mr. Redman will not compete or assist others to compete with us.

If we terminate Mr. Redman’s employment without cause or if Mr. Redman resigns for good reason, in either case before a change of control or within twelve months following a change of control, and Mr. Redman delivers to us a signed settlement agreement and general release of claims, we are obligated to pay Mr. Redman: (i) a severance payment equal to six months of Mr. Redman’s base salary then in effect; (ii) a payment equal to one-half of Mr. Redman’s then applicable annual target bonus (provided that any portion of the target bonus that relates to performance criteria that have been achieved shall be calculated at full attainment); (iii) reimbursement of COBRA premium payments made by Mr. Redman for the six months following such termination; and (iv) acceleration as to 100% of Mr. Redman’s unvested equity awards from us, subject in the case of (i) and (ii) to our having at least $5 million in cash or cash equivalents and a net worth of at least $5 million on the date of termination.

For the purposes of Mr. Redman’s employment agreement, “cause” means the occurrence of any of the following events: (i) a determination by our Board of Directors that Mr. Redman’s performance is unsatisfactory after there has been delivered to him a written demand for performance which describes the specific deficiencies in his performance and the specific manner in which his performance must be improved, and which provides 30 business days from the date of notice to remedy such performance deficiencies; (ii) Mr. Redman’s conviction of or plea of nolo contendere to a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude which our Board of Directors reasonably finds has had or will have a detrimental effect on our reputation or business; (iii) Mr. Redman’s engaging in an act of gross negligence or willful misconduct in the performance of his employment obligations and duties that materially harms us; (iv) Mr. Redman’s committing an act of fraud against, material misconduct or willful misappropriation of property belonging to us; or (v) Mr. Redman’s material breach of his confidentiality, invention assignment and noncompetition agreement with us or of any other unauthorized misuse of our trade secrets or proprietary information.

For purposes of Mr. Redman’s employment agreement, “good reason” means the occurrence of any of the following taken without Mr. Redman’s written consent and conditioned on (a) his providing us with notice of the basis for such resignation for good reason, (b) our failure to cure the event constituting good reason within 30 days after notice and (c) his termination of his employment within 30 days following the expiration of the cure period: (i) a material change in Mr. Redman’s position, titles, offices or duties; (ii) an assignment of any significant duties to Mr. Redman that are inconsistent with his positions or offices held under his employment agreement; or (iii) a decrease in Mr. Redman’s then current annual base salary by more than 10% (other than in connection with a general decrease in the salary of all of our other similarly situated employees).

Advisory Agreement with Catherine M. Vaczy

In December 2019, we entered into an Advisory Agreement with Ms. Vaczy. Pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, Ms. Vaczy agreed to provide advisory services to us and we agreed to pay Ms. Vaczy at a rate of $12,500 per month, reimburse her expenses, and, in our sole discretion, provide discretionary performance awards.  We paid a total of $12,500 in 2019 and a total of $142,000 in 2020 to Ms. Vaczy pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, which terminated upon the execution of the employment agreement between Ms. Vaczy and us on March 12, 2020, when she became our Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer.

Consulting Agreement with Michael T. Redman

In August 2019, we entered into a Consulting Agreement with Mr. Redman. Pursuant to the Consulting Agreement, Mr. Redman agreed to provide consulting services to us and we agreed to pay Mr. Redman at a rate of $15,000 per month.  Mr. Redman provided consulting services to us under the Consulting Agreement from August 7 to December 2, 2019, and again from January 31 to March 12, 2020.  We paid a total of $57,580.64 in 2019 and a total of $28,181.32 in 2020 to Mr. Redman pursuant to the Consulting Agreement, which terminated upon the execution of the employment agreement between Mr. Redman and us on March 12, 2020, when he became our Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

Agreements with Longnecker & Associates

In each of 2018 and 2019, we entered into an agreement with Longnecker & Associates, a compensation consulting firm of which Brent M. Longnecker serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Longnecker became a member of our Board of Directors on March 18, 2020. Pursuant to the agreements between Longnecker & Associates and us, Longnecker & Associates provided advisory services to the Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors related to cash and equity compensation policies and recommendations. We paid Longnecker & Associates $37,000 in 2018 and $49,500 in 2019 for such services.

Consulting Agreement with Viet-An Hoan Ly

In August 2018, we entered into a consulting agreement with Mr. Ly, pursuant to which we agreed to pay him $175,000 per year, which amount may vary as determined by Mr. Ly and us, for strategic consulting services.

Consulting Agreement with Jack A. Roth, MD, FACS

Pursuant to the Consulting Agreement with Dr. Roth, we pay Dr. Roth annual cash fees at the highest amount consistent with the policies of MD Anderson, increased annually by a percentage equal to the automatic cost of living adjustment set forth for Social Security benefits. Under this arrangement, we paid Dr. Roth an aggregate of $200,694 in 2018 and $211,200 in 2019.

