UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a)
of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Filed by the Registrant
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than the Registrant o
Check the appropriate box:
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Preliminary Proxy Statement |
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Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) |
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Definitive Proxy Statement |
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Definitive Additional Materials |
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Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12 |
MODULAR MEDICAL, INC.
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)
Payment of Filing Fee (Check the
appropriate box):
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Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(4)
and 0-11. |
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Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing. |
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December 20, 2022
Dear Shareholder:
We invite you to
attend the 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders of Modular Medical, Inc. to be held via a live audio webcast on Tuesday, January 17, 2023,
at 8:00 a.m. Pacific time. The Notice of the Annual Meeting and Proxy Statement accompanying this letter provide information concerning
matters to be considered and acted upon at the meeting.
Your vote is
very important. We encourage you to read all of the information in the Proxy Statement and vote your shares as soon as possible.
Whether or not you plan to attend, you can be sure your shares are represented at the Annual Meeting by promptly submitting your vote
by the Internet, by telephone or by mail.
On behalf of the
Board of Directors, thank you for your continued confidence and investment in Modular Medical.
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Sincerely, |
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/s/
Paul DiPerna |
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Paul
DiPerna |
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Chairman
of the Board of Directors |
MODULAR
MEDICAL, INC.
16772 W. Bernardo Drive
San Diego, CA 92127
(858) 800-3500
NOTICE
OF ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS TO BE HELD JANUARY 17, 2023
To the shareholders
of Modular Medical, Inc.:
You are cordially invited
to attend the Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the “Annual Meeting”) of Modular Medical, Inc., a Nevada corporation (together
with its subsidiaries, “Company”, “Modular Medical”, “we”, “us” or “our”),
which will be held on January 17, 2023, at 8:00 a.m. Pacific time, in a virtual meeting format, for the following purposes:
| 1. | To
elect seven directors to hold office for a one year term and until each of their successors
are elected and qualified (Proposal No. 1); |
| 2. | To
approve the amendment of the Amended 2017 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2017 Plan”)
to increase the number of shares available for issuance by 2,000,000 shares (Proposal No.
2); |
| 3. | To
approve, on a non-binding advisory basis, the compensation of our named executive officers,
as disclosed in the accompanying Proxy Statement (Proposal No. 3); |
| 4. | To
recommend, on a non-binding advisory basis, the frequency of future advisory votes on the
compensation of our named executive officers (Proposal No. 4); |
| 5. | To
ratify the appointment of Farber Hass Hurley LLP as our independent registered public accounting
firm for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023 (Proposal No. 5); and |
| 6. | To
transact such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment
or postponement thereof. |
The foregoing items
of business are more fully described in the Proxy Statement that is attached and made a part of this Notice. Only shareholders of record
of our common stock, par value $0.001 per share, at the close of business on December 2, 2022 (the “Record Date”), will be
entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting or any adjournment thereof.
You are cordially invited
to attend the virtual Annual Meeting, which will be held via a live audio webcast. There will be no physical location for shareholders
to attend, so you will not be able to attend the Annual Meeting in person.
Whether or not you
expect to attend the Annual Meeting, please submit a proxy to vote your shares either via Internet or by mail. If you choose to submit
your proxy by mail, please complete, sign, date and return the enclosed proxy card in the enclosed postage-paid envelope in order to
ensure representation of your shares. Your proxy is revocable in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Proxy Statement.
Accordingly,
on or about December 20, 2022 we will begin mailing the Proxy Materials to all shareholders of record as of the Record Date.
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By
Order of the Board of Directors |
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/s/ Paul DiPerna |
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Paul
DiPerna |
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Chairman |
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December
20, 2022 |
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San
Diego, California |
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Important
Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting to Be Held on January 17, 2023: Our 2022 Proxy Statement
and Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2022 are available at www.proxyvote.com |
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
MODULAR
MEDICAL, INC.
PROXY
STATEMENT
General
Information
This
Proxy Statement is being furnished to the shareholders of Modular Medical, Inc. (together with its subsidiary, the “Company”,
“Modular Medical”, “we”, “us” or “our”) in connection with the solicitation of proxies
by our Board of Directors (the “Board of Directors” or the “Board”) for use at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders
to be held on January 17, 2023 at 8:00 a.m. Pacific time, in a virtual meeting form, and at any and all adjournments or postponements
thereof (the “Annual Meeting”), for the purposes set forth in the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders.
Accompanying this Proxy Statement is a proxy/voting instruction form (the “Proxy”) for the Annual Meeting, which you may
use to indicate your vote as to the proposals described in this Proxy Statement. It is contemplated that this Proxy Statement and the
accompanying form of Proxy will be first mailed to the Company’s shareholders on or about December 20, 2022.
How
do I attend the Annual Meeting?
The Annual Meeting
will be a completely virtual meeting of shareholders, which will be held via a live audio webcast. No physical meeting will be
held. You are entitled to participate in the Annual Meeting only if you were a shareholder of the Company as of the close of business
on December 2, 2022 (the “Record Date”). As of the Record Date, there were 10,925,723 shares of common stock of the Company
issued and outstanding and entitled to vote representing approximately 70 holders of record. Each holder of shares of common stock is
entitled to one vote for each share of stock held on the proposals presented in this Proxy Statement. Our bylaws, as amended, provide
that one half of the total voting power of the outstanding shares entitled to vote, represented in person or by proxy, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at the Annual Meeting. The enclosed
Proxy reflects the number of shares that you are entitled to vote. Shares of common stock may not be voted cumulatively.
You will be able to
attend the virtual Annual Meeting online and submit your questions during the meeting by visiting the website(s) indicated in your proxy
card or on the instructions that accompanied your proxy materials. You also will be able to vote your shares online by attending the
virtual Annual Meeting. To participate in the Annual Meeting, you may need the control number included on your proxy card or on the instructions
that accompanied your proxy materials or other information as instructed through your broker, bank or other holder of record. Shares
held in your name as the shareholder of record may be voted electronically during the Annual Meeting. If your shares are held in the
name of a broker, bank, or other nominee, you should contact your broker, bank, or other nominee to obtain your control number or other
instructions provided by your broker, bank or other holder of record. However, even if you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, we recommend
that you vote your shares in advance, so that your vote will be counted if you later decide not to attend the Annual Meeting.
How
do I vote?
Shareholders
of Record
Record holders of our
common stock have the following methods of voting:
1. Vote
by Internet. You may vote your shares by following the “Vote by Internet” instructions on the accompanying proxy card.
If you vote over the Internet, you do not need to vote electronically at the Annual Meeting or complete and mail your proxy card.
2.
Vote by Mail. To vote by mail, please mark, date, sign and promptly
mail your proxy card (a postage-paid envelope is provided for mailing in the United States).
3.
Vote by Phone. The telephone number for voting by phone is on your proxy card.
4.
Vote Electronically at the Virtual Annual Meeting. Virtually
attend and vote at the virtual Annual Meeting. To participate in the Annual Meeting, you may need the control number
included on your proxy card or other information on the instructions that accompanied your proxy materials.
Voting Shares
Registered in the Name of a Broker, Bank or Other Agent
If
you are a beneficial owner of shares registered in the name of your broker, bank, or other agent, you should have received voting instructions
with these proxy materials from that organization rather than from us. Simply complete and mail your voting instructions as directed
by your broker or bank to ensure that your vote is counted. Alternatively, you may be able to vote by telephone or over the Internet
by following instructions provided by your broker or bank. Beneficial owners of our common stock have the following methods of voting:
1.
Vote by Internet. You may vote your shares by following the “Vote
by Internet” instructions on your voting instruction form. If you vote over the Internet, you do not need to vote electronically
at the Annual Meeting or complete and mail your voting instruction form.
2.
Vote by Mail. You may vote by completing, dating and signing the
voting instruction form and promptly mailing it in the postage-paid envelope provided. If you vote by mail, you do not need to vote over
the Internet or electronically at the Annual Meeting.
3.
Vote by Phone. The telephone number for voting by phone will be on your voting instruction form.
4.
Vote Electronically at the Virtual Annual Meeting. Attend and
vote at the virtual Annual Meeting. Your broker, bank, or other nominee will provide any necessary control number or other voting instructions.
Soliciting
Proxies
We will solicit shareholders
by mail through our employees and will request banks and brokers and other custodians, nominees and fiduciaries, to solicit their customers
who have stock of the Company registered in the names of such persons and will reimburse them for reasonable, out-of-pocket costs. In
addition, we may use the service of its officers and directors to solicit proxies, personally or by telephone, without additional compensation.
Why
am I being provided with these proxy materials?
We have delivered printed
versions of these proxy materials to you by mail in connection with the solicitation by our Board of proxies for the matters to be voted
on at our Annual Meeting and at any adjournment or postponement thereof.
What
do I do if my shares are held in “street
name”?
If your shares are
held in a brokerage account or by a bank or other holder of record, you are considered the “beneficial owner” of shares held
in “street name.” As the beneficial owner, you have the right to direct your broker, bank or other holder of record on how
to vote your shares by following their instructions for voting. Please refer to information from your bank, broker or other nominee on
how to submit your voting instructions.
What
if other matters come up at the Annual Meeting?
At the date this Proxy
Statement went to press, we did not know of any matters to be properly presented at the Annual Meeting other than those referred to in
this Proxy Statement. If other matters are properly presented at the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof for consideration,
and you are a shareholder of record and have submitted a proxy card, the persons named in your proxy card will have the discretion
to vote on those matters for you.
Voting
of Proxies
All valid proxies received
prior to the Annual Meeting will be voted. The Board of Directors recommends that you vote by proxy even if you plan to attend the Annual
Meeting virtually. You can vote your shares by proxy via Internet or mail. To vote via Internet, go to www.proxyvote.com
and follow the instructions. To vote by mail, fill out the enclosed proxy card, sign and date it, and return
it in the enclosed postage-paid envelope. Voting by proxy will not limit your right to vote at the Annual Meeting if you attend the Annual
Meeting virtually. However, if your shares are held in the name of a bank, broker or other holder of record, you must obtain a proxy
executed in your favor, from the holder of record to be able to vote at the Annual Meeting.
We provide Internet
proxy voting to all shareholders and will hold the Annual Meeting virtually to allow you to attend the Annual Meeting and vote your shares
online, with procedures designed to ensure the authenticity and correctness of your vote instructions. However, please be aware that
you must bear any costs associated with your Internet access, such as usage charges from Internet access providers and telephone companies.
Revocability
of Proxies
All proxies
which are properly completed, signed and returned prior to the Annual Meeting, and which have not been revoked, will be voted in favor
of the proposals described in this Proxy Statement unless otherwise directed. A shareholder may revoke his or her proxy at any
time before it is voted either by submitting to the Secretary of the Company, at its principal executive offices located at 16772 W.
Bernardo Drive, San Diego, CA 92127, a written notice of revocation or a duly-executed proxy bearing a later date or by attending
the Annual Meeting and voting virtually.
Voting
Procedures and Vote Required
One-half of the total
voting power of the outstanding shares of the corporation entitled to vote, represented in person or by proxy, shall constitute a quorum
at a meeting of the shareholders. Shares represented by proxies which contain an abstention, as well as “broker non-vote”
shares (described below) are counted as present for purposes of determining the presence or absence of a quorum for the Annual Meeting.
All properly executed proxies delivered pursuant to this solicitation and not revoked will be voted at the Annual Meeting as specified
in such proxies.
Vote
Required for Election of Directors (Proposal No. 1).
Nevada law provides
that directors are to be elected by a plurality of the votes of the cast at the election, unless the Articles of Incorporation or the
Bylaws require more than a plurality of the votes cast. Our Bylaws, as amended, require the affirmative vote of the majority of the voting
power represented by shares at the meeting and entitled to vote on the subject for approval. As our Bylaws require more than a plurality
of the votes cast, this means that the seven nominees for director receiving a majority of the votes of the shares present in person
or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote will be elected as directors. Proxies cannot be voted for a greater
number of persons than the number of nominees named or for persons other than the named nominees. Withholding a vote from a director
nominee will not be voted with respect to the director nominee indicated and will have no impact on the election of directors although
it will be counted for the purposes of determining whether there is a quorum. Broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of
this proposal.
Vote
Required to Approve an Amendment to the 2017 Plan (Proposal No. 2).
Votes may be cast:
“FOR,” “AGAINST” or “ABSTAIN.” The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the votes cast
is required for the approval of the proposed amendment to the 2017 Plan to increase the maximum number of shares of the Company’s
common stock available for issuance under the 2017 Plan by 2,000,000 shares. Abstentions and broker non-votes will have no effect on
the outcome of this proposal.
Vote
Required to Approve the Compensation of Our Named Executive Officers (Proposal No. 3).
Our Bylaws, as amended,
provide that, on all matters (other than the election of directors and except to the extent otherwise required by our Articles of Incorporation,
as amended, or applicable Nevada law), the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present, in person or by proxy, and voting on
the matter, will be required for approval. Accordingly, the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present at the Annual Meeting,
in person or by proxy, and voting on the matter, will be required to approve the executive compensation for our named executive officers.
This proposal is non-binding on the Company and the Board.
Vote
Required to Recommend the Frequency of Future Advisory Votes on Compensation (Proposal No. 4).
Our Bylaws, as amended,
provide that, on all matters (other than the election of directors and except to the extent otherwise required by our Articles of Incorporation,
as amended, or applicable Nevada law), the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present, in person or by proxy, and voting on
the matter, will be required for approval. Accordingly, the advisory resolution on the frequency of the shareholders’ advisory
resolution on the compensation of our named executive officers is selected by an affirmative vote of the majority of the voting
power represented by shares at the meeting, in person or by proxy, and voting on the matter. The option - every one, two or three years
- that receives a majority of votes cast “FOR” is the option selected by the shareholders. This proposal is non-binding
on the Company and the Board.
Vote
Required for Ratification of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (Proposal No. 5).
