EX-10.3 3 ex10_3.htm

Exhibit 10.3

Participant: ___________________
Date: ___________________

RESTRICTED STOCK UNIT AGREEMENT

EXPION360 INC.

2021 INCENTIVE AWARD PLAN

You have been granted Restricted Stock Units (“RSUs”) by Expion360 Inc. (the “Company”) under the 2021 Incentive Award Plan (the “Plan”), subject to the terms, restrictions and conditions of the Plan, the Restricted Stock Unit Award Grant Notice (the “Notice”) and this Restricted Stock Unit Agreement (this “RSU Agreement”). Unless otherwise defined herein, the terms defined in the Plan shall have the same meanings in this Agreement.

1.                  Settlement. Subject to Section 19 below, settlement of RSUs shall be made in the same calendar year as the applicable date of vesting under the vesting schedule set forth in the Notice; provided, however, that if the vesting date under the vesting schedule set forth in the Notice is in December, then settlement of any RSUs that vest in December shall be within 30 days of vesting. Settlement of RSUs shall be in Shares. Settlement means the delivery of the Shares vested under an RSU. No fractional RSUs or rights for fractional Shares shall be created pursuant to this RSU Agreement.

2.                  Vesting Upon Change in Control.

(a)                Notwithstanding the Vesting Schedule in the Notice of Grant, to the extent the RSUs are unvested at the time a Change in Control occurs, and [either (i) the Change in Control is not approved by a majority of the Continuing Directors (as defined below), or (ii)] the acquiring or successor entity (or parent thereof) does not agree to provide for the continuance or assumption of this Agreement or the substitution for this Agreement of a new agreement of comparable value covering shares of a successor corporation (“New Incentives”), then the RSUs shall become immediately and unconditionally vested in full effective immediately prior to and conditioned upon the consummation of such Change in Control.

(b)               Notwithstanding Section 2(a) above, if pursuant to a Change in Control approved by a majority of the Continuing Directors, the acquiring or successor entity (or parent thereof) provides for the continuance or assumption of this Agreement or the substitution for this Agreement of a new agreement of comparable value covering New Incentives, then vesting of the RSUs shall not accelerate in connection with such Change in Control to the extent this Agreement is continued, assumed or substituted for New Incentives; provided, however: if there is a Termination of Service with respect to you without Cause or Good Reason within 12 months following such Change in Control, the RSUs or New Incentives, as applicable, shall vest in full effective upon such termination.

(c)                For purposes of this Agreement, “Continuing Director” means any member of the Board of the Company who was a member of the Board prior to the adoption of the Plan, and any person who is subsequently elected to the Board if such person is recommended or approved by a majority of the Continuing Directors.

3.                  Termination. Upon any Termination of Service with respect to you, all unvested RSUs shall be forfeited to the Company forthwith, and all rights you have to such RSUs shall immediately terminate. In case of any dispute as to whether your Termination of Service has occurred, the Committee shall have sole discretion to determine whether such termination has occurred and the effective date of such termination.

4.                  No Stockholder Rights. Unless and until such time as Shares are issued in settlement of vested RSUs, you shall have no ownership of the Shares allocated to the RSUs and shall have no right to dividends or to vote such Shares.

5.                  Dividend Equivalents. Dividends, if any (whether in cash or Shares), shall not be credited to you.

 
 

6.                  No Transfer. RSUs may not be sold, assigned, transferred, pledged, hypothecated, or otherwise disposed of in any manner other than by will or by the laws of descent or distribution or court order or unless otherwise permitted by the Committee on a case-by-case basis.

7.                  Adjustment. In the event of a stock split, a stock dividend or a similar change in Company stock, the number of Shares covered by the RSUs may be adjusted pursuant to the Plan.

8.                  Restrictions on Resale. You agree not to sell any Shares that have been issued pursuant to this Agreement at a time when applicable laws, Company policies, or an agreement between the Company and its underwriters, or between you and the Company’s underwriters, prohibit a sale. This restriction shall apply until your Termination of Service and for such period thereafter as the Administrator may specify.

9.                  Tax Consequences. You acknowledge that you will recognize tax consequences in connection with the RSUs. You should consult a tax adviser regarding your tax obligations in the jurisdiction where you are subject to tax. In general, (i) under U.S. federal tax law, you will not recognize taxable income when you are granted or vest in the RSUs and (ii) the RSUs will be taxed when they are settled and you will recognize ordinary income equal to the value of the Shares that you receive from the Company.

