UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 


 

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

  


 

SharpLink Gaming Ltd.

(formerly Mer Telemanagement Solutions Ltd.)
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 


 

Israel N/A
(Province or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
(I.R.S. Employer Identification
Number (if applicable))

 

333 Washington Ave. N, Suite 104
Minneapolis, MN 55401

(612) 293-0619
(Address and telephone number of Registrant’s principal executive offices)

  


 

SharpLink Gaming Ltd. 2021 Equity Incentive Plan

SharpLink, Inc. 2020 Stock Incentive Plan

(Full Titles of the Plans)

 


 

SharpLink Gaming Ltd.

Attn: Rob Phythian

333 Washington Ave. N, Suite 104
Minneapolis, MN 55401

 

(612) 293-0619
(Name, address (including zip code) and telephone number (including area code) of agent for service in the United States)

 


 

Copies to:

 

Christopher J. Melsha, Esq.
Andrew M. Nick, Esq.
Fredrikson & Byron, P.A.
200 South Sixth Street, Suite 4000
Minneapolis, MN 55402
Tel: (612) 492-7000
Fax: (612) 492-7077

 

 
 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. 

Large accelerated filer   ☐    Accelerated filer  
           
Non-accelerated filer     Smaller Reporting Company  
        Emerging Growth Company  

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐

 


 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 


 

Title of each Class of
Securities to be Registered
  Amount to be   Registered (1)   Proposed   Maximum   Offering Price   per Unit   Proposed   Maximum   Aggregate   Offering Price (2)   Amount of   Registration Fee
Ordinary Shares, NIS $0.06 per share, Issuable Under 2020 SharpLink, Inc. Stock Incentive Plan     480,670     $ 4.54     $ 2,182,242     $ 202  
Ordinary Shares, NIS $0.06 per share, Issuable Under SharpLink Gaming Ltd. 2021 Equity Incentive Plan     2,336,632     $ 4.54     $ 10,608,309     $ 984  
TOTAL     2,817,302             $ 12,790,551     $ 1,186  

 

(1) Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act of 1933, there is also being registered hereunder an indeterminate number of additional securities that may become issuable pursuant to antidilution provisions of the plans covered by this Registration Statement.
(2) Estimated pursuant to Rule 457(c) and Rule 457(h) solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee and based upon the average of the high and low prices of the Registrant’s Common Stock on October 6, 2021, as quoted on the Nasdaq Capital Market.

 

 
 

 

EXPLANATORY NOTE

 

The purpose of this Registration Statement is to register (i) 480,670 Ordinary Shares of Registrant for issuance under the 2020 SharpLink, Inc. Stock Incentive Plan (the “2020 Plan”), and (ii) 2,336,632 Ordinary Shares for issuance under the SharpLink Gaming Ltd. 2021 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2021 Plan”). The Ordinary Shares being registered for issuance under the 2020 Plan represent Ordinary Shares issuable upon the exercise of outstanding stock options originally issued to officers, directors, employees and consultants of SharpLink, Inc. (“Old SharpLink”), which the Registrant assumed as a result of its acquisition of Old SharpLink on July 27, 2021.

 

PART I

 

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

 

The documents containing the information specified in “Item 1. Plan Information” and “Item 2. Registrant Information and Employee Plan Annual Information” of Form S-8 will be sent or given to participants in the SharpLink Gaming Ltd. 2021 Equity Incentive Plan and the SharpLink, Inc. 2020 Stock Incentive Plan, as specified by Rule 428(b)(1) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Such documents are not required to be, and are not, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) either as part of this Registration Statement or as a prospectus or prospectus supplement pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act. These documents and the documents incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement pursuant to Item 3 of Part II of Form S-8, taken together, constitute a prospectus that meets the requirements of Section 10(a) of the Securities Act.

 

PART II

 

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

 

Item 3.     Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

 

SharpLink Gaming Ltd. (the “Company”) hereby incorporates by reference into this registration statement the following documents and information previously filed with the Commission:

 

  ●  The Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F, as filed on May 17, 2021, including any amendments thereto;
     
  The description of the Company’s capital stock which is contained in the Company’s Registration Statement on Form F-3 (File No. 333-258201), as filed on July 27, 2021, including any amendments or supplements thereto (the “Registration Statement”); and
     
  The Company’s Reports of Foreign Private Issuers on Form 6-K, as filed on May 24, 2021, June 16, 2021, July 22, 2021, July 27, 2021, July 28, 2021, August 17, 2021, and September 30, 2021, respectively.

 

In addition, all documents filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 after the date of this registration statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment to this registration statement that indicates that all securities offered by this registration statement have been sold or that deregisters all securities then remaining unsold will be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this registration statement and to be a part of this registration statement from the date of filing of such document.

 

Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained herein (or in any other subsequently filed document which also is incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein), modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

 

 
 

 

Item 4.     Description of Securities.

 

Not applicable

 

Item 5.     Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 6.     Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

 

Exculpation of Office Holders

 

The Israeli Companies Law provides that an Israeli company cannot exculpate an office holder from liability with respect to a breach of his or her duty of loyalty. If permitted by its articles of association, a company may exculpate in advance an office holder from his or her liability to the company, in whole or in part, with respect to a breach of his or her duty of care. However, a company may not exculpate in advance a director from his or her liability to the company with respect to a breach of his duty of care in connection with distributions.

 

Insurance of Office Holders

 

Israeli law provides that a company may, if permitted by its articles of association, enter into a contract to insure its office holders for liabilities incurred by the office holder with respect to an act or omission performed in his or her capacity as an office holder, as a result of: (i) a breach of the office holders duty of care to the company or another person; (ii) a breach of the office holders duty of loyalty to the company, provided that the office holder acted in good faith and had reasonable cause to assume that the act would not prejudice the company’s interests; and (iii) a financial liability imposed upon the office holder in favor of another person.

 

Indemnification of Office Holders

 

Under Israeli law a company may, if permitted by its articles of association, indemnify an office holder for acts or omissions performed by the office holder in such capacity for (a) monetary liability imposed upon the office holder in favor of another person pursuant to a court judgment, including a settlement or an arbitration award approved by a court; (b) reasonable litigation expenses, including attorney’s fees, actually incurred by the office holder as a result of an investigation or proceeding instituted against him or her by a competent authority, provided that such investigation or proceeding concluded without the filing of an indictment against the office holder or the imposition of any monetary liability in lieu of criminal proceedings, or concluded without the filing of an indictment against the office holder and a monetary liability was imposed on him or her in lieu of criminal proceedings with respect to a criminal offense that does not require proof of criminal intent; and (c) reasonable litigation expenses, including attorneys’ fees, actually incurred by the office holder or imposed upon the office holder by a court: (i) in an action, suit or proceeding brought against the office holder by or on behalf of the company or another person, (ii) in connection with a criminal action in which the office holder was acquitted, or (iii) in connection with a criminal action in which the office holder was convicted of a crime that does not require proof of criminal intent.

 

Israeli law provides that a company’s articles of association may permit the company to (a) indemnify an office holder retroactively, following a determination to this effect made by the company after the occurrence of the event in respect of which the office holder will be indemnified; and (b) undertake in advance to indemnify an office holder, except that with respect to a monetary liability imposed on the office holder by any judgment, settlement or court-approved arbitration award, the undertaking must be limited to types of occurrences, which, in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, are, at the time of the undertaking, foreseeable due to the company’s activities and to an amount or standard that the board of directors has determined is reasonable under the circumstances.

 

 
 

 

Limitations on Exculpation, Insurance and Indemnification

 

The Israeli Companies Law provides that a company may not exempt or indemnify an office holder nor enter into an insurance contract which would provide coverage for liability incurred as a result of any of the following: (a) a breach by the office holder of his or her duty of loyalty (however, a company may insure and indemnify against such breach if the office acted in good faith and had reasonable cause to assume that his act would not prejudice the company’s interests); (b) a breach by the office holder of his or her duty of care if the breach was done intentionally or recklessly, unless made in negligence only; (c) any act of omission done with the intent to derive an illegal personal benefit; or (d) any fine, civil fine, monetary sanction or penalty levied against the office holder.

 

Pursuant to the Israeli Companies Law, exculpation of, procurement of insurance coverage for, and an undertaking to indemnify or indemnification of, our office holders must be approved by our compensation committee and our board of directors and, if the office holder is a controlling shareholder, director or a chief executive officer, also by our shareholders.

 

Our Articles of Association allow us to insure, indemnify and exempt our office holders, to the fullest extent permitted by the provisions of the Israeli Companies Law. We have provided several of our directors and officers a letter of indemnification for liabilities or expenses incurred as a result of their acts in their capacity as directors and officers of our company, in an aggregate amount not to exceed $3 million.

 

Following the expiration of our previous policy, we acquired a new directors’ and officers’ policy with liability coverage of $5.0 million, commencing August 1, 2020, at an annual premium of $380,000. Our shareholders approved the purchase of the new policy commencing August 1, 2020 and the terms and conditions for the purchase, renewal, extension and/or replacement, from time to time, of our directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policy for all directors and officers of our company and its subsidiaries, who may serve from time to time (including our Chief Executive Officer), or the New Policy, as follows: (i) the coverage limit per claim and in the aggregate under the New Policy may not exceed an amount representing an increase of 25% in any year, as compared to the previous year’s aggregate coverage limit; (ii) our Compensation Committee determines that the New Policy is on market terms; and (iii) any New Policy may not be entered into after 2023. No further approval of our shareholders will be required in connection with any renewal and/or extension and/or purchase of the New Policy entered into in compliance with the foregoing terms. and conditions. The New Policy expired in connection with the consummation of the merger transaction between the Company and SharpLink, Inc. on July 27, 2021, and as approved by our shareholders at our Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders held on July 21, 2021, we purchased a discovery policy for a period of seven years from the date of the consummation of the Transaction.

 

At the July 21, 2021 Extraordinary General Meeting, our shareholders also approved our Updated Compensation Policy, which authorizes us to purchase insurance policies (including run-off policies) to cover the liability of directors and officers that are currently in office and that shall be in office from time to time, including directors and officers that may be controlling shareholders or affiliated therewith, within the following limits: the maximum aggregate coverage of liability pursuant to the policies shall be not more than US$15 million for each year, including coverage for both the Company and officers and directors directly (e.g., so called “Side A” coverage). The Updated Compensation Policy further provides that our Compensation Committee shall be authorized to increase the coverage purchased, by up to 20% in any year, as compared to the previous year, or cumulatively for a number of years, without an additional shareholders’ approval to the extent permitted under the Companies Law and that the authority to approve the purchase of such insurance policies shall be vested by our Compensation Committee, provided that the premium for each policy, the maximum deductible and the terms of the contract are consistent with market conditions and will not materially affect our profits, property or liabilities. We intend to purchase a directors and officers liability insurance policy within the guidelines approved by our shareholders.

 

Administrative Sanctions

 

The Israeli Securities Authority is authorized to impose administrative sanctions against companies like ours and their office holders for certain violations of the Israeli Securities Law or the Israeli Companies Law. These sanctions include monetary sanctions and certain restrictions on serving as a director or senior officer of a public company for certain periods of time. The maximum amount of the monetary sanctions that could be imposed upon individuals is a fine of NIS 1.0 million (currently equivalent to approximately $285,000), plus the greater of the following amounts payable to persons who suffered damages as a result of the violation: (i) the amount of profits earned or losses avoided by the violator as a result of the violation, up to the amount of the applicable fine, or (ii) compensation for damages suffered by the injured persons, up to 20% of the fine imposed on the violator.

 

 
 

 

Only certain types of liabilities may be reimbursed by indemnification and insurance. Specifically, legal expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by an individual in the applicable administrative enforcement proceeding and any compensation payable to injured parties for damages suffered by them (as described in clause (ii) of the immediately preceding paragraph) are permitted to be reimbursed via indemnification or insurance, provided that such indemnification and insurance are authorized by the company’s articles of association.

 

Item 7.     Exemption from Registration Claimed.

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 8.     Exhibits.

 

Exhibit No.   Description
5.1   Opinion of Ephraim Abramson & Co., Law Offices (filed herewith)
     
23.1   Consent of Kost Forer Gabbay & Kasierer, a Member of Ernst & Young Global (filed herewith)
     
23.2   Consent of RSM US LLP (filed herewith)
     
23.3   Consent of Ephraim Abramson & Co., Law Offices (included in Exhibit 5.1)
     
24.1   Power of Attorney (included on signature page hereof)
     
99.1   SharpLink Gaming Ltd. 2021 Equity Incentive Plan (filed herewith)
     
99.2   SharpLink, Inc. 2020 Stock Incentive Plan (filed herewith)

 

 
 

 

Item 9.     Undertakings.

 

(a) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

 

(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

 

(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;
     
(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in this registration statement;
     
(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or any material change to such information in the Registration Statement;

 

    Provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) of this section do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement.

 

  (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new Registration Statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

  (3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

 

  (b) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
     
  (c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by final adjudication of such issue.

 

 
 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Company certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Minneapolis, State of Minnesota, on October 12, 2021.

 

  SharpLink Gaming Ltd.
     
  By: /s/ Rob Phythian
    Rob Phythian 
Chief Executive Officer

 

POWER OF ATTORNEY

 

The undersigned directors and officers of SharpLink Gaming Ltd. hereby appoint Rob Phythian and Brian Bennett as attorneys-in-fact for the undersigned, with full power of substitution for, and in the name, place and stead of the undersigned, to sign and file with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933, any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) and exhibits to this registration statement on Form S-8 (or any other registration statement for the same offering that is to be effective upon filing pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933) and any and all applications and other documents to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pertaining to the registration of the securities covered hereby, with full power and authority to do and perform any and all acts and things whatsoever requisite and necessary or desirable, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact, or his substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

Signature   Title   Date
         
/s/ Rob Phythian   Chief Executive Officer, Director   October 12, 2021
Rob Phythian   (Principal Executive Officer)    
         
/s/ Brian Bennett   Chief Financial Officer   October 12, 2021
Brian Bennett   (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)    
         
/s/ Joseph Housman   Chairman of the Board   October 12, 2021
Joseph Housman        
         
/s/ Chris Nicholas   Director   October 12, 2021
Chris Nicholas        
         
/s/ Paul Abdo   Director   October 12, 2021
Paul Abdo        
         
/s/ Thomas Doering   Director   October 12, 2021
Thomas Doering        
         
/s/ Adrienne Anderson   Outside Director   October 12, 2021
Adrienne Anderson        
         
/s/ Scott Pollei   Outside Director   October 12, 2021
Scott Pollei        

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 5.1

 

 

October 12, 2021

 

SharpLink Gaming Ltd. 

333 Washington Ave. N, Suite 104,

Minneapolis, MN 55401

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

We refer to the Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the “Registration Statement”) to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), on behalf of SharpLink Gaming Ltd., an Israeli company formerly known as Mer Telemanagement Solutions Ltd. (the “Company”), relating to (i) 480,670 of the Company’s Ordinary Shares, NIS 0.06 nominal value per share (the “Ordinary Shares”), issuable upon exercise of options granted pursuant to the SharpLink, Inc. 2020 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2020 Plan”), and (ii) 2,336,632 Ordinary Shares issuable from time to time pursuant to the SharpLink Gaming Ltd. 2021 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2021 Plan”). Such Ordinary Shares issuable pursuant to the 2020 Plan and the 2021 Plan are collectively referred to herein as the “Shares.”

 

We are members of the Bar of the State of Israel and, in rendering our opinion, we do not express an opinion (expressly or by implication) as to any matter relating to the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Israel and our opinion relates only to Israeli law. In addition, we render no opinion in relation to any representation made or given in the Registration Statement.

 

As Israeli counsel for the Company, we have examined such corporate records and other documents and have made such investigation of maters of fact and of Israeli law as we have considered necessary or appropriate for the purposes of the opinion set forth herein.

 

In such examination, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity of natural persons, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as certified, conformed or photostatic copies and the authenticity of the originals of such latter documents. As to all questions of fact material to this opinion, we have relied, without independent investigation, upon statements and certificates or comparable documents of officers and representatives of the Company and upon certificates of public officials. We have also assumed that each individual grant under the 2020 Plan or the 2021 Plan that will be made after the date hereof will be duly authorized by all necessary corporate action.

 

Based upon such examination and investigation, and upon the assumption that there will be no material changes in the documents examined and the matters investigated, we are of the opinion that the Shares, when paid for and issued in accordance with the terms of the 2020 Plan or the 2021 Plan, as applicable, will be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

 

This opinion is furnished to you solely in connection with the Registration Statement and is not to be used, circulated, quoted or otherwise referred to for any other purpose without our prior written consent. This opinion is rendered as of the date hereof, and we undertake no obligation to advise you of any changes in applicable law or any other matters that may come to our attention after the date hereof that may affect this opinion.