Our Bylaws, as amended,
provide that, on all matters (other than the election of directors and except to the extent otherwise required by our Articles of Incorporation,
as amended or applicable Nevada law), the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present, in person or by proxy, and voting on
the matter, will be required for approval. Accordingly, the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present at the Annual Meeting,
in person or by proxy, and voting on the matter, will be required to ratify the Board’s selection of Farber Hass Hurley LLP as
our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023.
If you hold shares
beneficially in street name and do not provide your broker with voting instructions, your shares may constitute “broker non-votes.”
Generally, broker non-votes occur on a matter when a broker is not permitted to vote on that matter without instructions from the beneficial
owner and instructions are not given. Brokers that have not received voting instructions from their clients cannot vote on their clients’
behalf on “non-routine” proposals. Broker non-votes are counted for the purposes of obtaining a quorum for the Annual Meeting,
and in tabulating the voting result for any particular proposal, shares that constitute broker non-votes are not considered entitled
to vote.
Votes at the Annual
Meeting will be tabulated by one or more inspectors of election appointed by the Chairman of the Board. Shareholders will not be entitled
to dissenter’s rights with respect to any matter to be considered at the Annual Meeting.
Shareholder
List
For a period of at
least 10 days prior to the Annual Meeting, a complete list of shareholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting will be available at
our principal executive offices located at 16772 W. Bernardo Drive, San Diego, CA 92127, so that shareholders of record may inspect the
list only for proper purposes.
Expenses
of Solicitation
We will pay the cost
of preparing, assembling and mailing this proxy-soliciting material, and all costs of solicitation, including certain expenses of brokers
and nominees who mail proxy material to their customers or principals.
CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE
Board
of Directors
Members
of Our Board of Directors
Set forth below are
the names of and certain biographical information about each member of our Board of Directors. The information presented includes each
director’s principal occupation and business experience for the past five years and the names of other public companies of which
he or she has served as a director during the past five years.
The Board, upon the
recommendation of our Nominating and Governance Committee, has nominated: Paul DiPerna, William J. Febbo, Steven Felsher, Morgan
C. Frank, Philip Sheibley, Carmen Volkart and Ellen O’Connor Vos for election as directors, each to hold office until their successors
are elected and qualified or until their earlier resignation or removal.
Name | |
Age | |
Position with the Company |
Paul DiPerna | |
64 | |
President, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Director (Chairman of the Board) |
William J. Febbo | |
54 | |
Director |
Steven Felsher | |
73 | |
Director |
Morgan C. Frank | |
50 | |
Director |
Philip Sheibley | |
64 | |
Director |
Carmen Volkart | |
62 | |
Director |
Ellen O’Connor Vos | |
67 | |
Director |
The following sets
forth certain information about each of the director nominees:
Paul
DiPerna. Mr. DiPerna has been our chairman, chief financial officer, president and treasurer since we acquired Quasuras, Inc. (“Quasuras”)
in July 2017. He also served as our chief executive officer from July 2017 until August 2021, and as our Secretary from July 2017 to
October 2021. In 2015, he founded Quasuras, an early-stage medical device company developing an insulin pump product, and, until its
acquisition by us, he served as its chief executive officer and chairman. Prior to that, Mr. DiPerna founded Fuel Source Partners, LLC
to incubate early stage medical device products and accumulate technical talent. Our current pump product was one of such proposed products
and was spun-out to Quasuras in 2015. From 2012 to 2015, he served as a co-inventor at a private company with property rights in a medical
device used for blood borne infection control called the Curos Cap, which was acquired by 3M Corporation. In 2003, Mr. DiPerna founded
Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc. (“Tandem”) and held various positions, including as director, chief executive officer and
chief technology officer and was primarily responsible for the design concept and development of Tandem’s initial insulin pump.
Prior to that, he held executive and management positions at Baxter Healthcare Corporation (“Baxter”) where he was
tasked with identifying synergistic opportunities in the diabetes industry. As a result, Mr. DiPerna developed substantial expertise
and knowledge in the diabetes industry and led attempts by Baxter to acquire three insulin pump manufacturers. Previously, he held mechanical
design engineering positions in the automated test equipment and blood separation sciences industries. Mr. DiPerna holds 70 patents in
medical device and microfluidic technology and has achieved numerous product clearances with the FDA. He has also achieved multiple successful
exits with previous companies. Mr. DiPerna received a Masters in Engineering Management from Northeastern University and a B.S. in Mechanical
Engineering from the University of Massachusetts and has spent over 35 years in the medical-device industry. We believe that Mr. DiPerna
is qualified to serve as the chairman of our Board of Directors due to his extensive knowledge and experience in the medical-device
industry generally, and, in particular, with regard to insulin pumps and the diabetes industry, as well as his management and leadership
experience from holding director and senior executive positions in other public and private companies and leading project development
teams of medical device companies.
William
J. Febbo. Mr. Febbo was appointed to our Board of Directors in January 2020. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer
and a director of OptimizeRx Corporation, a digital health company focused on bringing life sciences support to patients and providers,
having joined the company in 2016. Since April 2022, he has served as member of the board of directors of Augmedix, Inc., a Nasdaq-listed
provider of automated medical documentation and data services. Mr. Febbo founded Plexuus, LLC, a payment processing business for medical
professionals in September 2015 and remained its Chairman from September 2015 to December 2020. From April 2007 to September 2015, he
served as Chief Operating Officer of Merriman Holdings, Inc., an investment banking firm, where he assisted with capital raises in the
technology, biotechnology, clean technology, consumer and resources industries. Mr. Febbo was a co-founder of, and from September 2013
to September 2015 served as Chief Executive Officer of, Digital Capital Network, Inc. a transaction platform for institutional and accredited
investors. He was a co-founder of, and from January 1999 to September 2015 was Chief Executive Officer of, MedPanel, LLC, a provider
of market intelligence and communications for the pharmaceutical, biomedical, and medical device industries. Since 2017, Mr. Febbo has
been a faculty member of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s linQ program, which is a collaborative initiative focused
on increasing the potential of innovative research to benefit society and the economy. Since 2004, he has been a board member of the
United Nations Association of Greater Boston, a resource for the citizens of Greater Boston on the broad agenda of critical global issues
addressed by the United Nations and its agencies. He holds a B.A. in international studies and Spanish from Dickinson College. We believe
that Mr. Febbo is qualified to serve on our Board of Directors because of his wealth of experience in building and managing
health services and financial businesses. Mr. Febbo brings more than 20 years of experience in building and managing health services
and financial businesses.
On
January 29, 2018, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) accepted a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and
Consent (the Consent) submitted by Mr. Febbo. Without admitting or denying the findings, Mr. Febbo consented to the sanctions and to
the entry of findings that he permitted Merriman Capital, Inc. to conduct a securities business while below its net capital requirement.
From August 2012 to October 2015, he was the Financial and Operations Principal (“FinOp”) for a registered broker-dealer,
Merriman Capital, Inc. (Merriman). During certain months, while Mr. Febbo was FinOp, FINRA found that certain of Merriman’s net
capital filings with FINRA were inaccurate because of the method by which Merriman calculated net capital and that, when corrected, it
was retroactively determined that Merriman had operated below its minimum net capital requirements. Mr. Febbo, as FinOp, signed certain
of these reports and was thus held responsible. Based on the Consent, in settlement, Mr. Febbo, who was then no longer registered with
any broker-dealer, accepted a fine of $5,000, a 10-business day suspension from acting as FinOp for any FINRA member and required to
requalify by examination for the Series 27 license before again acting in a FinOp capacity.
Steven
Felsher. Mr. Felsher was appointed to our Board of Directors in November 2021.
Mr. Felsher is an experienced executive with respect to finance, administration, governance and other aspects of public and private company
management. He has served as a member of the board of directors of Signal Hill Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company,
since March 2021. From August 2018 to July 2020, he served as a member of the board of directors of Sito Mobile, Inc., a publicly-traded
company that provided customized, data-driven solutions for brands spanning all forms of media. From January 2011 to June 2019, Mr. Felsher
was a senior advisor at Quadrangle Group LLC, a private investment firm focused on the information and communications technology sectors.
He spent a substantial portion of his career with Grey Global Group Inc., a global marketing services company, where he served as a senior
executive from 1979 until 2007, most recently as vice chairman and chief financial officer. He holds a BA in classical Greek from Dickinson
College and a J.D. from Yale University School of Law. We believe that Mr. Felsher is qualified to serve on our Board of Directors
because of his extensive business experience with administration, governance, capital allocation and other aspects of public and
private company management.
Morgan
C. Frank. Mr. Frank was appointed to our Board of Directors in April 2017. In August
2022, he was appointed as chairman of the board of directors of SANUWAVE Health, Inc., a publicly-traded provider of wound-care products.
Mr. Frank has worked with Manchester, LP since May 2002, and, prior to such time, he was a founder and managing director at First Principles
Group, a boutique consultancy and principal investor specializing in corporate restructuring, restarts, intellectual property assessment
and salvage, and spin outs. Prior to such time, Mr. Frank spent approximately five years as an analyst and portfolio manager at Hollis
Capital, a San Francisco based hedge fund and prior thereto, Mr. Frank worked for an independent private client group at Paine Webber
specializing in primary research to develop investment ideas (particularly short sale ideas) for institutional clients. Prior to his
employment at Paine Webber, Mr. Frank was a currency trader for Eastern Vanguard. Mr. Frank holds a BA in Economics and in Political
Science from Brown University. We believe that Mr. Frank is qualified to serve as member of our Board of Directors due
to his extensive prior experience conducting financial analysis of public companies (certain of which were in the development stage),
including such public companies’ management teams, products, including products in the development stage, the potential markets
for such products and other factors that could affect the likelihood and timing of success and market penetration of such entities’
products as well as his capital raising activities. We believe this provides us with valuable insights into the financial markets and
investment criteria of institutional and other investors as well as capital raising activities.
Philip
Sheibley. Mr. Sheibley was appointed to our Board of Directors in November 2021.
Mr. Sheibley is an experienced executive and venture capitalist. Since 2011, he has served as a principal at Alumni Investment Partners,
a private equity firm. From 1981 to 2010, Mr. Sheibley served as a management and technology consultant with Accenture, where he focused
on the life sciences area, holding a variety of leadership positions, including North American industry director for life sciences and
global lead for management consulting. Mr. Sheibley holds a B.S. in industrial and systems engineering with a business minor from Lehigh
University. We believe that Mr. Sheibley is qualified to serve on our Board of Directors because of his extensive business
experience in the life sciences area and experience with venture capital investment and consulting, including financing transactions
for early-stage and scale-up stage companies, assisting with scale-up strategy/execution, and participating as a board member in the
medical products industry.
Carmen
Volkart. Ms. Volkart was
appointed to our Board of Directors in December 2019. She has served as chief financial officer of Natureworks LLC, an
advanced materials company offering a portfolio of renewably-sourced polymers, since October 2018. Ms. Volkart served as a member of
the board of directors, including as a member of the audit committee of Antares Pharma, Inc., a Nasdaq-listed, specialty pharmaceutical
company, from October 2021 to May 2022, when it was acquired by another Nasdaq-listed company. From October 2012 to July 2018, she served
as chief financial officer and, for a portion of that time, as senior vice president of commercialization for NxThera, Inc., a medical
device company pioneering the application of convective radiofrequency thermotherapy to treat endurological conditions. Ms. Volkart served
as global chief financial officer of Tornier N.V. from 2010 to 2012, and was chief operating and financial officer, corporate secretary,
compliance officer and treasurer of Spine Wave, Inc. from 2006 to 2010. Prior to 2006, she held various executive and financial positions
at American Medical Systems, Inc., Medtronic, Inc. and Honeywell, Inc. Ms. Volkart holds a B.S. in accounting from the University of
North Dakota and an MBA with a concentration in strategic management from the University of Minnesota. We believe that Ms. Volkart is
qualified to serve on our Board of Directors because of her substantial financial and public-company experience, as she
has served as chief financial officer at multiple medical device and other companies.
Ellen
O’Connor Vos. Ms. Vos was appointed to our Board of Directors in May 2021
and served as our chief executive officer from August 2021 until February 23, 2022. Ms. Vos has served as a member of VosHealth LLC since
November 2020. Prior to that, she served as the president and chief executive officer of the Muscular Dystrophy Association from October
2017 to November 2020. Previously, Ms. Vos had been chief executive officer of ghg | greyhealth group from 1996 to 2017, and she has
been a champion of using digital capabilities to improve the public health. Ms. Vos also serves on the board of OptimizeRX Corporation,
a publicly-traded digital health company, and the Jed Foundation, a leading nonprofit dedicated to protecting the emotional health of
college students, and was a founding board member of MMRF, a pioneering cancer research foundation. Ms. Vos holds a B.S. in nursing from
Alfred University. We believe that Ms. Vos is qualified to serve on our Board of Directors because of her executive experience
and extensive executive skills in digital marketing, commercialization and communications in the healthcare industry.
Family
Relationships
There are no family
relationships among any of our directors or executive officers.
Involvement
in Certain Legal Proceedings
Except with regard
to Mr. Febbo, to our knowledge, none of our executive officers or our directors has, during the last ten years:
· |
had
any bankruptcy petition filed by or against the business or property of the person, or of any partnership, corporation or business
association of which he was a general partner or executive officer, either at the time of the bankruptcy filing or within two years
prior to that time; |
· |
been
subject to any order, judgment, or decree, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, of any court of competent jurisdiction
or federal or state authority, permanently or temporarily enjoining, barring, suspending or otherwise limiting, his or her involvement
in any type of business, securities, futures, commodities, investment, banking, savings and loan, or insurance activities, or to
be associated with persons engaged in any such activity; |
· |
been
found by a court of competent jurisdiction in a civil action or by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”)
or the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to have violated a federal or state securities or commodities law, and the judgment
has not been reversed, suspended, or vacated; |
· |
been
the subject of, or a party to, any federal or state judicial or administrative order, judgment, decree, or finding, not subsequently
reversed, suspended or vacated (not including any settlement of a civil proceeding among private litigants), relating to an alleged violation
of any federal or state securities or commodities law or regulation, any law or regulation respecting financial institutions or insurance
companies including, but not limited to, a temporary or permanent injunction, order of disgorgement or restitution, civil money penalty
or temporary or permanent cease-and-desist order, or removal or prohibition order, or any law or regulation prohibiting mail or wire
fraud or fraud in connection with any business entity; or |
|
|
· |
been
the subject of, or a party to, any sanction or order, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, of any self-regulatory organization
(as defined in Section 3(a)(26) of the Exchange Act), any registered entity (as defined in Section 1(a)(29) of the Commodity Exchange
Act), or any equivalent exchange, association, entity or organization that has disciplinary authority over its members or persons
associated with a member. |
To our knowledge, there
are no material proceedings to which any director, officer or affiliate of ours, any owner of record or beneficially of more than five
percent of any class of voting securities of us, or any associate of any such director, officer, affiliate of ours, or security holder
is a party adverse to us or any of our subsidiaries or has a material interest adverse to us or any of our subsidiaries.
