STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

9 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2021

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

Note - 9 STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

NOTE 9 -STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

Equity Compensation Plan – On June 2, 2015, the Board of Directors of the Company approved the 2015 Equity Compensation Plan (“2015 Plan”). The 2015 Plan made 1,175,000 common stock shares, either unissued or reacquired by the Company, available for awards of options, restricted stocks, other stock grants, or any combination thereof. The number of shares of common stock available for issuance under the 2015 Plan shall automatically increase on the first trading day of our fiscal year during the term of the 2015 Plan, beginning with calendar year 2016, by an amount equal to one percent (1%) of the total number of shares of common stock outstanding on the last trading day in September of the immediately preceding fiscal year, but in no event shall any such annual increase exceed 100,000 shares of common stock. On April 19, 2019, shareholders approved an amendment to the 2015 Plan and increased the number of shares available for issuance under the 2015 Plan to 2,000,000 and retained the annual evergreen increase provision of the plan. Subsequent thereto, on August 7, 2019 the Company’s Board of Directors approved an amendment to the 2015 Plan changing the date the automatic evergreen increase is determined to the first trading day of October each calendar year during the term of the 2015 Plan to coincide with the Company’s fiscal year.

On January 8, 2021, the Company’s Board of Directors approved the 2021 Equity Compensation Plan (the “2021 Plan”) and it was subsequently approved by its shareholders at its annual meeting held on March 12, 2021. The purpose of the 2021 Plan is to advance the interests of the Company by providing an incentive to attract, retain and motivate highly qualified and competent persons who are important to it and upon whose efforts and judgment the success of the Company is largely dependent. The 2021 Plan made 5,000,000 common shares, either unissued or reacquired by the Company, available for awards of options, restricted stocks, other stock grants, or any combination thereof. The 2021 Plan also contains an “evergreen formula” pursuant to which the number of shares of common stock available for issuance under the 2021 Plan will automatically increase on October 1 of each calendar year during the term of the 2021 Plan, beginning with calendar year 2022, by an amount equal to 1.0% of the total number of shares of common stock outstanding on September 30 of such calendar year, up to a maximum of 250,000 shares.

The Company accounts for stock-based compensation using the provisions of ASC 718. ASC 718 codification requires companies to recognize the fair value of stock-based compensation expense in the financial statements based on the grant date fair value of the options. All options are approved by the Compensation, Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee of the Board of Directors. Restricted stock awards that vest in accordance with service conditions are amortized over their applicable vesting period using the straight-line method. The fair value of the Company’s stock option awards or modifications is estimated at the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model.

Eligible recipients include employees, officers, directors and consultants who are deemed to have rendered or to be able to render significant services to the Company or its subsidiaries and who are deemed to have contributed or to have the potential to contribute to the success of the Company. Options granted generally have a five-to-ten-year term and have vesting terms that cover one to three years from the date of grant. Certain of the stock options granted under the plan have been granted pursuant to various stock option agreements. Each stock option agreement contains specific terms.

Stock Options:

The Company currently has awards outstanding with service conditions and graded-vesting features. We recognize compensation cost on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period.

The fair value of each time-based award is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option valuation model. Our weighted-average assumptions used in the Black-Scholes valuation model for equity awards with time-based vesting provisions granted during the year.

The following table summarizes stock option activity under both plans:

						Weighted-average
						remaining		Aggregate
	Number of			Weighted-average		contractual term		intrinsic value
	shares			exercise price		(in years)		(in thousands)
Outstanding at September 30, 2020		1,750,000		$	4.68			$	-
Granted		1,380,000			3.91				-
Exercised		(147,953	)		2.60
Forfeited		(167,047	)		3.04
Outstanding at June 30, 2021		2,815,000			4.51		5.53		-
Exercisable at June 30, 2021		1,508,335		$	5.11		5.98	$	-

As of June 30, 2021, there was approximately $2,837,548 of total unrecognized compensation cost related to non-vested stock options which vest over a period of approximately 2.6 years.

Restricted Stock Award transactions:

In June 2021, the Company entered into a consulting arrangement with an industry professional. As part of the engagement, the Company issued 25,000 common shares of restricted stock, which vested on the issuance date. The Company recorded $80,500 prepaid expense and intends to amortize over the term of the agreement.

In April 2021, the Company entered into an endorsement agreement with a professional athlete. A part of the endorsement agreement, the Company issued 40,000 common shares of restricted stock. The Company recorded $143,600 prepaid expense and intends to amortize over the term of the agreement.

In April 2021, the Company issued 750,000 RSUs to an executive officer. The restricted stock vests in three equal tranches, the first of which vests on January 1, 2022, the second on January 1, 2023 and the third on January 1, 2024. The stock awards were valued at the fair market price of $2,520,000 upon issuance and amortized over the individual vesting periods.

In March 2021, the Company issued 27,000 of restricted stock awards to the members of the Company’s board of directors. Two thousand shares vested at the time of the grant, while the balance vest in four equal tranches, the first of which vests on June 30, 2021, the second on September 30, 2021, on the third on December 31, 2021, and the fourth on March 31, 2022. The stock awards were valued at the fair market price of $118,800 upon issuance and amortized over the individual vesting periods.

In March 2021, the Company issued 180,000 shares of restricted common stock to a professional athlete to completely satisfy a $800,000 obligation due between July and December of 2021. The Company recorded a total prepaid expense of $649,800 in conjunction with the issuances of shares and intends to amortize this over the term of the athlete’s agreement as a marketing expense.

In January 2021, the Company issued 167,500 of restricted stock awards to an aggregate of 15 employees. A majority vested upon issuance with the balance vesting by April 6, 2021. The stock awards were valued at the fair market price of $494,125 upon issuance at and amortized over the individual vesting periods.

In October 2020, the Company issued 50,000 of restricted stock awards to an executive officer. The restricted stock vests in three equal tranches, the first of which vests on October 1, 2021, on the second on October 1, 2022 and the third on October 1, 2023 and were valued at fair market value upon issuance at $100,000 which will be amortized over the vesting period.

In June 2020, the Company issued 10,000 restricted stock awards to a Company sponsor. The restricted stock awards vested June 30, 2020. The stock awards were valued at fair market upon issuance at $56,200 and amortized over the vesting period and were expensed to sponsorship expense.

In May 2019, the Company issued 57,500 restricted stock awards in aggregate to eleven employees. The restricted stock awards vested January 1, 2020. The stock awards were valued at fair market upon issuance at $368,000 and amortized over the vesting period.

The Company recognized $641,267 and $0 of restricted stock compensation expense for the three months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The Company recognized $1,218,110 and $138,000 of restricted stock compensation expense for the nine months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively.