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Abeona Therapeutics Inc. – ‘DEF 14A’ for 3/19/24

On:  Tuesday, 3/19/24, at 7:19am ET   ·   For:  3/19/24   ·   Accession #:  1493152-24-10421   ·   File #:  1-15771

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  As Of               Filer                 Filing    For·On·As Docs:Size             Issuer                      Filing Agent

 3/19/24  Abeona Therapeutics Inc.          DEF 14A     3/19/24    1:1.8M                                   M2 Compliance LLC/FA

Document/Exhibit                   Description                      Pages   Size 

 1: DEF 14A     Definitive Proxy Statement                          HTML    738K 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

(Rule 14a-101)

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT

SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

(Amendment No. )

Filed by the Registrant ☒

Filed by a Party other than the Registrant  ☐

Check the appropriate box:

Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):

ABEONA THERAPEUTICS INC.

6555 Carnegie Ave., 4th Floor

Cleveland, OH 44103

646-813-4701

March 19, 2024

To Our Stockholders:

You are cordially invited to attend the Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) of Abeona Therapeutics Inc. (the “Company”) to be held virtually on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 at 9:00 a.m., Eastern Time. Our Annual Meeting will be held in a virtual format only. You will be able to attend the Annual Meeting, vote and submit your questions during the Annual Meeting via a live webcast through the link www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/ABEO2024.

The Notice of Annual Meeting and the proxy statement that follow describe the business to be considered and acted upon by stockholders of the Company at the Annual Meeting. Please carefully review the information contained in the proxy statement.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU MARK, SIGN, DATE AND RETURN THE ENCLOSED PROXY CARD IN THE ENVELOPE PROVIDED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. YOU MAY VIRTUALLY ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING BY VISITING WWW.VIRTUALSHAREHOLDERMEETING.COM/ABEO2024 ON THE MEETING DATE. IF YOU VIRTUALLY ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING AND WISH TO VOTE AT THE ANNUAL MEETING, YOU MAY REVOKE YOUR PROXY AT THAT TIME BY REQUESTING THE RIGHT TO VOTE DURING THE ANNUAL MEETING. YOU MAY ALSO REVOKE YOUR PROXY AT ANY TIME BEFORE IT IS EXERCISED BY VOTING, BY SUBMITTING ANOTHER PROXY BEARING A LATER DATE, OR BY GIVING NOTICE IN WRITING TO OUR SECRETARY NOT LATER THAN THE DAY PRIOR TO THE ANNUAL MEETING.

ABEONA THERAPEUTICS INC.

6555 Carnegie Ave., 4th Floor

Cleveland, OH 44103

646-813-4701

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

to be held on Wednesday, April 24, 2024

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) of Abeona Therapeutics Inc. (the “Company”) will be held virtually over the Internet on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, at 9:00 a.m., Eastern Time, for the following purposes:

In addition to the foregoing, the Annual Meeting will include the transaction of such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting, or any adjournment(s), continuation(s), rescheduling(s) or postponement(s) thereof. The Board of Directors has fixed the close of business on Friday, March 1, 2024 (the “Record Date”), as the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to receive notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting and any adjournment or postponement thereof. Only stockholders of record at the close of business on the Record Date are entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting. A complete list of stockholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting will be available for inspection by stockholders at our offices during normal business hours, during the 10 days prior to the Annual Meeting as well as during the Annual Meeting at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/ABEO2024.

Information relating to the proposals described above is set forth in the accompanying proxy statement. Please carefully review the proxy statement, which is accompanied by our annual report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023. This Proxy Statement and our Annual Report are available at www.proxyvote.com.

Stockholders are invited to attend the Annual Meeting to be held virtually over the Internet on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 at 9:00 a.m., Eastern Time. YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT. If you do not expect to virtually attend the Annual Meeting, or if you do plan to virtually attend but wish to vote by proxy, please complete, date, sign and mail the enclosed proxy card in the return envelope provided addressed to Vote Processing, c/o Broadridge, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, NY 11717. Proxies will also be accepted as follows: (1) via the Internet by accessing www.proxyvote.com and following the on-screen instructions or scanning the QR code on the proxy card with your smartphone; (2) by calling toll-free at 1-800-690-6903 from any touch-tone telephone and following the instructions; (3) by signing, dating and returning your proxy card in the prepaid enclosed envelope and (4) by attending the virtual Annual Meeting at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/ABEO2024. You should have your proxy card available in front of you when you log onto the Internet or call. You can vote online or by phone until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time the day before the Annual Meeting.

Cleveland, OH

March 19, 2024

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PROXY STATEMENT SUMMARY

This summary highlights information contained elsewhere in this proxy statement. This summary does not contain all information that you should consider, and you should review all of the information contained in the proxy statement before voting.

Annual Meeting of Stockholders

Proposals and Voting Recommendations

Voting Methods

You can vote in one of four ways:

ABEONA THERAPEUTICS INC.

6555 Carnegie Ave., 4th Floor

Cleveland, OH 44103

(646) 813-4701

PROXY STATEMENT

ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

To Be Held on Wednesday, April 24, 2024

This proxy statement is furnished by Abeona Therapeutics Inc., a Delaware corporation (“we,” “us,” “Abeona” or the “Company”), to holders of its common stock, par value $0.01 per share (“Common Stock”), in connection with the solicitation of proxies by our Board of Directors (the “Board”) for use at our Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”), and at any and all adjournments or postponements thereof. This proxy statement and the accompanying form of proxy is first being sent to holders of Common Stock on or about March 19, 2024. Our mailing address and the location of our principal executive offices is 6555 Carnegie Ave., 4th Floor, Cleveland, OH 44103. Our telephone number is (646) 813-4701. The purposes of the Annual Meeting are set forth in the Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Notice of Annual Meeting”), which accompanies this Proxy Statement.

We have adopted a virtual format for our Annual Meeting to provide a consistent experience to all stockholders regardless of location. We have designed the virtual Annual Meeting to provide substantially the same opportunities to participate as you would have at an in-person meeting, including the ability to vote. Detailed instructions on how to vote and submit your questions at the Annual Meeting may be found online at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/ABEO2024.

All shares of Common Stock represented by properly executed proxies or voting instruction forms will be voted at the Annual Meeting in accordance with the directions marked on the proxies or voting instruction forms, unless such proxies or voting instruction forms have previously been revoked. If no directions are indicated on such proxies or voting instruction forms, they will be voted FOR EACH NOMINEE in Proposal 1 – the election of each nominee named under Election of Directors; FOR Proposal 2 – to approve an increase in the number of shares reserved for issuance under the Amended and Restated Abeona Therapeutics Inc. 2023 Equity Incentive Plan from 1,700,000 to 3,200,000 shares; FOR Proposal 3 – to approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers; and FOR Proposal 4 – the ratification of the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024.

If any other matters are properly presented at the Annual Meeting for action, the proxy holders will vote the proxies (which confer discretionary authority upon such holders to vote on such matters) in accordance with their best judgment, subject to compliance with Rule 14a-4(c) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Each proxy executed and returned by a stockholder may be revoked at any time before it is voted by timely submission of a written notice of revocation or by submission of a duly executed proxy bearing a later date (in either case directed to the Secretary of the Company not later than the day prior to the Annual Meeting), or, if a stockholder is virtually present at the Annual Meeting, he or she may elect to revoke his or her proxy and request the right to vote his or her shares personally.

If your shares of Common Stock are registered directly in your name with our transfer agent, American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, you are considered a “stockholder of record” or a “registered stockholder” of those shares. You should follow the instructions on the Notice of Annual Meeting to ensure that your vote is counted. Alternatively, you may attend virtually and vote at the Annual Meeting.

If your shares are held in an account at a bank, brokerage firm, or other similar organization (which we refer to as a “broker”), then you are a beneficial owner of shares held in “street name.” In that case, you will have received these proxy materials from the bank, brokerage firm, or other similar organization holding your account. As a beneficial owner, you will have to direct your broker on how to vote the shares held in your account in accordance with your broker’s requirements.

At the close of business on March 1, 2024, the record date for the Annual Meeting (the “Record Date”), the number of issued and outstanding shares of our Common Stock entitled to vote was 27,355,037. Each share of Common Stock entitles its holder to one vote with respect to all matters submitted to stockholders for a vote at the Annual Meeting. Consistent with the Company’s amended and restated bylaws (the “Bylaws”), uncontested director elections proceed by majority voting. In an uncontested election, a nominee for director will be elected to the Board if the votes cast “for” such nominee’s election exceed the votes cast “against” such nominee’s election.