 

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. This consent is not to be construed as an admission that we are a party whose consent is required to be filed with the Registration Statement under the provisions of the Securities Act.

 

  Very truly yours,
   
  /s/ Ephraim Abramson & Co.
   
  Ephraim Abramson & Co.

 

 

 

 

  

Exhibit 23.1

 

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

We consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement on Form S-8 pertaining to the 2021 SharpLink Gaming Ltd. Equity Incentive Plan and the 2020 SharpLink, Inc. Stock Incentive Plan, of our report, dated May 14, 2021, with respect to the consolidated financial statements of Mer Telemanagement Solutions Ltd. included in its Annual Report (Form 20-F) for the year ended December 31, 2020, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

/s/ Kost Forer Gabbay & Kasierer

Kost Forer Gabbay & Kaiser

A Member of Ernst & Young Global

 

Tel Aviv, Israel

October 12, 2021

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 23.2

 

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

 

We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement filed on or about October 12, 2021 on Form S-8 of Sharplink Gaming, Ltd., an Israeli company formerly known as Mer Telemanagement Solutions Ltd., of our report dated March 19, 2021, except for Notes 13 and 14, as to which the date is June 3, 2021, relating to the consolidated financial statements of SharpLink, Inc. and Subsidiary, appearing in the Proxy Statement included in Form 6-K filed on June 16, 2021.

 

 

/s/ RSM US LLP

Minneapolis, Minnesota

October 11, 2021

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 99.1

SharpLink Gaming, Ltd.

2021 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

 

ADOPTED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS: June 13, 2021

APPROVED BY THE SHAREHOLDERS: July 21, 2021

 

[As amended to reflect 1-for-2 reverse split of Ordinary Shares effected July 26, 2021]

 

1. General.

 

(a) Successor to and Continuation of Prior Plan. The Plan is the successor to and continuation of the Prior Plan. As of the Effective Date, (i) no additional awards may be granted under the Prior Plan; and (ii) all outstanding awards granted under the Prior Plan shall remain subject to the terms of the Prior Plan. All Awards granted under this Plan shall be subject to the terms of this Plan.

 

(b) Plan Purpose. The Company, by means of the Plan, seeks to secure and retain the services of Employees, Directors, and Consultants, to provide incentives for such persons to exert maximum efforts for the success of the Company and any Affiliate and to provide a means by which such persons may be given an opportunity to benefit from increases in value of the Ordinary Shares through the granting of Awards.

 

(c) Available Awards. The Plan provides for the grant of the following Awards: (i) Incentive Stock Options; (ii) Nonstatutory Stock Options; (iii) SARs; (iv) Restricted Stock Awards; (v) RSU Awards; (vi) Performance Awards; and (vii) Other Awards.

 

(d) Adoption Date; Effective Date. The Plan shall come into existence on the Adoption Date, but no Award may be granted prior to the Effective Date.

 

2. Shares Subject to the Plan.

 

(a) Share Reserve. Subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 2(c) and any adjustments as necessary to implement any Capitalization Adjustments, the aggregate number of Ordinary Shares that may be issued pursuant to Awards shall not exceed 2,336,632 shares.

 

(b) Aggregate Incentive Stock Option Limit. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in Section 2(a) and subject to any adjustments as necessary to implement any Capitalization Adjustments, the aggregate maximum number of Ordinary Shares that may be issued pursuant to the exercise of Incentive Stock Options is 2,336,632 shares.

 

(c) Share Reserve Operation.

 

(i) Limit Applies to Ordinary Shares Issued Pursuant to Awards. For clarity, the Share Reserve is a limit on the number of Ordinary Shares that may be issued pursuant to Awards and does not limit the granting of Awards, except that the Company shall keep available at all times the number of Ordinary Shares reasonably required to satisfy its obligations to issue shares pursuant to such Awards. Shares may be issued in connection with a merger or acquisition as permitted by, as applicable, Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c), NYSE Listed Company Manual Section 303A.08, NYSE American Company Guide Section 711 or other applicable rule, and such issuance shall not reduce the number of Ordinary Shares available for issuance under the Plan.

 

 
 

 

(ii) Actions that Do Not Constitute Issuance of Ordinary Shares and Do Not Reduce Share Reserve. The following actions do not result in an issuance of Ordinary Shares under the Plan and accordingly do not reduce the number of shares subject to the Share Reserve and available for issuance under the Plan: (1) the expiration or termination of any portion of an Award without the shares covered by such portion of the Award having been issued, (2) the settlement of any portion of an Award in cash (i.e., the Participant receives cash rather than Ordinary Shares), (3) the withholding of shares that would otherwise be issued by the Company to satisfy the exercise, strike or purchase price of an Award, or (4) the withholding of shares that would otherwise be issued by the Company to satisfy a tax withholding obligation in connection with an Award.

 

(iii) Reversion of Previously Issued Ordinary Shares to Share Reserve. The following Ordinary Shares previously issued pursuant to an Award and accordingly initially deducted from the Share Reserve shall be added back to the Share Reserve and again become available for issuance under the Plan: (1) any shares that are forfeited back to or repurchased by the Company because of a failure to meet a contingency or condition required for the vesting of such shares, (2) any shares that are reacquired by the Company to satisfy the exercise, strike or purchase price of an Award, and (3) any shares that are reacquired by the Company to satisfy a tax withholding obligation in connection with an Award.

 

3. Eligibility and Limitations.

 

(a) Eligible Award Recipients. Subject to the terms of the Plan, Employees, Directors and Consultants are eligible to receive Awards.

 

(b) Specific Award Limitations.

 

(i) Limitations on Incentive Stock Option Recipients. Incentive Stock Options may be granted only to Employees of the Company or a “parent corporation” or “subsidiary corporation” thereof (as such terms are defined in Sections 424(e) and (f) of the Code).

 

(ii) Incentive Stock Option $100,000 Limitation. To the extent that the aggregate Fair Market Value (determined at the time of grant) of Ordinary Shares with respect to which Incentive Stock Options are exercisable for the first time by any Optionholder during any calendar year (under all plans of the Company and any Affiliates) exceeds $100,000 (or such other limit established in the Code) or otherwise does not comply with the rules governing Incentive Stock Options, the Options or portions thereof that exceed such limit (according to the order in which they were granted) or otherwise do not comply with such rules shall be treated as Nonstatutory Stock Options, notwithstanding any contrary provision of the applicable Option Agreement(s).

 

(iii) Limitations on Incentive Stock Options Granted to Ten Percent Shareholders. A Ten Percent Shareholder may not be granted an Incentive Stock Option unless (i) the exercise price of such Option is at least 110% of the Fair Market Value on the date of grant of such Option and (ii) the Option is not exercisable after the expiration of five years from the date of grant of such Option.

 

(iv) Limitations on Nonstatutory Stock Options and SARs. Nonstatutory Stock Options and SARs may not be granted to Employees, Directors and Consultants who are providing Continuous Service only to any “parent” of the Company (as such term is defined in Rule 405) unless the stock underlying such Awards is treated as “service recipient stock” under Section 409A because the Awards are granted pursuant to a corporate transaction (such as a spin off transaction) or unless such Awards otherwise comply with the distribution requirements of Section 409A.

 

 
 

 

(c) Non-Employee Director Compensation Limit. The aggregate value of all compensation granted or paid, as applicable, to any individual for service as a Non-Employee Director with respect to any period commencing on the date of the Company’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders for a particular year and ending on the day immediately prior to the date of the Company’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders for the next subsequent year (the “Annual Period”), including Awards granted and cash fees paid by the Company to such Non-Employee Director, will not exceed (i) $750,000 in total value or (ii) in the event such Non-Employee Director is first appointed or elected to the Board during such Annual Period, $1,000,000 in total value, in each case calculating the value of any equity awards based on the grant date fair value of such equity awards for financial reporting purposes. The limitations in this Section 3(d) shall apply commencing with the Annual Period that begins on the Company’s first Annual Meeting of Shareholders following the Effective Date.

 

4. Options and Stock Appreciation Rights.

 

Each Option and SAR shall have such terms and conditions as determined by the Board. Each Option shall be designated in writing as an Incentive Stock Option or Nonstatutory Stock Option at the time of grant; provided, however, that if an Option is not so designated, then such Option shall be a Nonstatutory Stock Option, and the Ordinary Shares purchased upon exercise of each type of Option shall be separately accounted for. Each SAR shall be denominated in Ordinary Shares equivalents. The terms and conditions of separate Options and SARs need not be identical; provided, however, that each Option Agreement and SAR Agreement shall conform (through incorporation of provisions hereof by reference in the Award Agreement or otherwise) to the substance of each of the following provisions:

 

(a) Term. Subject to Section 3(b) regarding Ten Percent Shareholders, no Option or SAR shall be exercisable after the expiration of ten years from the date of grant of such Award or such shorter period specified in the Award Agreement.

 

(b) Exercise or Strike Price. Subject to Section 3(b) regarding Ten Percent Shareholders, the exercise or strike price of each Option or SAR shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value on the date of grant of such Award. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an Option or SAR may be granted with an exercise or strike price lower than 100% of the Fair Market Value on the date of grant of such Award if such Award is granted pursuant to an assumption of or substitution for another option or stock appreciation right pursuant to a Corporate Transaction and in a manner consistent with the provisions of Sections 409A and, if applicable, 424(a) of the Code.

 

(c) Exercise Procedure and Payment of Exercise Price for Options. In order to exercise an Option, the Participant must provide notice of exercise to the Plan Administrator in accordance with the procedures specified in the Option Agreement or otherwise provided by the Company. The Board has the authority to grant Options that do not permit all of the following methods of payment (or otherwise restrict the ability to use certain methods) and to grant Options that require the consent of the Company to utilize a particular method of payment. The exercise price of an Option may be paid, to the extent permitted by Applicable Law and as determined by the Board, by one or more of the following methods of payment to the extent set forth in the Option Agreement:

 

(i) by cash or check, bank draft or money order payable to the Company;

 

(ii) pursuant to a “cashless exercise” program developed under Regulation T as promulgated by the Federal Reserve Board that, prior to the issuance of the Ordinary Shares subject to the Option, results in either the receipt of cash (or check) by the Company or the receipt of irrevocable instructions to pay the exercise price to the Company from the sales proceeds;

 

 
 

 

(iii) by delivery to the Company (either by actual delivery or attestation) of Ordinary Shares that are already owned by the Participant free and clear of any liens, claims, encumbrances or security interests, with a Fair Market Value on the date of exercise that does not exceed the exercise price, provided that (1) at the time of exercise the Ordinary Shares is publicly traded, (2) any remaining balance of the exercise price not satisfied by such delivery is paid by the Participant in cash or other permitted form of payment, (3) such delivery would not violate any Applicable Law or agreement restricting the redemption of the Ordinary Shares, (4) any certificated shares are endorsed or accompanied by an executed assignment separate from certificate, and (5) such shares have been held by the Participant for any minimum period necessary to avoid adverse accounting treatment as a result of such delivery;

 

(iv) if the Option is a Nonstatutory Stock Option, by a “net exercise” arrangement pursuant to which the Company shall reduce the number of Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise by the largest whole number of shares with a Fair Market Value on the date of exercise that does not exceed the exercise price, provided that (1) such shares used to pay the exercise price shall not be exercisable thereafter and (2) any remaining balance of the exercise price not satisfied by such net exercise is paid by the Participant in cash or other permitted form of payment; or

 

(v) in any other form of consideration that may be acceptable to the Board and permissible under Applicable Law.

 

(d) Exercise Procedure and Payment of Appreciation Distribution for SARs. In order to exercise any SAR, the Participant must provide notice of exercise to the Plan Administrator in accordance with the SAR Agreement. The appreciation distribution payable to a Participant upon the exercise of a SAR shall not be greater than an amount equal to the excess of (i) the aggregate Fair Market Value on the date of exercise of a number of Ordinary Shares equal to the number of Ordinary Shares equivalents that are vested and being exercised under such SAR, over (ii) the strike price of such SAR. Such appreciation distribution may be paid to the Participant in the form of Ordinary Shares or cash (or any combination of Ordinary Shares and cash) or in any other form of payment, as determined by the Board and specified in the SAR Agreement.

 

(e) Transferability. Options and SARs may not be transferred to third party financial institutions for value. The Board may impose such additional limitations on the transferability of an Option or SAR as it determines. In the absence of any such determination by the Board, the following restrictions on the transferability of Options and SARs shall apply, provided that except as explicitly provided herein, neither an Option nor a SAR may be transferred for consideration and provided, further, that if an Option is an Incentive Stock Option, such Option may be deemed to be a Nonstatutory Stock Option as a result of being transferred:

 

(i) Restrictions on Transfer. An Option or SAR shall not be transferable, except by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and shall be exercisable during the lifetime of the Participant only by the Participant; provided, however, that the Board may permit transfer of an Option or SAR in a manner that is not prohibited by applicable tax and securities laws upon the Participant’s request, including to a trust if the Participant is considered to be the sole beneficial owner of such trust (as determined under Section 671 of the Code and applicable state law) while such Option or SAR is held in such trust, provided that the Participant and the trustee enter into a transfer and other agreements required by the Company.

 

(ii) Domestic Relations Orders. Notwithstanding the foregoing, subject to the execution of transfer documentation in a format acceptable to the Company and subject to the approval of the Board or a duly authorized Officer, an Option or SAR may be transferred pursuant to a domestic relations order.

 

 
 

 

(f) Vesting. The Board may impose such restrictions on or conditions to the vesting and/or exercisability of an Option or SAR as determined by the Board. Except as otherwise provided in the Award Agreement or other written agreement between a Participant and the Company or an Affiliate, vesting of Options and SARs shall cease upon termination of the Participant’s Continuous Service.

 

(g) Termination of Continuous Service for Cause. Except as explicitly otherwise provided in the Award Agreement or other written agreement between a Participant and the Company or an Affiliate, if a Participant’s Continuous Service is terminated for Cause, the Participant’s Options and SARs shall terminate and be forfeited immediately upon such termination of Continuous Service, and the Participant shall be prohibited from exercising any portion (including any vested portion) of such Awards on and after the date of such termination of Continuous Service and the Participant shall have no further right, title or interest in such forfeited Award, the Ordinary Shares subject to the forfeited Award, or any consideration in respect of the forfeited Award.

 

(h) Post-Termination Exercise Period Following Termination of Continuous Service for Reasons Other than Cause. Subject to Section 4(i), if a Participant’s Continuous Service terminates for any reason other than for Cause, the Participant may exercise his or her Option or SAR to the extent vested, but only within the following period of time or, if applicable, such other period of time provided in the Award Agreement or other written agreement between a Participant and the Company or an Affiliate; provided, however, that in no event may such Award be exercised after the expiration of its maximum term (as set forth in Section 4(a)):

 

(i) three months following the date of such termination if such termination is a termination without Cause (other than any termination due to the Participant’s Disability or death);

 

(ii) 12 months following the date of such termination if such termination is due to the Participant’s Disability;

 

(iii) 18 months following the date of such termination if such termination is due to the Participant’s death; or

 

(iv) 18 months following the date of the Participant’s death if such death occurs following the date of such termination but during the period such Award is otherwise exercisable (as provided in (i) or (ii) above).

 

Following the date of such termination, to the extent the Participant does not exercise such Award within the applicable Post-Termination Exercise Period (or, if earlier, prior to the expiration of the maximum term of such Award), such unexercised portion of the Award shall terminate, and the Participant shall have no further right, title or interest in the terminated Award, the Ordinary Shares subject to the terminated Award, or any consideration in respect of the terminated Award.

 

(i) Restrictions on Exercise; Extension of Exercisability. A Participant may not exercise an Option or SAR at any time that the issuance of Ordinary Shares upon such exercise would violate Applicable Law. Except as otherwise provided in the Award Agreement or other written agreement between a Participant and the Company or an Affiliate, if a Participant’s Continuous Service terminates for any reason other than for Cause and, at any time during the last 30 days of the applicable Post-Termination Exercise Period the exercise of the Participant’s Option or SAR would be prohibited solely because the issuance of Ordinary Shares upon such exercise would violate Applicable Law, then the applicable Post-Termination Exercise Period shall be extended to the last day of the calendar month that commences following the date the Award would otherwise expire, with an additional extension of the exercise period to the last day of the next calendar month to apply if any of the foregoing restrictions apply at any time during such extended exercise period, generally without limitation as to the maximum permitted number of extensions); provided, however, that in no event may such Award be exercised after the expiration of its maximum term (as set forth in Section 4(a)).