Arrangements
for Appointment of Directors and Officers
Pursuant to the
Reorganization and Share Exchange Agreement dated as of July 24, 2017, by and among us, Quasuras, Mr. DiPerna and the other stockholders
of Quasuras (the “Share Agreement”), until July 24, 2022, our board of directors shall consist of no more than five and no
less than two directors of which (i) Manchester has the right to appoint two directors, pursuant to which Manchester appointed Mr. Frank
and Ms. Volkart and (ii) Mr. DiPerna, in addition to being our chairman of the Board, has the right to appoint two additional directors,
pursuant to which he appointed Messrs. Burns and Febbo. In May 2021, the parties amended the Share Agreement and removed Manchester’s
and Mr. DiPerna’s rights to appoint directors. In addition, the parties agreed that Mr. DiPerna shall remain chairman of our Board
of Directors until July 2022; provided, that in the event Mr. DiPerna resigns or is otherwise replaced as our chief executive officer,
Mr. DiPerna shall remain as chairman of our Board of Directors for an additional period of three years. Following such amendment, our
Board of Directors increased the size of the board to six members and, on May 18, 2021, appointed Ellen O’Connor Vos to our Board.
The DiPerna Employment
and Related Agreements
We entered into
an employment agreement dated August 1, 2018, with Mr. DiPerna pursuant to which Mr. DiPerna was employed by us as our chief executive
officer and president for an initial 2-year term with automatic one-year renewals. Pursuant to such agreement, we agreed to pay Mr. DiPerna:
i) an annual salary of $200,000 in cash, ii) $100,000 per year in fully-vested stock options granted monthly at an exercise price determined
by our board of directors in its sole discretion and iii) an annual bonus of $300,000, payable at the discretion of our board of directors,
either in shares or in cash. If the board chooses to pay the bonus in shares, such shares will be valued at a price determined by our
board of directors. Pursuant to such employment agreement (i) if (a) we terminate Mr. DiPerna’s employment without cause or he
resigns with good reason, we will pay Mr. DiPerna a lump sum of $200,000, and (b) we terminate Mr. DiPerna’s employment for cause,
we are not obligated to make any severance payment and Mr. DiPerna will receive only his base compensation through the last day of his
employment, (ii) upon Mr. DiPerna’s death or disability, he will receive his base compensation through the last day of his employment
and will remain eligible for all applicable benefits relative to death or disability pursuant to any plans that we have in place at such
time, and (iii) upon a change of control (as defined in the employment agreement), Mr. DiPerna will be paid a lump sum of $100,000 within
sixty days of the time at which such change of control takes place.
In May 2020, we
amended our employment agreement with Mr. DiPerna to provide that in the event of a change in control:
· |
within
60 days of the date the change in control occurs, Mr. DiPerna shall be paid by us or our successor in interest a lump sum cash payment
equal to 12 months of Mr. DiPerna’s then annual Base Compensation (as defined in the employment agreement); and |
· |
immediately
prior to such change of control, any unvested stock options or other unvested securities of ours issued to Mr. DiPerna shall automatically
accelerate and immediately become fully vested and exercisable. |
In June 2020, our Board approved an amendment to the employment agreement to provide that Mr. DiPerna’s base salary would be paid entirely in cash commencing July 1, 2020. The payment of the additional cash component of Mr. DiPerna’s annual base salary ($8,333.33 per month) was initially be deferred (the “Deferred Salary”) and accrue for Mr. DiPerna’s benefit until the Company has received $5,000,000 of cumulative gross proceeds of financing, at which time the Deferred Salary shall be paid to Mr. DiPerna and the salary deferrals will cease. The salary deferrals ceased and the Deferred Salary was paid to Mr. DiPerna in May 2021. In August 2021, Mr. DiPerna resigned as our chief executive officer, and he continues to serve as our president, chief financial officer, treasurer and chairman of our Board.
If a change of control occurred on March 31, 2022, under his employment agreement, Mr. DiPerna would be entitled to:
· |
payment of a lump sum of $300,000 within 60 days of the time at which such change of control takes place; and |
· |
accelerated vesting of 27,778 shares of common stock under an unvested stock option. The value of the shares subject to accelerated vesting is calculated as the intrinsic value per share multiplied by the number of shares that would become fully vested upon a change of control. The intrinsic value per share would be calculated as the excess of the closing price of the common stock of $4.40 on the Nasdaq Capital Market on March 31, 2022 over the exercise price of the option. As of March 31, 2022, the intrinsic value was zero. |
In connection with our acquisition of Quasuras, we entered into an Intellectual Property Transfer Agreement dated as of July 24, 2017, with Quasuras and Mr. DiPerna, pursuant to which Mr. DiPerna transferred to us all intellectual property rights owned directly and/or indirectly by him related to our business. Separately, we agreed to pay Mr. DiPerna, as part of his compensation for services to be performed for us, pursuant to a royalty agreement, certain fees based upon future sales, if any, of our potential product subject to a maximum $10,000,000 cap on the aggregate amount of fees that Mr. DiPerna could earn from such arrangement.
The Vos Employment Agreement
On August 11, 2021, we entered into a two-year employment agreement (the “Agreement”) with Ms. Vos for her service as our chief executive officer, and the Agreement was renewable for one-year terms, unless either party provided the other with 90-day prior written notice of termination. The Agreement provided that Ms. Vos was entitled to total base compensation of $300,000 annually, as follows: a cash salary of $250,000 per year (the Cash Salary), plus deferred salary of $50,000 per year (the Deferred Salary and, together with the Cash Salary, the Base Compensation).
On February 23, 2022,
Ms. Vos informed our board of directors that she was resigning from her position as our chief executive officer, effective immediately
(the Resignation). In connection with the Resignation, we and Ms. Vos entered into a Severance and Release Agreement dated February 23,
2022 (the “Separation Agreement”). Pursuant to the Separation Agreement, Ms. Vos was entitled to receive separation
payments in an aggregate gross amount of $375,000. Under the terms of the Separation Agreement, the vesting of an option to purchase
362,452 shares of the Company’s common stock, which was granted to Ms. Vos on August 11, 2021, ceased on May 24, 2022 and the remaining
unvested shares were forfeited.
Corporate Governance
Board Leadership Structure and Role in Risk Oversight
Due to the small size and early stage of the Company, we have not adopted a formal policy on whether the chairman and chief executive officer positions should be separate or combined. Since 2017, Mr. DiPerna has been serving as our chairman, and, since February 23, 2022, Mr. Besser has been serving as our chief executive officer. Our Board of Directors has oversight responsibility for our risk management processes. Our Board of Directors receives and reviews periodic reports from management, auditors, legal counsel, and others, as considered appropriate, regarding our assessment of risks. Our Board of Directors will focus on the most significant risks facing us and our general risk management strategy, and also ensure that risks undertaken by us are consistent with our appetite for risk. While our board of directors oversees our risk management processes, management is responsible for day-to-day risk management processes. We believe this division of responsibilities is the most effective approach for addressing the risks facing us and that the leadership structure of our Board of Directors supports this approach.
Board
Committees
Our Board has three
standing committees: an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee and a Nominating and Governance Committee. Each committee has a charter,
which is available on our website at www.modular-medical.com.
Information contained on our website is not incorporated herein by reference. Each of the committees has the composition and responsibilities
described below.
Current
Committee Composition
Audit Committee | |
Compensation Committee | |
Nominating and Governance Committee |
Steven Felsher* | |
William J. Febbo* | |
Steven Felsher |
Philip Sheibley | |
Carmen Volkart | |
Philip Sheibley* |
Carmen Volkart | |
| |
|
* Denotes Chairperson
of committee
Committee
Composition after the Annual Meeting†
Audit Committee | |
Compensation Committee | |
Nominating and Governance Committee |
Steven Felsher* | |
William J. Febbo* | |
Steven Felsher |
Philip Sheibley | |
Carmen Volkart | |
Philip Sheibley* |
Carmen Volkart | |
| |
|
* Denotes Chairperson
of committee subject to election to the Board at the Annual Meeting.
†Assumes
the election of William J. Febbo, Steven Felsher, Philip Sheibley and Carmen Volkart, each of whom were previously
appointed to committees by resolution of the Board.
Audit
Committee
Our Board established
the Audit Committee for the purpose of overseeing our accounting and financial reporting processes and audits of our financial statements.
The Audit Committee also is charged with reviewing any internal control violations under our whistleblower policy. The responsibilities
of our Audit Committee are described in the Audit Committee Charter adopted by our Board, a current copy of which
can be found on the investors section of our website, www.modular-medical.com.
Mr. Felsher, Mr. Sheibley
and Ms. Volkart are the current members of the Audit Committee. Mr. Felsher serves as the chairperson and has been designated by the
board of directors as the “audit committee financial expert,” as defined by Item 407(d)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended, and the Exchange Act. That status does not impose duties, liabilities or obligations that are greater than the
duties, liabilities or obligations otherwise imposed on him as a member of the Audit Committee and the Board of Directors, however.
Our Board has determined that each of our Audit Committee members satisfies the “independence” requirements of the listing
rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market (the “Nasdaq”) and meets the independence standards under Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange
Act.
During the fiscal
year ended March 31, 2022, which we refer to as fiscal 2022, our Audit Committee held three meetings.
Compensation
Committee
Our Board of Directors
established a Compensation Committee for the purpose of reviewing, recommending and approving our compensation policies and benefits,
including the compensation of all of our executive officers and directors. Mr.
Febbo and Ms. Volkart are the current members of the Compensation Committee, and Mr. Febbo serves as the Chairperson.
Each of our Compensation Committee members satisfies the “independence” requirements of the Nasdaq listing rules and meets
the independence standards under Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act.
Our
compensation committee is responsible for reviewing, recommending and approving our compensation policies and benefits, including the
compensation of all of our executive officers and directors, and it also has the principal responsibility for the administration of our
equity incentive plan. The responsibilities of our compensation committee are more fully described in the Compensation Committee Charter
adopted by our Board of Directors, a current copy of which can be found on the investors section of our website, www.modular-medical.com.
Nominating
and Governance Committee
The Nominating and
Governance Committee consists of Mr. Felsher and Mr. Sheibley, and Mr. Sheibley serves as the Chairperson. Each of the members of our
Nominating and Governance Committee satisfies the “independence” requirements of the Nasdaq listing rules and meets the independence
standards under Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act. The Nominating and Governance Committee will consider persons recommended by shareholders
for inclusion as nominees for election to our Board of Directors, if the information required by our bylaws is submitted in writing
in a timely manner addressed and delivered to our secretary at the address of our executive offices.
The Nominating and
Governance Committee will identify and evaluate nominees for our Board of Directors, including nominees recommended by
shareholders, based on numerous factors it considers appropriate, some of which may include strength of character, mature judgment,
career specialization, relevant technical skills, diversity, and the extent to which the nominee would fill a present need on our board
of directors. The responsibilities of our Nominating and Governance committee are more fully described in the Nominating and Governance
Committee Charter adopted by our Board of Directors, a current copy of which can be found on the investors section of our
website, www.modular-medical.com.
Board
Meetings and Attendance
During
fiscal 2022, our Board held eight meetings. While they served as a director, each director attended 100% of the total number
of meetings of the Board, except Mr. Febbo, who attended 88% of the meetings. The Audit Committee members attended 100% of the
respective committee meetings. The Board also acted at times by unanimous written consent, as authorized by our bylaws and the Nevada
General Corporate Law.
Compliance
with Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act
Section 16(a) of
the Exchange Act requires our directors, executive officers and persons who own more than 10% of a registered class of our equity securities
to file with the SEC initial reports of ownership and reports of changes in ownership of common stock and other equity securities of
ours. Directors, executive officers and greater than 10% holders are required by SEC regulation to furnish us with copies of all Section 16(a) reports
they file. Based on our review of Forms 3 and 4 filed during fiscal 2022 (and any written representations to us by such persons),
we believe that all directors, executive officers and 10% shareholders complied with all applicable Section 16(a) filing
requirements during fiscal 2022, except that:
· |
Mr.
DiPerna failed to timely file a Form 4; |
· |
Mr.
Felsher failed to timely file a Form 3 and a Form 4; and |
· |
Mr.
Febbo failed to timely file a Form 4. |
Code
of Business Conduct and Ethics for Employees, Executive Officers and Directors
We
have adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, or the Code of Conduct, applicable to all of our employees, executive officers and
members of our Board. The Code of Conduct is available on our website at www.modular-medical.com. Our Nominating and Governance
Committee is responsible for overseeing the Code of Conduct, and our Board must approve any waivers of the Code of Conduct. In addition,
we intend to post on our website all disclosures that are required by law concerning any amendments to, or waivers from, any provision
of the Code of Conduct.
Shareholder
Communications with the Board
Shareholders
wishing to communicate with the Board, the non-management directors, or with an individual Board member may do so by writing to the Board,
to the non-management directors, or to the particular Board member, and mailing the correspondence to: c/o Secretary, Modular Medical,
Inc. 16772 W. Bernardo Drive, San Diego, CA 92127. The envelope should indicate that it contains a shareholder communication. All such
shareholder communications will be forwarded to the director or directors to whom the communications are addressed.