A complete list of Company stockholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting will be available at our principal executive offices during normal business hours, at least 10 days prior to the Annual Meeting and during the Annual Meeting at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/ABEO2024. According to our Bylaws, the presence, through virtual attendance or by proxy, of the holders of one-third of the shares of Common Stock outstanding and entitled to vote constitutes a quorum for the conduct of business at the Annual Meeting. Abstentions and broker non-votes are counted as present for purposes of determining whether a quorum is present.

A broker non-vote occurs when brokers, who hold their clients’ shares in street name, sign and submit proxies for such shares and vote such shares on some matters but not others. This would occur when brokers have not received any instructions from their clients, in which case the brokers, as the holders of record, are permitted to vote on “routine” matters, which include the ratification of the appointment of an independent registered public accounting firm, but not on “non-routine” matters, such as the election of directors and the proposal to increase the number of shares reserved for issuance under the Amended and Restated Abeona Therapeutics Inc. 2023 Equity Incentive Plan.

For Proposal 1, the directors will be elected upon the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast. For Proposal 1, stockholders may vote “FOR,” “AGAINST,” or “ABSTAIN.” Abstentions will have the effect of an “AGAINST” such proposal. Broker non-votes, if any, will be disregarded and will have no effect on the outcome of the vote for Proposal 1.

Proposals 2 and 3 each will be approved upon the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of Common Stock present through virtual attendance or by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote on the respective Proposal. Stockholders may vote “FOR” or “AGAINST,” or “ABSTAIN” from voting. Abstentions will have the effect of a vote “AGAINST” each of Proposals 2 and 3, respectively. Broker non-votes, if any, will be disregarded and will have no effect on the outcome of the votes for Proposals 2 and 3.

Proposal 4, the ratification of Deloitte & Touche LLP as our independent public accountant, will be approved upon the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of Common Stock present through virtual attendance or by proxy at the Annual Meeting. Abstentions will have the effect of a vote “AGAINST” such proposal. Brokers may vote on Proposal 4 absent instructions from the beneficial owner.

The Board is not aware of any matters that will be brought before the Annual Meeting other than those matters specifically set forth in the Notice of Annual Meeting. However, if any other matter properly comes before the Annual Meeting, it is intended that the persons named in the enclosed form of proxy, or their substitutes acting thereunder, will vote on such matter in accordance with the recommendations of the Board, or, if no such recommendations are made, in accordance with their best judgment.

All expenses in connection with solicitation of proxies will be borne by us. We will also request brokers, dealers, banks and voting trustees, and their nominees, to make available the Notice of Annual Meeting, this proxy statement, the accompanying form of proxy and our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 (the “Annual Report”) to beneficial owners and will reimburse them for their expenses in forwarding these materials. We expect to solicit proxies primarily by mail, but our directors, officers and employees may also solicit in person, by telephone or email, on behalf of the Board without additional compensation.

Stockholders of record as of the Record Date can attend the Annual Meeting online by logging onto our virtual forum at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/ABEO2024 and following the instructions provided on their proxy card, vote instruction card or “Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials.” To participate in the Annual Meeting, you will need the 16-digit control number included on your proxy card, voter instruction card or “Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials.” If you do not have this control number at the time of the Annual Meeting, you will still be able to attend virtually, but you will not be able to vote or ask questions.

The virtual Annual Meeting platform is fully supported across browsers (Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari) and devices (desktops, laptops, tablets, and cell phones) running the most updated version of applicable software and plugins. Attendees should ensure that they have a strong Wi-Fi connection wherever they intend to participate in the virtual Annual Meeting. Attendees should also give themselves plenty of time to log in and ensure that they can hear streaming audio prior to the start of the virtual Annual Meeting.

This proxy statement should be read together with our annual report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, including the financial statements and management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations contained therein.

Corporate Governance Matters

Pursuant to the Delaware General Corporation Law and our Bylaws, our business, property and affairs are managed by or under the direction of our Board. Members of the Board are kept informed of our business through discussions with our senior management, including our Chief Executive Officer, by reviewing materials provided to them and by participating in meetings of the Board and its committees. The Board is currently comprised of seven directors. The Board meets during our fiscal year to review significant developments affecting us and to act on matters requiring Board approval.

The Board has adopted a number of corporate governance documents, including charters for its Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee; corporate governance guidelines; a code of business conduct and ethics for employees, executive officers and directors (including its principal executive officer and principal financial officer) and a whistleblower policy regarding the treatment of complaints on accounting, internal accounting controls and auditing matters. All of these documents are available on our website at www.abeonatherapeutics.com under the heading “Investors & Media—Corporate Governance—Governance Documents,” and a copy of any such document may be obtained, without charge, upon written request to the Company, c/o Investor Relations, 6555 Carnegie Ave., 4^th Floor, Cleveland, OH 44103.

Stockholder Communications with the Board

The Board has established a process for stockholders to send communications to it. Stockholders may send written communications to the Board or individual directors to Abeona Therapeutics Inc., Board of Directors, c/o Corporate Secretary, 6555 Carnegie Ave., 4^th Floor, Cleveland, OH 44103. Stockholders also may send communications via email to IR@abeonatherapeutics.com with the notation “Attention: Corporate Secretary” in the subject field. All communications will be reviewed by the Corporate Secretary of the Company, who will determine whether such communications are relevant and for a proper purpose and appropriate for Board review and, if applicable, will submit such communications to the Board on a periodic basis.

Director Independence

We are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market (“Nasdaq”) and are subject to the Nasdaq rules and regulations governing director independence. The Board has determined that each of Leila Alland, M.D., Mark J. Alvino, Faith L. Charles, Christine Silverstein and Donald A. Wuchterl are independent under applicable Nasdaq rules.

Board Leadership Structure

The Board has no set policy with respect to the separation of the roles of Chairman of the Board and principal executive officer. Michael Amoroso currently serves as our Chairman of the Board and Vishwas Seshadri as Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer). Our Board currently does not have a lead independent director.

Our Board leadership structure is commonly utilized by other public companies in the United States, and we believe that it is effective for us. We believe this leadership structure is appropriate for us given the size and scope of our business, the experience and active involvement of our independent directors and our corporate governance practices, which include regular communication with and interaction between and among the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and General Counsel and the independent directors. Of the current members of our Board, five are independent from management.

Board Diversity Matrix as of March 1, 2024

Board of Directors’ Role in Risk Oversight

The Board is responsible for overseeing our management and operations, including overseeing our risk assessment and risk management functions. We believe that our directors provide effective oversight of risk management functions. We perform a risk review on a regular basis wherein the management team evaluates the risks we expect to face in the upcoming year and over a longer-term horizon. From this risk assessment, plans are developed to deal with the risks identified. The results of this risk assessment are provided to the Board for its consideration and review. In addition, members of our management periodically present to the Board the strategies, issues and plans for the areas of our business for which they are responsible. While the Board oversees risk management, our management is responsible for day-to-day risk management processes. Additionally, the Board requires that management raise exceptional issues to the Board. We believe this division of responsibilities is the most effective approach for addressing the risks we face and that the Board leadership structure supports this approach.

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

We have adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (the “Code”) that applies to all of our employees (including executive officers) and directors. The Code is available on our website at www.abeonatherapeutics.com under the heading “Investors & Media—Corporate Governance—Governance Documents.” We intend to satisfy any disclosure requirements under applicable SEC or Nasdaq rules regarding any waiver of a provision of the Code applicable to any executive officer or director, by posting such information on such website. We shall provide to any person without charge, upon request, a copy of the Code. Any such request must be made in writing to Abeona Therapeutics Inc., c/o Investor Relations, 6555 Carnegie Ave., 4^th Floor, Cleveland, OH 44103.

Under our insider trading policy, directors, executive officers and employees generally may not engage in short-term, speculative trading in Company stock, such as entering into short sales, buying, selling or writing puts or calls, or engaging in hedging or other derivative transactions; hold Company stock in a margin account; or pledge Company stock as collateral for a loan.

Officers and Directors

Our current directors and executive officers are as follows:

Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws presently provide that our Board shall consist of three to 15 members, divided into three staggered classes as nearly equal in number as possible. The Board is currently comprised of seven directors. Our directors serve for a term of three years and until the respective election and qualification of their successors. Pursuant to our Bylaws, the Board selects our Chairman of the Board and our executive officers. Each of our executive officers is selected by the Board for a term of one year or until the executive officer’s successor is duly elected and qualified or until such executive officer’s resignation or removal. There is no family relationship among any of our directors or executive officers.

Committees of the Board of Directors

The Board established an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee and a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Each of the committees of the Board acts pursuant to a separate written charter adopted by the Board, each of which is available on our website at www.abeonatherapeutics.com under “Investors & Media—Corporate Governance—Governance Documents.”