10.               Withholding Taxes and Stock Withholding. Regardless of any action the Company or your actual employer (the “Employer”) takes with respect to any or all income tax, social insurance, payroll tax, payment on account or other tax-related withholding (“Tax-Related Items”), you acknowledge that the ultimate liability for all Tax-Related Items legally due by you is and remains your responsibility and that the Company and/or the Employer (1) make no representations or undertakings regarding the treatment of any Tax-Related Items in connection with any aspect of the award, including the grant, vesting or settlement of the RSUs, the subsequent sale of Shares acquired pursuant to such settlement and the receipt of any dividends; and (2) do not commit to structure the terms of the award or any aspect of the RSUs to reduce or eliminate your liability for Tax-Related Items. You acknowledge that if you are subject to Tax-Related Items in more than one jurisdiction, the Company and/or the Employer may be required to withhold or account for Tax-Related Items in more than one jurisdiction.

Prior to the settlement of your RSUs, you shall pay or make adequate arrangements satisfactory to the Company and/or the Employer to satisfy all withholding and payment on account obligations of the Company and/or the Employer. In this regard, you authorize the Company and/or the Employer to withhold all applicable Tax-Related Items payable by you from your wages or other cash compensation paid to you by the Company and/or the Employer. With the Company’s consent, these arrangements may also include, if permissible under local law, (a) withholding Shares that otherwise would be issued to you when your RSUs are settled, provided that the Company only withholds the amount of Shares necessary to satisfy the minimum statutory withholding amount (the Fair Market Value of these Shares, determined as of the effective date when taxes otherwise would have been withheld in cash, will be applied as a credit against the withholding taxes), (b) having the Company withhold taxes from the proceeds of the sale of the Shares, either through a voluntary sale or through a mandatory sale arranged by the Company (on your behalf and you hereby authorize such sales by this authorization), (c) your payment of a cash amount, or (d) any other arrangement approved by the Company; all under such rules as may be established by the Committee and in compliance with any insider trading or other trading policy of the Company, if applicable; provided however, that if you are subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act, then the Committee (as constituted in accordance with Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act) shall establish the method of withholding from alternatives (a)-(d) above, and the Committee shall establish such method prior to the Tax-Related Items withholding event. You shall pay to the Company or the Employer any amount of Tax-Related Items that the Company or the Employer may be required to withhold as a result of your participation in the Plan or your purchase of Shares that cannot be satisfied by the means previously described. Finally, you acknowledge that the Company has no obligation to deliver Shares to you until you have satisfied the obligations in connection with the Tax-Related Items as described in this Section.

11.               Notices. Any notice to be given under the terms of the Plan shall be addressed to the Company in care of its principal office, and any notice to be given to you shall be addressed to you at the address maintained by the Company for you or at such other address as you may specify in writing to the Company.

 
 

12.               Construction. This RSU Agreement is the result of negotiations between and has been reviewed by each of the parties hereto and their respective counsel, if any; accordingly, this RSU Agreement shall be deemed to be the product of all of the parties hereto, and no ambiguity shall be construed in favor of or against any one of the parties hereto.

13.               Acknowledgement. The Company and you agree that the RSUs are granted under and governed by the Notice, this RSU Agreement and the provisions of the Plan (incorporated herein by reference). You: (a) acknowledge receipt of a copy of the Plan and, if applicable, the Plan prospectus, (b) represent that you have carefully read and are familiar with their provisions, and (c) hereby accept the RSUs subject to all of the terms and conditions set forth herein and those set forth in the Plan and the Notice. You hereby agree to accept as binding, conclusive and final all decisions or interpretations of the Committee upon any questions relating to the Plan, the Notice and this RSU Agreement.

14.               Compliance with Laws and Regulations. The issuance of Shares will be subject to and conditioned upon compliance by the Company and you with all applicable state, federal and foreign laws and regulations and with all applicable requirements of any stock exchange or automated quotation system on which the Common Stock may be listed or quoted at the time of such issuance or transfer. The Shares issued pursuant to this RSU Agreement shall be endorsed with appropriate legends, if any, determined by the Company.