Director
Independence
Our Board has undertaken
a review of the independence of our directors and considered whether any director has a material relationship with us that could compromise
his or her ability to exercise independent judgment in carrying out his or her responsibilities. As a result of this review, our Board
has determined that William J. Febbo, Steven Felsher, Philip Sheibley and Carmen Volkart are “independent directors,”
as defined under the rules of Nasdaq.
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION
Summary
Compensation Table
The
following table sets forth compensation information for the years ended March 31, 2022 and March 31, 2021 for each of our named executive
officers.
Name and Principal Position | |
Year | |
Salary ($) | | |
Stock Awards ($) | | |
Option Awards ($)(1) | | |
Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation ($) | | |
All Other Compensation ($) | | |
Total ($) | |
Paul DiPerna, President, Chief Financial Officer, | |
2022 | |
| 370,833 | (3) | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 370,833 | |
Treasurer and Chairman(2) | |
2021 | |
| 200,000 | | |
| — | | |
| 25,000 | | |
| — | | |
| 50,000 | (4) | |
| 275,000 | |
James E. Besser, Chief Executive Officer(5) | |
2022 | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | |
Ellen O’Connor Vos, Chief Executive Officer(6) | |
2022 | |
| 133,654 | | |
| — | | |
| 4,414,645 | | |
| — | | |
| 409,662 | (7) | |
| 4,957,961 | |
Stephen Daly, Chief Commercial Officer(8) | |
2022 | |
| 59,395 | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 6,046 | | |
| 65,441 | |
| |
2021 | |
| 234,000 | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 234,000 | |
(1) |
Award
amounts reflect the aggregate grant date fair value with respect to awards granted, as determined pursuant to FASB ASC Topic 718.
The assumptions used to calculate the aggregate grant date fair value of option awards are set forth set forth in the notes to the
audited consolidated financial statements included in our fiscal 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K. These amounts do not reflect actual
compensation earned or to be earned by our named executive officers. |
(2) |
From
August 2018 until June 30, 2020, Mr. DiPerna’s $300,000 annual salary was paid $200,000 in cash and $100,000 in fully-vested
stock options granted monthly. |
(3) |
Includes
payment of $70,833 of deferred salary. |
(4) |
Earned
as a bonus of which $22,000 was paid on April 30, 2021, and the remainder was paid in quarterly installments commencing on July 15,
2021. |
(5) |
Ms.
Besser was appointed our chief executive officer in February 2022 and is paid de minimis compensation of $1.00 per
year. |
(6) |
Ms.
Vos was appointed our chief executive officer in August 2021 at an annual cash salary of $250,000 per year plus deferred salary of
$50,000 per year. She resigned as our chief executive officer in February 2022. The compensation amounts disclosed in the table above
exclude amounts paid to Ms. Vos for her service as a non-employee director. |
(7) |
Represents
payment during fiscal 2022 of i) accrued holiday and vacation pay, ii) deferred salary and iii) three months of salary for the notice
period and accrued severance of $300,000 that will be paid in fiscal 2023. |
(8) |
Mr.
Daly became our chief commercial officer in March 2020 at an annual base salary of $250,000. In February 2021, Mr. Daly converted
to part time, and his annual base salary was reduced to $125,000. Mr. Daly resigned as our Chief Commercial Officer in September
2021, and we and Mr. Daly entered into a consulting arrangement pursuant to which Mr. Daly provides services to us on a part-time
basis. |
Outstanding
Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End
The
following table shows certain information regarding outstanding equity awards held by our named executive officers as of March 31, 2022.
Name | |
Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Exercisable |
| |
Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Unexercisable | | |
Option Exercise Price($) | | |
Option Expiration Date(1) |
Paul DiPerna | |
| 1,155 |
(2) | |
| — | | |
| 9.48 | | |
6/1/2030 |
| |
| 1,169 |
(3) | |
| — | | |
| 9.48 | | |
5/1/2030 |
| |
| 1,170 |
(4) | |
| — | | |
| 9.48 | | |
4/1/2030 |
| |
| 1,660 |
(5) | |
| — | | |
| 7.44 | | |
3/2/2030 |
| |
| 1,745 |
(6) | |
| — | | |
| 7.44 | | |
2/1/2030 |
| |
| 1,727 |
(7) | |
| — | | |
| 7.44 | | |
1/1/2030 |
| |
| 1,809 |
(8) | |
| — | | |
| 6.75 | | |
12/1/2029 |
| |
| 1,811 |
(9) | |
| — | | |
| 6.75 | | |
11/1/2029 |
| |
| 1,721 |
(10) | |
| — | | |
| 6.75 | | |
10/1/2029 |
| |
| 1,662 |
(11) | |
| — | | |
| 6.75 | | |
9/15/2029 |
| |
| 1,666 |
(12) | |
| — | | |
| 6.75 | | |
8/15/2029 |
| |
| 1,660 |
(13) | |
| — | | |
| 6.75 | | |
7/15/2029 |
| |
| 1,650 |
(14) | |
| — | | |
| 6.75 | | |
6/15/2029 |
| |
| 1,677 |
(15) | |
| — | | |
| 6.75 | | |
5/15/2029 |
| |
| 1,624 |
(16) | |
| — | | |
| 6.75 | | |
4/15/2029 |
| |
| 1,694 |
(17) | |
| — | | |
| 6.75 | | |
3/15/2029 |
| |
| 1,641 |
(18) | |
| — | | |
| 6.75 | | |
2/15/2029 |
| |
| 1,603 |
(19) | |
| — | | |
| 6.75 | | |
1/15/2029 |
| |
| 1,775 |
(20) | |
| — | | |
| 6.75 | | |
12/15/2028 |
| |
| 1,775 |
(21) | |
| — | | |
| 6.75 | | |
11/15/2028 |
| |
| 6,005 |
(22) | |
| — | | |
| 1.98 | | |
10/15/2028 |
| |
| 6,005 |
(23) | |
| — | | |
| 1.98 | | |
09/15/2028 |
| |
| 6,005 |
(24) | |
| — | | |
| 1.98 | | |
08/15/2028 |
| |
| 2,222 |
(25) | |
| 27,778 | | |
| 6.75 | | |
11/25/2029 |
(1) |
The
standard option term is ten years, but all of the options expire automatically unless exercised within 90 days after the cessation
of service as an employee, director or consultant. |
(2) |
The
option was granted on June 1, 2020, and the shares subject to this option were fully vested on the grant date. |
(3) |
The
option was granted on May 1, 2020, and the shares subject to this option were fully vested on the grant date. |
(4) |
The
option was granted on April 1, 2020, and the shares subject to this option were fully vested on the grant date. |
(5) |
The
option was granted on March 2, 2020, and the shares subject to this option were fully vested on the grant date. |
(6) |
The
option was granted on February 1,2020, and the shares subject to this option were fully vested on the grant date. |
(7) |
The
option was granted on January 1, 2020, and the shares subject to this option were fully vested on the grant date. |
(8) |
The
option was granted on December 1, 2019, and the shares subject to this option were fully vested on the grant date. |
(9) |
The
option was granted on November 1, 2019, and the shares subject to this option were fully vested on the grant date. |
(10) |
The
option was granted on October 1, 2019, and the shares subject to this option were fully vested on the grant date. |
(11) |
The
option was granted on September 15, 2019, and the shares subject to this option were fully vested on the grant date. |
(12) |
The
option was granted on August 15, 2019, and the shares subject to this option were fully vested on the grant date. |
(13) |
The
option was granted on July 15, 2019, and the shares subject to this option were fully vested on the grant date. |
(14) |
The
option was granted on June 15, 2019, and the shares subject to this option were fully vested on the grant date. |
(15) |
The
option was granted on May 15, 2019, and the shares subject to this option were fully vested on the grant date. |
(16) |
The
option was granted on April 15, 2019, and the shares subject to this option were fully vested on the grant date. |
(17) |
The
option was granted on March 15, 2019, and the shares subject to this option were fully vested on the grant date. |
(18) |
The
option was granted on February 15, 2019, and the shares subject to this option were fully vested on the grant date. |
(19) |
The
option was granted on January 15, 2019, and the shares subject to this option were fully vested on the grant date. |
(20) |
The
option was granted on December 15, 2018, and the shares subject to this option were fully vested on the grant date. |
(21) |
The
option was granted on November 15, 2018, and the shares subject to this option were fully vested on the grant date. |
(22) |
The
option was granted on October 15, 2018, and the shares subject to this option were fully vested on the grant date. |
(23) |
The
option was granted on September 15, 2018, and the shares subject to this option were fully vested on the grant date. |
(24) |
The
option was granted on August 15, 2018, and the shares subject to this option were fully vested on the grant date. |
(25) |
The
option was granted on November 25, 2019, and the shares subject to this option vest monthly over three years commencing January 1,
2020, subject to continued service as an employee, director or consultant. |
Employment
Agreements
We
have entered into our standard form of employment, confidential information and invention assignment agreement with each of our named
executive officers. We also have entered into agreements to indemnify our directors and certain executive officers, in addition to the
indemnification provided for in our articles of incorporation and bylaws. These agreements, among other things, provide for indemnification
of our directors and certain executive officers for many expenses, including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines and settlement amounts
incurred by any such person in any action or proceeding, including any action by or in the right of us, arising out of such person’s
services as a director or executive officer of ours, any subsidiary of ours or any other company or enterprise to which such person provided
services at our request.
Director
Compensation
Effective
April 1, 2021, our Board of Directors approved our Outside Director Compensation Plan (the “Director Plan”) for our non-employee
directors. Pursuant to the Director Plan, non-employee directors were paid the following annual retainers during fiscal 2022:
· |
$25,000
for service as a member of the Board of Directors; |
· |
$5,000
for service as chair of the Audit Committee; and |
· |
$5,000
for service as chair of the Compensation Committee. |
The
annual retainers will be paid in quarterly installments in either cash, options to purchase shares of our common stock or in shares of
our common stock, as directed by each director based on an annual election. In addition, under the Director Plan, each director will
also receive an annual service equity award of $100,000 paid in quarterly installments in either options to purchase shares of our common
stock or shares of our common stock, as directed by each director based on an annual election.
In
addition, upon appointment to our board of directors, we award our non-employee directors a stock option grant under our Amended 2017
Equity Incentive Plan (the “2017 Plan”). During fiscal 2022, we awarded each of the new non-employee directors a stock option
to purchase 16,667 shares of our common stock. These options vest annually over three years from the date of appointment to our Board
of Directors.
The
following table summarizes the compensation we paid to our non-employee directors for fiscal 2022:
| |
Fee | | |
Restricted Stock | | |
Option | | |
| | |
| |
| |
Compensation | | |
Awards | | |
Awards | | |
All Other | | |
Total | |
Name | |
($) | | |
($) | | |
($)(1)(2) | | |
Compensation(3) | | |
($) | |
Liam Burns(4) | |
| 18,750 | | |
| — | | |
| 222,291 | | |
| — | | |
| 241,041 | |
William Febbo | |
| 30,000 | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 100,000 | | |
| 130,000 | |
Steven Felsher(5) | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 194,981 | | |
| 8,657 | | |
| 203,638 | |
Morgan Frank | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 375,105 | | |
| — | | |
| 375,105 | |
Philip Sheibley(5) | |
| 8,424 | | |
| — | | |
| 169,588 | | |
| 33,696 | | |
| 211,078 | |
Carmen Volkart | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 296,423 | | |
| 29,671 | | |
| 326,094 | |
Ellen O’Connor Vos(6) | |
| 2,953 | | |
| — | | |
| 281,339 | | |
| — | | |
| 284,292 | |
(1) |
Award
amounts reflect the aggregate grant date fair value with respect to awards granted, as determined pursuant to FASB ASC Topic 718.
The assumptions used to calculate the aggregate grant date fair value of option and stock awards are set forth in the notes to the
consolidated financial statements included in our fiscal 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K. These amounts do not reflect actual compensation
earned or to be earned by our directors. |
(2) |
As
of March 31, 2022, our non-employee directors each held outstanding options to purchase the following number of shares of our common
stock: William Febbo, 66,667; Steven Felsher, 38,084; Morgan Frank, 100,699; Philip Sheibley, 16,667; Carmen Volkart; 90,558 and
Ellen O’Connor Vos, 111,873. |
(3) |
Represents
stock awards; we calculated the estimated fair value of the stock awards issued to our non-employee directors using the closing price
per share of our common stock on the day prior to the grant date in accordance with the Director Plan. |
(4) |
Mr.
Burns resigned as a director on December 31, 2021. |
(5) |
Messrs.
Felsher and Sheibley were appointed to our Board of Directors on November 29, 2021. |
(6) |
Ms.
Vos was appointed to our Board of Directors in May 2021 and as our Chief Executive Officer in August 2021. In February
2022, Ms. Vos resigned as our Chief Executive Officer. |
Equity
Compensation Plan Information
The
following table shows the number of securities to be issued upon exercise or vesting of outstanding equity awards under the 2017 Plan
as of March 31, 2022.
Plan Category | |
Number of securities to be issued upon exercise or vesting of outstanding equity awards (a) | | |
Weighted- average exercise price of outstanding options (b) | | |
Number of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column(a)) (c) | |
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders | |
| 1,650,705 | | |
| $6.58 | | |
| 989,466 | |
| |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Certain
Relationships and Related Party Transactions
Manchester
Management Company LLC (“Manchester”) as the general partner of Manchester Explorer, L.P. (“Explorer”), combined
with the holdings of its affiliates, JEB Partners LP, Mr. Besser and Mr. Frank, owns approximately 25% of the Company’s outstanding
shares of common stock. Mr. Besser is our chief executive officer and a managing member of Manchester. Mr. Frank is one of our directors
and serves as the portfolio manager of Explorer and as a managing member of Manchester.
Mr.
DiPerna’s daughter is an employee of ours, and, during the year ended March 31, 2022, we paid her $169,589, which includes the
aggregate grant date fair value, as determined pursuant to FASB ASC Topic 718, of a stock option granted in November 2021.