The Audit Committee is currently comprised of Christine Silverstein (Chair), Mark J. Alvino and Donald A. Wuchterl. The Board has determined that each of Ms. Silverstein and Mr. Alvino qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert,” under applicable SEC rules and regulations. The Audit Committee’s responsibilities and duties are, among other things, to engage the independent auditors, review the audit fees, supervise matters relating to audit functions and review and set internal policies and procedure regarding audits, accounting and other financial controls. The Board has determined that Ms. Silverstein, Mr. Alvino and Mr. Wuchterl are independent under applicable SEC and Nasdaq rules and regulations.

The Compensation Committee is currently comprised of Mark J. Alvino (Chair), Leila Alland, M.D. and Faith L. Charles. All committee members are non-employee directors under applicable SEC rules and are “outside” directors under Internal Revenue Code Section 162(m). All Compensation Committee members also are independent under applicable SEC and Nasdaq rules and regulations.

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is currently comprised of Faith L. Charles (Chair), Leila Alland, M.D. and Donald A. Wuchterl. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for, among other things, considering potential Board members, making recommendations to the full Board as to nominees for election to the Board, assessing the effectiveness of the Board and implementing our corporate governance guidelines. All Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee members also are independent under applicable SEC and Nasdaq rules and regulations.

Meetings Attendance

The Board held 11 meetings during the 2023 fiscal year. Each director attended 75% or more of the Board meetings and meetings of committees of which he or she was a member that were held during the period of his or her service as a director in 2023.

The Audit Committee held four meetings during the 2023 fiscal year, and all members were present. The Compensation Committee held four meetings during the 2023 fiscal year. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee held two meetings during the 2023 fiscal year, and all members were present. All of the directors then currently serving as director attended the 2023 annual meeting of stockholders. Although we currently do not require directors to attend annual stockholder meetings, we do encourage directors to do so and welcome their attendance.

Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports

During the 2023 fiscal year, one Form 3 for Adage Capital Partners GP, L.L.C. and one Form 4 for Mr. Alvino were not timely filed, in each case, with respect to one transaction identified therein.

Director and Executive Compensation Governance Principles

The Company has adopted certain governance principles related to director and executive compensation as follows:

Outside Compensation Consultants

For 2023, the Compensation Committee engaged Radford Inc. (“Radford”) as an independent compensation consultant to provide certain services related to executive and non-employee director compensation. Radford assisted with the Compensation Committee’s review of the Company’s annual salary, bonus and equity compensation plans for executive officers and annual cash and equity compensation for non-employee directors. Radford also assisted with the adoption of the 2023 Equity Incentive Plan. Radford does not provide any other services to the Company unless approved by the Compensation Committee, and no such services were provided in 2023. After considering the relevant factors, the Company determined that no conflicts of interest have been raised in connection with the services Radford performed for the Compensation Committee in 2023.

AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

In fulfilling its oversight responsibility, the Audit Committee reviewed and discussed our audited 2023 year-end financial statements with management and with Whitley Penn LLP and Deloitte & Touche LLP, our independent registered public accounting firms during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023. The Audit Committee discussed with the independent registered public accounting firm the matters required to be discussed by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) Auditing Standard No. 61, Communications with Audit Committees. In addition, the Audit Committee received from the independent registered public accounting firm written disclosures and the letter required by the applicable standards of the PCAOB. The Audit Committee also discussed with the independent registered public accounting firm the auditors’ independence from management and the Company, including a review of audit and non-audit fees and the matters covered by the written disclosures and letter provided by the independent registered public accounting firm.

The Audit Committee discussed with Whitley Penn LLP and Deloitte & Touche LLP the overall scope and plans for the audit. The Audit Committee met with Whitley Penn LLP and Deloitte & Touche LLP to discuss the results of their audit and reviews, their evaluations of the Company and its personnel, our internal controls and the overall quality of our financial reporting.

Based on the reviews and discussions referred to above, the Audit Committee reviewed and recommended to the Board that our audited 2023 year-end financial statements be included in our Annual Report, for filing with the SEC.

The foregoing Audit Committee Report shall not be deemed to be “soliciting material” or “filed” or incorporated by reference in future filings with the SEC, or subject to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, except to the extent the Company specifically incorporates it by reference into such future filings.

Compensation of Directors

Compensation for Board Service in 2023. Each director who is not also an Abeona employee is entitled to receive an annual board fee and an annual committee fee for their service on each Board committee. These fees are paid in cash quarterly. In addition, we reimburse each director, whether an employee or not, for the expense of attending Board and committee meetings. There were no additional fees paid for service as a chairperson of a Board committee, with the exception of the Chairman of the Board who receives an additional $30,000 per year for serving as Chairman. During 2023, the annual board fee was $50,000 and the annual committee fee was $7,500 per committee served.

In addition, incumbent non-employee directors were each granted equity awards valued at $271,143 for service on the Board in 2023 consisting of restricted stock. All equity awards were granted on a different date than any equity awards to executive officers. These equity awards vest one year after the date of grant.

Director Compensation Table – 2023

The table below represents the compensation paid to each of our directors who served on the Board during the year ended December 31, 2023, other than Dr. Seshadri, whose compensation as our President and Chief Executive Officer is set forth under “Executive Compensation — Summary Compensation Table” below:

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions

On occasion we may engage in certain related party transactions. Pursuant to our Audit Committee charter, our policy is that all related party transactions are reviewed and approved by the Audit Committee. There were no related party transactions in 2023.

Equity Compensation Plan Information

The following table sets forth, as of December 31, 2023, information about shares of Common Stock outstanding and available for issuance under our existing equity compensation plans.

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management

The Company has determined beneficial ownership of our Common Stock as of March 1, 2024, in accordance with the rules of the SEC. These rules generally attribute beneficial ownership of securities to persons who possess sole or shared voting power or investment power with respect to those securities. In addition, these rules require that the Company include shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to the vesting of restricted stock units and the exercise of stock options and warrants that are either immediately exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of March 1, 2024. These shares are deemed to be outstanding and beneficially owned by the person holding those options or warrants for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of that person, but they are not treated as outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other person. Unless otherwise indicated, the persons or entities identified in this table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares shown as beneficially owned by them, subject to applicable community property laws.

To our knowledge, except as noted above, no person or entity is the beneficial owner of more than 5% of the voting power of the Company’s Common Stock.

Executive Compensation

The following table sets forth the aggregate compensation paid to: (i) our principal executive officer at the end of fiscal year 2023, Vishwas Seshadri and (ii) our only other executive officers other than our principal executive officer who were serving as an executive officer at the end of fiscal year 2023, Joseph Vazzano and Brendan O’Malley.

Summary Compensation Table

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End

The following table summarizes the aggregate number of option and stock awards held by our named executive officers (“NEOs”) as of December 31, 2023.

Compensation Pursuant to Agreements and Plans

Employment Agreements

President and Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Seshadri entered into an employment agreement with the Company when he joined as SVP, Head of Research & Clinical Development on June 1, 2021. In his role as SVP, Head of Research & Clinical Development, Dr. Seshadri received an annual base salary of $400,000 and was eligible for an annual discretionary bonus with a target of 40% of his annual base salary. On June 1, 2021, Dr. Seshadri was granted stock options to purchase 16,000 shares of the Company’s Common Stock pursuant to the Company’s 2015 Equity Incentive Plan, with 25% vesting on June 1, 2022 and the remaining 75% vesting in 36 equal monthly installments thereafter. On June 1, 2021, Dr. Seshadri was granted 12,000 restricted shares of Common Stock pursuant to the Company’s 2015 Equity Incentive Plan, with 6,000 shares vesting on June 1, 2022 and the remaining 6,000 shares vesting in three installments of 2,000 shares annually thereafter starting on June 1, 2023.

On October 15, 2021, Dr. Seshadri was appointed President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director. In his new role as President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Seshadri was initially entitled to receive an annual base salary of $500,000 (which has been subsequently increased as described above) and is eligible for an annual discretionary bonus with a target of 50% of his annual base salary. In connection with his appointment to President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Seshadri was granted 2,000 shares of restricted stock and options to purchase 12,000 shares of Common Stock. The options vest 25% on the one-year anniversary of the grant date and the remaining 75% vest in 36 equal monthly installments thereafter. The restricted stock will vest 25% on the one-year anniversary of the grant date and the remaining 75% vest in equal annual installments over the following 36 months. Dr. Seshadri is eligible to participate in all employee benefit plans that the Company may establish for similarly situated employees, if and to the extent he is eligible pursuant to the terms of such plans and Company policies, which may be modified by the Company at its discretion.