 

 
 

 

(j) Non-Exempt Employees. No Option or SAR, whether or not vested, granted to an Employee who is a non-exempt employee for purposes of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended, shall be first exercisable for any Ordinary Shares until at least six months following the date of grant of such Award. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in accordance with the provisions of the Worker Economic Opportunity Act, any vested portion of such Award may be exercised earlier than six months following the date of grant of such Award in the event of (i) such Participant’s death or Disability, (ii) a Corporate Transaction in which such Award is not assumed, continued or substituted, (iii) a Change in Control, or (iv) such Participant’s retirement (as such term may be defined in the Award Agreement or another applicable agreement or, in the absence of any such definition, in accordance with the Company’s then current employment policies and guidelines). This Section 4(j) is intended to operate so that any income derived by a non-exempt employee in connection with the exercise or vesting of an Option or SAR shall be exempt from his or her regular rate of pay.

 

(k) Whole Shares. Options and SARs may be exercised only with respect to whole Ordinary Shares or their equivalents.

 

5. Awards Other Than Options and Stock Appreciation Rights.

 

(a) Restricted Stock Awards and RSU Awards. Each Restricted Stock Award and RSU Award shall have such terms and conditions as determined by the Board; provided, however, that each Restricted Stock Award Agreement and RSU Award Agreement shall conform (through incorporation of the provisions hereof by reference in the Award Agreement or otherwise) to the substance of each of the following provisions:

 

(i) Form of Award.

 

(1) RSAs: To the extent consistent with the Company’s Bylaws, at the Board’s election, Ordinary Shares subject to a Restricted Stock Award may be (i) held in book entry form subject to the Company’s instructions until such shares become vested or any other restrictions lapse, or (ii) evidenced by a certificate, which certificate shall be held in such form and manner as determined by the Board. Unless otherwise determined by the Board, a Participant shall have voting and other rights as a Shareholder of the Company with respect to any shares subject to a Restricted Stock Award.

 

(2) RSUs: An RSU Award represents a Participant’s right to be issued on a future date the number of Ordinary Shares that is equal to the number of restricted stock units subject to the RSU Award. As a holder of an RSU Award, a Participant is an unsecured creditor of the Company with respect to the Company’s unfunded obligation, if any, to issue Ordinary Shares in settlement of such Award and nothing contained in the Plan or any RSU Agreement, and no action taken pursuant to its provisions, shall create or be construed to create a trust of any kind or a fiduciary relationship between a Participant and the Company or an Affiliate or any other person. A Participant shall not have voting or any other rights as a Shareholder of the Company with respect to any RSU Award (unless and until shares are actually issued in settlement of a vested RSU Award).

 

(ii) Consideration.

 

(3) RSA: A Restricted Stock Award may be granted in consideration for (A) cash or check, bank draft or money order payable to the Company, (B) past services to the Company or an Affiliate, or (C) any other form of consideration (including future services) as the Board may determine and permissible under Applicable Law.

 

 
 

 

(4) RSU: Unless otherwise determined by the Board at the time of grant, a RSU Award shall be granted in consideration for the Participant’s services to the Company or an Affiliate, such that the Participant shall not be required to make any payment to the Company (other than such services) with respect to the grant or vesting of the RSU Award, or the issuance of any Ordinary Shares pursuant to the RSU Award. If, at the time of grant, the Board determines that any consideration must be paid by the Participant (in a form other than the Participant’s services to the Company or an Affiliate) upon the issuance of any Ordinary Shares in settlement of the RSU Award, such consideration may be paid in any form of consideration as the Board may determine and permissible under Applicable Law.

 

(iii) Vesting. The Board may impose such restrictions on or conditions to the vesting of a Restricted Stock Award or RSU Award as determined by the Board. Except as otherwise provided in the Award Agreement or other written agreement between a Participant and the Company or an Affiliate, vesting of Restricted Stock Awards and RSU Awards shall cease upon termination of the Participant’s Continuous Service.

 

(iv) Termination of Continuous Service. Except as otherwise provided in the Award Agreement or other written agreement between a Participant and the Company or an Affiliate, if a Participant’s Continuous Service terminates for any reason, (i) the Company may receive through a forfeiture condition or a repurchase right any or all of the Ordinary Shares held by the Participant under his or her Restricted Stock Award that have not vested as of the date of such termination as set forth in the Restricted Stock Award Agreement and (ii) any portion of his or her RSU Award that has not vested shall be forfeited upon such termination and the Participant shall have no further right, title or interest in the RSU Award, the Ordinary Shares issuable pursuant to the RSU Award, or any consideration in respect of the RSU Award.

 

(v) Dividends and Dividend Equivalents. Dividends or dividend equivalents may be paid or credited, as applicable, with respect to any Ordinary Shares subject to a Restricted Stock Award or RSU Award, as determined by the Board and specified in the Award Agreement.

 

(vi) Settlement of RSU Awards. A RSU Award may be settled by the issuance of Ordinary Shares or cash (or any combination thereof) or in any other form of payment, as determined by the Board and specified in the RSU Award Agreement. At the time of grant, the Board may determine to impose such restrictions or conditions that delay such delivery to a date following the vesting of the RSU Award.

 

(b) Performance Awards. With respect to any Performance Award, the length of any Performance Period, the Performance Goals to be achieved during the Performance Period, the other terms and conditions of such Award, and the measure of whether and to what degree such Performance Goals have been attained shall be determined by the Board.

 

(c) Other Awards. Other forms of Awards valued in whole or in part by reference to, or otherwise based on, Ordinary Shares, including the appreciation in value thereof (e.g., options or stock rights with an exercise price or strike price less than 100% of the Fair Market Value at the time of grant) may be granted either alone or in addition to Awards provided for under Section 4 and the preceding provisions of this Section 5. Subject to the provisions of the Plan, the Board shall have sole and complete discretion to determine the persons to whom and the time or times at which such Other Awards shall be granted, the number of Ordinary Shares (or the cash equivalent thereof) to be granted pursuant to such Other Awards and all other terms and conditions of such Other Awards.

 

 
 

 

6. Adjustments upon Changes in Ordinary Shares; Other Corporate Events.

 

(a) Capitalization Adjustments. In the event of a Capitalization Adjustment, the Board shall appropriately and proportionately adjust: (i) the class(es) and maximum number of Ordinary Shares subject to the Plan and the maximum number of shares by which the Share Reserve may annually increase pursuant to Section 2(a), (ii) the class(es) and maximum number of shares that may be issued pursuant to the exercise of Incentive Stock Options pursuant to Section 2(a), and (iii) the class(es) and number of securities and exercise price, strike price or purchase price of Ordinary Shares subject to outstanding Awards. The Board shall make such adjustments, and its determination shall be final, binding and conclusive. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no fractional shares or rights for fractional Ordinary Shares shall be created in order to implement any Capitalization Adjustment. The Board shall determine an appropriate equivalent benefit, if any, for any fractional shares or rights to fractional shares that might be created by the adjustments referred to in the preceding provisions of this Section.

 

(b) Dissolution or Liquidation. Except as otherwise provided in the Award Agreement, in the event of a dissolution or liquidation of the Company, all outstanding Awards (other than Awards consisting of vested and outstanding Ordinary Shares not subject to a forfeiture condition or the Company’s right of repurchase) shall terminate immediately prior to the completion of such dissolution or liquidation, and the Ordinary Shares subject to the Company’s repurchase rights or subject to a forfeiture condition may be repurchased or reacquired by the Company notwithstanding the fact that the holder of such Award is providing Continuous Service, provided, however, that the Board may determine to cause some or all Awards to become fully vested, exercisable and/or no longer subject to repurchase or forfeiture (to the extent such Awards have not previously expired or terminated) before the dissolution or liquidation is completed but contingent on its completion.

 

(c) Corporate Transaction. The following provisions shall apply to Awards in the event of a Corporate Transaction except as set forth in Section 11, and unless otherwise provided in the instrument evidencing the Award or any other written agreement between the Company or any Affiliate and the Participant or unless otherwise expressly provided by the Board at the time of grant of an Award.

 

(i) Awards May Be Assumed. In the event of a Corporate Transaction, any surviving corporation or acquiring corporation (or the surviving or acquiring corporation’s parent company) may assume or continue any or all Awards outstanding under the Plan or may substitute similar awards for Awards outstanding under the Plan (including but not limited to, awards to acquire the same consideration paid to the Shareholders of the Company pursuant to the Corporate Transaction), and any reacquisition or repurchase rights held by the Company in respect of Ordinary Shares issued pursuant to Awards may be assigned by the Company to the successor of the Company (or the successor’s parent company, if any), in connection with such Corporate Transaction. A surviving corporation or acquiring corporation (or its parent) may choose to assume or continue only a portion of an Award or substitute a similar award for only a portion of an Award, or may choose to assume, continue or substitute the Awards held by some, but not all Participants. The terms of any assumption, continuation or substitution shall be set by the Board.

 

(ii) Awards Held by Current Participants. In the event of a Corporate Transaction in which the surviving corporation or acquiring corporation (or its parent company) does not assume or continue such outstanding Awards or substitute similar awards for such outstanding Awards, then with respect to Awards that have not been assumed, continued or substituted and that are held by Participants whose Continuous Service has not terminated prior to the effective time of the Corporate Transaction (referred to as the “Current Participants”), the vesting of such Awards (and, with respect to Options and SARs, the time when such Awards may be exercised) shall be accelerated in full to a date prior to the effective time of such Corporate Transaction (contingent upon the effectiveness of the Corporate Transaction) as the Board determines (or, if the Board does not determine such a date, to the date that is five days prior to the effective time of the Corporate Transaction), and such Awards shall terminate if not exercised (if applicable) at or prior to the effective time of the Corporate Transaction, and any reacquisition or repurchase rights held by the Company with respect to such Awards shall lapse (contingent upon the effectiveness of the Corporate Transaction). With respect to the vesting of Performance Awards that shall accelerate upon the occurrence of a Corporate Transaction pursuant to this subsection (ii) and that have multiple vesting levels depending on the level of performance, unless otherwise provided in the Award Agreement, the vesting of such Performance Awards shall accelerate at 100% of the target level upon the occurrence of the Corporate Transaction. With respect to the vesting of Awards that shall accelerate upon the occurrence of a Corporate Transaction pursuant to this subsection (ii) and are settled in the form of a cash payment, such cash payment shall be made no later than 30 days following the occurrence of the Corporate Transaction.

 

 
 

 

(iii) Awards Held by Persons other than Current Participants. In the event of a Corporate Transaction in which the surviving corporation or acquiring corporation (or its parent company) does not assume or continue such outstanding Awards or substitute similar awards for such outstanding Awards, then with respect to Awards that have not been assumed, continued or substituted and that are held by persons other than Current Participants, such Awards shall terminate if not exercised (if applicable) prior to the occurrence of the Corporate Transaction; provided, however, that any reacquisition or repurchase rights held by the Company with respect to such Awards shall not terminate and may continue to be exercised notwithstanding the Corporate Transaction.

 

(iv) Payment for Awards in Lieu of Exercise. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event an Award shall terminate if not exercised prior to the effective time of a Corporate Transaction, the Board may provide, in its sole discretion, that the holder of such Award may not exercise such Award but shall receive a payment, in such form as may be determined by the Board, equal in value, at the effective time, to the excess, if any, of (1) the value of the property the Participant would have received upon the exercise of the Award (including, at the discretion of the Board, any unvested portion of such Award), over (2) any exercise price payable by such holder in connection with such exercise.

 

(d) Appointment of Shareholder Representative. As a condition to the receipt of an Award under this Plan, a Participant shall be deemed to have agreed that the Award shall be subject to the terms of any agreement governing a Corporate Transaction involving the Company, including, without limitation, a provision for the appointment of a Shareholder representative that is authorized to act on the Participant’s behalf with respect to any escrow, indemnities and any contingent consideration.

 

(e) No Restriction on Right to Undertake Transactions. The grant of any Award under the Plan and the issuance of shares pursuant to any Award does not affect or restrict in any way the right or power of the Company or the Shareholders of the Company to make or authorize any adjustment, recapitalization, reorganization or other change in the Company’s capital structure or its business, any merger or consolidation of the Company, any issue of stock or of options, rights or options to purchase stock or of bonds, debentures, preferred or prior preference stocks whose rights are superior to or affect the Ordinary Shares or the rights thereof or which are convertible into or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares, or the dissolution or liquidation of the Company, or any sale or transfer of all or any part of its assets or business, or any other corporate act or proceeding, whether of a similar character or otherwise.

 

7. Administration.

 

(a) Administration by Board. The Board shall administer the Plan unless and until the Board delegates administration of the Plan to a Committee or Committees, as provided in subsection (c) below.

 

 
 

 

(b) Powers of Board. The Board shall have the power, subject to, and within the limitations of, the express provisions of the Plan:

 

(i) To determine from time to time: (1) which of the persons eligible under the Plan shall be granted Awards; (2) when and how each Award shall be granted; (3) what type or combination of types of Award shall be granted; (4) the provisions of each Award granted (which need not be identical), including the time or times when a person shall be permitted to receive an issuance of Ordinary Shares or other payment pursuant to an Award; (5) the number of Ordinary Shares or cash equivalent with respect to which an Award shall be granted to each such person; (6) the Fair Market Value applicable to an Award; and (7) the terms of any Performance Award that is not valued in whole or in part by reference to, or otherwise based on, the Ordinary Shares, including the amount of cash payment or other property that may be earned and the timing of payment.

 

(ii) To construe and interpret the Plan and Awards granted under it, and to establish, amend and revoke rules and regulations for its administration. The Board, in the exercise of this power, may correct any defect, omission or inconsistency in the Plan or in any Award Agreement, in a manner and to the extent it deems necessary or expedient to make the Plan or Award fully effective.

 

(iii) To settle all controversies regarding the Plan and Awards granted under it.

 

(iv) To accelerate the time at which an Award may first be exercised or the time during which an Award or any part thereof shall vest, notwithstanding the provisions in the Award Agreement stating the time at which it may first be exercised or the time during which it shall vest.

 

(v) To prohibit the exercise of any Option, SAR or other exercisable Award during a period of up to 30 days prior to the consummation of any pending stock dividend, stock split, combination or exchange of shares, merger, consolidation or other distribution (other than normal cash dividends) of Company assets to Shareholders, or any other change affecting the Ordinary Shares or the share price of the Ordinary Shares (including, but not limited to, any Corporate Transaction), for reasons of administrative convenience.

 

(vi) To suspend or terminate the Plan at any time. Suspension or termination of the Plan shall not Materially Impair rights and obligations under any Award granted while the Plan is in effect except with the written consent of the affected Participant.

 

(vii) To amend the Plan in any respect the Board deems necessary or advisable; provided, however, that Shareholder approval shall be required for any amendment to the extent required by Applicable Law. Except as provided above, rights under any Award granted before amendment of the Plan shall not be Materially Impaired by any amendment of the Plan unless (1) the Company requests the consent of the affected Participant, and (2) such Participant consents in writing.

 

(viii) To submit any amendment to the Plan for Shareholder approval.

 

(ix) To approve forms of Award Agreements for use under the Plan and to amend the terms of any one or more Awards, including, but not limited to, amendments to provide terms more favorable to the Participant than previously provided in the Award Agreement, subject to any specified limits in the Plan that are not subject to Board discretion; provided however, that, a Participant’s rights under any Award shall not be Materially Impaired by any such amendment unless (1) the Company requests the consent of the affected Participant, and (2) such Participant consents in writing.

 

 
 

 

(x) Generally, to exercise such powers and to perform such acts as the Board deems necessary or expedient to promote the best interests of the Company and that are not in conflict with the provisions of the Plan or Awards.

 

(xi) To adopt such procedures and sub-plans as are necessary or appropriate to permit and facilitate participation in the Plan by, or take advantage of specific tax treatment for Awards granted to, Employees, Directors or Consultants who are foreign nationals or employed outside the United States (provided that Board approval shall not be necessary for immaterial modifications to the Plan or any Award Agreement to ensure or facilitate compliance with the laws of the relevant foreign jurisdiction).

 

(xii) To effect, at any time and from time to time, subject to the consent of any Participant whose Award is Materially Impaired by such action, (1) the reduction of the exercise price (or strike price) of any outstanding Option or SAR; (2) the cancellation of any outstanding Option or SAR and the grant in substitution therefor of (A) a new Option, SAR, Restricted Stock Award, RSU Award or Other Award, under the Plan or another equity plan of the Company, covering the same or a different number of Ordinary Shares, (B) cash and/or (C) other valuable consideration (as determined by the Board); or (3) any other action that is treated as a repricing under generally accepted accounting principles.