In
October 2021, we issued a secured promissory note (the “Bridge Note”) to Explorer that provided the Company with a $3,000,000
revolving credit facility with all amounts being drawn down by us thereunder being due and payable, subject to acceleration in the event
of a default, on March 15, 2022. Interest at the rate of 12% was payable on each amount drawn down without regard to the draw-down date
or the date when interest is paid. During the period from October 2021 to February 2022, we made draws of $2,100,000 on the Bridge Note,
and we repaid to Explorer the draws and accrued interest in the amount of $2,352,000 in February 2022.
In
October 2021, we sold 12,346 shares of common stock to Mr. DiPerna and 18,519 shares to Ms. Vos at a price per share of $8.10 in a private
placement.
In
May 2021, Mr. Febbo purchased $200,000 aggregate principal amount of our convertible notes and received a warrant to purchase 23,229
shares of our common stock (the “Director Warrant”). In connection with a public offering of our equity securities
in February 2022, the convertible note held by Mr. Febbo was converted into our equity securities. Upon conversion, Mr. Febbo received
45,586 shares of our common stock and a warrant to purchase 45,586 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $6.60 per share.
In addition, the exercise price of the Director Warrant was reduced to $6.00 per share.
In
February 2021, Mr. DiPerna and Manchester Explorer, L.P. (the “Related Party Holders”), which is represented by Mr.
Frank on our board of directors, purchased $100,000 and $1,000,000, aggregate principal amount of our convertible notes and received
warrants to purchase 119,237 and 11,924 shares of our common stock (the “Note Warrants”), respectively. Effective
April 30, 2021, the Related Party Holders entered into revocation agreements with the Company pursuant to which their collective $1,100,000
aggregate principal amount of convertible notes and accrued interest of $50,091 were replaced with new convertible notes. In connection
with a public offering of our equity securities in February 2022, the convertible notes and accrued interest held by the Related Party
Holders were converted into our equity securities and Mr. DiPerna received 23,429 shares of our common stock and a warrant to purchase
23,429 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $6.60 per share and Manchester Explorer, L. P. received 234,274 shares of our
common stock and a warrant to purchase 234,274 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $6.60 per share. In addition, the exercise
prices of the Note Warrants were reduced to $6.00 per share.
SECURITY
OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
The following table
sets forth, as of the Record Date, information regarding beneficial ownership of our capital stock by:
|
● |
Each
person, or group of affiliated persons, known by us to beneficially own more than 5% of our common stock; |
|
● |
Each
of our named executive officers; |
|
● |
Each
of our directors; and |
|
● |
All
of our current executive officers and directors as a group. |
Beneficial ownership
is determined according to the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and generally means that a person
has beneficial ownership of a security if he, she or it possesses sole or shared voting or investment power of that security, including
options that are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of the Record Date. Except as indicated by the footnotes below,
we believe, based on the information furnished to us, that the persons named in the table below have sole voting and investment power
with respect to all shares of common stock shown that they beneficially own, subject to community property laws where applicable.
Common stock subject
to stock options currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of the Record Date are deemed to be outstanding for computing the
percentage ownership of the person holding these options and the percentage ownership of any group of which the holder is a member but
are not deemed outstanding for computing the percentage of any other person. The
percentage of beneficial ownership is based on 10,925,723 shares of common stock outstanding as of the Record Date.
Unless otherwise indicated,
the address of each beneficial owner listed in the table below is c/o Modular Medical, Inc., 16772 W. Bernardo Drive, San Diego, CA 92127.
Name and principal position | |
Number of Shares Beneficially Owned (Excluding Outstanding Options and Warrants)(1) | | |
Number of Shares Issuable on Exercise of Outstanding Options and Warrants(2) | | |
Percent of Class | |
JEB Partners, L.P. | |
| 2,720,577 | (3) | |
| 653,511 | | |
| 29.14 | |
Manchester Explorer, L.P. | |
| 2,720,577 | (3) | |
| 653,511 | | |
| 29.14 | |
Manchester Management LLC | |
| 2,720,577 | (3) | |
| 653,511 | | |
| 29.14 | |
Sio Capital Management, LLC | |
| 449,438 | (4) | |
| 712,000 | (5) | |
| 9.98 | |
Directors and Officers: | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
James E. Besser | |
| 2,720,577 | | |
| 653,511 | | |
| 29.14 | |
Paul DiPerna | |
| 2,553,586 | (6) | |
| 186,682 | | |
| 24.56 | |
William Febbo | |
| 84,105 | | |
| 135,482 | | |
| 1.99 | |
Steven Felsher | |
| 4,377 | | |
| 41,973 | | |
| * | |
Morgan C. Frank | |
| 2,720,577 | (3) | |
| 774,719 | | |
| 29.87 | |
Philip Sheibley | |
| 15,139 | | |
| 5,556 | | |
| * | |
Carmen Volkart | |
| 5,835 | | |
| 105,558 | | |
| 1.01 | |
Ellen O’Connor Vos | |
| 18,519 | | |
| 109,910 | | |
| 1.16 | |
All current directors and executive officers as a group (8 persons) | |
| 5,402,138 | | |
| 1,345,060 | | |
| 59.20 | |
* |
Represents
less than 1% |
(1) |
Excludes
shares subject to outstanding options and warrants to acquire common stock that are exercisable within 60 days of the Record Date. |
(2) |
Represents
the number of shares subject to outstanding options and warrants to acquire common stock that are exercisable within 60 days of the
Record Date. |
(3) |
Includes
(i) 124,750 shares directly held by Mr. Besser, of which: (a) 60,277 shares were received in exchange for Mr. Besser’s shares
as a result of our acquisition of Quasuras; (b) 29,630 shares purchased in a private placement in 2018 (the 2018 Placement) and (c)
34,843 shares were purchased in a private placement in 2020 (the 2020 placement); (ii) 2,218,077 held by Manchester Explorer, L.P.
of which: (a) 1,515,152 shares were purchased in a private placement in 2017 (the 2017 Placement), (b) 157,037 shares were purchased
in the 2018 Placement, (c) 11,614 were purchased in the 2020 Placement, (d) 300,000 shares were purchased in a public offering in
February 2022, and (e) 234,274 shares were acquired upon the conversion of a convertible note in February 2022; (iii) 317,473 shares
held by JEB Partners, L.P. of which (a) 252,526 shares were purchased in the 2017 Placement, (b) 53,333 shares were purchased in
the 2018 Placement and (c) 11,614 shares were purchased in the 2020 Placement; and (iv) 60,277 shares held by Mr. Frank, which shares
were received in our acquisition of Quasuras in exchange for Mr. Frank’s shares of Quasuras. Mr. Besser, as the managing member,
and Mr. Frank, as the portfolio manager and consultant of Manchester Management, LLC, (MMC) the general partner of Manchester Explorer,
L.P. and JEB Partners, L. P., have shared voting and dispositive power over shares held by Manchester Explorer, L.P. and JEB Partners,
L.P. The address for Manchester Explorer, L.P is c/o MMC, 2 Calle Candina, No. 1701, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00907. |
(4) |
Consists
of the following shares of Common Stock acquired in the Offering: (i) 144,438 shares of Common Stock held by Sio Partners LP (“Partners”),
(ii) 85,000 shares of Common Stock held by Sio Partners Offshore LTD (Offshore), (iii) 81,000 shares of Common Stock held by Compass
MAV LLC (Compass), (iv) 49,000 shares of Common Stock held by Compass Offshore MAV LTD (Compass Offshore), (v) 27,000 shares of Common
Stock held by Walleye Manager Opportunities LLC (Walleye Manager) and (vi) 63,000 shares of Common Stock held by Walleye Opportunities
Master Fund Ltd. (Walleye Master). Sio Capital Management, LLC (Sio Management) is the investment manager of Partners, Offshore,
Compass, Compass Offshore, Walleye Manager and Walleye Master, and Michael Castor is the sole owner and Managing Member of Sio Management.
Sio Management and Mr. Castor may be deemed to beneficially own the securities held by Partners, Offshore, Compass, Compass Offshore,
Walleye Manager, and Walleye Master. Each of Sio Management and Mr. Castor disclaim beneficial ownership of any of the shares of
our Common Stock they may be deemed to beneficially own except to the extent of their respective pecuniary interest therein. The
address for Sio Management, Mr. Castor, Partners, Offshore, Compass, Compass Offshore, Walleye Manager and Walleye Master is 600
Third Avenue, New York, New York 10016. |
(5) |
These
shares are issuable upon exercise of outstanding pre-funded warrants to purchase shares of our Common Stock. As of the Record Date,
Sio Management held 1,348,314 pre-funded warrants to purchase shares of Common Stock. Pursuant to the terms of the pre-funded warrants,
Sio Management cannot exercise such pre-funded warrants if Sio Management would beneficially own, after such exercise, more than
9.99% of the outstanding shares of our Common Stock. Accordingly, pre-funded warrants to purchase 636,314 shares of our Common Stock
have been excluded from the table above. |
(6) |
Includes
(i) 2,000,000 shares directly held by the Paul DiPerna Irrevocable Trust, (ii) 333,334 shares directly held by Mr. DiPerna’s
adult daughters, Kelsie DiPerna and Alaria DiPerna, which shares Mr. DiPerna has sole voting power over; (iii) 207,906 shares directly
held by the Paul DiPerna Trust, of which 101,010 shares were purchased in the 2017 Placement and 23,429 shares were acquired upon
the conversion off a convertible note in February 2022 and (iv) 12,346 shares held by Mr. DiPerna. The 2,000,000 shares held by the
Paul DiPerna Irrevocable Trust, 333,334 shares held by Mr. DiPerna’s adult daughters and 73,480 shares held by the Paul DiPerna
Trust that were issued in 2017 to Mr. DiPerna in the Control Block Acquisition and transferred to such persons in December 2020 by
Mr. DiPerna. Mr. DiPerna is the chairman of our board of directors, and also serves as our president, chief financial officer and
treasurer. Mr. DiPerna is the trustee of both the Paul DiPerna Irrevocable Trust and the Paul DiPerna Trust. |
COMPENSATION
COMMITTEE REPORT
Recommendations
of the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee of the Board is currently comprised
of William J. Febbo and Carmen Volkart, both of whom the Board has determined to be independent. This report shall not be deemed incorporated
by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) or the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) by virtue of any general statement in such filing incorporating the Annual Report
by reference, except to the extent that the Company specifically incorporates the information contained in this section by reference
and shall not otherwise be deemed filed under either the Securities Act or the Exchange Act.
The Compensation Committee
has reviewed and discussed with management the disclosure regarding executive compensation contained in this proxy statement for
the Annual Meeting. Based on the review and discussions, the Compensation Committee recommended to the Board that such disclosure be
included in this proxy statement.
This
Compensation Report has been furnished by the Compensation Committee of the Board.
William J. Febbo, Chairperson
Carmen Volkart
AUDIT
COMMITTEE REPORT
The
following Report of the Audit Committee (the “Audit Report”) does not constitute soliciting material and should not be deemed
filed or incorporated by reference into any other Company filing under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
except to the extent the Company specifically incorporates this Audit Report by reference therein.
Role of the Audit
Committee
The Audit Committee’s
primary responsibilities fall into three broad categories:
First, the Audit Committee
is charged with monitoring the preparation of quarterly and annual financial reports by the Company’s management, including discussions
with management and the Company’s outside auditors about draft annual financial statements and key accounting and reporting matters.
Second, the Audit Committee
is responsible for matters concerning the relationship between the Company and its outside auditors, including recommending their appointment
or removal; reviewing the scope of their audit services and related fees, as well as any other services being provided to the Company;
and determining whether the outside auditors are independent (based in part on the annual letter provided to the Company pursuant to
Independence Standards Board Standard No. 1).
Third, the Audit Committee
reviews financial reporting, policies, procedures and internal controls of the Company. The Audit Committee has implemented procedures
to ensure that during the course of each fiscal year it devotes the attention that it deems necessary or appropriate to each of the matters
assigned to it under the Audit Committee’s charter. In overseeing the preparation of the Company’s financial statements,
the Audit Committee met with management and the Company’s outside auditors, including meetings with the Company’s outside
auditors without management present, to review and discuss all financial statements prior to their issuance and to discuss significant
accounting issues. Management advised the Audit Committee that all financial statements were prepared in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles, and the Audit Committee discussed the statements with both management and the outside auditors. The Audit Committee’s
review included discussion with the outside auditors of matters required to be discussed pursuant to Statement on Auditing Standards
No. 61 (Communication with Audit Committees).
With respect
to the Company’s outside auditors, the Audit Committee, among other things, discussed with Farber Hass Hurley LLP matters relating
to its independence, including the disclosures made to the Audit Committee as required by the Independence Standards Board Standard No.
1 (Independence Discussions with Audit Committees).
Recommendations
of the Audit Committee. In reliance on the reviews and discussions referred to above, the Audit
Committee recommended to the Board that the Board approve the inclusion of the Company’s audited financial statements in the Company’s
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022, for filing with the SEC.
This
report has been furnished by the Audit Committee of the Board.
Steven Felsher, Chairperson
Philip Sheibley
Carmen Volkart
MATTERS
TO BE VOTED ON
PROPOSAL
NO. 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS TO SERVE UNTIL THE NEXT ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS AND
UNTIL THEIR RESPECTIVE SUCCESSORS SHALL
HAVE BEEN DULY ELECTED AND QUALIFIED
NOMINEES
FOR ELECTION AS DIRECTOR
The Company’s
Board of Directors is currently comprised of seven authorized directors. A total of seven directors will be elected at the Annual Meeting
to serve until the next annual meeting of shareholders, or until their successors are duly elected and qualified. Of the Board members
whose term expires at the Annual Meeting, Paul DiPerna, William J. Febbo, Steven Felsher, Morgan C. Frank, Philip Sheibley, Carmen Volkart
and Ellen O’Connor Vos are all standing for reelection. The persons named as “Proxies” in the enclosed Proxy will vote
the shares represented by all valid returned proxies in accordance with the specifications of the shareholders returning such proxies.
If no choice has been specified by a shareholder, the shares will be voted FOR the nominees. If at the time of the Annual Meeting any
of the nominees named below should be unable or unwilling to serve, which event is not expected to occur, the discretionary authority
provided in the Proxy will be exercised to vote for such substitute nominee or nominees, if any, as shall be designated by the Board.