Under the terms of his employment agreement dated October 6, 2021, Dr. Seshadri and the Company may each terminate Dr. Seshadri’s employment for any reason upon written notice to the other party. If Dr. Seshadri’s employment is terminated by the Company other than for Cause, or by Dr. Seshadri for Good Reason (as each term is defined in his employment agreement), Dr. Seshadri will be entitled to (i) a payment equal to the sum of his base salary plus his target annual bonus opportunity, (ii) payment equal to the cost of the premium for his health coverage under the Company’s health plan for him and his dependents for the 12-month period following his termination date, (iii) a pro-rata bonus for the year of termination and (iv) accelerated vesting equivalent to 12 months of continued employment from the Termination Date (disregarding such termination for such purpose) with respect to all unvested equity and any other long-term incentive awards granted to Dr. Seshadri and then outstanding on the Termination Date. The Company’s obligations in the preceding sentence are conditioned upon, among other things, Dr. Seshadri’s execution and nonrevocation of a release of claims in favor of the Company and its affiliates.

If Dr. Seshadri remains continuously employed through the date of a Change in Control (as that term is defined in his employment agreement), all outstanding equity compensation awards will become fully vested and exercisable immediately.

Chief Financial Officer

The Board appointed Mr. Vazzano as Chief Financial Officer effective March 14, 2022. He was entitled to an annual base salary of $360,000, and a target annual bonus opportunity equal to 40% of his base salary. On March 14, 2022, Mr. Vazzano was granted 8,000 restricted shares of Common Stock pursuant to the Company’s 2015 Equity Incentive Plan, with 25% vesting on each of March 14, 2023, March 14, 2024, March 14, 2025 and March 14, 2026. Mr. Vazzano is eligible to participate in all employee benefit plans that the Company may establish for similarly situated employees, if and to the extent he is eligible pursuant to the terms of such plans and Company policies, which may be modified by the Company at its discretion.

Pursuant to his employment agreement dated February 28, 2022, upon achievement of certain corporate actions effective July 2, 2022, Mr. Vazzano’s annual base salary was increased to $400,000 (which has been subsequently increased as described above), and he was granted 12,000 restricted shares of Common Stock pursuant to the Company’s 2015 Equity Incentive Plan, with 25% vesting on each of July 21, 2023, July 21, 2024, July 21, 2025 and July 21, 2026.

Under the terms of his employment agreement, Mr. Vazzano and the Company may each terminate Mr. Vazzano’s employment for any reason upon written notice to the other party. If Mr. Vazzano’s employment is terminated by the Company other than for Cause, or by Mr. Vazzano for Good Reason (as each term is defined in his employment agreement), Mr. Vazzano will be entitled to (i) a payment equal to the sum of 12 months of his annual base salary plus 12 months of his annual target annual bonus opportunity and (ii) payment equal to the cost of the premium for his health coverage under the Company’s health plan for him and his dependents for the 12-month period following his termination date. If Mr. Vazzano’s employment is terminated by the Company other than for Cause, or by Mr. Vazzano for Good Reason (as each term is defined in his employment agreement) within 12 months following a Change of Control, Mr. Vazzano will be entitled to (i) a payment equal to the sum of 12 months of his annual base salary plus 12 months of his annual target annual bonus opportunity and (ii) payment equal to the cost of the premium for his health coverage under the Company’s health plan for him and his dependents for the 12-month period following his termination date. The Company’s obligations in the preceding sentence are conditioned upon, among other things, Mr. Vazzano’s execution and nonrevocation of a release of claims in favor of the Company and its affiliates.

If Mr. Vazzano remains continuously employed through the date of a Change in Control (as that term is defined in his employment agreement), all outstanding equity compensation awards will become fully vested and exercisable immediately.

General Counsel

Dr. O’Malley joined Abeona in 2019 as Chief IP Counsel. He was entitled to an annual base salary of $321,000, effective January 1, 2021 and a target annual bonus opportunity equal to 35% of his base salary. The amount of the annual bonus actually paid depended on the extent to which the performance goals are achieved or exceeded as determined by the Board. Dr. O’Malley is eligible to participate in all employee benefit plans that the Company may establish for similarly situated employees, if and to the extent he is eligible pursuant to the terms of such plans and Company policies, which may be modified by the Company at its discretion.

On September 20, 2021, Dr. O’Malley was appointed SVP, General Counsel. In this role, Dr. O’Malley received an annual base salary of $372,000 (which has been subsequently increased as described above) and was eligible for an annual discretionary bonus with a target of 40% of his annual base salary. In connection with his appointment as SVP, General Counsel, Dr. O’Malley was granted 5,440 shares of restricted stock and options to purchase 10,880 shares of common stock of the Company. The options vest 25% on the one-year anniversary of the grant date and the remaining 75% vest in 36 equal monthly installments thereafter. The restricted stock will vest 25% on the one-year anniversary of the grant date and the remaining 75% vest in equal annual installments over the following 36 months.

Under the terms of his employment agreement dated September 16, 2021, Dr. O’Malley and the Company may each terminate Dr. O’Malley’s employment for any reason upon written notice to the other party. If Dr. O’Malley’s employment is terminated by the Company other than for Cause, or by Dr. O’Malley for Good Reason (as each term is defined in his employment agreement), Dr. O’Malley will be entitled to (i) a payment equal to the sum of 12 months of his annual base salary plus 12 months of his annual target annual bonus opportunity and (ii) payment equal to the cost of the premium for his health coverage under the Company’s health plan for him and his dependents for the 12-month period following his termination date. If Dr. O’Malley’s employment is terminated by the Company other than for Cause, or by Dr. O’Malley for Good Reason (as each term is defined in his employment agreement) within 12-months following a Change of Control, Dr. O’Malley will be entitled to (i) a payment equal to the sum of 12 months of his annual base salary plus 12 months of his annual target annual bonus opportunity and (ii) payment equal to the cost of the premium for his health coverage under the Company’s health plan for him and his dependents for the 12-month period following his termination date. The Company’s obligations in the preceding sentence are conditioned upon, among other things, Dr. O’Malley’s execution and nonrevocation of a release of claims in favor of the Company and its affiliates.

If Dr. O’Malley remains continuously employed through the date of a Change in Control (as that term is defined in his employment agreement), all outstanding equity compensation awards will become fully vested and exercisable immediately.

Retirement Benefits

The Company’s executives are provided usual and customary retirement benefits available to all employees, including the NEOs. These include a 401(k) plan, life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, medical and dental insurance, vision insurance, long-term disability insurance and a Company-sponsored pension plan. We provide matching contributions under our 401(k) plan to all employees, including the NEOs.

Compensation Committee Discussion on Executive Compensation

The Compensation Committee operates under a written charter adopted by the Board and is responsible for making all compensation decisions for the Company’s directors and named executive officers, including determining base salary and annual incentive compensation amounts and recommending stock option grants and other stock-based compensation under our equity incentive plans. The Compensation Committee charter can be found on our website at www.abeonatherapeutics.com under “Investors & Media—Corporate Governance—Governance Documents.”

Pay Versus Performance

In accordance with rules adopted by the SEC pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, we are providing the following disclosure, as it applies to smaller reporting companies, regarding executive “Compensation Actually Paid” (“CAP”), as calculated under applicable SEC rules, for our principal executive officer(s) (“PEO(s)”) and our other named executive officers (“non-PEO NEOs”) and certain financial performance measures for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021.

In determining the CAP to our PEO(s) and the CAP to our non-PEO NEOs, we are required to make various adjustments to the total compensation amounts that have been reported in the Summary Compensation Table (“SCT”), as the SEC’s valuation methods for this section differ from those required in the SCT. Information regarding the methodology for calculating CAP to our PEO(s) and the CAP to our non-PEO NEOs, including details regarding the amounts that were deducted from, and added to, the SCT totals to arrive at the values presented for CAP, are provided in the footnotes to the table. Note that for non-PEO NEOs, compensation is reported as an average.

Pay Versus Performance

(1) During 2021, Mr. Amoroso served as our PEO from January 1, 2021 to October 14, 2021. Dr. Seshadri has served as our PEO since October 15, 2021.

(2) Deductions from, and additions to, total compensation as reported in the SCT by year to calculate CAP include:

Description of Relationship Between PEOs and Non-PEO NEO Compensation Actually Paid and Company Total Shareholder Return (“TSR”)

The following chart sets forth the relationship between the average Compensation Actually Paid to our PEOs, the average of Compensation Actually Paid to our Non-PEO NEOs, and the Company’s cumulative TSR over the three most recently completed fiscal years.

Description of Relationship Between PEOs and Non-PEO NEO Compensation Actually Paid and Net Income

The following chart sets forth the relationship between the average Compensation Actually Paid to our PEOs, the average of Compensation Actually Paid to our Non-PEO NEOs, and our Net Income during the three most recently completed fiscal years.

Proposals to Be Voted Upon

PROPOSAL 1

ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws presently provide that our Board shall consist of between three to 15 members, shall be divided into three classes as nearly equal in number as possible, and that each director shall serve for a term of three years and until his/her successor is elected and qualified or until his/her earlier resignation, death or removal. By resolution, the Board has set the number of its directors at seven directors. The term of office of one class of directors expires each year in rotation so that one class is elected at each annual meeting of stockholders for a three-year term. The Board presently consists of seven members.

Dr. Alland and Mr. Seshadri are Class 2 directors with their terms set to expire at the Annual Meeting.

Mr. Alvino, Ms. Charles and Mr. Wuchterl are Class 3 directors with their terms set to expire at the annual meeting of stockholders in 2025.

Dr. Amoroso and Ms. Silverstein are Class 1 directors with their terms set to expire at the annual meeting of stockholders in 2026.

Nominees for Term Expiring at the Annual Meeting (Class 2 Directors)

Dr. Alland and Mr. Seshadri are Class 2 directors standing for election to the Board for a three-year term expiring at the 2027 annual meeting of stockholders. Dr. Alland and Mr. Seshadri have served as directors since 2021. Dr. Alland’s and Mr. Seshadri’s terms will expire at the Annual Meeting. If elected at the Annual Meeting, they will serve for a term of three years expiring on the date of the annual meeting of stockholders in 2027. Dr. Alland and Mr. Seshadri exemplify how our Board values professional experience in business and the pharmaceutical industry, as well as strong moral character. It is this strong and unique background and sets of skills that our Board believes provide it, as a whole, with a strong foundation of technical expertise.

There is no family relationship among any of the directors or officers. The nominees have each consented to serve as a director and the Board has no reason to believe that they will be unavailable for such service.

Business and Experience of the Nominee for Director

Leila Alland, M.D., 61, became a director on April 14, 2021 and currently serves as a member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and of the Compensation Committee. Dr. Alland, a pediatric hematologist-oncologist and accomplished physician-scientist, has been working in the biopharmaceutical industry since 2001 to bring novel therapies to patients. Dr. Alland currently serves as a consultant medical advisor to multiple biotechnology companies. From December 2019 to 2023, she has served as Chief Medical Officer of PMV Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Nasdaq-listed precision oncology company pioneering the discovery and development of small molecule, tumor-agnostic therapies targeting p53 mutants. From March 2018 to November 2019, Dr. Alland served as Chief Medical Officer of Affimed, a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company, and, from January 2016 to March 2018, Dr. Alland served as Chief Medical Officer of Tarveda Therapeutics, a clinical stage precision oncology company. Dr. Alland also held leadership positions at AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novartis, and Schering-Plough, where she worked on a broad range of oncology products from early to late stage development and contributed to multiple successful drug approvals. Dr. Alland obtained her medical degree from New York University School of Medicine and her B.A. in Biology from the University of Pennsylvania. She completed her residency in Pediatrics at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and her fellowship in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at The New York Hospital and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. From 1994 to 2000, Dr. Alland served as Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine where she was awarded the James S. McDonnell Foundation Scholar Award and pursued basic cancer research while also caring for children with cancer and blood disorders. Since 2020, Dr. Alland has served as Director on the Board of Cytovia Therapeutics, an immune-oncology company developing engineered cellular and antibody therapies to treat cancer. Dr. Alland is a member of the Scientific Advisory Council of Columbia University’s Center for Radiological Research, and serves as a scientific reviewer for the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. Dr. Alland’s qualifications to serve on our Board include her leadership skills and her vast medical and scientific experience serving companies in the biotech and pharmaceutical field.

Vishwas Seshadri, 48, was appointed our President, Chief Executive Officer and a director on October 15, 2021. Dr. Seshadri joined Abeona on June 1, 2021 as SVP, Head of Research and Clinical Development. Prior to joining Abeona, from October 2010 to May 2021, Dr. Seshadri served in roles of increasing responsibility at Celgene (now part of Bristol-Myers Squibb) focused on research & development and commercialization for novel therapies in hematology and oncology, most recently as Executive Director & Worldwide Brand Leader for Breyanzi® (lisocabtagene maraleucel; liso-cel), a CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy for relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma. While at Celgene, he led franchise-level marketing and the project management office for CAR T-cell commercialization and led teams supporting the successful global launch of Breyanzi. He also led development project teams for clinical development and regulatory submissions for REVLIMID (lenalidomide) in lymphoma, strategic go/no-go decisions for Avadomide and IMFINZI (durvalumab) while implementing program-wide efficiency measures, and managed post-marketing commitments for ISTODAX (romidepsin). In addition, Dr. Seshadri had held U.S. and global marketing lead roles for Abraxane in non-small cell lung cancer and pancreatic cancer. Previously, he was Head of Early-Stage Upstream Process Development for Biologics at Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, where he led cell-line development, cGMP cell banking, characterization, and cell culture optimization for biosimilars. Dr. Seshadri completed his Ph.D. in Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Biology and his post-doc in epigenetics at University of Arizona, and earned his M.B.A. in Finance and Healthcare from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Seshadri’s qualifications to serve on our Board include his extensive experience across clinical development, regulatory and medical, corporate and commercial affairs, with direct operational experience in various pharmaceutical companies.

Nomination and Election of Directors

When seeking candidates for director, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee may solicit suggestions from incumbent directors, management or others. After conducting an initial evaluation of a candidate, the committee will interview that candidate if it believes the candidate might be suitable to serve as a director. The committee may also ask the candidate to meet with Company management. If the committee believes a candidate would be a valuable addition to the Board and there is either a vacancy on the Board or the committee believes it is in the best interests of the Company and our stockholders to increase the number of Board members to elect that candidate, it will recommend to the full Board that candidate’s election.

Before nominating a sitting director for reelection at an annual stockholder meeting, the committee will consider the director’s performance on the Board and whether the director’s reelection would be in the best interests of the Company’s stockholders and consistent with the Company’s corporate governance guidelines and continued compliance with applicable law, rules and regulations.

The Board believes that it should be comprised of directors with diverse and complementary backgrounds, and that directors should have expertise that, at a minimum, may be useful to the Company and may contribute to the success of the Company’s business. Directors also should possess the highest personal and professional ethics and should be willing and able to devote an amount of time sufficient to effectively carry out their duties and contribute to the success of the Company’s business. When considering candidates for director, the committee takes into account a number of factors, including:

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will consider additional candidates for director suggested by stockholders by considering the foregoing criteria and the additional information referred to below. There are no differences in the manner in which the committee evaluates nominees for director based on whether the nominee is recommended by a stockholder or by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Stockholders wishing to suggest a candidate for director should write to the Company, c/o Investor Relations, 6555 Carnegie Ave., 4^th Floor, Cleveland, OH 44103. When submitting candidates for nomination to be elected at the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders, stockholders must follow the notice procedures, which are described under the heading “Submission of Nominations and Proposals for the 2025 Annual Meeting” and include the following:

In addition, pursuant to a Director Designation Agreement dated as of November 15, 2007, for as long as SCO Capital Partners LLC (“SCO Capital”), and its affiliates hold at least 20% of the Company’s Common Stock issued upon conversion of the shares of Series A Stock issued in connection with the Company’s 2007 note exchange, (a) SCO Capital shall have the right, from time to time, to designate two individuals, in the sole discretion of SCO Capital, to serve as directors of the Company (the “SCO Director Designees”), (b) the Company shall use its best efforts at all times to cause the number of directors to be fixed at a sufficient number such that at least two positions shall be available for the SCO Director Designees (the “SCO Board Seats”), (c) the Company shall use its best efforts to cause the SCO Director Designees to be nominated and elected for service as directors of the Company at each meeting of the Company’s stockholders held for the purpose of electing directors and (d) if at any time, or from time to time, one or more of the SCO Board Seats is or becomes vacant for any reason prior to the next annual meeting of stockholders, the Company shall use its best efforts to cause such vacancy to be filled with an SCO Director Designee.

For Proposal 1, each nominee will be elected upon the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of Common Stock present through virtual attendance or by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote on the Proposal. For Proposal 1, stockholders may vote “FOR,” “AGAINST,” or “ABSTAIN.” Abstentions will have the effect of an “AGAINST” such proposal. Broker non-votes, if any, will be disregarded and will have no effect on the outcome of the vote for Proposal 1.

The Board recommends that the stockholders vote “FOR” each of the nominees.

Information with Respect to Other Directors

Directors Whose Terms Expire at the Annual Meeting in 2025 (Class 3 Directors)

Mark J. Alvino, 56, became a director on March 26, 2021 and currently serves as Chair of the Compensation Committee and as a member on the Audit Committee. Mr. Alvino had previously served as a member of our Board from March 2006 through April 15, 2020. Since October 2014, Mr. Alvino has served as President of Hudson Square Capital LLC. From 2013 to October 2014, Mr. Alvino was leading the Life Sciences efforts of Bradley Woods & Co. Ltd. Mr. Alvino was Managing Director for Griffin Securities from 2007 to 2013. He previously worked at Feinstein Kean Healthcare (an Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide Company,) where he was Senior Vice President, responsible for managing both investor and corporate communications programs for many private and public companies and acted as senior counsel throughout the agency’s network of offices. Prior to working at Feinstein Kean Healthcare, Mr. Alvino served as Vice President of Investor Relations and managed the New York Office of Allen & Caron, Inc., an investor relations agency. His base of clients included medical devices, biotechnology, and e-healthcare companies. Mr. Alvino also spent several years working with Wall Street brokerages including Ladenburg, Thallman & Co. and Martin Simpson & Co. Mr. Alvino’s qualifications to serve on our Board include his leadership skills and his experience in the areas of financial management and business strategy in the biopharmaceutical field.

Faith L. Charles, 62, became a director on March 26, 2021 and currently serves as Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and as a member of the Audit Committee. Ms. Charles has been a corporate transactions and securities partner at the law firm of Thompson Hine, LLP, since 2010. She leads Thompson Hine’s Life Sciences practice and co-heads the securities practice, advising public and emerging biotech and pharmaceutical companies in the U.S. and internationally. Ms. Charles negotiates complex private and public financing transactions, mergers and acquisitions, licensing transactions and strategic collaborations. She serves as outside counsel to a myriad of life sciences companies and is known in the industry as an astute business advisor, providing valuable insights into capital markets, corporate governance and strategic development. Since May 2022, she has served on the Board of Directors and a member of the Audit Committee of Avenue Therapeutics, Inc., a publicly-traded biotechnology company. From December 2022 to the present, she also serves on the Board of Directors of CNS Pharmaceuticals, Inc., also a publicly-trade biotechnology company. From 2018 until October 2021, Ms. Charles served on the board of directors and as a member of the audit committee and chair of the compensation committee of Entera Bio, a publicly-traded biotechnology company. She also serves on the Board of Directors of several private life science companies. Ms. Charles founded the Women in Bio Metro New York chapter and chaired the chapter for five years. She currently serves on the national board of Women in Bio. Ms. Charles is also a member of the board of Red Door Community (formerly Gilda’s Club New York City.) She has been recognized as a Life Sciences Star by Euromoney’s LMG Life Sciences, has been named a BTI Client Service All-Star, and was named by Crain’s New York Business to the list of 2020 Notable Women in the Law. Ms. Charles holds a JD degree from The George Washington University Law School and a B.A. in Psychology from Barnard College, Columbia University. Ms. Charles is a graduate of Women in Bio’s Boardroom Ready Program, an Executive Education Program taught by The George Washington University School of Business. Ms. Charles’ qualifications to serve on our Board include her leadership skills and her vast legal experience representing companies in the biotech and pharmaceutical field.

Donald A. Wuchterl, 54, became a director on April 14, 2021 and currently serves as member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and the Audit Committee. Since August 2022, Mr. Wuchterl has provided consulting services on Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) and Technical Operations executive leadership services to several pre-clinical gene therapy companies. From April 2021 to August 2022, Mr. Wuchterl served as Senior Vice President and Chief Manufacturing Officer at T-knife Therapeutics, a next-generation T-cell receptor company developing innovative therapeutics for the benefit of solid tumor patients where he is responsible for all Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (“CMC”) functions. From 2016 to 2021, Mr. Wuchterl served as Senior Vice President, Technical Operations and Quality at Audentes Therapeutics (an Astellas company), a gene therapy company focused on developing and commercializing innovative products for patients living with serious, life-threatening rare neuromuscular diseases. From 2012 to 2016, Mr. Wuchterl served as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Cytovance Biologics, a leading biopharmaceutical contract manufacturing company. Prior to Cytovance, Mr. Wuchterl held positions of increasing responsibility with Dendreon, Shire HGT, Amgen, Biogen Idec and Roche. Mr. Wuchterl has a B.S. in Business Administration from Colorado Technical University and an M.B.A. from Fitchburg State University. Mr. Wuchterl’s qualifications to serve on Abeona’s Board include his over 30 years of experience in the life sciences industries, with senior roles in operations and CMC across several different product types. He also brings significant experience building out and leading new current Good Manufacturing Practice (“cGMP”) organizations and facilities.

Directors Whose Terms Expire at the Annual Meeting in 2026 (Class 1 Directors)

Michael Amoroso, 46, has been Chairman of the Board since October 15, 2021 and has been a director since March 19, 2021. Mr. Amoroso served as our President and Chief Executive Officer from March 19, 2021 to October 15, 2021. Mr. Amoroso joined Abeona on July 9, 2020 as Chief Commercial Officer and was promoted to Chief Operating Officer on November 1, 2020. Since October 15, 2021, Mr. Amoroso has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Precision BioSciences, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company dedicated to improving life with its novel and proprietary ARCUS genome editing platform. From August 2018 to January 2020, he served as Senior Vice President and Head of Worldwide Commercial Operations for Cell Therapy at Kite (a Gilead company), where he led all operations and functions charged with bringing the first wide-spread chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (“CAR T-cell”) therapy, YESCARTA®, to major world markets while also preparing the organization for its future cell therapy pipeline. Prior to his time at Kite, Mr. Amoroso served in senior level executive positions at Eisai Inc. from October 2017 to August 2018, Celgene Corporation (now a subsidiary of Bristol-Myers Squibb) from January 2011 to October 2017 and Aventis (now Sanofi) from 2001 to 2011. Mr. Amoroso has worked with companies in the small molecules, biologics, and cell and gene therapies space across large, medium, and small capitalization companies with his deepest areas of expertise in rare, oncological diseases. Mr. Amoroso earned his Executive M.B.A. in Management from the Stern School of Business, New York University, and his B.A. in Biological Sciences, summa cum laude, from Rider University. Mr. Amoroso’s qualifications to serve on our Board include his extensive experience in leading teams, both directly and indirectly, across clinical development, regulatory and medical affairs, corporate affairs, and commercial affairs, both in the U.S. and globally, with direct operational experience in various pharmaceutical companies.

Christine Silverstein, 41, became a director in March 2020 and currently serves as chair of the Audit Committee. Ms. Silverstein currently serves as Chief Financial Officer of Artios Pharma Ltd, a clinical-stage biotech company led by pioneers of DNA damage response (“DDR”) drug development From May 2021 to January 2024, Ms. Silverstein served as Chief Financial Officer of Excision Biotherapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing CRISPR-based therapies intended to cure viral infectious diseases. From July 2020 to January 2021, Ms. Silverstein served as Chief Financial Officer of Emendo Biotherapeutics, a next generation gene-editing company that was acquired in December 2020 by AnGes, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on gene-based medicines. Ms. Silverstein previously operated in various senior executive corporate finance roles within Abeona, including Chief Financial Officer from January 2019 to March 2020, Senior Vice President, Finance & Strategy from May 2018 to December 2018 and Vice President, Finance & Investor Relations from April 2016 to May 2018. Prior to joining Abeona in 2016, from 2014 to 2016, she served as Head of Investor Relations at Relmada Therapeutics, Inc., a late-stage biotechnology company addressing diseases of the central nervous system. Ms. Silverstein previously served in senior executive roles within a biotechnology venture fund and various capital markets advisory firms. Ms. Silverstein began her career in the financial services as an investment advisor at Royal Alliance Associates before moving to the biotechnology industry. Ms. Silverstein also serves on the Board of Directors of Marinus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: MRNS), a pharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of innovative therapeutics to treat seizure disorders. A member of CHIEF, Deloitte’s Chief Financial Officer Program, Women in Bio and the National Investor Relations Institute, Ms. Silverstein holds a B.S. from the Peter Tobin College of Business at St. John’s University and earned various accreditations from FINRA. Ms. Silverstein’s qualifications to serve on our Board include her extensive corporate strategic planning, capital markets and capital raising expertise, business development, compliance and crisis management experience.