 

(c) Delegation to Committee.

 

(i) General. The Board may delegate some or all of the administration of the Plan to a Committee or Committees. If administration of the Plan is delegated to a Committee, the Committee shall have, in connection with the administration of the Plan, the powers theretofore possessed by the Board that have been delegated to the Committee, including the power to delegate to another Committee or a subcommittee of the Committee any of the administrative powers the Committee is authorized to exercise (and references in this Plan to the Board shall thereafter be to the Committee or subcommittee), subject, however, to such resolutions, not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan, as may be adopted from time to time by the Board. Each Committee may retain the authority to concurrently administer the Plan with the Committee or subcommittee to which it has delegated its authority hereunder and may, at any time, revest in such Committee some or all of the powers previously delegated. The Board may retain the authority to concurrently administer the Plan with any Committee and may, at any time, revest in the Board some or all of the powers previously delegated.

 

(ii) Rule 16b-3 Compliance. To the extent an Award is intended to qualify for the exemption from Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act that is available under Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act, the Award shall be granted by the Board or a Committee that consists solely of two or more Non-Employee Directors, as determined under Rule 16b-3(b)(3) of the Exchange Act and thereafter any action establishing or modifying the terms of the Award shall be approved by the Board or a Committee meeting such requirements to the extent necessary for such exemption to remain available.

 

(d) Effect of Board’s Decision. All determinations, interpretations and constructions made by the Board or any Committee in good faith shall not be subject to review by any person and shall be final, binding and conclusive on all persons.

 

(e) Delegation to an Officer. The Board or any Committee may delegate to one or more Officers the authority to do one or both of the following (i) designate Employees who are not Officers to be recipients of Options and SARs (and, to the extent permitted by Applicable Law, other types of Awards) and, to the extent permitted by Applicable Law, the terms thereof, and (ii) determine the number of Ordinary Shares to be subject to such Awards granted to such Employees; provided, however, that the resolutions or charter adopted by the Board or any Committee evidencing such delegation shall specify the total number of Ordinary Shares that may be subject to the Awards granted by such Officer and that such Officer may not grant an Award to himself or herself. Any such Awards shall be granted on the applicable form of Award Agreement most recently approved for use by the Board or the Committee, unless otherwise provided in the resolutions approving the delegation authority. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, neither the Board nor any Committee may delegate to an Officer who is acting solely in the capacity of an Officer (and not also as a Director) the authority to determine the Fair Market Value.

 

 
 

 

8. Tax Withholding

 

(a) Withholding Authorization. As a condition to acceptance of any Award under the Plan, a Participant authorizes withholding from payroll and any other amounts payable to such Participant, and otherwise agrees to make adequate provision for, any sums required to satisfy any U.S. federal, state, local and/or foreign tax or social insurance contribution withholding obligations of the Company or an Affiliate, if any, which arise in connection with the grant, exercise, vesting or settlement of such Award, as applicable. Accordingly, a Participant may not be able to exercise an Award even though the Award is vested, and the Company shall have no obligation to issue Ordinary Shares subject to an Award, unless and until such obligations are satisfied.

 

(b) Satisfaction of Withholding Obligation. To the extent permitted by the terms of an Award Agreement, the Company may, in its sole discretion, satisfy any U.S. federal, state, local and/or foreign tax or social insurance withholding obligation relating to an Award by any of the following means or by a combination of such means: (i) causing the Participant to tender a cash payment; (ii) withholding Ordinary Shares from the Ordinary Shares issued or otherwise issuable to the Participant in connection with the Award; (iii) withholding cash from an Award settled in cash; (iv) withholding payment from any amounts otherwise payable to the Participant; (v) by allowing a Participant to effectuate a “cashless exercise” pursuant to a program developed under Regulation T as promulgated by the Federal Reserve Board; or (vi) by such other method as may be set forth in the Award Agreement.

 

(c) No Obligation to Notify or Minimize Taxes; No Liability to Claims. Except as required by Applicable Law the Company has no duty or obligation to any Participant to advise such holder as to the time or manner of exercising such Award. Furthermore, the Company has no duty or obligation to warn or otherwise advise such holder of a pending termination or expiration of an Award or a possible period in which the Award may not be exercised. The Company has no duty or obligation to minimize the tax consequences of an Award to the holder of such Award and shall not be liable to any holder of an Award for any adverse tax consequences to such holder in connection with an Award. As a condition to accepting an Award under the Plan, each Participant (i) agrees to not make any claim against the Company, or any of its Officers, Directors, Employees or Affiliates related to tax liabilities arising from such Award or other Company compensation and (ii) acknowledges that such Participant was advised to consult with his or her own personal tax, financial and other legal advisors regarding the tax consequences of the Award and has either done so or knowingly and voluntarily declined to do so. Additionally, each Participant acknowledges any Option or SAR granted under the Plan is exempt from Section 409A only if the exercise or strike price is at least equal to the “fair market value” of the Ordinary Shares on the date of grant as determined by the Internal Revenue Service and the Option or SAR otherwise complies with the deferral of compensation and other requirements of Section 409A.

 

(d) Withholding Indemnification. As a condition to accepting an Award under the Plan, in the event that the amount of the Company’s and/or its Affiliate’s withholding obligation in connection with such Award was greater than the amount actually withheld by the Company and/or its Affiliates, each Participant agrees to indemnify and hold the Company and/or its Affiliates harmless from any failure by the Company and/or its Affiliates to withhold the proper amount.

 

 
 

 

9. Miscellaneous.

 

(a) Source of Shares. The stock issuable under the Plan shall be shares of authorized but unissued or reacquired Ordinary Shares, including shares repurchased by the Company on the open market or otherwise.

 

(b) Use of Proceeds from Sales of Ordinary Shares. Proceeds from the sale of Ordinary Shares pursuant to Awards shall constitute general funds of the Company.

 

(c) Corporate Action Constituting Grant of Awards. Corporate action constituting a grant by the Company of an Award to any Participant shall be deemed completed as of the date of such corporate action, unless otherwise determined by the Board, regardless of when the instrument, certificate, or letter evidencing the Award is communicated to, or actually received or accepted by, the Participant. In the event that the corporate records (e.g., Board consents, resolutions or minutes) documenting the corporate action approving the grant contain terms (e.g., exercise price, vesting schedule or number of shares) that are inconsistent with those in the Award Agreement or related grant documents as a result of a clerical error in the Award Agreement or related grant documents, the corporate records shall control and the Participant shall have no legally binding right to the incorrect term in the Award Agreement or related grant documents.

 

(d) Shareholder Rights. No Participant shall be deemed to be the holder of, or to have any of the rights of a holder with respect to, any Ordinary Shares subject to an Award unless and until (i) such Participant has satisfied all requirements for exercise of the Award pursuant to its terms, if applicable, and (ii) the issuance of the Ordinary Shares subject to such Award is reflected in the records of the Company.

 

(e) No Employment or Other Service Rights. Nothing in the Plan, any Award Agreement or any other instrument executed thereunder or in connection with any Award granted pursuant thereto shall confer upon any Participant any right to continue to serve the Company or an Affiliate in the capacity in effect at the time the Award was granted or affect the right of the Company or an Affiliate to terminate at will and without regard to any future vesting opportunity that a Participant may have with respect to any Award (i) the employment of an Employee with or without notice and with or without cause, (ii) the service of a Consultant pursuant to the terms of such Consultant’s agreement with the Company or an Affiliate, or (iii) the service of a Director pursuant to the Bylaws of the Company or an Affiliate, and any applicable provisions of the corporate law of the state or foreign jurisdiction in which the Company or the Affiliate is incorporated, as the case may be. Further, nothing in the Plan, any Award Agreement or any other instrument executed thereunder or in connection with any Award shall constitute any promise or commitment by the Company or an Affiliate regarding the fact or nature of future positions, future work assignments, future compensation or any other term or condition of employment or service or confer any right or benefit under the Award or the Plan unless such right or benefit has specifically accrued under the terms of the Award Agreement and/or Plan.

 

(f) Change in Time Commitment. In the event a Participant’s regular level of time commitment in the performance of his or her services for the Company and any Affiliates is reduced (for example, and without limitation, if the Participant is an Employee of the Company and the Employee has a change in status from a full-time Employee to a part-time Employee or takes an extended leave of absence) after the date of grant of any Award to the Participant, the Board may determine, to the extent permitted by Applicable Law, to (i) make a corresponding reduction in the number of shares or cash amount subject to any portion of such Award that is scheduled to vest or become payable after the date of such change in time commitment, and (ii) in lieu of or in combination with such a reduction, extend the vesting or payment schedule applicable to such Award. In the event of any such reduction, the Participant shall have no right with respect to any portion of the Award that is so reduced or extended.

 

 
 

 

(g) Execution of Additional Documents. As a condition to accepting an Award under the Plan, the Participant agrees to execute any additional documents or instruments necessary or desirable, as determined in the Plan Administrator’s sole discretion, to carry out the purposes or intent of the Award, or facilitate compliance with securities and/or other regulatory requirements, in each case at the Plan Administrator’s request.

 

(h) Electronic Delivery and Participation. Any reference herein or in an Award Agreement to a “written” agreement or document shall include any agreement or document delivered electronically, filed publicly at www.sec.gov (or any successor website thereto) or posted on the Company’s intranet (or other shared electronic medium controlled by the Company to which the Participant has access). By accepting any Award, the Participant consents to receive documents by electronic delivery and to participate in the Plan through any on-line electronic system established and maintained by the Plan Administrator or another third party selected by the Plan Administrator. The form of delivery of any Ordinary Shares (e.g., a stock certificate or electronic entry evidencing such shares) shall be determined by the Company.

 

(i) Clawback/Recovery. All Awards granted under the Plan shall be subject to recoupment in accordance with any clawback policy that the Company is required to adopt pursuant to the listing standards of any national securities exchange or association on which the Company’s securities are listed or as is otherwise required by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act or other Applicable Law and any clawback policy that the Company otherwise adopts, to the extent applicable and permissible under Applicable Law. In addition, the Board may impose such other clawback, recovery or recoupment provisions in an Award Agreement as the Board determines necessary or appropriate, including but not limited to a reacquisition right in respect of previously acquired Ordinary Shares or other cash or property upon the occurrence of Cause. No recovery of compensation under such a clawback policy shall be an event giving rise to a Participant’s right to voluntarily terminate employment upon a “resignation for good reason,” or for a “constructive termination” or any similar term under any plan of or agreement with the Company.

 

(j) Securities Law Compliance. A Participant shall not be issued any shares in respect of an Award unless either (i) the shares are registered under the Securities Act; or (ii) the Company has determined that such issuance would be exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act. Each Award also must comply with other Applicable Law governing the Award, and a Participant shall not receive such shares if the Company determines that such receipt would not be in material compliance with Applicable Law.

 

(k) Transfer or Assignment of Awards; Issued Shares. Except as expressly provided in the Plan or the form of Award Agreement, Awards granted under the Plan may not be transferred or assigned by the Participant. After the vested shares subject to an Award have been issued, or in the case of a Restricted Stock Award and similar awards, after the issued shares have vested, the holder of such shares is free to assign, hypothecate, donate, encumber or otherwise dispose of any interest in such shares provided that any such actions are in compliance with the provisions herein, the terms of the Trading Policy and Applicable Law.

 

(l) Effect on Other Employee Benefit Plans. The value of any Award granted under the Plan, as determined upon grant, vesting or settlement, shall not be included as compensation, earnings, salaries, or other similar terms used when calculating any Participant’s benefits under any employee benefit plan sponsored by the Company or any Affiliate, except as such plan otherwise expressly provides. The Company expressly reserves its rights to amend, modify, or terminate any of the Company’s or any Affiliate’s employee benefit plans.

 

 
 

 

(m) Deferrals. To the extent permitted by Applicable Law, the Board, in its sole discretion, may determine that the delivery of Ordinary Shares or the payment of cash, upon the exercise, vesting or settlement of all or a portion of any Award may be deferred and may also establish programs and procedures for deferral elections to be made by Participants. Deferrals shall be subject to the requirements of Section 409A.

 

(n) Section 409A. Unless otherwise expressly provided for in an Award Agreement, the Plan and Award Agreements shall be interpreted to the greatest extent possible in a manner that makes the Plan and the Awards granted hereunder exempt from Section 409A, and, to the extent not so exempt, in compliance with the requirements of Section 409A. If the Board determines that any Award granted hereunder is not exempt from and is therefore subject to Section 409A, the Award Agreement evidencing such Award shall incorporate the terms and conditions necessary to avoid the consequences specified in Section 409A(a)(1) of the Code, and to the extent an Award Agreement is silent on terms necessary for compliance, such terms are hereby incorporated by reference into the Award Agreement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Plan (and unless the Award Agreement specifically provides otherwise), if the Ordinary Shares are publicly traded, and if a Participant holding an Award that constitutes “deferred compensation” under Section 409A is a “specified employee” for purposes of Section 409A, no distribution or payment of any amount that is due because of a “separation from service” (as defined in Section 409A without regard to alternative definitions thereunder) shall be issued or paid before the date that is six months and one day following the date of such Participant’s “separation from service” or, if earlier, the date of the Participant’s death, unless such distribution or payment can be made in a manner that complies with Section 409A, and any amounts so deferred shall be paid in a lump sum on the day after such six month period elapses, with the balance paid thereafter on the original schedule.

 

(o) Choice of Law. This Plan and any controversy arising out of or relating to this Plan shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the internal laws of the State of Minnesota, without regard to conflict of law principles that would result in any application of any law other than the law of the State of Minnesota.

 

10. Covenants of the Company.

 

(a) Compliance with Law. The Company shall seek to obtain from each regulatory commission or agency, as may be deemed to be necessary, having jurisdiction over the Plan such authority as may be required to grant Awards and to issue and sell Ordinary Shares upon exercise or vesting of the Awards; provided, however, that this undertaking shall not require the Company to register under the Securities Act the Plan, any Award or any Ordinary Shares issued or issuable pursuant to any such Award. If, after reasonable efforts and at a reasonable cost, the Company is unable to obtain from any such regulatory commission or agency the authority that counsel for the Company deems necessary or advisable for the lawful issuance and sale of Ordinary Shares under the Plan, the Company shall be relieved from any liability for failure to issue and sell Ordinary Shares upon exercise or vesting of such Awards unless and until such authority is obtained. A Participant is not eligible for the grant of an Award or the subsequent issuance of Ordinary Shares pursuant to the Award if such grant or issuance would be in violation of any Applicable Law.

 

11. Additional Rules for Awards Subject to Section 409A.

 

(a) Application. Unless the provisions of this Section of the Plan are expressly superseded by the provisions in the form of Award Agreement, the provisions of this Section shall apply and shall supersede anything to the contrary set forth in the Award Agreement for a Non-Exempt Award.

 

 
 

 

(b) Non-Exempt Awards Subject to Non-Exempt Severance Arrangements. To the extent a Non-Exempt Award is subject to Section 409A due to application of a Non-Exempt Severance Arrangement, the following provisions of this subsection (b) apply.

 

(i) If the Non-Exempt Award vests in the ordinary course during the Participant’s Continuous Service in accordance with the vesting schedule set forth in the Award Agreement, and does not accelerate vesting under the terms of a Non-Exempt Severance Arrangement, in no event shall the shares be issued in respect of such Non-Exempt Award any later than the later of: (i) December 31st of the calendar year that includes the applicable vesting date, or (ii) the 60th day that follows the applicable vesting date.

 

(ii) If vesting of the Non-Exempt Award accelerates under the terms of a Non-Exempt Severance Arrangement in connection with the Participant’s Separation from Service, and such vesting acceleration provisions were in effect as of the date of grant of the Non-Exempt Award and, therefore, are part of the terms of such Non-Exempt Award as of the date of grant, then the shares shall be earlier issued in settlement of such Non-Exempt Award upon the Participant’s Separation from Service in accordance with the terms of the Non-Exempt Severance Arrangement, but in no event later than the 60th day that follows the date of the Participant’s Separation from Service. However, if at the time the shares would otherwise be issued the Participant is subject to the distribution limitations contained in Section 409A applicable to “specified employees,” as defined in Section 409A(a)(2)(B)(i) of the Code, such shares shall not be issued before the date that is six months following the date of such Participant’s Separation from Service, or, if earlier, the date of the Participant’s death that occurs within such six-month period.