If a quorum is present and voting, the nominees for directors receiving a majority of the votes of the shares present in person or represented
by proxy at the Annual Meeting will be elected. Abstentions and broker non-votes will have no effect on the vote.
NOMINEES
FOR ELECTION AS DIRECTOR
Nominees
The persons nominated
as directors are as follows:
Name | |
Position
with the Company |
Paul DiPerna | |
President, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Chairman of the Board of Directors |
William J. Febbo | |
Director |
Steven Felsher | |
Director |
Morgan C. Frank | |
Director |
Philip Sheibley | |
Director |
Carmen Volkart | |
Director |
Ellen O’Connor Vos | |
Director |
Board
Diversity Matrix
The table below provides
an enhanced disclosure regarding the diversity of the members and nominees of our Board of Directors. Each of the categories listed in
the below table has the meaning as it is used in Nasdaq Rule 5605(f).
Board
Diversity Matrix (As of December 2, 2022) |
Board
Size: |
Total
number of directors |
7 |
|
Male |
Female |
Non-Binary |
Gender
Undisclosed |
Part
I: Gender Identity |
|
|
|
|
Number
of directors base on gender identity |
5 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
Part
II: Demographic Background |
African
American or Black |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Asian |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Hispanic
or Latinx |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Native
Hawaiian or Pacific Islander |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
White |
5 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
Two
or More Race or Ethnicities |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
LGBTQ+ |
0
|
Did
not Disclose Demographic Background |
0
|
Required
Vote
The seven nominees
for director are to be elected by a majority of the votes of the shares present in person or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting
and entitled to vote on the election of directors. Proxies cannot be voted for a greater number of persons than the number of nominees
named or for persons other than the named nominees. Withholding a vote from a director nominee will not be voted with respect to the
director nominee indicated and will have no impact on the election of directors although it will be counted for the purposes of determining
whether there is a quorum. Broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of this proposal.
Our
Board recommends a vote “FOR” the election of all of the above nominees.
Proposal
2: TO APPROVE AN AMENDMENT TO THE 2017 PLAN
We
are requesting that our shareholders approve an amendment to the 2017 Plan to increase the number of shares reserved for issuance by
2,000,000 shares of common stock. In October 2017,
the Board approved the 2017 Plan, with 1,000,000 shares of common stock reserved for issuance. In January 2020 and August 2021,
the Board approved increases in the number of shares reserved for issuance under the 2017 Plan by 333,334 and 1,333,334 shares,
respectively. As of December 2, 2022, under the 2017 Plan, we had approximately 2,030,000 shares of our common stock subject
to existing stock-based compensation awards and approximately 596,000 shares currently available for issuance with respect to awards
(plus any shares that might in the future be returned to the 2017 Plan as a result of cancellation, expiration or forfeit of outstanding
awards). As of December 2, 2022, the 596,000 shares subject to existing awards represented approximately 5.5% of our shares of common
stock outstanding and approximately 2.9% of our fully diluted shares outstanding, which we have calculated as the sum of (1) total
shares of common stock outstanding, (2) shares of common stock subject to existing stock-based compensation awards and (3) shares
of common stock exercisable under common stock warrants. The additional 2,000,000 shares under the 2017 Plan that we are requesting represent
18.3% of our shares of common stock currently outstanding and 9.7% of the fully diluted number of shares of common stock. We explain
below our rationale for and how we intend to use the additional 2,000,000 shares, if approved by our shareholders. All figures for reserved
shares and shares subject to outstanding awards presented in this section have been adjusted to reflect the 1-for-3 reverse stock split
effected in November 2021.
The
challenges our business has faced and the substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern have made it more challenging
for us to attract and hire employees. We generally issue equity awards in the form of stock options to our employees and consultants.
The price of our common stock has declined during 2022, and the perceived value of the awards to the recipients has declined, especially
given our financial condition and the current state of the financial markets. We are concerned that the awards we have granted are inadequate
to motivate, retain and incentivize our employees and consultants, and we believe we will need to increase the award levels at out next
performance review cycle in the first half of calendar year 2023.
If
our shareholders approve the increase to the number of shares reserved for issuance under the 2017 Plan by 2,000,000 shares, we anticipate
that the share pool will provide us for adequate shares for at least the next two years. We recognize the need to balance shareholder
concerns over the potentially dilutive effects of the increased number of authorized shares under the 2017 Plan with our ability to attract,
motivate, reward and retain our employees and non-employee directors, who are critical to driving our business plan and increasing shareholder
value. We believe the dilutive effect of our equity awards has been reasonable and consistent with these essential requirements. We are
managing our equity awards closely, and we intend to continue doing so. If the increase to the share reserve is approved, we expect that
it may be necessary to request our shareholders to approve additional increases to the share reserve in the future, as we expect to grow
our business, increase our headcount and potentially expand the size of our Board.
In
addition, as disclosed in our most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on November 14, 2022, there was uncertainty
regarding our ability to maintain liquidity sufficient to allow us to operate our business effectively, which raises substantial doubt
as to our ability to continue as a going concern within one year from the date of issuance of financial statements as of and for the
six months ended September 30, 2022. We will need to raise capital through debt or equity arrangements, and we expect significant additional
dilution from the additional financing we require. Given the anticipated dilution from an offering of our securities, we believe that
an additional 2,000,000 shares of common stock for the 2017 Plan will provide us with a reasonable amount of shares available for issuance
as compared to our overall amount of shares of common stock outstanding, on a fully diluted basis, following an offering, and will give
us the ability to grant awards for retaining, motivating and incentivizing our employees, consultants and non-employee directors
over at least the next two years.
Shareholder
approval of our request for additional shares under Proposal No. 2 is necessary to authorize a sufficient number of shares under
the 2017 Plan to allow us to continue to motivate, reward and retain the services of our non-employee directors and personnel. If this
increase is not approved, the 2017 Plan will remain in effect with its current terms and conditions but without the additional shares
we consider necessary for our continued competitiveness, and it may make it difficult for us to retain our employees and non-employee
directors. In addition, if the increase is not approved, in the future, we may be unable to provide equity awards to our non-employee
directors or provide additional awards to our employees, whose existing awards have and are expected to experience significant dilution.
Without the increase in shares available under the 2017 Plan, in the future, we would be reliant on cash-settled awards as our sole method
of incentive-based compensation. We believe this would not be in our shareholders’ best interests as it would (a) remove incentives
aligning our employees and our senior leaders with shareholders to drive firm-wide performance and create long-term shareholder value
and (b) increase our cash burn, as we would need to increase our reliance on cash-settled awards. Our Board of Directors and management,
therefore, recommend that shareholders approve the amendment to our 2017 Plan.
Summary
of 2017 Plan, as Proposed to be Amended
The following is a
summary of the material terms and conditions of the 2017 Plan, as proposed to be amended, and is qualified in its entirety by the provisions
contained in the 2017 Plan.
Common
Stock Reserved for Issuance under the 2017 Plan.
Currently under
the 2017 Plan, the maximum number of shares of common stock available for issuance is 2,666,668. Accordingly, the effect of the
proposed amendment to the 2017 Plan will be to increase the shares available for issuance under 2017 Plan by 2,000,000 shares or an
aggregate of 4,666,668 shares.
Plan
Highlights
The essential features
of our 2017 Plan are outlined below. The following description is not complete and is qualified by reference to the full text
of our 2017 Plan. Capitalized terms used but not defined
herein shall have the meanings ascribed to such terms in the 2017 Plan.
Terms
and Conditions of Awards:
|
(i) |
In
the case of an Incentive Stock Option: (A) granted to an Employee who, at the time of the grant of such Incentive Stock Option owns
stock representing more than ten percent (10%) of the voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary,
the per Share exercise price shall be not less than one hundred ten percent (110%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date
of grant; or (B) granted to any Employee other than an Employee described in the preceding clause, the per Share exercise price shall
be not less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant. |
|
|
|
|
(ii) |
In
the case of a Non-Qualified Stock Option, the per Share exercise price shall be not less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair
Market Value per Share on the date of grant unless otherwise determined by the administrator. |
|
|
|
|
(iii) |
The
term of each Award shall be the term stated in the Award Agreement, provided, however, that the term of an Incentive Stock Option
shall be no more than ten (10) years from the date of grant thereof. However, in the case of an Incentive Stock Option granted to
a Grantee who, at the time the Option is granted, owns stock representing more than ten percent (10%) of the voting power of all
classes of stock of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary, the term of the Incentive Stock Option shall be five (5) years from
the date of grant thereof or such shorter term as may be provided in the Award Agreement. |
|
|
|
|
(iv) |
Any
Award granted hereunder shall be exercisable at such times and under such conditions as determined by the administrator under the
terms of the 2017 Plan and specified in the Award Agreement. An Award shall be deemed to be exercised upon the later of (x)
receipt by the Company of written notice of such exercise in accordance with the terms of the Award by the person entitled to exercise
the Award and (y) full payment for the Shares with respect to which the Award is exercised, including, to the extent selected, use
of the broker-dealer sale and remittance procedure to pay the purchase price as provided in the 2017 Plan. Until the issuance
(as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company) of the
stock certificate evidencing such Shares, no right to vote or receive dividends or any other rights as a stockholder shall exist
with respect to Shares subject to an Award, notwithstanding the exercise of an Option or other Award. The Company shall issue (or
cause to be issued) such stock certificate promptly upon exercise of the Award. No adjustment will be made for a dividend or other
right for which the record date is prior to the date the stock certificate is issued, except as provided in the Award Agreement or
the 2017 Plan. |
|
(v) |
Except
as otherwise provided in Paragraph 6(j), all Awards under the 2017 Plan shall be nontransferable and shall not be assignable,
alienable, saleable or otherwise transferable by the Grantee other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution except pursuant
to a domestic relations order entered by a court of competent jurisdiction. |
|
|
|
|
(vi) |
To
the extent that the aggregate Fair Market Value of Shares subject to Options designated as Incentive Stock Options which become exercisable
for the first time by a Grantee during any calendar year (under all plans of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary) exceeds $100,000,
such excess Options, to the extent of the Shares covered thereby in excess of the foregoing limitation, shall be treated as Non-Qualified
Stock Options. For this purpose, Incentive Stock Options shall be taken into account in the order in which they were granted, and
the Fair Market Value of the Shares shall be determined as of the date the Option with respect to such Shares is granted. |
The 2017 Plan became
effective in July 2017. It shall continue in effect for a term of ten (10) years unless sooner
terminated. The Board may at any time amend, suspend or terminate the 2017 Plan. To the extent necessary to comply with Applicable
Laws, the Company shall obtain stockholder approval of any Plan amendment in such a manner and to such a degree as required. No Award
may be granted during any suspension of the 2017 Plan or after termination of the 2017 Plan. Any amendment, suspension
or termination of the 2017 Plan shall not affect Awards already granted, and such Awards shall remain in full force and effect
as if the 2017 Plan had not been amended, suspended or terminated, unless mutually agreed otherwise between the Grantee and the
administrator, which agreement must be in writing and signed by the Grantee and the Company.
Purpose
The objective of the
2017 Plan is to encourage and enable the officers, employees, directors, consultants and other key persons of the Company and
its subsidiaries, upon whose judgment, initiative and efforts the Company largely depends for the successful conduct of its business,
to acquire a proprietary interest in the Company.
Grants
The 2017 Plan
permits the granting of incentive stock options, non-qualified stock options, stock awards, restricted stock units, stock appreciation
rights (“SARs”) and other equity-based awards (collectively,
“grants”). Although all employees and all of the employees
of our subsidiaries are eligible to receive grants under our 2017 Plan, the grant to any particular employee is subject to the
discretion of the Compensation Committee of the Board, comprised of not less than two directors (such body that administers the 2017
Plan, the “Committee”).
The maximum number
of Shares reserved and available for issuance under the 2017 Plan shall be 4,666,668 shares, subject to adjustment. Any Shares
covered by an Award (or portion of an Award) which is forfeited or canceled, expires or is settled in cash, shall be deemed not to have
been issued for purposes of determining the maximum aggregate number of Shares which may be issued under the 2017 Plan. If any
unissued Shares are retained by the Company upon exercise of an Award in order to satisfy the exercise price for such Award or any withholding
taxes due with respect to such Award, such retained Shares subject to such Award shall become available for future issuance under the
2017 Plan (unless the 2017 Plan has terminated). Shares that actually have been issued under the 2017 Plan pursuant
to an Award shall not be returned to the 2017 Plan and shall not become available for future issuance under the 2017 Plan,
except that if unvested Shares are forfeited, or repurchased by the Company at their original purchase price, such Shares shall become
available for future grant under the 2017 Plan.
We have made and will
make appropriate adjustments to outstanding grants and to the number or kind of shares subject to the 2017 Plan in the event of
a stock split, reverse stock split, stock dividend, share combination or reclassification and certain other types of corporate transactions,
including a merger or a sale of all or substantially all of our assets.
All grants will continue
to be determined by the Board of Directors or the Committee.
Administration
The 2017 Plan
shall continue to be administered by the Compensation Committee of the Board or the Board of Directors in the absence of a Compensation
Committee of the Board. All references herein to the “Committee” shall be deemed to refer to the group then responsible for
administration of the 2017 Plan at the relevant time (i.e., either the Board of Directors or a committee or committees of the
Board, as applicable).