Stock Options Granted to Executive Officers and Directors and Cash Payments Made to Directors

In accordance with our Outside Director Compensation Policy, each of our non-employee directors is entitled to certain cash compensation, which is payable quarterly in arrears. On March 30, 2020, we made the following cash payments to our non-employee directors in consideration of each non-employee director’s respective Board and committee service in the quarter ending March 31, 2020: $18,750 to David E. Friedman; and $16,250 to Robert W. Pearson. On April 9, 2020, we made the following cash payments to our non-employee directors in consideration of each non-employee director's respective Board and committee service in the quarter ending March 31, 2020: $2,167 to Brent M. Longnecker; $2,167 to Jose Antonio Moreno Toscano; and $2,167 to William R. Wilson, Jr.

In accordance with our Outside Director Compensation Policy and in connection with their respective appointments as non-employee directors, on March 18, 2020, we granted to each of Brent Longnecker, Jose Antonio Moreno Toscano and William R. Wilson, Jr. an option to purchase 11,775 shares of our common stock at an exercise price equal to $2.67 per share.  One hundred percent (100%) of the shares subject to each of these options shall vest upon the earlier of (a) the one (1) year anniversary of March 18, 2020 and (b) the day prior to the 2020 annual meeting of our stockholders.

On March 12, 2020, in connection with the appointment of Catherine M. Vaczy as our Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, we granted to Ms. Vaczy an option to purchase 540,000 shares of our common stock, at an exercise price of $2.00 per share. One thirty-sixth of the options vested on March 12, 2020, and 1/36 of the options will vest in equal monthly installments over the following 35 months.

On March 12, 2020, in connection with the appointment of Michael T. Redman as our Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, we granted to Mr. Redman an option to purchase 550,000 shares of our common stock, at an exercise price of $2.00 per share. One thirty-sixth of the options vested on March 12, 2020, and 1/36 of the options will vest in equal monthly installments over the following 35 months.

In accordance with our Outside Director Compensation Policy, each of David E. Friedman and Robert W. Pearson, was to be granted an option to purchase shares of our common stock on June 10, 2019, the date of our annual meeting of stockholders. These options were not granted on June 10, 2019. On December 30, 2019, we granted to each of Mr. Friedman and Mr. Pearson an option to purchase 68,376 shares of our common stock with an exercise price equal to $1.45 per share, which was the closing price of our common stock on June 10, 2019. One hundred percent (100%) of the shares subject to each of these options were to vest upon the earlier of (a) the one (1) year anniversary of June 10, 2019 and (b) the day prior to the next annual meeting of our stockholders occurring after the grant date. On March 18, 2020, each of these options was amended so that all of the shares subject to these options vested on March 18, 2020. On April 15, 2020, each of Mr. Friedman and Mr. Pearson resigned from our Board.

In November 2018, we made cash payments totaling $50,000 to each of David E. Friedman and Robert W. Pearson in accordance with our Outside Director Compensation Policy. We also granted to each of Mr. Friedman and Mr. Pearson two stock options, each to purchase 101,156 shares of our common stock, at an exercise price of $2.15 per share. One option granted to each non-employee director was fully vested on the date of grant. The other options were to vest as to all the shares subject to the option upon the earlier of (i) the one-year anniversary of the grant date and (ii) the day prior to the next annual stockholder meeting occurring after the grant date; those options vested in full on June 10, 2019.

Indemnification Agreements

We have entered into, and intend to continue to enter into, an indemnification agreement with each of our directors and executive officers.

Policies and Procedures for Transactions with Related Persons

We have adopted a written related-person transactions policy that sets forth our policies and procedures regarding the identification, review, consideration and oversight of “related-person transactions.” For purposes of our policy, a “related-person transaction” is a transaction, arrangement or relationship (or any series of similar transactions, arrangements or relationships) in which we and any “related person” are participants involving an amount that exceeds the lesser of $120,000 and 1% of the average of our total assets at year-end for the last two completed fiscal years.

Transactions involving compensation for services provided to us as an employee, consultant or director are not considered related-person transactions under this policy. A related person is any executive officer, director, nominee to become a director or a holder of more than five percent of our common stock, including any of their immediate family members and affiliates, including entities owned or controlled by such persons.

Under the policy, where a transaction has been identified as a related-person transaction, management must present information regarding the proposed related-person transaction to our Audit Committee (or, where review by our Audit Committee would be inappropriate, to another independent body of our Board) for review. The presentation must include a description of, among other things, all of the parties thereto, the direct and indirect interests of the related persons, the purpose of the transaction, the material facts, the benefits of the transaction to us and whether any alternative transactions are available, an assessment of whether the terms are comparable to the terms available from unrelated third parties and management’s recommendation. To identify related-person transactions in advance, we rely on information supplied by our executive officers, directors and certain significant stockholders. In considering related-person transactions, our Audit Committee or another independent body of our Board takes into account the relevant available facts and circumstances including, but not limited to:

In the event a director has an interest in the proposed transaction, the director must recuse himself or herself from the deliberations and approval.