 

(iii) If vesting of a Non-Exempt Award accelerates under the terms of a Non-Exempt Severance Arrangement in connection with a Participant’s Separation from Service, and such vesting acceleration provisions were not in effect as of the date of grant of the Non-Exempt Award and, therefore, are not a part of the terms of such Non-Exempt Award on the date of grant, then such acceleration of vesting of the Non-Exempt Award shall not accelerate the issuance date of the shares, but the shares shall instead be issued on the same schedule as set forth in the Grant Notice as if they had vested in the ordinary course during the Participant’s Continuous Service, notwithstanding the vesting acceleration of the Non-Exempt Award. Such issuance schedule is intended to satisfy the requirements of payment on a specified date or pursuant to a fixed schedule, as provided under Treasury Regulations Section 1.409A-3(a)(4).

 

(c) Treatment of Non-Exempt Awards Upon a Corporate Transaction for Employees and Consultants. The provisions of this subsection (c) shall apply and shall supersede anything to the contrary set forth in the Plan with respect to the permitted treatment of any Non-Exempt Award in connection with a Corporate Transaction if the Participant was either an Employee or Consultant upon the applicable date of grant of the Non-Exempt Award.

 

(i) Vested Non-Exempt Awards. The following provisions shall apply to any Vested Non-Exempt Award in connection with a Corporate Transaction:

 

(1) If the Corporate Transaction is also a Section 409A Change in Control, then the Acquiring Entity may not assume, continue or substitute the Vested Non-Exempt Award. Upon the Section 409A Change in Control, the settlement of the Vested Non-Exempt Award shall automatically be accelerated and the shares shall be immediately issued in respect of the Vested Non-Exempt Award. Alternatively, the Company may instead provide that the Participant shall receive a cash settlement equal to the Fair Market Value of the shares that would otherwise be issued to the Participant upon the Section 409A Change in Control.

 

 
 

 

(2) If the Corporate Transaction is not also a Section 409A Change in Control, then the Acquiring Entity must either assume, continue or substitute each Vested Non-Exempt Award. The shares to be issued in respect of the Vested Non-Exempt Award shall be issued to the Participant by the Acquiring Entity on the same schedule that the shares would have been issued to the Participant if the Corporate Transaction had not occurred. In the Acquiring Entity’s discretion, in lieu of an issuance of shares, the Acquiring Entity may instead substitute a cash payment on each applicable issuance date, equal to the Fair Market Value of the shares that would otherwise be issued to the Participant on such issuance dates, with the determination of the Fair Market Value of the shares made on the date of the Corporate Transaction.

 

(ii) Unvested Non-Exempt Awards. The following provisions shall apply to any Unvested Non-Exempt Award unless otherwise determined by the Board pursuant to subsection (e) of this Section.

 

(1) In the event of a Corporate Transaction, the Acquiring Entity shall assume, continue or substitute any Unvested Non-Exempt Award. Unless otherwise determined by the Board, any Unvested Non-Exempt Award shall remain subject to the same vesting and forfeiture restrictions that were applicable to the Award prior to the Corporate Transaction. The shares to be issued in respect of any Unvested Non-Exempt Award shall be issued to the Participant by the Acquiring Entity on the same schedule that the shares would have been issued to the Participant if the Corporate Transaction had not occurred. In the Acquiring Entity’s discretion, in lieu of an issuance of shares, the Acquiring Entity may instead substitute a cash payment on each applicable issuance date, equal to the Fair Market Value of the shares that would otherwise be issued to the Participant on such issuance dates, with the determination of Fair Market Value of the shares made on the date of the Corporate Transaction.

 

(2) If the Acquiring Entity shall not assume, substitute or continue any Unvested Non-Exempt Award in connection with a Corporate Transaction, then such Award shall automatically terminate and be forfeited upon the Corporate Transaction with no consideration payable to any Participant in respect of such forfeited Unvested Non-Exempt Award. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent permitted and in compliance with the requirements of Section 409A, the Board may in its discretion determine to elect to accelerate the vesting and settlement of the Unvested Non-Exempt Award upon the Corporate Transaction, or instead substitute a cash payment equal to the Fair Market Value of such shares that would otherwise be issued to the Participant, as further provided in subsection (e)(ii) below. In the absence of such discretionary election by the Board, any Unvested Non-Exempt Award shall be forfeited without payment of any consideration to the affected Participants if the Acquiring Entity shall not assume, substitute or continue the Unvested Non-Exempt Awards in connection with the Corporate Transaction.

 

(3) The foregoing treatment shall apply with respect to all Unvested Non-Exempt Awards upon any Corporate Transaction, and regardless of whether or not such Corporate Transaction is also a Section 409A Change in Control.

 

(d) Treatment of Non-Exempt Awards Upon a Corporate Transaction for Non-Employee Directors. The following provisions of this subsection (d) shall apply and shall supersede anything to the contrary that may be set forth in the Plan with respect to the permitted treatment of a Non-Exempt Director Award in connection with a Corporate Transaction.

 

(i) If the Corporate Transaction is also a Section 409A Change in Control, then the Acquiring Entity may not assume, continue or substitute the Non-Exempt Director Award. Upon the Section 409A Change in Control, the vesting and settlement of any Non-Exempt Director Award shall automatically be accelerated and the shares shall be immediately issued to the Participant in respect of the Non-Exempt Director Award. Alternatively, the Company may provide that the Participant shall instead receive a cash settlement equal to the Fair Market Value of the shares that would otherwise be issued to the Participant upon the Section 409A Change in Control pursuant to the preceding provision.

 

 
 

 

(ii) If the Corporate Transaction is not also a Section 409A Change in Control, then the Acquiring Entity must either assume, continue or substitute the Non-Exempt Director Award. Unless otherwise determined by the Board, the Non-Exempt Director Award shall remain subject to the same vesting and forfeiture restrictions that were applicable to the Award prior to the Corporate Transaction. The shares to be issued in respect of the Non-Exempt Director Award shall be issued to the Participant by the Acquiring Entity on the same schedule that the shares would have been issued to the Participant if the Corporate Transaction had not occurred. In the Acquiring Entity’s discretion, in lieu of an issuance of shares, the Acquiring Entity may instead substitute a cash payment on each applicable issuance date, equal to the Fair Market Value of the shares that would otherwise be issued to the Participant on such issuance dates, with the determination of Fair Market Value made on the date of the Corporate Transaction.

 

(e) If the RSU Award is a Non-Exempt Award, then the provisions in this Section 11(e) shall apply and supersede anything to the contrary that may be set forth in the Plan or the Award Agreement with respect to the permitted treatment of such Non-Exempt Award:

 

(i) Any exercise by the Board of discretion to accelerate the vesting of a Non-Exempt Award shall not result in any acceleration of the scheduled issuance dates for the shares in respect of the Non-Exempt Award unless earlier issuance of the shares upon the applicable vesting dates would be in compliance with the requirements of Section 409A.

 

(ii) The Company explicitly reserves the right to earlier settle any Non-Exempt Award to the extent permitted and in compliance with the requirements of Section 409A, including pursuant to any of the exemptions available in Treasury Regulations Section 1.409A-3(j)(4)(ix).

 

(iii) To the extent the terms of any Non-Exempt Award provide that it shall be settled upon a Change in Control or Corporate Transaction, to the extent it is required for compliance with the requirements of Section 409A, the Change in Control or Corporate Transaction event triggering settlement must also constitute a Section 409A Change in Control. To the extent the terms of a Non-Exempt Award provides that it shall be settled upon a termination of employment or termination of Continuous Service, to the extent it is required for compliance with the requirements of Section 409A, the termination event triggering settlement must also constitute a Separation From Service. However, if at the time the shares would otherwise be issued to a Participant in connection with a “separation from service” such Participant is subject to the distribution limitations contained in Section 409A applicable to “specified employees,” as defined in Section 409A(a)(2)(B)(i) of the Code, such shares shall not be issued before the date that is six months following the date of the Participant’s Separation From Service, or, if earlier, the date of the Participant’s death that occurs within such six month period.

 

(iv) The provisions in this subsection (e) for delivery of the shares in respect of the settlement of a RSU Award that is a Non-Exempt Award are intended to comply with the requirements of Section 409A so that the delivery of the shares to the Participant in respect of such Non-Exempt Award shall not trigger the additional tax imposed under Section 409A, and any ambiguities herein shall be so interpreted.

 

12. Severability. If all or any part of the Plan or any Award Agreement is declared by any court or governmental authority to be unlawful or invalid, such unlawfulness or invalidity shall not invalidate any portion of the Plan or such Award Agreement not declared to be unlawful or invalid. Any Section of the Plan or any Award Agreement (or part of such a Section) so declared to be unlawful or invalid shall, if possible, be construed in a manner which shall give effect to the terms of such Section or part of a Section to the fullest extent possible while remaining lawful and valid.

 

 
 

 

13. Termination of the Plan.

 

The Board may suspend or terminate the Plan at any time. No Incentive Stock Options may be granted after the tenth anniversary of the earlier of: (i) the Adoption Date, or (ii) the date the Plan is approved by the Company’s Shareholders. No Awards may be granted under the Plan while the Plan is suspended or after it is terminated.

 

14. Definitions.

 

As used in the Plan, the following definitions apply to the capitalized terms below:

 

(a) Acquiring Entity” means the surviving or acquiring corporation (or its parent company) in connection with a Corporate Transaction.

 

(b) Adoption Date” means the date the Plan is first approved by the Board or Compensation Committee.

 

(c) Affiliate” means, at the time of determination, any “parent” or “subsidiary” of the Company as such terms are defined in Rule 405 promulgated under the Securities Act. The Board may determine the time or times at which “parent” or “subsidiary” status is determined within the foregoing definition.

 

(d) Applicable Law” means any applicable securities, federal, state, foreign, material local or municipal or other law, statute, constitution, principle of common law, resolution, ordinance, code, edict, decree, rule, listing rule, regulation, judicial decision, ruling or requirement issued, enacted, adopted, promulgated, implemented or otherwise put into effect by or under the authority of any Governmental Body (including under the authority of any applicable self-regulating organization such as the Nasdaq Stock Market, New York Stock Exchange, or the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority).

 

(e) Award” means any right to receive Ordinary Shares, cash or other property granted under the Plan (including an Incentive Stock Option, a Nonstatutory Stock Option, a Restricted Stock Award, a RSU Award, a SAR, a Performance Award or any Other Award).

 

(f) Award Agreement” means a written agreement between the Company and a Participant evidencing the terms and conditions of an Award. The Award Agreement generally consists of the Grant Notice and the agreement containing the written summary of the general terms and conditions applicable to the Award and which is provided to a Participant along with the Grant Notice.

 

(g) Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company (or its designee). Any decision or determination made by the Board shall be a decision or determination that is made in the sole discretion of the Board (or its designee), and such decision or determination shall be final and binding on all Participants.

 

(h) Capitalization Adjustment” means any change that is made in, or other events that occur with respect to, the Ordinary Shares subject to the Plan or subject to any Award after the Effective Date without the receipt of consideration by the Company through merger, consolidation, reorganization, recapitalization, reincorporation, stock dividend, dividend in property other than cash, large nonrecurring cash dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, liquidating dividend, combination of shares, exchange of shares, change in corporate structure or any similar equity restructuring transaction, as that term is used in Statement of Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718 (or any successor thereto). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the conversion of any convertible securities of the Company shall not be treated as a Capitalization Adjustment.

 

 
 

 

(i) Cause” has the meaning ascribed to such term in any written agreement between the Participant and the Company or an Affiliate defining such term and, in the absence of such agreement, such term means, with respect to a Participant, the occurrence of any of the following events: (i) such Participant’s attempted commission of, or participation in, a fraud or act of dishonesty against the Company or an Affiliate; (ii) such Participant’s intentional, material violation of any contract or agreement between the Participant and the Company or an Affiliate or of any statutory duty owed to the Company or an Affiliate; (iii) such Participant’s unauthorized use or disclosure of the Company’s or any of its Affiliate’s confidential information or trade secrets; or (iv) such Participant’s gross misconduct. The determination that a termination of the Participant’s Continuous Service is either for Cause or without Cause shall be made by the Board with respect to Participants who are executive officers of the Company and by the Company’s Chief Executive Officer with respect to Participants who are not executive officers of the Company. Any determination by the Company that the Continuous Service of a Participant was terminated with or without Cause for the purposes of outstanding Awards held by such Participant shall have no effect upon any determination of the rights or obligations of the Company or an Affiliate or such Participant for any other purpose.

 

(j) Change in Control” or “Change of Control” means the occurrence, in a single transaction or in a series of related transactions, of any one or more of the following events; provided, however, to the extent necessary to avoid adverse personal income tax consequences to the Participant in connection with an Award, such event or events, as the case may be, also constitute a Section 409A Change in Control:

 

(i) any Exchange Act Person becomes the Owner, directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing more than 50% of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities other than by virtue of a merger, consolidation or similar transaction. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Change in Control shall not be deemed to occur (A) on account of the acquisition of securities of the Company directly from the Company, (B) on account of the acquisition of securities of the Company by an investor, any affiliate thereof or any other Exchange Act Person that acquires the Company’s securities in a transaction or series of related transactions the primary purpose of which is to obtain financing for the Company through the issuance of equity securities, or (C) solely because the level of Ownership held by any Exchange Act Person (the “Subject Person”) exceeds the designated percentage threshold of the outstanding voting securities as a result of a repurchase or other acquisition of voting securities by the Company reducing the number of shares outstanding, provided that if a Change in Control would occur (but for the operation of this sentence) as a result of the acquisition of voting securities by the Company, and after such share acquisition, the Subject Person becomes the Owner of any additional voting securities that, assuming the repurchase or other acquisition had not occurred, increases the percentage of the then outstanding voting securities Owned by the Subject Person over the designated percentage threshold, then a Change in Control shall be deemed to occur;

 

(ii) there is consummated a merger, consolidation or similar transaction involving (directly or indirectly) the Company and, immediately after the consummation of such merger, consolidation or similar transaction, the Shareholders of the Company immediately prior thereto do not Own, directly or indirectly, either (A) outstanding voting securities representing more than 50% of the combined outstanding voting power of the surviving Entity in such merger, consolidation or similar transaction or (B) more than 50% of the combined outstanding voting power of the parent of the surviving Entity in such merger, consolidation or similar transaction, in each case in substantially the same proportions as their Ownership of the outstanding voting securities of the Company immediately prior to such transaction;

 

 
 

 

(iii) there is consummated a sale, lease, exclusive license or other disposition of all or substantially all of the consolidated assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries, other than a sale, lease, license or other disposition of all or substantially all of the consolidated assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries to an Entity, more than 50% of the combined voting power of the voting securities of which are Owned by Shareholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their Ownership of the outstanding voting securities of the Company immediately prior to such sale, lease, license or other disposition; or

 

(iv) individuals who, on the date the Plan is adopted by the Board, are members of the Board (the “Incumbent Board”) cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority of the members of the Board; provided, however, that if the appointment or election (or nomination for election) of any new Board member was approved or recommended by a majority vote of the members of the Incumbent Board then still in office, such new member shall, for purposes of this Plan, be considered as a member of the Incumbent Board.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing or any other provision of this Plan, (A) the term Change in Control shall not include a sale of assets, merger or other transaction effected exclusively for the purpose of changing the domicile of the Company, and (B) the definition of Change in Control (or any analogous term) in an individual written agreement between the Company or any Affiliate and the Participant shall supersede the foregoing definition with respect to Awards subject to such agreement; provided, however, that if no definition of Change in Control or any analogous term is set forth in such an individual written agreement, the foregoing definition shall apply.

 

(k) Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, including any applicable regulations and guidance thereunder.

 

(l) Committee” means the Compensation Committee and any other committee of one or more Directors to whom authority has been delegated by the Board or Compensation Committee in accordance with the Plan.

 

(m) Company” means SharpLink Gaming Ltd., an Israeli limited company, or any successor thereto.

 

(m) Compensation Committee” means the Compensation Committee of the Board.

 

(o) Consultant” means any person, including an advisor, who is (i) engaged by the Company or an Affiliate to render consulting or advisory services and is compensated for such services, or (ii) serving as a member of the board of directors of an Affiliate and is compensated for such services. However, service solely as a Director, or payment of a fee for such service, shall not cause a Director to be considered a “Consultant” for purposes of the Plan. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a person is treated as a Consultant under this Plan only if a Form S-8 Registration Statement under the Securities Act is available to register either the offer or the sale of the Company’s securities to such person.