Information with Respect to Executive Officers

Brendan O’Malley, J.D., Ph.D., 55, became our General Counsel on September 20, 2021. Dr. O’Malley joined Abeona in 2019 as Chief IP Counsel, bringing significant technical and legal expertise to the Abeona team. Prior to joining Abeona, he was a partner at the prominent New York patent litigation firm Fitzpatrick Cella Harper & Scinto, where he started his career as a summer associate in 2006, and then at Venable LLP, which merged with Fitzpatrick in 2018. While at Fitzpatrick and Venable, Dr. O’Malley litigated a wide variety of biopharmaceutical patent cases in the United States District Courts, at the Federal Circuit, and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, negotiated numerous settlement and license agreements, and provided many patent opinions in connection with M&A due diligence in the biotech space. While attending law school at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Dr. O’Malley served as a judicial intern to Judge William H. Pauley in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Before law school, he earned a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology & Microbiology from Tufts University School of Medicine, where he studied the role of protein-protein interactions in hepatitis virus assembly, and a B.S. degree magna cum laude from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

Joseph Vazzano, 40, was appointed our Chief Financial Officer effective March 14, 2022. Before joining Abeona, Mr. Vazzano served as Chief Financial Officer of publicly-traded Avenue Therapeutics, Inc. (“Avenue”) from February 2019 to January 2022. Prior to that, he served as Avenue’s Vice President of Finance and Corporate Controller since August 2017. During his tenure at Avenue, Mr. Vazzano secured multiple equity financings for Avenue and served in a leadership role for signing a complex, two-stage acquisition of Avenue with future contingent value rights. Prior to joining Avenue, Mr. Vazzano served as Assistant Corporate Controller at publicly-traded Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. from October 2016 to July 2017, where he helped grow the finance and accounting department during the company’s transition from a development-stage company to a fully integrated commercial organization. Mr. Vazzano has held various other financial roles at other publicly traded pharmaceutical companies such as Pernix Therapeutics, and NPS Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Vazzano, who is a Certified Public Accountant, began his career at KPMG LLP. Mr. Vazzano also serves on the Board of Directors and Audit Chair of Allarity Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALLR), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company dedicated to developing personalized cancer treatments. Mr. Vazzano has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Lehigh University and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New Jersey.

PROPOSAL 2

APPROVAL OF AN Increase in the Number of Shares Reserved for Issuance Under the Amended and Restated Abeona Therapeutics Inc. 2023 Equity Incentive Plan

On March 15, 2024, the Board adopted, subject to stockholder approval, an amendment (the “Plan Amendment”) to the Abeona Therapeutics Inc. 2023 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2023 Equity Incentive Plan”) to increase the number of shares of our Common Stock authorized for issuance thereunder from 1,700,000 to 3,200,000 shares. The Equity Incentive Plan as amended by the Plan Amendment is referred to below as the “Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan.” Other than the increase in the share reserve, no other substantive changes are contemplated to the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan.

Reasons for the Amendment to the 2023 Equity Incentive Plan

Equity incentive compensation programs play a pivotal role in the Company’s efforts to attract and retain key personnel essential to the Company’s long-term growth and financial success. We are asking our stockholders to approve the Plan Amendment to assist the Company in attracting and retaining qualified personnel. If our stockholders do not approve the Plan Amendment we will be limited in our ability to continue to issue awards in numbers sufficient to attract and motivate the highly skilled employees we need to recruit and retain, due to low share reserves remaining in the 2023 Equity Incentive Plan and the dilution to our share reserve and outstanding equity awards from the increase in our stock outstanding from recent financing activities, and our employees’ motivation and incentives will be negatively affected.

Offering a broad-based equity compensation program is vital to attracting and retaining highly skilled people in the highly competitive life sciences industry. We use equity awards to increase incentives on the part of employees, non-employee directors, consultants and other key advisors who provide important services to the Company. We believe that providing an equity stake in the future success of our Company motivates these individuals to achieve our long-term business goals and to increase stockholder value. Their innovation and productivity are critical to our success. Accordingly, approving the Plan Amendment is in the best interest of our stockholders because equity awards help us to:

We strongly believe that approval of the Plan Amendment will enable us to achieve our goals in attracting and retaining our most valuable asset: our employees and other service providers.

Without an appropriate reserve of shares of Common Stock (“Shares”) to grant competitive equity-based incentives, we would be forced to consider cash replacement alternatives to provide a market-competitive total compensation package necessary to attract, retain and motivate the talent critical to our future successes. These cash replacement alternatives could, among other things, reduce the cash available for investment in growth and development and cause a loss of employee motivation to achieve superior performance over a longer period of time. Equity-based incentives, by contrast, directly align a portion of the compensation of our service providers with the economic interests of our stockholders.

For that reason, the Company has structured the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan to provide flexibility in designing equity incentive programs with a broad array of equity incentives, such as stock options, stock appreciation rights (“SARs”), stock awards and restricted stock units and implement competitive incentive compensation programs for its employees and non-employee directors. The Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan will continue to be the only plan under which new equity awards may be granted to our current employees and other service providers. If this Proposal 2 is not approved, then we would be at a disadvantage against our competitors for recruiting, retaining and motivating individuals critical to our success and could be forced to increase cash compensation, thereby reducing resources available to meet our business needs.

Dilution Analysis

The table below shows our potential dilution levels based on our Common Stock outstanding as of March 1, 2024, the new Shares requested for issuance under the Amended 2023 Equity Incentive Plan and our total equity awards outstanding as of December 31, 2023. The Board believes that the number of Shares requested under the Amended 2023 Equity Incentive Plan represents a reasonable amount of potential equity dilution and will allow us to continue granting equity awards.

(1) “Full Value Awards” includes restricted stock awards granted under prior plans and as inducement awards that qualify for the inducement grant exception to the shareholder approval requirements of the Nasdaq Stock Market set forth in Rule 5635(c)(4) (“Inducement Awards”).

(2) “Total Equity Awards” represents the sum of outstanding stock options and outstanding Full Value Awards, in each case as of December 31, 2023.

(3) “Shares Available for Grant under Other Plans” represents 156,591 shares still available to be granted under the 2023 Incentive Plan and 859,400 shares available to be granted under the 2023 Employment Inducement Equity Incentive Plan.

(4) “Total Potential Overhang” includes the sum of the total number of equity awards outstanding as of December 31, 2023, the number of Shares available for Grant under Other Plans as of December 31, 2023, and the number of shares requested for the Amended 2023 Equity Incentive Plan.

(5) “Fully Diluted Shares” reflects the sum of the total number of Shares outstanding as of March 1, 2024, the total number of equity awards outstanding as of December 31, 2023, the number of Shares available for Grant under Other Plans as of December 31, 2023, and the number of additional Shares requested for grant under the Amended 2023 Equity Incentive Plan.

Burn Rate

In connection with our stock-based compensation programs, we are committed to using equity incentive awards prudently and within reasonable limits. Accordingly, we closely monitor our equity award “burn rate” each year. Our annual burn rate is determined by dividing the number of shares of our Common Stock subject to equity-based awards we grant in a calendar year by the weighted average number of our fully-diluted shares of Common Stock outstanding for that calendar year. The average annual burn rate for the years 2023, 2022 and 2021 was 9.0%. We anticipate that the share reserve under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan will enable us to fund our equity compensation program for approximately three years. While the Company believes this is a reasonable estimate of how long the share reserve would last, the actual period for which the proposed share reserve will fund our equity compensation program may be shorter or longer than three years, depending on changes in our granting practices, stock price and headcount growth.

Highlights of the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan

The Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan contains a number of provisions that we believe are consistent with best practices in equity compensation and which protect the stockholders’ interests, as described below:

Summary of the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan

The material terms of the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan are summarized below. This summary of the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan is not intended to be a complete description of the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan and is qualified in its entirety by the actual text of the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan attached hereto as Appendix A. Capitalized terms used, but not defined, in the following summary have the meaning assigned to those terms in the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan.

Purpose

The Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan is intended to provide participants with an incentive to contribute materially to the Company’s growth by aligning the economic interests of the participants with those of the Company’s stockholders.

Types of Awards

The Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan provides for the issuance of stock options (including incentive stock options and nonqualified stock options), SARs, stock awards, stock units, and other stock-based awards to employees, non-employee directors, and consultants of the Company or its subsidiaries.

Administration

The Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan is administered by the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee can delegate authority to administer the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan to one or more subcommittees of the Compensation Committee, as it determines to be appropriate. In addition, subject to compliance with applicable laws and applicable stock exchange requirements, the Compensation Committee may delegate some or all of its authority to our chief executive officer or our chief financial officer, with respect to grants of awards to employees or advisors and consultants who are not executive officers or directors subject to reporting obligations under Section 16 of the Exchange Act.