The Committee shall
have the authority and power:
| (i) | to
select the Employees, Directors and Consultants to whom Awards may be granted from time to
time hereunder; |
| (ii) | to
determine whether and to what extent Awards are granted hereunder; |
| (iii) | to
determine the number of Shares or the amount of other consideration to be covered by each
Award granted hereunder; |
| (iv) | to
approve forms of Award Agreements for use under the 2017 Plan; |
| (v) | to
determine the terms and conditions of any Award granted hereunder; |
| (vi) | to
amend the terms of any outstanding Award granted under the 2017 Plan, provided that
any amendment that would adversely affect the Grantee’s rights under an outstanding
Award shall not be made without the Grantee’s written consent; |
| (vii) | to
construe and interpret the terms of the 2017 Plan and Awards granted pursuant to the
2017 Plan, including without limitation, any notice of Award or Award Agreement, granted
pursuant to the 2017 Plan; |
| (viii) | to
establish additional terms, conditions, rules or procedures to accommodate the rules or laws
of applicable foreign jurisdictions and to afford Grantees favorable treatment under such
laws; provided, however, that no Award shall be granted under any such additional terms,
conditions, rules or procedures with terms or conditions which are inconsistent with the
provisions of the 2017 Plan; and |
| (ix) | to
take such other action, not inconsistent with the terms of the 2017 Plan, as the administrator
deems appropriate. |
All decisions, determinations
and interpretations of the administrator shall be conclusive and binding on all persons.
Grant
Instruments
All grants will be
subject to the terms and conditions set forth in our 2017 Plan and to such other terms and conditions consistent with our 2017
Plan as the Committee deems appropriate and as are specified in writing by the Committee to the individual in a grant instrument
or an amendment to the grant instrument. All grants will be made conditional upon the acknowledgement of the grantee in writing or by
acceptance of the grant, that all decisions and determinations of the Committee will be final and binding on the grantee, his or her
beneficiaries and any other person having or claiming an interest under such grant.
Terms
and Conditions of Awards
The administrator
is authorized under the 2017 Plan to award any type of arrangement to an Employee, Director or Consultant that is not inconsistent
with the provisions of the 2017 Plan and that by its terms involves or might involve the issuance of (i) Shares, (ii) an Option,
a SAR or similar right with a fixed or variable price related to the Fair Market Value of the Shares and with an exercise or conversion
privilege related to the passage of time, the occurrence of one or more events, or the satisfaction of performance criteria or other
conditions, or (iii) any other security with the value derived from the value of the Shares. Such awards include, without limitation,
Options, SARs, sales or bonuses of Restricted Stock, Dividend Equivalent Rights, Performance Units or Performance Shares, and an Award
may consist of one such security or benefit, or two (2) or more of them in any combination or alternative.
The term of each Award
shall be the term stated in the Award Agreement, provided, however, that the term of an Incentive Stock Option shall be no more than
ten (10) years from the date of grant thereof. However, in the case of an Incentive Stock Option granted to a Grantee who, at the time
the Option is granted, owns stock representing more than ten percent (10%) of the voting power of all classes of stock of the Company
or any Parent or Subsidiary, the term of the Incentive Stock Option shall be five (5) years from the date of grant thereof or such shorter
term as may be provided in the Award Agreement.
In the case of an Incentive
Stock Option: (A) granted to an Employee who, at the time of the grant of such Incentive Stock Option owns stock representing more than
ten percent (10%) of the voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary, the per Share exercise price
shall be not less than one hundred ten percent (110%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant; or (B) granted to any
Employee other than an Employee described in the preceding clause, the per Share exercise price shall be not less than one hundred percent
(100%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant. In the case of a Non-Qualified Stock Option, the per Share exercise price
shall be not less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant unless otherwise determined
by the administrator. In the case of other Awards, such price as is determined by the administrator.
Under the 2017 Plan,
the term “Fair Market Value” of the Stock shall be (A) the closing price for a Share for the last market trading day prior
to the time of the determination (or, if no closing price was reported on that date, on the last trading date on which a closing price
was reported) on the stock exchange or national market system determined by the administrator to be the primary market for the Common
Stock, or (B) if the Common Stock is not traded on any such exchange or national market system, the average of the closing bid and asked
prices of a share on the OTC Bulletin Board or other inter-dealer quotation service for the day prior to the time of the determination
(or, if no such prices were reported on that date, on the last date on which such prices were reported), in each case, as reported in
The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the administrator deems reliable; or (ii) in the absence of an established market for
the Common Stock of the type described in subparagraph (i), above, the Fair Market Value shall be determined by the administrator in
good faith.
“Ten Percent
Owner” means an employee who owns or is deemed to own (by reason of the attribution rules of Section 424(d) of the Code) more than
10 percent of the combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or any parent of the Company or any Subsidiary.
Transferability
Except as otherwise
provided in the 2017 Plan, all Awards under the 2017 Plan shall be nontransferable and shall not be assignable, alienable,
saleable or otherwise transferable by the Grantee other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution except pursuant to a domestic
relations order entered by a court of competent jurisdiction. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, the Board or the Committee may
provide that any Award of Non-Qualified Stock Options may be transferable by the recipient to family members or family trusts established
by the Grantee. The Board or the Committee may also provide that, in the event that a Grantee terminates employment with the Company
to assume a position with a governmental, charitable, educational or similar non-profit institution, a third party, including but not
limited to a “blind” trust, may be authorized by the Board or the Committee to act on behalf of and for the benefit of the
respective Grantee with respect to any outstanding Awards. Except as otherwise provided in the 2017 Plan, during the life of the
Grantee, Awards under the 2017 Plan shall be exercisable only by him or her except as otherwise determined by the Board or the
Committee. In addition, if so permitted by the Board or the Committee, a Grantee may designate a beneficiary or beneficiaries to exercise
the rights of the Grantee and receive any distributions under the 2017 Plan upon the death of the Grantee.
Amendment
and Termination
The Board may
at any time amend, suspend or terminate the 2017 Plan. To the extent necessary to comply with Applicable Laws, the Company shall
obtain stockholder approval of any 2017 Plan amendment in such a manner and to such a degree as required. No Award may be granted
during any suspension of the 2017 Plan or after termination of the Plan. Any amendment, suspension or termination of the 2017
Plan (including termination of the 2017 Plan pursuant to its terms) shall not affect Awards already granted, and such Awards
shall remain in full force and effect as if the 2017 Plan had not been amended, suspended or terminated, unless mutually agreed otherwise
between the Grantee and the administrator, which agreement must be in writing and signed by the Grantee and the Company.
Federal
Income Tax Consequences
The following summary
is intended only as a general guide as to the United States federal income tax consequences under current law of participation in our
2017 Plan and does not attempt to describe all possible federal or other tax consequences of such participation or tax consequences
based on particular circumstances.
Stock option grants
under the 2017 Plan are intended either to qualify as incentive stock options under Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended
(“IRC”) §422 or to be non-qualified stock options governed by IRC §§ 83 and 423, depending on how some are
granted. Generally, no federal income tax is payable by a participant upon the grant of an incentive stock option and no deduction is
allowed to be taken by the Company. The grant of a non-qualified stock option does result in the recognition of taxable income when the
option is granted. Under current tax laws, if a participant exercises a non-qualified stock option, he or she will have taxable income
equal to the difference between the market price of the stock on the exercise date and the stock option grant price. The Company will
be entitled to a corresponding deduction on its income tax return. A participant will have no taxable income upon exercising an incentive
stock option if the shares received are held for the applicable holding period (except that alternative minimum tax may apply), and the
Company will receive no deduction when an incentive stock option is exercised. The Company may be entitled to a deduction in the case
of a disposition of shares acquired under an incentive stock option that occurs before the applicable holding period has been satisfied.
Restricted stock and
restricted stock units are also governed by IRC §83. Generally, the award of such restricted rights do not give rise to taxable
income so long as same are subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture (i.e., becomes vested or transferable). Restricted stock generally
becomes taxable when it is no longer subject to a “substantial risk of forfeiture.” Restricted stock units become taxable
when settled. When taxable to the participant, income tax is paid on the value of the stock or units at ordinary rates. The Company will
generally be entitled to a corresponding deduction on its income tax return in the year of income recognition by the grantee. Any additional
gain on shares received are then taxed at capital gains rates when the shares are sold.
The grant of a stock
appreciation right will not result in income for the participant or in a tax deduction for the Company. Upon the settlement of such a
right, the participant will recognize ordinary income equal to the aggregate value of the payment received, and the Company generally
will be entitled to a tax deduction in the same amount.
The foregoing is only
a summary of the effect of federal income taxation on the participant and the Company under the 2017 Plan. It does not purport
to be complete and does not discuss the tax consequences arising in the context of a participant’s death or the income tax laws
of any municipality, state or foreign country in which the participant’s income may be taxable.
Tax
Withholding
No Shares shall be
delivered under the 2017 Plan to any Grantee or other person until such Grantee or other person has made arrangements acceptable
to the administrator for the satisfaction of any foreign, federal, state, or local income and employment tax withholding obligations,
including, without limitation, obligations incident to the receipt of Shares or the disqualifying disposition of Shares received on exercise
of an Incentive Stock Option. Upon exercise of an Award, the Company shall withhold or collect from Grantee an amount sufficient to satisfy
such tax obligations.
No
Dissenters’ Rights
Under the Nevada
Revised Statutes, the shareholders are not entitled to dissenters’ rights with respect to the 2017 Plan, and the Company
will not independently provide shareholders with any such right.
Vote
Required
Approval of the amendment
to the 2017 Plan to increase the number of shares currently reserved for issuance thereunder by 2,000,000 shares requires the affirmative
vote of the holders of a majority of the shares that are represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote on such matter
(meaning that of the shares represented at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote, a majority of them must be voted “FOR”
Proposal No. 2 for it to be approved).
Recommendation
of our Board
The
Board of Directors Recommends a Vote ’‘FOR’’ Approval of the Amendment of the Amended 2017 Equity Incentive
Plan to Increase the Number of Shares Currently Reserved for Issuance by an Additional 2,000,000 shares.
PROPOSAL
NO. 3: NON-BINDING ADVISORY VOTE TO APPROVE THE COMPENSATION OF
THE COMPANY’S NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS.
Pursuant to the
Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 and Section 14A of the Exchange Act, we are
conducting a stockholder advisory vote on the compensation paid to our named executive officers. This proposal, commonly known as “say-on-pay,”
gives our stockholders the opportunity to express their views on our named executive officers’ compensation. The vote is advisory,
and, therefore, it is not binding on our Board, our Compensation Committee, or the Company. Nevertheless, our Compensation Committee
will take into account the outcome of the vote when considering future executive compensation decisions. We currently intend to conduct
this advisory vote annually, subject to the outcome of the advisory vote on the frequency of future advisory votes on named executive
officer compensation, as discussed in Proposal No. 6.
Our executive
compensation program is designed to attract, motivate and retain our named executive officers who are critical to our success. Our Board
believes that our executive compensation program is well tailored to retain and motivate key executives while recognizing the need to
align our executive compensation program with the interests of our stockholders and our “pay-for-performance” philosophy.
Our Compensation Committee continually reviews the compensation programs for our named executive officers to ensure they achieve the
desired goals of aligning our executive compensation structure with our stockholders’ interests and current market practices.
We encourage
our stockholders to read the “Summary Compensation Table” and other related compensation tables and narrative disclosures
in the “Executive Compensation” section of this Proxy Statement, which describe the fiscal 2022 compensation of our named
executive officers.
We are asking
our stockholders to approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of our named executive officers as disclosed in this Proxy Statement
pursuant to Item 402 of Regulation S-K, including the compensation tables and the narrative disclosures that accompany the
compensation tables.
Vote
Required
The proposal
to approve, on a non-binding advisory basis, the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers as disclosed in this
Proxy Statement requires the approval of a majority of the votes cast “For” or “Against” this proposal. Abstentions
and broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of this proposal.
Recommendation
of our Board
The
Board of Directors recommends a vote FOR the approval of the compensation of our named executive officers for the fiscal year ended March
31, 2022, as described in the Executive Compensation section of this Proxy Statement.
PROPOSAL
NO. 4: NON-BINDING ADVISORY VOTE ON THE FREQUENCY OF FUTURE ADVISORY VOTES TO APPROVE
THE COMPENSATION OF THE COMPANY’S
NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
In Proposal No. 3,
we are providing our shareholders the opportunity to vote to approve, on an advisory, non-binding basis, the compensation of our
named executive officers. In this Proposal No. 4, we are asking our shareholders to cast a non-binding advisory vote regarding
the frequency of future executive compensation advisory votes. Shareholders may vote for a frequency of every one, two, or three years,
or may abstain. The submission of this proposal to stockholders is required by Section 14A of the Exchange Act.
Our Board will
take into consideration the outcome of this vote in making a determination about the frequency of future executive compensation advisory
votes. However, because this vote is advisory and non-binding, our Board may decide that it is in the best interests of our stockholders
and the Company to hold the advisory vote to approve executive compensation more or less frequently.
After careful
consideration, our Board believes that the executive compensation advisory vote should be held every three years, and therefore our Board
unanimously recommends that you vote for a frequency of three years for future executive compensation advisory votes. A three-year cycle
provides the Compensation Committee sufficient time to measure long-term performance, thoughtfully evaluate and respond to shareholder
input and effectively implement desired changes to the compensation program. Moreover, there is an inherent delay between implementation
of changes and their presentation in the proxy statement. Under SEC rules, decisions made for 2022 compensation are not reported until
2023. A three-year cycle will provide investors sufficient time to evaluate the effectiveness of the Company’s performance and compensation
strategies.
Vote
Required
In order for
the recommendation, on a non-binding advisory basis, of a one-year, two-year or three-year frequency for future advisory
votes on the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers to be approved by the shareholders, the recommendation
of such frequency must be approved by a majority of the votes cast in favor of one of these three options for the frequency of future
advisory votes on the compensation of our named executive officers. However, because shareholders have several voting choices
with respect to this proposal, it is possible that no single choice will receive a majority vote. In light of the foregoing, our Board
will consider the outcome of the vote when determining the frequency of future non-binding advisory votes on executive compensation,
and to the extent that none of these three options are approved by sufficient votes for the recommendation of such option to have been
duly approved by the stockholders, the Board intends to consider the option receiving the greatest number of affirmative votes to be
the option preferred by the shareholders. Moreover, because this vote is non-binding, our Board may determine the frequency of
future advisory votes on executive compensation in its discretion.
Abstentions and
broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of this proposal.
Recommendation
of our Board
Our Board of Directors recommends that the shareholders select the option of having shareholders
provide an advisory vote on the compensation of named executive officers once every THREE YEARS.