 

(p) Continuous Service” means that the Participant’s service with the Company or an Affiliate, whether as an Employee, Director or Consultant, is not interrupted or terminated. A change in the capacity in which the Participant renders service to the Company or an Affiliate as an Employee, Director or Consultant or a change in the Entity for which the Participant renders such service, provided that there is no interruption or termination of the Participant’s service with the Company or an Affiliate, shall not terminate a Participant’s Continuous Service; provided, however, that if the Entity for which a Participant is rendering services ceases to qualify as an Affiliate, as determined by the Board, such Participant’s Continuous Service shall be considered to have terminated on the date such Entity ceases to qualify as an Affiliate. For example, a change in status from an Employee of the Company to a Consultant of an Affiliate or to a Director shall not constitute an interruption of Continuous Service. To the extent permitted by law, the Board or the chief executive officer of the Company, in that party’s sole discretion, may determine whether Continuous Service shall be considered interrupted in the case of (i) any leave of absence approved by the Board or chief executive officer, including sick leave, military leave or any other personal leave, or (ii) transfers between the Company, an Affiliate, or their successors. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a leave of absence shall be treated as Continuous Service for purposes of vesting in an Award only to such extent as may be provided in the Company’s leave of absence policy, in the written terms of any leave of absence agreement or policy applicable to the Participant, or as otherwise required by law. In addition, to the extent required for exemption from or compliance with Section 409A, the determination of whether there has been a termination of Continuous Service shall be made, and such term shall be construed, in a manner that is consistent with the definition of “separation from service” as defined under Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-1(h) (without regard to any alternative definition thereunder).

 

 
 

 

(q) Corporate Transaction” means the consummation, in a single transaction or in a series of related transactions, of any one or more of the following events:

 

(i) a sale or other disposition of all or substantially all, as determined by the Board, of the consolidated assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries;

 

(ii) a sale or other disposition of at least 50% of the outstanding securities of the Company;

 

(iii) a merger, consolidation or similar transaction following which the Company is not the surviving corporation; or

 

(iv) a merger, consolidation or similar transaction following which the Company is the surviving corporation but the Ordinary Shares outstanding immediately preceding the merger, consolidation or similar transaction are converted or exchanged by virtue of the merger, consolidation or similar transaction into other property, whether in the form of securities, cash or otherwise.

 

(r) Director” means a member of the Board.

 

(s) determine or determined” means as determined by the Board or the Committee (or its designee) in its sole discretion.

 

(t) Disability” means, with respect to a Participant, such Participant is unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death or which has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months, as provided in Section 22(e)(3) of the Code, and shall be determined by the Board on the basis of such medical evidence as the Board deems warranted under the circumstances.

 

(u) Effective Date” means the date this Plan is approved by the Company’s Shareholders.

 

(v) Employee” means any person employed by the Company or an Affiliate. However, service solely as a Director, or payment of a fee for such services, shall not cause a Director to be considered an “Employee” for purposes of the Plan.

 

 
 

 

(w) Employer” means the Company or the Affiliate of the Company that employs the Participant.

 

(x) Entity” means a corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other entity.

 

(y)Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

(z)Exchange Act Person” means any natural person, Entity or “group” (within the meaning of Section 13(d) or 14(d) of the Exchange Act), except that “Exchange Act Person” shall not include (i) the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company, (ii) any employee benefit plan of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company or any trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company, (iii) an underwriter temporarily holding securities pursuant to a registered public offering of such securities, (iv) an Entity Owned, directly or indirectly, by the Shareholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their Ownership of stock of the Company; or (v) any natural person, Entity or “group” (within the meaning of Section 13(d) or 14(d) of the Exchange Act) that, as of the Effective Date, is the Owner, directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing more than 50% of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities.

 

(aa) Fair Market Value” means, as of any date, unless otherwise determined by the Board, the value of the Ordinary Shares (as determined on a per share or aggregate basis, as applicable) determined as follows:

 

(i) If the Ordinary Shares is listed on any established stock exchange or traded on any established market, the Fair Market Value shall be the closing sales price for such stock as quoted on such exchange or market (or the exchange or market with the greatest volume of trading in the Ordinary Shares) on the date of determination, as reported in a source the Board deems reliable.

 

(ii) If there is no closing sales price for the Ordinary Shares on the date of determination, then the Fair Market Value shall be the closing sales price on the last preceding date for which such quotation exists.

 

(iii) In the absence of such markets for the Ordinary Shares, or if otherwise determined by the Board, the Fair Market Value shall be determined by the Board in good faith and in a manner that complies with Sections 409A and 422 of the Code.

 

(bb) Governmental Body” means any: (i) nation, state, commonwealth, province, territory, county, municipality, district or other jurisdiction of any nature; (ii) federal, state, local, municipal, foreign or other government; (iii) governmental or regulatory body, or quasi-governmental body of any nature (including any governmental division, department, administrative agency or bureau, commission, authority, instrumentality, official, ministry, fund, foundation, center, organization, unit, body or Entity, any court or other tribunal, and any Tax authority) or other body exercising similar powers or authority; or (iv) self-regulatory organization (including the Nasdaq Stock Market, New York Stock Exchange, and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority).

 

(cc) Grant Notice” means the notice provided to a Participant that he or she has been granted an Award under the Plan and which includes the name of the Participant, the type of Award, the date of grant of the Award, number of Ordinary Shares subject to the Award or potential cash payment right, (if any), the vesting schedule for the Award (if any) and other key terms applicable to the Award.

 

 
 

 

(dd) Incentive Stock Option” means an option granted pursuant to Section 4 of the Plan that is intended to be, and qualifies as, an “incentive stock option” within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code.

 

(ee) Materially Impair” means any amendment to the terms of the Award that materially adversely affects the Participant’s rights under the Award. A Participant’s rights under an Award shall not be deemed to have been Materially Impaired by any such amendment if the Board, in its sole discretion, determines that the amendment, taken as a whole, does not materially impair the Participant’s rights. For example, the following types of amendments to the terms of an Award do not Materially Impair the Participant’s rights under the Award: (i) imposition of reasonable restrictions on the minimum number of shares subject to an Option that may be exercised; (ii) to maintain the qualified status of the Award as an Incentive Stock Option under Section 422 of the Code; (iii) to change the terms of an Incentive Stock Option in a manner that disqualifies, impairs or otherwise affects the qualified status of the Award as an Incentive Stock Option under Section 422 of the Code; (iv) to clarify the manner of exemption from, or to bring the Award into compliance with or qualify it for an exemption from, Section 409A; or (v) to comply with other Applicable Law.

 

(ff) Non-Employee Director” means a Director who either (i) is not a current employee or officer of the Company or an Affiliate, does not receive compensation, either directly or indirectly, from the Company or an Affiliate for services rendered as a consultant or in any capacity other than as a Director (except for an amount as to which disclosure would not be required under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K promulgated pursuant to the Securities Act (“Regulation S-K”)), does not possess an interest in any other transaction for which disclosure would be required under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K, and is not engaged in a business relationship for which disclosure would be required pursuant to Item 404(b) of Regulation S-K; or (ii) is otherwise considered a “non-employee director” for purposes of Rule 16b-3.

 

(gg) Non-Exempt Award” means any Award that is subject to, and not exempt from, Section 409A, including as the result of (i) a deferral of the issuance of the shares subject to the Award which is elected by the Participant or imposed by the Company or (ii) the terms of any Non-Exempt Severance Agreement.

 

(hh)Non-Exempt Director Award” means a Non-Exempt Award granted to a Participant who was a Director but not an Employee on the applicable grant date.

 

(ii) “Non-Exempt Severance Arrangement” means a severance arrangement or other agreement between the Participant and the Company that provides for acceleration of vesting of an Award and issuance of the shares in respect of such Award upon the Participant’s termination of employment or separation from service (as such term is defined in Section 409A(a)(2)(A)(i) of the Code (and without regard to any alternative definition thereunder)) (“Separation from Service”) and such severance benefit does not satisfy the requirements for an exemption from application of Section 409A provided under Treasury Regulations Section 1.409A-1(b)(4), 1.409A-1(b)(9) or otherwise.

 

(jj) Nonstatutory Stock Option” means any option granted pursuant to Section 4 of the Plan that does not qualify as an Incentive Stock Option.

 

(kk)Officer” means a person who is an officer of the Company within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act.

 

(ll)Option” means an Incentive Stock Option or a Nonstatutory Stock Option to purchase Ordinary Shares granted pursuant to the Plan.

 

 
 

 

(mm)Option Agreement” means a written agreement between the Company and the Optionholder evidencing the terms and conditions of the Option grant. The Option Agreement includes the Grant Notice for the Option and the agreement containing the written summary of the general terms and conditions applicable to the Option and which is provided to a Participant along with the Grant Notice. Each Option Agreement shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.

 

(nn)Ordinary Shares” means the Ordinary Shares of the Company.

 

(oo) Optionholder” means a person to whom an Option is granted pursuant to the Plan or, if applicable, such other person who holds an outstanding Option.

 

(pp)Other Award” means an award based in whole or in part by reference to the Ordinary Shares which is granted pursuant to the terms and conditions of Section 5(c).

 

(qq)Other Award Agreement” means a written agreement between the Company and a holder of an Other Award evidencing the terms and conditions of an Other Award grant. Each Other Award Agreement shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.

 

(rr)Own,” “Owned,” “Owner,” “Ownership” means that a person or Entity shall be deemed to “Own,” to have “Owned,” to be the “Owner” of, or to have acquired “Ownership” of securities if such person or Entity, directly or indirectly, through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship or otherwise, has or shares voting power, which includes the power to vote or to direct the voting, with respect to such securities.

 

(ss)Participant” means an Employee, Director or Consultant to whom an Award is granted pursuant to the Plan or, if applicable, such other person who holds an outstanding Award.

 

(tt)Performance Award” means an Award that may vest or may be exercised or a cash award that may vest or become earned and paid contingent upon the attainment during a Performance Period of certain Performance Goals and which is granted under the terms and conditions of Section 5(b) pursuant to such terms as are approved by the Board. In addition, to the extent permitted by Applicable Law and set forth in the applicable Award Agreement, the Board may determine that cash or other property may be used in payment of Performance Awards. Performance Awards that are settled in cash or other property are not required to be valued in whole or in part by reference to, or otherwise based on, the Ordinary Shares.

 

(uu)Performance Criteria” means the one or more criteria that the Board shall select for purposes of establishing the Performance Goals for a Performance Period. The Performance Criteria that shall be used to establish such Performance Goals may be based on any measure of performance selected by the Board.

 

(vv)Performance Goals” means, for a Performance Period, the one or more goals established by the Board for the Performance Period based upon the Performance Criteria. Performance Goals may be based on a Company-wide basis, with respect to one or more business units, divisions, Affiliates, or business segments, and in either absolute terms or relative to the performance of one or more comparable companies or the performance of one or more relevant indices. Unless specified otherwise by the Board (i) in the Award Agreement at the time the Award is granted or (ii) in such other document setting forth the Performance Goals at the time the Performance Goals are established, the Board shall appropriately make adjustments in the method of calculating the attainment of Performance Goals for a Performance Period as follows: (1) to exclude restructuring and/or other nonrecurring charges; (2) to exclude exchange rate effects; (3) to exclude the effects of changes to generally accepted accounting principles; (4) to exclude the effects of any statutory adjustments to corporate tax rates; (5) to exclude the effects of items that are “unusual” in nature or occur “infrequently” as determined under generally accepted accounting principles; (6) to exclude the dilutive effects of acquisitions or joint ventures; (7) to assume that any business divested by the Company achieved performance objectives at targeted levels during the balance of a Performance Period following such divestiture; (8) to exclude the effect of any change in the outstanding Ordinary Shares 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 holders of Ordinary Shares other than regular cash dividends; (9) to exclude the effects of stock based compensation and the award of bonuses under the Company’s bonus plans; (10) to exclude costs incurred in connection with potential acquisitions or divestitures that are required to be expensed under generally accepted accounting principles; and (11) to exclude the goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges that are required to be recorded under generally accepted accounting principles. In addition, the Board retains the discretion to reduce or eliminate the compensation or economic benefit due upon attainment of Performance Goals and to define the manner of calculating the Performance Criteria it selects to use for such Performance Period. Partial achievement of the specified criteria may result in the payment or vesting corresponding to the degree of achievement as specified in the Award Agreement.

 

 
 

 

(ww)Performance Period” means the period of time selected by the Board over which the attainment of one or more Performance Goals shall be measured for the purpose of determining a Participant’s right to vesting or exercise of an Award. Performance Periods may be of varying and overlapping duration, at the sole discretion of the Board.

 

(xx)Plan” means this SharpLink Gaming Ltd. 2021 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended from time to time.

 

(yy)Plan Administrator” means the person, persons, and/or third-party administrator designated by the Company to administer the day to day operations of the Plan and the Company’s other equity incentive programs.

 

(zz)Post-Termination Exercise Period” means the period following termination of a Participant’s Continuous Service within which an Option or SAR is exercisable, as specified in Section 4(h).

 

(aaa)Prior Plan” means the Company’s 2006 Stock Option Plan, as amended.

 

(bbb)Prospectus” means the document containing the Plan information specified in Section 10(a) of the Securities Act.

 

(ccc)Restricted Stock Award” or “RSA” means an Award of Ordinary Shares which is granted pursuant to the terms and conditions of Section 5(a).

 

(ddd)Restricted Stock Award Agreement” means a written agreement between the Company and a holder of a Restricted Stock Award evidencing the terms and conditions of a Restricted Stock Award grant. The Restricted Stock Award Agreement includes the Grant Notice for the Restricted Stock Award and the agreement containing the written summary of the general terms and conditions applicable to the Restricted Stock Award and which is provided to a Participant along with the Grant Notice. Each Restricted Stock Award Agreement shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.

 

 
 

 

(eee)RSU Award” or “RSU” means an Award of restricted stock units representing the right to receive an issuance of Ordinary Shares which is granted pursuant to the terms and conditions of Section 5(a).

 

(fff)RSU Award Agreement” means a written agreement between the Company and a holder of a RSU Award evidencing the terms and conditions of a RSU Award. The RSU Award Agreement includes the Grant Notice for the RSU Award and the agreement containing the written summary of the general terms and conditions applicable to the RSU Award and which is provided to a Participant along with the Grant Notice. Each RSU Award Agreement shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.

 

(ggg)Rule 16b-3” means Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act or any successor to Rule 16b-3, as in effect from time to time.

 

(hhh)Rule 405” means Rule 405 promulgated under the Securities Act.

 

(iii)Section 409A” means Section 409A of the Code and the regulations and other guidance thereunder.

 

(jjj)Section 409A Change in Control” means a change in the ownership or effective control of the Company, or in the ownership of a substantial portion of the Company’s assets, as provided in Section 409A(a)(2)(A)(v) of the Code and Treasury Regulations Section 1.409A-3(i)(5) (without regard to any alternative definition thereunder).

 

(kkk)Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 

(lll)Share Reserve” means the number of shares available for issuance under the Plan as set forth in Section 2(a).

 

(mmm)Stock Appreciation Right” or “SAR” means a right to receive the appreciation on Ordinary Shares that is granted pursuant to the terms and conditions of Section 4.

 

(nnn)SAR Agreement” means a written agreement between the Company and a holder of a SAR evidencing the terms and conditions of a SAR grant. The SAR Agreement includes the Grant Notice for the SAR and the agreement containing the written summary of the general terms and conditions applicable to the SAR and which is provided to a Participant along with the Grant Notice. Each SAR Agreement shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.

 

(ooo)Subsidiary” means, with respect to the Company, (i) any corporation of which more than 50% of the outstanding capital stock having ordinary voting power to elect a majority of the board of directors of such corporation (irrespective of whether, at the time, stock of any other class or classes of such corporation shall have or might have voting power by reason of the happening of any contingency) is at the time, directly or indirectly, Owned by the Company, and (ii) any partnership, limited liability company or other entity in which the Company has a direct or indirect interest (whether in the form of voting or participation in profits or capital contribution) of more than 50%.

 

 
 

 

(ppp)Ten Percent Shareholder” means a person who Owns (or is deemed to Own pursuant to Section 424(d) of the Code) stock possessing more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or any Affiliate.

 

(qqq)Trading Policy” means the Company’s policy permitting certain individuals to sell Company shares only during certain “window” periods and/or otherwise restricts the ability of certain individuals to transfer or encumber Company shares, as in effect from time to time.

 

(rrr)Unvested Non-Exempt Award” means the portion of any Non-Exempt Award that had not vested in accordance with its terms upon or prior to the date of any Corporate Transaction.

 

(sss)Vested Non-Exempt Award” means the portion of any Non-Exempt Award that had vested in accordance with its terms upon or prior to the date of a Corporate Transaction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 99.2

 

SHARPLINK, INC.

