AUTOWEB, INC. Inducement Stock Option Award Agreement (Non-Qualified Stock Options)
Exhibit 10.14
(Non-Qualified Stock Options)
THESE OPTIONS HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF
1933, AS AMENDED (“SECURITIES ACT”), OR THE SECURITIES
LAWS OF ANY STATE AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD OR OTHERWISE
TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED OR HYPOTHECATED UNLESS A REGISTRATION
STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT AND OTHER APPLICABLE STATE
SECURITIES LAWS WITH RESPECT TO SUCH SECURITY IS THEN IN EFFECT, OR
SUCH REGISTRATION UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT AND OTHER APPLICABLE
SECURITIES LAWS IS NOT REQUIRED DUE TO AVAILABLE EXEMPTIONS FROM
SUCH REGISTRATION. SHOULD THERE BE ANY REASONABLE UNCERTAINTY OR
GOOD FAITH DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN THE COMPANY AND OPTIONEE AS TO THE
AVAILABILITY OF SUCH EXEMPTIONS, THEN OPTIONEE SHALL BE REQUIRED TO
DELIVER TO THE COMPANY AN OPINION OF COUNSEL (SKILLED IN
SECURITIES MATTERS, SELECTED BY OPTIONEE AND REASONABLY
SATISFACTORY TO THE COMPANY) IN FORM AND SUBSTANCE
SATISFACTORY TO THE COMPANY THAT SUCH OFFER, SALE OR TRANSFER,
PLEDGE OR HYPOTHECATION IS IN COMPLIANCE WITH AN AVAILABLE
EXEMPTION UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT AND OTHER APPLICABLE SECURITIES
LAWS.
This
Inducement Stock Option Award Agreement (“Agreement”) is entered into
effective as of the Grant Date set forth on the signature page to
this Agreement (“Grant
Date”) by and between AutoWeb, Inc., a Delaware
corporation (“Company”), and the person set
forth as Optionee on the signature page hereto (“Optionee”).
Optionee has not
previously been an employee or director of the Company. The Company
has determined to offer employment to Optionee, and as an
inducement material to Optionee’s decision to accept such
employment offer, the Company determined to grant Optionee the
Options (as defined herein) under the terms and conditions set
forth herein.
This
Agreement and the stock options granted hereby have not been
granted pursuant to The AutoWeb, Inc. 2018 Equity Incentive Plan
(“Plan”), but
certain capitalized terms identified herein and not defined herein
shall have the same meanings as defined in the Plan.
1. Grant of
Options. The Company hereby grants to Optionee non-qualified
stock options (“Options”) to purchase the number
of shares of common stock of the Company, par value $0.001 per
share, set forth on the signature page to this Agreement
(“Shares”), at
the exercise price per Share set forth on the signature page to
this Agreement (“Exercise
Price”). The Options are not intended to qualify as
incentive stock options under Section 422 of the Code (as such term
is defined in the Plan).
2. Term of
Options. Unless the Options terminate earlier pursuant to
the provisions of this Agreement, the Options shall expire on the
seventh (7th) anniversary of the
Grant Date (“Option
Expiration Date”).
3. Vesting. The
Options shall become vested and exercisable in accordance with the
vesting schedule set forth on the signature page to this Agreement
(“Vesting
Schedule”). No installments of the Options shall vest
after Optionee’s termination of employment for any
reason.
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(d)
Compliance with
Securities Trading Policy. Shares issued upon exercise of the
Options may only be sold, pledged or otherwise transferred in
compliance with the Company’s securities trading policies
generally applicable to officers, directors or employees of the
Company as long as Optionee is subject to such securities trading
policy.
(1) Optionee
may exercise the vested portion of the Options for a period of
ninety (90) days (but in no event later than the Option Expiration
Date) following any termination of Optionee’s employment with
Company, either by Optionee or Company, other than in the event of
a termination of Optionee’s employment by Company for Cause
(as defined below), voluntary termination by Optionee without Good
Reason (as defined below) or by reason of Optionee’s death or
Disability (as defined below). In the event the termination of
Optionee’s employment is by Company without Cause or by
Optionee for Good Reason, any unvested portion of the Options shall
become immediately and fully vested as of the date of such
termination.
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(2) In
the event of a voluntary termination of employment with the Company
by Optionee without Good Reason, (i) unvested Options as of the
date of termination shall immediately terminate in their entirety
and shall thereafter not be exercisable to any extent whatsoever;
and (ii) Optionee may exercise any portion of the Options that are
vested as of the date of termination for a period of ninety (90)
days (but in no event later than the Option Expiration Date)
following the date of termination.
(3) To
the extent Optionee is not entitled to exercise the Options at the
date of termination of employment, or if Optionee does not exercise
the Options within the time specified in the Plan or this Agreement
for post-termination of employment exercises of the Options, the
Options shall terminate.
(4) For
purposes of this Agreement, the terms “Cause” and “Good Reason” shall have the meanings ascribed
to them in that certain Severance Benefits Agreement listed on the
signature page to this Agreement by and between Company and
Optionee (“Severance
Agreement”).
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(a) Optionee
hereby acknowledges that the Options and any Shares that may be
acquired upon exercise of the Options pursuant hereto are, as of
the date hereof, not registered: (i) under the Securities Act, on
the ground that the issuance of the Options and the underlying
shares is exempt from registration under Section 4(2) of the
Securities Act as not involving any public offering or, with
respect to Options, because the grant of the Options alone may not
constitute an offer or sale of a security under the Securities Act
until such time as the Options are exercised or exercisable or (ii)
under any applicable state securities law because the grant of the
Options does not involve any public offering or is otherwise exempt
under applicable state securities laws, and (iii) that the
Company’s reliance on the Section 4(2) exemption of the
Securities Act and under applicable state securities laws is
predicated in part on the representations hereby made to the
Company by Optionee. Optionee represents and warrants that Optionee
is acquiring the Options and will acquire the Shares for investment
for Optionee’s own account, with no present intention of
reselling or otherwise distributing the same.