PROPOSAL
NO. 5: RATIFICATION OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING MARCH 31, 2023
The Board has appointed
Farber Hass Hurley LLP (“Farber Hass Hurley”) as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending
March 31, 2023. The Board seeks an indication from shareholders of their approval or disapproval of the appointment.
Farber Hass Hurley
will audit our consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023. We anticipate that a representative of Farber
Hass Hurley will be present by telephone at the Annual Meeting, will have the opportunity to make a statement if they desire to do so,
and will be available to respond to appropriate questions. Our consolidated financial statements for the fiscal years ended March
31, 2022 and 2021 were audited by Farber Hass Hurley.
In the event shareholders
fail to ratify the appointment of Farber Hass Hurley, our Audit Committee will reconsider this appointment. Even if the appointment is
ratified, the Audit Committee, in its discretion, may direct the appointment of a different independent registered public accounting
firm at any time during the year if the Audit Committee determines that such a change would be in the best interests of the Company and
its shareholders.
The Audit Committee
meets with our independent registered public accounting firm at least four times a year. At such times, the Audit Committee reviews both
audit and non-audit services performed by the independent registered public accounting firm, as well as the fees charged for such services.
The Audit Committee is responsible for pre-approving all auditing services and non-auditing services (other than non-audit services falling
within the de minimis exception set forth in Section 10A(i)(1)(B)
of the Exchange Act and non-audit services that independent auditors are prohibited from providing to us) in accordance with the following
guidelines: (1) pre-approval policies and procedures must be detailed as to the particular services provided; (2) the Audit
Committee must be informed about each service; and (3) the Audit Committee may delegate pre-approval authority to one or more of
its members, who shall report to the full committee, but shall not delegate its pre-approval authority to management. Among other things,
the Audit Committee examines the effect that performance of non-audit services may have upon the independence of the auditors.
The table below sets
forth the aggregate fees billed for each of the last two fiscal years for professional services rendered by Farber Hass Hurley for the
audits of the Company’s annual financial statements and review of financial statements included in the Company’s quarterly
reports or services that are normally provided by the auditor in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements for
those fiscal years.
Audit-related
fees consisted of fees related to the issuance of SEC registration statements and included fees associated with the Company’s
financing activities, including issuances of comfort letters.
| |
Year ended March 31, | |
| |
2022 | | |
2021 | |
Audit fees(1) | |
$ | 43,000 | | |
$ | 34,500 | |
Audit-related fees(2) | |
| 10,200 | | |
| 3,700 | |
Total(3) | |
$ | 53,200 | | |
$ | 38,200 | |
(1) |
Audit
fees consisted of fees for professional services rendered for the audit of our annual consolidated financial statements and reviews
of our quarterly consolidated financial statements |
(2) |
Audit-related
fees consisted of fees for services related to our issuance of SEC registration statements and sales of common stock under registration
statements. |
(3) |
Farber
Hass Hurley did not provide any non-audit or other services other than those reported under “Audit fees” and “Audit-related
fees.” |
Required
Vote
The affirmative vote
of the holders of a majority of the Company’s Common Stock represented and voting at the Annual Meeting either in person or by
proxy will be required for approval of this proposal. Neither abstentions nor broker non-votes shall have any effect on the outcome of
this vote.
Recommendation
of our Board
Our
Board of Directors Recommends a Vote “FOR” the Proposal to Ratify the Audit Committee’s Appointment of Farber Hass
Hurley to Serve as our Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm for the Year Ending March 31, 2023.
OTHER
MATTERS
Our Board of Directors
does not know of any other matters that may come before the Annual Meeting. However, if any other matters are properly presented to the
Annual Meeting, it is the intention of the persons named in the accompanying proxy to vote, or otherwise act, in accordance with their
judgment on such matters.
FUTURE
SHAREHOLDER PROPOSALS
The Board has not yet
determined the date on which the next annual meeting of shareholders will be held. Shareholders may submit proposals on matters appropriate
for shareholder action at annual meetings in accordance with the rules and regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Any proposal which an eligible shareholder desires to have included in our proxy statement and presented at the next Annual Meeting of
Shareholders will be included in our proxy statement and related proxy card if it is received by us a reasonable time before we begin
to print and send our proxy materials and if it complies with SEC rules regarding inclusion of proposals in proxy statements. In order
to avoid controversy as to the date on which we receive a proposal, it is suggested that any shareholder who wishes to submit a proposal
submit such proposal by certified mail, return receipt requested.
Other deadlines apply
to the submission of shareholder proposals for the next Annual Meeting that are not required to be included in our proxy statement under
SEC rules. With respect to these shareholder proposals for the next Annual Meeting, a shareholder’s notice must be received by
us a reasonable time before we begin to print and send our proxy materials. The form of proxy distributed by the Board of Directors for
such meeting will confer discretionary authority to vote on any such proposal not received by such date. If any such proposal is received
by such date, the proxy statement for the meeting will provide advice on the nature of the matter and how we intend to exercise our discretion
to vote on each such matter if it is presented at that meeting.
HOUSEHOLDING
OF ANNUAL MEETING MATERIALS
The SEC has adopted
rules that permit companies and intermediaries such as brokers to satisfy delivery requirements for the proxy statements and annual reports
or Notices of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, as applicable, with respect to two or more shareholders sharing the same address
by delivering a single proxy statement and annual report or the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, as applicable, addressed
to those shareholders. This process, which is commonly referred to as “householding,” potentially provides extra convenience
for shareholders and cost savings for companies. We and some brokers household proxy materials, delivering a single proxy statement and
annual report or the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, as applicable, to multiple shareholders sharing an address unless
contrary instructions have been received from one or more of the affected shareholders. Once you have received notice from your broker
or us that they or we will be householding materials to your address, householding will continue until you are notified otherwise or
until you revoke your consent. If, at any time, you no longer wish to participate in householding and would prefer to receive a separate
proxy statement and annual report, or the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, as applicable, or if you are receiving
multiples copies of the proxy statement and annual report or the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, as applicable, and
wish to receive only one, please notify your broker if your shares are held in a brokerage account or us if you hold registered shares.
You can notify us by sending a written request addressed to the Company at 16772 W. Bernardo Drive, San Diego, CA 92127. We will deliver
promptly, upon written request, a separate copy of the proxy statement and annual report or the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy
Materials, as applicable, to a registered shareholder at a shared address to which a single copy of the applicable document(s) was delivered.
In addition, we
are subject to the information and reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and in accordance therewith,
we file periodic reports, documents and other information with the SEC relating to our business, financial statements and other matters.
Such reports and other information may be inspected and are available for copying at the offices of the SEC, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington,
D.C. 20549 or may be accessed at www.sec.gov. Information regarding the operation of the public reference rooms may be obtained by calling
the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. You are encouraged to review our Annual Report on Form 10-K, together with any subsequent information we filed
or will file with the SEC and other publicly available information.
OTHER
BUSINESS
We have not received
notice of and do not expect any matters to be presented for vote at the Annual Meeting, other than the proposals described in this Proxy
Statement. If you grant a proxy, the person named as proxy holder or their nominees or substitutes, will have the discretion
to vote your shares on any additional matters properly presented for a vote at the Annual Meeting. If for any unforeseen reason, any
of our nominees are not available as a candidate for director, the proxy holder will vote your proxy for such other candidate or candidates
nominated by our Board.
ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION
We are subject to the
information and reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and in accordance therewith, we file periodic
reports, documents and other information with the SEC relating to our business, financial statements and other matters. Such reports
and other information may be inspected and are available for copying at the offices of the SEC, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C.
20549 or may be accessed at www.sec.gov. Information regarding
the operation of the public reference rooms may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. You are encouraged to review our Annual
Report on Form 10-K, together with any subsequent information we filed or will file with the SEC and other publicly available information.
*************
It is important that
the proxies be returned promptly and that your shares be represented. Shareholders are urged to mark, date, execute and promptly
return the accompanying proxy card.
December 20,
2022 |
By
Order of the Board of Directors, |
|
|
|
/s/
Paul DiPerna |
|
Paul DiPerna
Chairman |
![](https://content.edgar-online.com/edgar_conv_img/2022/12/20/0001019056-22-000687_proxycard001.jpg)
Signatu r e [PLEASE SIGN WITHIN BOX] Date Signatu r e (Joint Owners) Date TO VOTE, MARK BLOCKS BELOW IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS FOLLOWS: KEEP THIS PORTION FOR YOUR RECORDS DE T ACH AND RETURN THIS PORTION ON L Y THIS PROXY CARD IS V ALID ON L Y WHEN SIGNED AND D A TED. D94315 - P83263 Nominees: 1) Paul DiPe r na 2) Steven Felsher 3) W illiam J. Febbo 4) Morgan C. Frank 5) Philip Sheibley 6) Carmen V olkart 7) Elle n O’Conno r V os 3 . T o app r ove , o n a non - bindin g advisor y basis , the compensatio n o f o u r name d executiv e o f ficers , as disclosed in the accompanying P r oxy Statement . Th e Boa r d o f Di r ector s r ecommend s yo u vot e FOR p r oposals 2 and 3. Th e Boa r d o f Di r ector s r ecommend s yo u vot e FOR p r oposals 5 and 6. The Boa r d of Di r ectors r ecommends you vote 3 Y ears on the following p r oposal 4: 2 . T o app r ov e th e amendmen t o f th e Amende d 201 7 Equity Incentive Plan to inc r ease the number of sha r es available for issuance by 2 , 000 , 000 sha r es . 4 . T o r ecommend, on a non - binding advisory basis, the f r equency of futu r e advisory votes o n th e compensatio n o f ou r name d executive o f ficers . 5 . T o ratif y th e appointmen t o f Farbe r Has s Hurle y LL P as independen t r egiste r e d publi c accountin g fir m fo r the fisca l yea r endin g Ma r c h 31 , 2023 . Fo r W i t hho l d F o r All A ll Al l Except ! ! ! T o withhol d authorit y t o vot e fo r an y individual nominee(s) , mar k “Fo r Al l Except ” an d writ e the number(s ) o f th e nominee(s ) o n th e lin e belo w . 6 . T o act upon all other business that may p r operly come befo r e the Annual Meeting of Sha r eholders, including any adjou r nment of the Annual Meeting . NOTE: Such other business as may p r operly come befo r e the meeting or any adjou r nment the r eof. MODULAR MEDICAL, INC. The Boa r d of Di r ectors r ecommends you vote FOR the following: 1. Election of Di r ectors For Against Abstain For Against Abstain ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Please sign exactly as your name(s) appear(s) he r eon . When signing as atto r ne y , executo r , administrato r , or other fiduciar y , please give full title as such . Joint owners should each sign personall y . All holders must sign . If a corporation or partnership, please sign in full corporate or partnership name by authorized o f fice r . MODULAR MEDICAL, INC. 16772 WEST BERNARDO DRIVE SAN DIEGO, CA 92127 1 Yea r 2 Year s 3 Year s Abstain ! ! ! ! VOTE BY INTERNET Before The Meeting - Go to ww w . p r oxyvote . com or scan the QR Ba r code above Us e th e Inte r ne t t o transmi t you r votin g instruction s an d fo r elect r oni c deliver y o f informatio n u p until 11 : 59 p . m . Easte r n T ime on January 16 , 2023 . Have your p r oxy ca r d in hand when you access the web site and follow the instructions to obtain your r eco r ds and to c r eate an elect r onic voting instruction form . During The Meeting - Go to ww w . virtualsha r eholdermeeting . com/MODD 2023 Y ou may attend the meeting via the Inte r net and vote during the meeting. Have the information that is printed in the box marked by the ar r ow available and follow the instructions. ELECTRONIC DELIVE R Y OF FUTURE PROXY M A TERIALS If you would like to r educe the costs incur r ed by our company in mailing p r oxy materials, you can consent to r eceiving all futu r e p r oxy statements, p r oxy ca r ds and annual r eports elect r onically via e - mail or the Inte r net . T o sig n u p fo r elect r oni c deliver y , pleas e follo w th e instruction s abov e t o vot e usin g th e Inte r ne t and , whe n p r ompted , indicate that you ag r ee to r eceive or access p r oxy materials elect r onically in futu r e years . VOTE BY PHONE - 1 - 800 - 690 - 6903 Us e an y touch - ton e telephon e t o transmi t you r votin g instruction s u p unti l 11:5 9 p.m. Easte r n T ime on January 16, 2023. Have your p r oxy ca r d in hand when you call and then follow the instructions. VOTE BY MAIL Mark , sig n an d dat e you r prox y car d an d retur n i t i n th e postage - pai d envelop e w e hav e provide d or retur n i t t o Vot e Processing , c/ o Broadridge , 5 1 Mercede s Way , Edgewood , N Y 11717. SCAN T O VIE W M A TERIAL S & VO TE w
![](https://content.edgar-online.com/edgar_conv_img/2022/12/20/0001019056-22-000687_proxycard002.jpg)
Important Notice Rega r ding the A vailability of P r oxy Materials for the Annual Meeting: The Form 10 - K and P r oxy Statement a r e available at ww w .p r oxyvote.com. D94316 - P83263 MODULAR MEDICAL, INC. Annual Meeting of Sha r eholders January 17, 2023 8:00 AM PST This p r oxy is solicited by the Boa r d of Di r ectors The sha r eholder(s) he r eby appoint(s) James E . Besser and Paul DiPe r na, or either of them, as p r oxies, each with the power to appoint (his/her) substitute, and he r eby authorize(s) them to r ep r esent and to vote, as designated on the r everse side of this ballot, all of the sha r es of common stock of MODULAR MEDICAL, INC . that the sha r eholder(s) is/a r e entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting of Sha r eholders to be held virtually at ww w . virtualsha r eholdermeeting . com/MODD 2023 at 8 : 00 AM, PST on January 17 , 2023 , and any adjou r nment or postponement the r eof . This p r ox y , when p r operly executed, will be voted in the manner di r ected he r ein. If no such di r ection is made, this p r oxy will be voted in acco r dance with the Boa r d of Di r ectors’ r ecommendations. Continued and to be signed on r everse side
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