 

2020 STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN

 

Adopted December 23, 2020

 

 
 

 

SHARPLINK, INC.
2020 STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN

 

1. Purpose of Plan.

 

The purpose of the SharpLink, Inc. 2020 Stock Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) is to advance the interests of SharpLink, Inc., a Minnesota corporation (the “Company”) and its stockholders by enabling the Company and its Subsidiaries to attract and retain persons of skill and ability to perform services for the Company and its Subsidiaries by providing an incentive to such individuals through equity participation in the Company and by rewarding such individuals who contribute to the achievement by the Company of its economic objectives.

 

2. Definitions.

 

The following terms will have the meanings set forth below, unless the context clearly otherwise requires:

 

2.1.              Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

 

2.2.              Broker Exercise Notice” means a written notice pursuant to which a Participant, upon exercise of an Option, irrevocably instructs a broker or dealer to sell a sufficient number of shares or lend a sufficient amount of money to pay all or a portion of the exercise price of the Option and/or any related withholding tax obligations and remit such sums to the Company and directs the Company to deliver stock certificates to be issued upon such exercise directly to such broker or dealer.

 

2.3.              Cause” means:

 

(a)                 Cause” as defined in any employment or other agreement or policy applicable to the Participant; or

 

(b)                 If no such agreement or policy exists, (i) dishonesty, fraud, misrepresentation, embezzlement or deliberate injury or attempted injury, in each case related to the Company or any Subsidiary, (ii) substantial failure on the part of the Participant to perform his or her duties to the Company or any Subsidiary or gross negligence on the part of the Participant in the performance of such duties, (iii) any unlawful or criminal activity of a serious nature, or (iv) any material breach of any employment, service, confidentiality or non-compete agreement entered into with the Company or any Subsidiary.

 

2.4.              Change in Control” of the Company means the occurrence of any of the following events:

 

(a)                 the sale, lease, exchange or other transfer of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company (in one transaction or in a series of related transactions) except where such sale, lease, exchange or other transfer is to an entity controlled by the Company;

 

 
 

 

(b)                 the approval by the stockholders of the Company of any plan or proposal for the liquidation or dissolution of the Company; or

 

(c)                 any person becomes after the effective date of the Plan the “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of fifty percent (50%) or more of the combined voting power of the Company’s outstanding securities ordinarily having the right to vote at elections of directors; or

 

(d)                 a merger or consolidation to which the Company is a party if the persons who are the stockholders of the Company immediately prior to effective date of such merger or consolidation have “beneficial ownership” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), immediately following the effective date of such merger or consolidation, of securities of the surviving corporation representing 50% or less of the combined voting power of the surviving corporation’s then outstanding securities ordinarily having the right to vote at elections of directors.

 

2.5.              Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

 

2.6.              Committee” means the group of individuals administering the Plan, as provided in Section 5 of the Plan.

 

2.7.              Common Stock” means the common stock of the Company, $0.0001 par value, or the number and kind of shares of stock or other securities into which such common stock may be changed in accordance with Section 4.3 of the Plan.

 

2.8.              Disability” means the disability of the Participant such as would entitle the Participant to receive disability income benefits pursuant to the long-term disability plan of the Company or Subsidiary then covering the Participant or, if no such plan exists or is applicable to the Participant, the permanent and total disability of the Participant within the meaning of Section 22(e)(3) of the Code.

 

2.9.              Effective Date” shall mean December 23, 2020, the date this Plan was adopted by the Board.

 

2.10.           Eligible Recipient” means any employee of the Company or any Subsidiary and any non-employee director, consultant or independent contractor of the Company or any Subsidiary.

 

2.11.           Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

 

2.12.           Fair Market Value” means, with respect to the Common Stock, as of any date: (i) the last reported sale price of a share of Common Stock as of such date during the regular daily trading session on the Nasdaq Stock Market or on any national exchange (or, if no shares were traded or quoted on such date, as of the next preceding date on which there was such a trade or quote); or (ii) if the Common Stock is publicly traded but is not so listed, the average of the closing bid and asked prices on such date, as reported by The Wall Street Journal, in the over-the- counter market (or, if no shares were quoted on such date, as of the next preceding date on which there was such a quote); or (iii) if the Common Stock is not so listed or reported, such price as the Committee determines in good faith in the exercise of its reasonable discretion, taking into account all available information material to the value of the Common Stock, and consistent with the definition of “fair market value” under Section 409A of the Code.

 

2
 

 

2.13.           Incentive Award” means an Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Stock Award, Performance Unit or Stock Bonus granted to an Eligible Recipient pursuant to the Plan.

 

2.14.           Incentive Stock Option” means a right to purchase Common Stock granted to an Eligible Recipient pursuant to Section 7 of the Plan that qualifies as an “incentive stock option” within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code.

 

2.15.           Non-Statutory Stock Option” means a right to purchase Common Stock granted to an Eligible Recipient pursuant to Section 7 of the Plan that does not qualify as an Incentive Stock Option.

 

2.16.           Option” means an Incentive Stock Option or a Non-Statutory Stock Option.

 

2.17.           Participant” means an Eligible Recipient who receives one or more Incentive Awards under the Plan.

 

2.18.           Performance Unit” means a right granted to an Eligible Recipient pursuant to Section 10 of the Plan to receive a payment from the Company, in the form of stock, cash or a combination of both, upon the achievement of established employment, service, performance or other goals.

 

2.19.           Previously Acquired Shares” means shares of Common Stock that are already owned by the Participant or, with respect to any Incentive Award, that are to be issued upon the grant, exercise or vesting of such Incentive Award.

 

2.20.           Restricted Stock Award” means an award of Common Stock granted to an Eligible Recipient pursuant to Section 9 of the Plan that is subject to the restrictions on transferability and the risk of forfeiture imposed by the provisions of such Section 9.

 

2.21.           Retirement” means termination of employment or service pursuant to and in accordance with the regular (or, if approved by the Board for purposes of the Plan, early) retirement/pension plan or practice of the Company or Subsidiary then covering the Participant, provided that if the Participant is not covered by any such plan or practice, the Participant will be deemed to be covered by the Company’s plan or practice for purposes of this determination.

 

2.22.           Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 

2.23.           Stock Appreciation Right” means a right granted to an Eligible Recipient pursuant to Section 8 of the Plan to receive a payment from the Company at the time of exercise, in the form of stock, cash or a combination of both, equal to the difference between the Fair Market Value of one or more shares of Common Stock and the exercise price of such shares under the terms of such Stock Appreciation Right.

 

3
 

 

2.24.           Stock Bonus” means an award of Common Stock granted to an Eligible Recipient pursuant to Section 11 of the Plan.

 

2.25.           Subsidiary” means any entity that is directly or indirectly controlled by the Company or any entity in which the Company has a significant equity interest, as determined by the Committee.

 

2.26.           Tax Date” means the date any withholding tax obligation arises under the Code or other applicable tax statute for a Participant with respect to an Incentive Award.

 

3. Effective Date and Duration of the Plan.

 

The Plan is effective as of the Effective Date. The Plan will terminate at midnight on tenth (10th) anniversary of the Effective Date and may be terminated prior to such time by Board action, and no Incentive Award may be granted after such termination. Incentive Awards outstanding upon termination of the Plan may continue to be exercised, or become free of restrictions, in accordance with their terms.

 

The Plan shall be submitted to the stockholders of the Company for approval within twelve (12) months before or after the Effective Date. Incentive Awards may be granted prior to the date this Plan is approved by the stockholders of the Company; provided, however, that any incentive stock options granted after adoption of the Plan by the Board shall be treated as nonqualified stock options if stockholder approval is not obtained within such twelve-month period.

 

4. Shares Available for Issuance.

 

4.1.              Maximum Number of Shares Available. Subject to adjustment as provided in Section 4.3 of the Plan or by amendment, the maximum number of shares of common stock that will be available for issuance under the Plan will be Four Hundred Thousand (400,000) shares of its Common Stock.

 

4.2.              Accounting for Incentive Awards. Shares of Common Stock that are issued under the Plan or that are subject to outstanding Incentive Awards will be applied to reduce the maximum number of shares of Common Stock remaining available for issuance under the Plan. Any shares of Common Stock that are subject to an Incentive Award that lapse, expire, are forfeited or for any reason are terminated unexercised or unvested and any shares of Common Stock that are subject to an Incentive Award that is settled or paid in cash or any form other than shares of Common Stock will automatically again become available for issuance under the Plan. Any shares of Common Stock that constitute the forfeited portion of a Restricted Stock Award, however, will not become available for re-issuance under the Plan after they have been so forfeited.

 

4.3.              Adjustments to Shares and Incentive Awards. In the event of any reorganization, merger, consolidation, recapitalization, liquidation, reclassification, stock dividend, stock split, combination of shares, rights offering, divestiture or extraordinary dividend (including a spin-off) or any other similar change in the corporate structure or shares of the Company, the Committee (or, if the Company is not the surviving corporation in any such transaction, the board of directors of the surviving corporation) will make appropriate adjustment (which determination will be conclusive) as to the number and kind of securities or other property (including cash) available for issuance or payment under the Plan and, in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of the rights of Participants, (a) the number and kind of securities or other property (including cash) subject to outstanding Options, and (b) the exercise price of outstanding Options.

 

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5. Plan Administration.

 

5.1.              The Committee. The Plan will be administered by the Board or by a committee of the Board. So long as the Company has a class of its equity securities registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act, any committee administering the Plan will consist solely of two or more members of the Board who are “non-employee directors” within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act. Such a committee, if established, will act by majority approval of the members (but may also take action with the written consent of a majority of the members of such committee), and a majority of the members of such a committee will constitute a quorum. As used in the Plan “Committee” will refer to the Board or to such a committee, if established. To the extent consistent with corporate law, the Committee may delegate to any officers of the Company the duties, power and authority of the Committee under the Plan pursuant to such conditions or limitations as the Committee may establish; provided, however, that only the Committee may exercise such duties, power and authority with respect to Eligible Recipients who are subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act. The Committee may exercise its duties, power and authority under the Plan in its sole and absolute discretion without the consent of any Participant or other party, unless the Plan specifically provides otherwise. Each determination, interpretation or other action made or taken by the Committee pursuant to the provisions of the Plan will be final, conclusive and binding for all purposes and on all persons, including, without limitation, the Company, the stockholders of the Company, the participants and their respective successors-in-interest. No member of the Committee will be liable for any action or determination made in good faith with respect to the Plan or any Incentive Award granted under the Plan.

 

5.2.              Authority of the Committee.

 

(a)                 In accordance with and subject to the provisions of the Plan, the Committee will have the authority to determine all provisions of Incentive Awards as the Committee may deem necessary or desirable and as consistent with the terms of the Plan, including, without limitation, the following: (i) the Eligible Recipients to be selected as Participants; (ii) the nature and extent of the Incentive Awards to be made to each Participant (including the number of shares of Common Stock to be subject to each Incentive Award, any exercise price, the manner in which Incentive Awards will vest or become exercisable and whether Incentive Awards will be granted in tandem with other Incentive Awards) and the form of written agreement, if any, evidencing such Incentive Award; (iii) the time or times when Incentive Awards will be granted; (iv) the duration of each Incentive Award; and (v) the restrictions and other conditions to which the payment or vesting of Incentive Awards may be subject. In addition, the Committee will have the authority under the Plan in its sole discretion to pay the economic value of any Incentive Award in the form of cash, Common Stock or any combination of both.

 

(b)                 The Committee will have the authority under the Plan to amend or modify the terms of any outstanding Incentive Award in any manner, including, without limitation, the authority to modify the number of shares or other terms and conditions of an Incentive Award, extend the term of an Incentive Award, accelerate the exercisability or vesting or otherwise terminate any restrictions relating to an Incentive Award, accept the surrender of any outstanding Incentive Award or, to the extent not previously exercised or vested, authorize the grant of new Incentive Awards in substitution for surrendered Incentive Awards; provided, however, that the amended or modified terms are permitted by the Plan as then in effect, that such amendment or modification does not cause the Incentive Award to become subject to Section 409A of the Code, and that any Participant adversely affected by such amended or modified terms has consented to such amendment or modification. No amendment or modification to an Incentive Award, however, whether pursuant to this Section 5.2 or any other provisions of the Plan, will be deemed to be a re-grant of such Incentive Award for purposes of the Plan.

 

(c)                 In the event of (i) any reorganization, merger, consolidation, recapitalization, liquidation, reclassification, stock dividend, stock split, combination of shares, rights offering, extraordinary dividend or divestiture (including a spin-off) or any other similar change in corporate structure or shares, (ii) any purchase, acquisition, sale or disposition of a significant amount of assets or a significant business, (iii) any change in accounting principles or practices, or (iv) any other similar change, in each case with respect to the Company or any other entity whose performance is relevant to the grant or vesting of an Incentive Award, the Committee (or, if the Company is not the surviving corporation in any such transaction, the board of directors of the surviving corporation) may, without the consent of any affected Participant, amend or modify the vesting criteria of any outstanding Incentive Award that is based in whole or in part on the financial performance of the Company (or any Subsidiary or division thereof) or such other entity so as equitably to reflect such event, with the desired result that the criteria for evaluating such financial performance of the Company or such other entity will be substantially the same (in the sole discretion of the Committee or the board of directors of the surviving corporation) following such event as prior to such event; provided, however, that the amended or modified terms are permitted by the Plan as then in effect.

 

6. Participation.

 

Participants in the Plan will be those Eligible Recipients who, in the judgment of the Committee, have contributed, are contributing or are expected to contribute to the achievement of economic objectives of the Company or its Subsidiaries. Eligible Recipients may be granted from time to time one or more Incentive Awards, singly or in combination or in tandem with other Incentive Awards, as may be determined by the Committee in its sole discretion. Incentive Awards will be deemed to be granted as of the date specified in the grant resolution of the Committee, which date will be the date of any related agreement with the Participant.

 

7. Options.

 

7.1.              Grant. An Eligible Recipient may be granted one or more Options under the Plan, and such Options will be subject to such terms and conditions, consistent with the other provisions of the Plan, as may be determined by the Committee in its sole discretion. The Committee may designate whether an Option is to be considered an Incentive Stock Option or a Non-Statutory Stock Option. To the extent that any Incentive Stock Option granted under the Plan ceases for any reason to qualify as an “incentive stock option” for purposes of Section 422 of the Code, such Incentive Stock Option will continue to be outstanding for purposes of the Plan but will thereafter be deemed to be a Non-Statutory Stock Option.

 

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7.2.              Exercise Price. The per share price to be paid by a Participant upon exercise of an Option will be determined by the Committee in its discretion at the time of the Option grant; provided, however, that such price will not be less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value of one share of Common Stock on the date of grant (or, with respect to an Incentive Stock Option, one hundred ten percent (110%) of the Fair Market Value if, at the time the Incentive Stock Option is granted, the Participant owns, directly or indirectly, more than ten percent (10%) of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or any parent or subsidiary corporation of the Company).

 

7.3.              Exercisability and Duration. An Option will become exercisable at such times and in such installments as may be determined by the Committee in its sole discretion at the time of grant; provided, however, that no Incentive Stock Option may be exercisable after ten (10) years from its date of grant (five (5) years from its date of grant if, at the time the Incentive Stock Option is granted, the Participant owns, directly or indirectly, more than ten percent (10%) of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or any parent or subsidiary corporation of the Company).

 

7.4.              Payment of Exercise Price. The total purchase price of the shares to be purchased upon exercise of an Option will be paid entirely in cash (including check, bank draft or money order); provided, however, that the Committee, in its sole discretion and upon terms and conditions established by the Committee, may allow such payments to be made, in whole or in part, by tender of a Broker Exercise Notice, Previously Acquired Shares, a promissory note (on terms acceptable to the Committee in its sole discretion) or a combination of such methods, or by any other form of payment the Committee may authorize.

 

7.5.              Manner of Exercise. An Option may be exercised by a Participant in whole or in part from time to time, subject to the conditions contained in the Plan and in the agreement evidencing such Option, by delivery in person, by facsimile or electronic transmission or through the mail of written notice of exercise to the Company (Attention: Chief Financial Officer) at its principal executive office, and by paying in full the total exercise price for the shares of Common Stock to be purchased in accordance with Section 7.4 of the Plan.