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(b) If,
at the time of issuance of shares upon exercise of the Options, no
registration statement is in effect with respect to such shares
under applicable provisions of the Securities Act and other
applicable securities laws, Optionee hereby agrees that Optionee
will not sell, transfer, offer, pledge or hypothecate all or any
part of the shares unless and until Optionee shall first have given
notice to the Company describing such sale, transfer, offer, pledge
or hypothecation and there shall be available exemptions from such
registration requirements that exist. Should there be any
reasonable uncertainty or good faith disagreement between the
Company and Optionee as to the availability of such exemptions,
then Optionee shall be required to deliver to the Company (1) an
opinion of counsel (skilled in securities matters, selected by
Optionee and reasonably satisfactory to the Company) in form and
substance satisfactory to the Company to the effect that such
offer, sale, transfer, pledge or hypothecation is in compliance
with an available exemption under the Securities Act and other
applicable securities laws, or (2) an interpretative letter from
the Securities and Exchange Commission to the effect that no
enforcement action will be recommended if the proposed offer, sale,
transfer, pledge or hypothecation is made without registration
under the Securities Act. The Company may at its election require
that Optionee provide the Company with written reconfirmation of
Optionee’s investment intent as set forth in Section 6(a)
with respect to the shares. The shares issued upon exercise of the
Options shall bear a legend reading substantially as
follows:
“THESE SHARES
HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS
AMENDED (“SECURITIES
ACT”), OR THE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY STATE AND MAY NOT
BE OFFERED, SOLD OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED OR HYPOTHECATED
UNLESS A REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT AND OTHER
APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS WITH RESPECT TO SUCH SECURITY IS
THEN IN EFFECT, OR SUCH REGISTRATION UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT AND
OTHER APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAWS IS NOT REQUIRED DUE TO AVAILABLE
EXEMPTIONS FROM SUCH REGISTRATION. SHOULD THERE BE ANY REASONABLE
UNCERTAINTY OR GOOD FAITH DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN THE COMPANY AND
OPTIONEE AS TO THE AVAILABILITY OF SUCH EXEMPTIONS, THEN OPTIONEE
SHALL BE REQUIRED TO DELIVER TO THE COMPANY AN OPINION OF COUNSEL
(SKILLED IN SECURITIES MATTERS, SELECTED BY OPTIONEE AND REASONABLY
SATISFACTORY TO THE COMPANY) IN FORM AND SUBSTANCE SATISFACTORY TO
THE COMPANY THAT SUCH OFFER, SALE OR TRANSFER, PLEDGE OR
HYPOTHECATION IS IN COMPLIANCE WITH AN AVAILABLE EXEMPTION UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT AND OTHER APPLICABLE SECURITIES
LAWS.”
(c) The
exercise of the Option and the issuance of the Shares upon such
exercise shall be subject to compliance by the Company and Optionee
with all applicable requirements of law, rules, regulations or
orders relating thereto and with all applicable rules and
regulations of any stock exchange or securities trading market on
which the Shares may be listed for trading at the end of such
exercise and issuance.
(d) The
inability of the Company to obtain approval from any regulatory
body having authority deemed by the Company to be necessary to the
lawful issuance and sale of any Shares pursuant to the Options
shall relieve the Company of any liability with respect to the
nonissuance or sale of the Shares as to which such approval shall
not have been obtained. However, the Company shall use its best
efforts to obtain all such applicable approvals.
7.
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(d) Governing
Law, Jurisdiction and Venue. This Agreement shall be
governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the
State of Delaware other than its conflict of laws principles. The
parties agree that in the event that any suit or proceeding is
brought in connection with this Agreement, such suit or proceeding
shall be brought in the state or federal courts located in New
Castle County, Delaware, and the parties shall submit to the
exclusive jurisdiction of such courts and waive any and all
jurisdictional, venue and inconvenient forum objections to such
courts.
Notices
to the Company should be addressed to:
0000
Xxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 000
Xxxxxx,
XX 00000
Attention: Chief
Legal Officer
Notices
to Optionee should be addressed to Optionee at Optionee’s
address as it appears on the Company’s records.
The
Company or Optionee may by writing to the other party designate a
different address for notices. If the receiving party consents in
advance, notice may be transmitted and received via telecopy or via
such other electronic transmission mechanism as may be available to
the parties. Such notices shall be deemed delivered when
received.
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Grant
Date: November 30,
2020
Total Options
Awarded: 120,000
Exercise Price Per
Share: $3.22
Severance Benefits
Agreement:Severance
Benefits Agreement dated November 30, 2020
Vesting
Schedule:
(i) thirty-three and one-third percent (33 1/3%)
of the Options (adjusted to avoid the vesting of fractional
options) shall vest and become exercisable on the first anniversary
of the Grant Date; and (ii) one thirty-sixth (1/36th) of the
Options (adjusted monthly to avoid the vesting of fractional
options in any month) shall vest and become exercisable on each
successive monthly anniversary of the Grant Date thereafter for the
following twenty-four (24) months, ending on the third anniversary
of the Grant Date.
“Company”
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AutoWeb, Inc., a
Delaware corporation
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By: /s/ Xxxxx X.
Xxxxxx
Xxxxx
X. Xxxxxx
Executive Vice
President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary
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“Optionee”
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By:
/s/ Xxxxxxx X.
Xxxxxxxx
Xxxxxxx
X. Xxxxxxxx
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