15.               Governing Law; Severability. If one or more provisions of this RSU Agreement are held to be unenforceable under applicable law, the parties agree to renegotiate such provision in good faith. In the event that the parties cannot reach a mutually agreeable and enforceable replacement for such provision, then (a) such provision shall be excluded from this RSU Agreement, (b) the balance of this RSU Agreement shall be interpreted as if such provision were so excluded and (c) the balance of this RSU Agreement shall be enforceable in accordance with its terms. This RSU Agreement and all acts and transactions pursuant hereto and the rights and obligations of the parties hereto shall be governed, construed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of Nevada, without giving effect to principles of conflicts of law. For purposes of litigating any dispute that may arise directly or indirectly from the Plan, the Notice and this RSU Agreement, the parties hereby submit and consent to litigation in the exclusive jurisdiction of the State of Delaware and agree that any such litigation shall be conducted only in the courts of the State of Nevada and of the United States of America, in each case located in the State of Nevada, and no other courts.

16.               No Rights as Employee, Director or Consultant. Nothing in this RSU Agreement shall affect in any manner whatsoever the right or power of the Company, or a Subsidiary or Affiliate of the Company, to terminate your employment or other service, for any reason, with or without Cause.

17.               Award Subject to Company Clawback or Recoupment. The RSUs may be subject to clawback or recoupment pursuant to applicable law and/or any compensation clawback or recoupment policy adopted by the Board or a Committee thereof. In addition to any other remedies available under such policy or applicable law, the RSUs may be subject to cancellation (whether vested or unvested) and any gains realized upon settlement of the RSUs and sale of the Shares may be subject to recoupment.

18.               Consent to Electronic Delivery of All Plan Documents and Disclosures. By your acceptance of this RSU, you consent to the electronic delivery of the Notice, this RSU Agreement, the Plan, account statements, Plan prospectuses required by the Securities and Exchange Commission, and all other documents that the Company is required to deliver to its security holders (including, without limitation, annual reports and proxy statements) or other communications or information related to the RSU. Electronic delivery may include the delivery of a link to a Company intranet or the internet site of a third party involved in administering the Plan, the delivery of the document via e-mail or such other delivery determined at the Company’s discretion. You acknowledge that you may receive from the Company a paper copy of any documents delivered electronically at no cost if you contact the Company by telephone, through a postal service or electronic mail at accounting@expion360.com. You further acknowledge that you will be provided with a paper copy of any documents delivered electronically if electronic delivery fails; similarly, you understand that you must provide on request to the Company or any designated third party a paper copy of any documents delivered electronically if electronic delivery fails. Also, you understand that your consent may be revoked or changed, including any change in the electronic mail address to which documents are delivered (if you have provided an electronic mail address), at any time by notifying the Company of such revised or revoked consent by telephone, postal service or electronic mail at accounting@expion360.com.

 
 

19.               Code Section 409A. For purposes of this RSU Agreement, a termination of employment or other service will be determined consistent with the rules relating to a “separation from service” as defined in Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code and the regulations thereunder (“Section 409A”). Notwithstanding anything else provided herein, to the extent any payments provided under this RSU Agreement in connection with your termination of employment or other service constitute deferred compensation subject to Section 409A, and you are deemed at the time of such termination to be a “specified employee” under Section 409A, then such payment shall not be made or commence until the earlier of (a) the expiration of the six-month period measured from your separation from service or (b) the date of your death following such a separation from service; provided, however, that such deferral shall only be effected to the extent required to avoid adverse tax treatment to you including, without limitation, the additional tax for which you would otherwise be liable under Section 409A(a)(1)(B) in the absence of such a deferral. To the extent any payment under this RSU Agreement may be classified as a “short-term deferral” within the meaning of Section 409A, such payment shall be deemed a short-term deferral, even if it may also qualify for an exemption from Section 409A under another provision of Section 409A. Payments pursuant to this Section are intended to constitute separate payments for purposes of Section 1.409A-2(b)(2) of the Treasury Regulations.

20.               Entire Agreement; Enforcement of Rights. This RSU Agreement, the Plan and the Notice constitute the entire agreement and understanding of the parties relating to the subject matter herein and supersede all prior discussions between them. Any prior agreements, commitments or negotiations concerning the purchase of the Shares hereunder are superseded. No modification of or amendment to this RSU Agreement, nor any waiver of any rights under this RSU Agreement, shall be effective unless in writing and signed by the parties to this RSU Agreement. The failure by either party to enforce any rights under this RSU Agreement shall not be construed as a waiver of any rights of such party.

BY ACCEPTING THIS RSU, YOU AGREE TO ALL OF THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS DESCRIBED ABOVE AND IN THE PLAN.

PARTICIPANT:

Signature: __________________

Print Name: _________________

 

EXPION360 INC.:

By: _____________________

Name: ___________________

Its: _____________________