 

7.6.              Aggregate Limitation of Stock Subject to Incentive Stock Options. To the extent that the aggregate Fair Market Value (determined as of the date an Incentive Stock Option is granted) of the shares of Common Stock with respect to which incentive stock options (within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code) are exercisable for the first time by a Participant during any calendar year (under the Plan and any other incentive stock option plans of the Company or any subsidiary or parent corporation of the Company (within the meaning of the Code)) exceeds $100,000 (or such other amount as may be prescribed by the Code from time to time), such excess Options will be treated as Non-Statutory Stock Options. The determination will be made by taking incentive stock options into account in the order in which they were granted. If such excess only applies to a portion of an Incentive Stock Option, the Committee, in its discretion, will designate which shares will be treated as shares to be acquired upon exercise of an Incentive Stock Option.

 

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8. Stock Appreciation Rights.

 

8.1.              Grant. An Eligible Recipient may be granted one or more Stock Appreciation Rights under the Plan, and such Stock Appreciation Rights will be subject to such terms and conditions, consistent with the other provisions of the Plan, as may be determined by the Committee in its sole discretion. The Committee will have the sole discretion to determine the form in which payment of the economic value of Stock Appreciation Rights will be made to a Participant (i.e., cash, Common Stock or any combination thereof) or to consent to or disapprove the election by a Participant of the form of such payment.

 

8.2.              Exercise Price. The exercise price of a Stock Appreciation Right will be determined by the Committee, in its discretion, at the date of grant but may not be less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value of one share of Common Stock on the date of grant.

 

8.3.              Exercisability and Duration. A Stock Appreciation Right will become exercisable at such time and in such installments as may be determined by the Committee in its sole discretion at the time of grant; provided, however, that no Stock Appreciation Right may be exercisable after ten (10) years from its date of grant. A Stock Appreciation Right will be exercised by giving notice in the same manner as for Options, as set forth in Section 7.5 of the Plan.

 

9. Restricted Stock Awards.

 

9.1.              Grant. An Eligible Recipient may be granted one or more Restricted Stock Awards under the Plan, and such Restricted Stock Awards will be subject to such terms and conditions, consistent with the other provisions of the Plan, as may be determined by the Committee in its sole discretion. The Committee may impose such restrictions or conditions, such as forfeiture or a repurchase option, not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan, to the vesting of or the lapse of restrictions or conditions for any such Restricted Stock Awards as it deems appropriate, including, without limitation, that the Participant remain in the continuous employ or service of the Company or a Subsidiary for a certain period or that the Participant or the Company (or any Subsidiary or division thereof) satisfy certain performance goals or criteria.

 

9.2.              Rights as a Stockholder; Transferability. Except as provided in Sections 9.1, 9.3 and 15.3 of the Plan, a Participant will have all voting, dividend, liquidation and other rights with respect to shares of Common Stock issued to the Participant as a Restricted Stock Award under this Section 9 upon the Participant becoming the holder of record of such shares as if such Participant were a holder of record of shares of unrestricted Common Stock.

 

9.3.              Dividends and Distributions. Unless the Committee determines otherwise in its sole discretion (either in the agreement evidencing the Restricted Stock Award at the time of grant or at any time after the grant of the Restricted Stock Award), any dividends or distributions (including regular quarterly cash dividends) paid with respect to shares of Common Stock subject to the unvested portion of a Restricted Stock Award will be subject to the same restrictions as the shares to which such dividends or distributions relate. In the event the Committee determines not to pay dividends or distributions currently, the Committee will determine in its sole discretion whether any interest will be paid on such dividends or distributions. In addition, the Committee in its sole discretion may require such dividends and distributions to be reinvested (and in such case the Participant consents to such reinvestment) in shares of Common Stock that will be subject to the same restrictions as the shares to which such dividends or distributions relate.

 

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9.4.              Enforcement of Restrictions. To enforce the restrictions referred to in this Section 9, the Committee may place a legend on the stock certificates referring to such restrictions and may require the Participant, until the restrictions have lapsed, to keep the stock certificates, together with duly endorsed stock powers, in the custody of the Company or its transfer agent or to maintain evidence of stock ownership, together with duly endorsed stock powers, in a certificate-less book-entry stock account with the Company’s transfer agent.

 

10. Performance Units.

 

An Eligible Recipient may be granted one or more Performance Units under the Plan, and such Performance Units will be subject to such terms and conditions, consistent with the other provisions of the Plan, as may be determined by the Committee in its sole discretion. The Committee may impose such restrictions or conditions, not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan, to the vesting of such Performance Units as it deems appropriate, including, without limitation, that the Participant remain in the continuous employ or service of the Company or any Subsidiary for a certain period or that the Participant or the Company (or any Subsidiary or division thereof) satisfy certain performance goals or criteria. The Committee will have the sole discretion to determine the form in which payment of the economic value of Performance Units will be made to a Participant (i.e., cash, Common Stock or any combination thereof) or to consent to or disapprove the election by a Participant of the form of such payment.

 

11. Stock Bonuses.

 

An Eligible Recipient may be granted one or more Stock Bonuses under the Plan, and such Stock Bonuses will be subject to such terms and conditions, consistent with the other provisions of the Plan, as may be determined by the Committee. The Participant will have all voting, dividend, liquidation and other rights with respect to the shares of Common Stock issued to a Participant as a Stock Bonus under this Section 11 upon the Participant becoming the holder of record of such shares; provided, however, that the Committee may impose such restrictions on the assignment or transfer of a Stock Bonus as it deems appropriate.

 

12. Effect of Termination of Employment or Other Service.

 

12.1.           Termination Due to Death, Disability or Retirement. Unless otherwise provided by the Committee in its sole discretion in the agreement evidencing an Incentive Award:

 

(a)                 In the event a Participant’s employment or other service with the Company and all Subsidiaries is terminated by reason of death or Disability:

 

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(i)                   all outstanding Options and Stock Appreciation Rights then held by the Participant will become immediately exercisable in full and remain exercisable for a period of six (6) months after such termination (but in no event after the expiration date of any such Option or Stock Appreciation Right);

 

(ii)                 all Restricted Stock Awards then held by the Participant will become fully vested; and

 

(iii)                all Performance Units and Stock Bonuses then held by the Participant will vest and/or continue to vest in the manner determined by the Committee and set forth in the agreement evidencing such Performance Units or Stock Bonuses.

 

(b)                 In the event a Participant’s employment or other service with the Company and all Subsidiaries is terminated by reason of Retirement:

 

(i)                   all outstanding Options and Stock Appreciation Rights then held by the Participant will remain exercisable, to the extent exercisable as of the date of such termination, for a period of six (6) months after such termination (but in no event after the expiration date of any such Option or Stock Appreciation Right);

 

(ii)                 all Restricted Stock Awards then held by the Participant that have not vested as of such termination will be terminated and forfeited; and

 

(iii)                all Performance Units and Stock Bonuses then held by the Participant will vest and/or continue to vest in the manner determined by the Committee and set forth in the agreement evidencing such Performance Units or Stock Bonuses.

 

12.2.           Termination for Reasons Other than Death, Disability or Retirement. Unless otherwise provided by the Committee in its sole discretion in the agreement evidencing an Incentive Award, in the event a Participant’s employment or other service with the Company and all Subsidiaries is terminated for any reason other than death, Disability or Retirement, or a Participant is in the employ or service of a Subsidiary and the Subsidiary ceases to be a Subsidiary of the Company (unless the Participant continues in the employ or service of the Company or another Subsidiary), all rights of the Participant under the Plan and any agreements evidencing an Incentive Award will immediately terminate without notice of any kind, and no Options or Stock Appreciation Rights then held by the Participant will thereafter be exercisable, all Restricted Stock Awards then held by the Participant that have not vested will be terminated and forfeited, and all Performance Units and Stock Bonuses then held by the Participant will vest and/or continue to vest in the manner determined by the Committee and set forth in the agreement evidencing such Performance Units or Stock Bonuses; provided, however, that if such termination is due to any reason other than voluntary termination by the Participant or termination by the Company or any Subsidiary for “Cause,” all outstanding Options and Stock Appreciation Rights then held by such Participant will remain exercisable, to the extent exercisable as of such termination, for a period of ninety (90) days after such termination (but in no event after the expiration date of any such Option or Stock Appreciation Right).

 

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12.3.           Modification of Rights Upon Termination. Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Section 12, upon a Participant’s termination of employment or other service with the Company and all Subsidiaries, the Committee may, in its sole discretion (which may be exercised at any time on or after the date of grant, including following such termination), cause Options and Stock Appreciation Rights (or any part thereof) then held by such Participant to become or continue to become exercisable and/or remain exercisable following such termination of employment or service and Restricted Stock Awards, Performance Units and Stock Bonuses then held by such Participant to vest and/or continue to vest or become free of transfer restrictions, as the case may be, following such termination of employment or service, in each case in the manner determined by the Committee; provided, however, that no Incentive Award may remain exercisable or continue to vest beyond its expiration date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no extension to exercise will be permitted if such extension would cause the Award to become subject to Section 409A of the Code.

 

12.4.           Exercise of Incentive Stock Options Following Termination. Any Incentive Stock Option that remains exercisable pursuant to an agreement with the Company following termination of employment and is unexercised more than one (1) year following termination of employment by reason of death or Disability or more than three (3) months following termination for any reason other than death or Disability will thereafter be deemed to be a Non-Statutory Stock Option.

 

12.5.           Date of Termination of Employment or Other Service. Unless the Committee otherwise determines in its sole discretion, a Participant’s employment or other service will, for purposes of the Plan, be deemed to have terminated on the date recorded on the personnel or other records of the Company or the Subsidiary for which the Participant provides employment or other service, as determined by the Committee in its sole discretion based upon such records.

 

13. Payment of Withholding Taxes.

 

13.1.           General Rules. The Company is entitled to (a) withhold and deduct from future wages of the Participant (or from other amounts that may be due and owing to the Participant from the Company or a Subsidiary), or make other arrangements for the collection of, all legally required amounts necessary to satisfy any and all foreign, federal, state and local withholding and employment-related tax requirements attributable to an Incentive Award, including, without limitation, the grant, exercise or vesting of, or payment of dividends with respect to, an Incentive Award or a disqualifying disposition of stock received upon exercise of an Incentive Stock Option, or (b) require the Participant promptly to remit the amount of such withholding to the Company before taking any action, including issuing any shares of Common Stock, with respect to an Incentive Award.

 

13.2.           Special Rules. The Committee may, in its sole discretion and upon terms and conditions established by the Committee, permit or require a Participant to satisfy, in whole or in part, any withholding or employment-related tax obligation described in Section 13.1 of the Plan by electing to tender Previously Acquired Shares, a Broker Exercise Notice or a promissory note (on terms acceptable to the Committee in its sole discretion), or by a combination of such methods. In no event shall any Incentive Award provided under this Plan be considered qualified equity grant under Section 83(i) of the Code, and no Participant (or beneficiary) shall be permitted to make a deferral election for qualified stock under Section 83(i) of the Code.

 

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14. Action upon Change in Control.

 

If a Change in Control of the Company occurs or is about to occur, the Committee, in its sole discretion, may provide for one or more of the following:

 

(a)                 the partial or full acceleration of the exercisability of outstanding Incentive Awards held by some or all Participants, provided that the Committee, in its sole discretion, may condition such acceleration (or the Participant’s receipt of any securities or payments with respect to such acceleration) upon the Participant’s continued service to the Company or to the successor person in the Change in Control;

 

(b)                 the complete termination of the Plan and cancellation of outstanding Incentive Awards not exercised prior to a date specified by the Committee;

 

(c)                 the continuance of the Plan with respect to outstanding Incentive Awards;

 

(d)                 replacement or exchange of the Incentive Awards for options to purchase similar securities of the successor person in the Change in Control;

 

(e)                 the substitution for outstanding Incentive Awards of shares of common stock of the person acquiring control of the Company or a related corporation; or

 

(f)                  the receipt by some or all Participants holding outstanding Incentive Awards with respect to some or all of the shares of Common Stock subject to such Incentive Awards, as of the effective date of any such Change in Control of the Company, of cash in an amount equal to the excess of the per share price paid in connection with the Change in Control of the Company over the exercise price per share of such Incentive Awards, multiplied by the number of shares subject to such Incentive Awards.

 

15. Rights of Eligible Recipients and Participants; Transferability.

 

15.1.           Employment or Service. Nothing in the Plan will interfere with or limit in any way the right of the Company or any Subsidiary to terminate the employment or service of any Eligible Recipient or Participant at any time, nor confer upon any Eligible Recipient or Participant any right to continue in the employ or service of the Company or any Subsidiary.

 

15.2.           Rights as a Stockholder. As a holder of Incentive Awards (other than Restricted Stock Awards and Stock Bonuses), a Participant will have no rights as a stockholder unless and until such Incentive Awards are exercised for, or paid in the form of, shares of Common Stock and the Participant becomes the holder of record of such shares. Except as otherwise provided in the Plan, no adjustment will be made for dividends or distributions with respect to such Incentive Awards as to which there is a record date preceding the date the Participant becomes the holder of record of such shares, except as the Committee may determine in its discretion.

 

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15.3.           Restrictions on Transfer. Except pursuant to testamentary will or the laws of descent and distribution or as otherwise expressly permitted by the Plan, unless approved by the Committee in its sole discretion, no right or interest of any Participant in an Incentive Award prior to the exercise or vesting of such Incentive Award will be assignable or transferable, or subjected to any lien, during the lifetime of the Participant, either voluntarily or involuntarily, directly or indirectly, by operation of law or otherwise. A Participant will, however, be entitled to designate a beneficiary to receive an Incentive Award upon such Participant’s death, and in the event of a Participant’s death, payment of any amounts due under the Plan will be made to, and exercise of any Options (to the extent permitted pursuant to Section 12 of the Plan) may be made by, the Participant’s legal representatives, heirs and legatees.

 

15.4.           Breach of Confidentiality, Assignment of Inventions or Non-Compete Agreements. Notwithstanding anything in the Plan to the contrary, in the event that a Participant materially breaches the terms of any confidentiality, assignment of inventions or non-compete agreement entered into with the Company or any Subsidiary, whether such breach occurs before or after termination of such Participant’s employment or other service with the Company or any Subsidiary, the Committee in its sole discretion may immediately terminate all rights of the Participant under the Plan and any agreements evidencing an Incentive Award then held by the Participant without notice of any kind.

 

15.5.           Non-Exclusivity of the Plan. Nothing contained in the Plan is intended to modify or rescind any previously or subsequently approved compensation plans or programs of the Company or create any limitations on the power or authority of the Board to adopt such additional or other compensation arrangements as the Board may deem necessary or desirable.

 

16. Securities Law and Other Restrictions.

 

Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan or any agreements entered into pursuant to the Plan, the Company will not be required to issue any shares of Common Stock under the Plan, and a Participant may not sell, assign, transfer or otherwise dispose of shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to Incentive Awards granted under the Plan, unless (a) there is in effect with respect to such shares a registration statement under the Securities Act and any applicable state or foreign securities laws or an exemption from such registration under the Securities Act and applicable state or foreign securities laws, and (b) there has been obtained any other consent, approval or permit from any other regulatory body which the Committee, in its sole discretion, deems necessary or advisable. The Company may condition such issuance, sale or transfer upon the receipt of any representations or agreements from the parties involved, and the placement of any legends on certificates representing shares of Common Stock, as may be deemed necessary or advisable by the Company in order to comply with such securities law or other restrictions.

 

17. Plan Amendment, Modification and Termination.

 

The Board may suspend or terminate the Plan or any portion thereof at any time, and may amend the Plan from time to time in such respects as the Board may deem advisable in order that Incentive Awards under the Plan will conform to any change in applicable laws or regulations or in any other respect the Board may deem to be in the best interests of the Company; provided, however, that no amendments to the Plan will be effective without approval of the stockholders of the Company if stockholder approval of the amendment is then required pursuant to Section 422 of the Code or the rules of any stock exchange or Nasdaq or similar regulatory body. No termination, suspension or amendment of the Plan may adversely affect any outstanding Incentive Award without the consent of the affected Participant; provided, however, that this sentence will not impair the right of the Committee to take whatever action it deems appropriate under Sections 5.2, 4.3 and 14 of the Plan.

 

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18. Miscellaneous.

 

18.1.           Governing Law. The validity, construction, interpretation, administration and effect of the Plan and any rules, regulations and actions relating to the Plan will be governed by and construed exclusively in accordance with the laws of the State of Minnesota, notwithstanding the conflicts of laws principles of any jurisdictions.

 

18.2.           Successors and Assigns. The Plan will be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the successors and permitted assigns of the Company and the Participants.

 

APPROVED AND ACCEPTED BY:

 

SHARPLINK, INC.

(“COMPANY”)

 

/s/ Christian Peterson  
By: Christian Peterson  
Its: Chief Financial Officer  

 

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