The Compensation Committee (1) determines the individuals who will receive awards under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan; (2) determines the type, size, terms and conditions of awards under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan; (3) determines when grants of awards will be made and the duration of any applicable exercise or restriction period, including the criteria for exercisability and the acceleration of exercisability; (4) determines the amounts payable based on whether performance goals were met, with discretion to make adjustments to the amounts payable as the Compensation Committee deems appropriate and in the Company’s best interests; (5) determines when to amend previously granted awards, subject to the limitations set forth in the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan; (6) determines the terms and guidelines that apply to individuals living outside the U.S. (if any) who receive grants under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan; and (7) assesses deal with any other matters arising under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan.

The term “Committee” in this description of the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan will refer to the Compensation Committee, our Board, or any subcommittee, as applicable, that has authority with respect to a specific grant.

Shares Subject to the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan

Subject to adjustment described below, our Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan authorizes the issuance or transfer of up to 3,200,000 Shares. The Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan also provides that Shares reserved for issuance under the Prior Plan that remain available for grant as of the Effective Date and Shares underlying any outstanding award granted under the Prior Plan that, following the Effective Date of the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan, expires, or is terminated, surrendered, cancelled, exchanged, or forfeited for any reason without issuance of such Shares will be available for new grants under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan. Subject to adjustment, as described below, the aggregate number of Shares available for issuance or transfer under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan pursuant to incentive stock options cannot exceed 3,200,000 Shares.

The Shares issuable under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan may be drawn from Shares of authorized but unissued common stock or from Shares that we acquire, including Shares purchased on the open market.

If awards granted under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan expire, terminate, or are surrendered, cancelled, forfeited, or exchanged without having been exercised, vested or paid in Shares, subject to such awards will again be available for purposes of the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan. Shares surrendered in payment of an option’s exercise price, including options granted under the Prior Plan, are not available for re-issuance under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan. Furthermore, Shares withheld or surrendered for payment of taxes with respect to awards, including such awards granted under the Prior Plan, are not available for reissuance. If SARs are granted, the full number of Shares subject to the SARs are considered issued under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan, without regard to the number of Shares issued upon exercise of the SARs. If grants of awards are settled in cash rather than Shares, any Shares that were previously subject to such awards will again be available for issuance or transfer under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan. If we repurchase the Shares on the open market with proceeds from an option’s exercise price (including options granted under the Prior Plan), then such Shares cannot be made available for issuance under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan.

The number of Shares available under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan will not be reduced by the Shares that are issued or transferred under awards made pursuant to an assumption, substitution, or exchange for previously granted awards of a company that we acquired in a transaction. Additionally, subject to applicable stock exchange listing and Code requirements, Shares available under an acquired company’s stockholder approved plan, as adjusted, may be used by the Company for grants of awards under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan, and they will not reduce the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan’s Share reserve.

The closing price of a share of Common Stock as reported on Nasdaq on March 1, 2024 was $7.81 per common share.

Non-Employee Director Limit

Subject to adjustment, as described below, the maximum aggregate grant date value of Shares (as determined for financial reporting purposes) granted to any non-employee director in a calendar year, taken together with any cash fees earned by such non-employee director for services rendered as a non-employee director during the calendar year, cannot exceed $500,000 in total value. This calculation excludes the value of any dividend equivalents paid pursuant to grants of awards from any previous year.

Adjustments

If there is any change in the number or kind of Shares outstanding because of (i) a stock dividend, spinoff, recapitalization, stock split, reverse stock split, or combination or exchange of shares; (ii) a merger, reorganization, or consolidation; (iii) a reclassification or change in par value of Shares; or (iv) any other extraordinary or unusual event affecting the outstanding common stock as a class without the Company’s receipt of consideration, or if the value of outstanding Shares is substantially reduced because of a spinoff or the Company’s payment of an extraordinary dividend or distribution, the Compensation Committee will equitably adjust the following:

The Compensation Committee will make adjustments to reflect changes in the number, kind, or value or Shares issued to prevent, to the extent possible, the enlargement or dilution of rights and benefits under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan and for any outstanding awards, in each case subject to and consistent with applicable law. The Compensation Committee will eliminate any fractional Shares resulting from adjustment.

The Compensation Committee may also make adjustments to the terms and conditions of outstanding awards in recognition of unusual or nonrecurring events, including acquisitions and dispositions of business assets, which affect the Company, its subsidiaries or business units, or any financial statements of the Company or its subsidiaries, or in response to changes in applicable laws, regulations, or accounting principles. In the event of certain transactions that represent a change in control (as described below), the change in control provisions of the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan apply.

Lastly, the Compensation Committee has sole discretion and authority to determine the adjustments to be made, and adjustments by the Compensation Committee are final, binding, and conclusive.

Eligibility

All employees and non-employee directors, and certain key advisors (including consultants and advisors of the Company) that provide services to us and our subsidiaries are eligible to participate in the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan. The Compensation Committee will select which eligible services providers will receive grants of awards under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan. As of March 1, 2024, approximately 90 employees, six non-employee directors and various consultants and advisors would have been eligible to participate in the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan if the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan were in effect on such date.

Vesting and Minimum Vesting Requirements

The Compensation Committee determines the vesting and exercisability terms of awards granted under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan and such awards will have regular vesting schedules that provide that no portion of an award will vest earlier than one year from the draft of grant. However, (i) awards granted to non-employee directors will be deemed to satisfy this minimum vesting requirement if granted on the date of our annual meeting of stockholders and vest on the date of our annual meeting of stockholders immediately following the date of grant (but in any event, not less than 50 weeks), and (ii) up to 5% of the Shares reserved for issuance under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan as of the Effective Date (subject to adjustment described above) may be granted without regard to this minimum vesting requirement. The Compensation Committee may accelerate vesting of any award in its discretion.

Options

Under our Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan, the Compensation Committee may grant incentive stock options and nonqualified stock options. Incentive stock options may be granted to employees of the Company or any parent or subsidiary of the Company, according to Section 424 of the Code. Nonqualified stock options may be granted to employees, non-employee directors, and key advisors. The exercise price of an option granted under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan will be determined by the Compensation Committee but cannot be less than the fair market value of a Share on the date the option is granted. If an incentive stock option is granted to a 10% stockholder, the exercise price cannot be less than 110% of the fair market value of a Share on the date the option is granted.

The Compensation Committee will determine the term of an option, with a term limit of no more than 10 years from the date of grant. However, an incentive stock option that is granted to a 10% stockholder, cannot have a term that exceeds five years from the date of grant.

Subject to the minimum vesting requirements of the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan, options will become exercisable according to the terms and conditions set by the Compensation Committee in the award agreement. The Compensation Committee may accelerate the exercisability of any outstanding options at any time and for any reason. The Compensation Committee will determine in the award agreement under what circumstances and during what time periods a participant may exercise an option after termination of employment or service. Any options granted to non-exempt employees cannot be exercisable for at least six months after the grant date, except as determined by the Compensation Committee.

A participant can exercise an option that has become exercisable by delivering a notice of exercise to the Company. The exercise price for any option is generally payable in cash or check. In certain circumstances, as permitted by the Compensation Committee, the exercise price may be paid by the surrender of Shares with an aggregate fair market value on the date the option is exercised equal to the exercise price; by payment through a broker in accordance with procedures established by the Federal Reserve Board; by withholding Shares subject to the exercisable option that have a fair market value on the date of exercise equal to the aggregate exercise price; or by such other method as the Compensation Committee approves.

Stock Awards

The Compensation Committee may grant stock awards of our common stock to anyone eligible under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan. Stock awards may be subject to restrictions as the Compensation Committee determines. The restrictions, if any, may lapse over a specified period or based on the satisfaction of pre-established criteria, as determined by the Compensation Committee, including, but not limited to, restrictions based on the achievement of performance goals. The award agreement will set the period of time during which the stock awards will be subject to restrictions, during which time a participant cannot sell, assign, transfer, pledge, or otherwise dispose of the shares of a stock award, except as permitted by the Compensation Committee.

If a participant ceases to be employed by or provide services to the Company during any restricted period, or if other specified conditions are not met, any unvested portion of the stock award will be forfeited, unless the Compensation Committee determines otherwise.

Unless otherwise determined by the Compensation Committee, a participant will have the right to vote and the right to receive dividends or other distributions paid on the shares, subject to any restrictions, including the achievement of performance goals, that the Compensation Committee may determine. Dividends with respect to stock awards will only vest if and to the extent that the underlying stock award vests, as determined by the Compensation Committee.

Stock Units

The Compensation Committee may grant stock units to anyone eligible to participate in the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan. Stock units represent hypothetical Shares, and each represents a right that a participant has to receive a Share or amount of cash based on the common stock’s value, if and when specified conditions are met.

Stock units become payable if certain conditions or circumstances are met, including specified performance goals. The Compensation Committee may accelerate vesting or payment for any reason and at any time, provided that the acceleration complies with Section 409A of the Code. Payment for stock units can be made in common stock, cash, or any combination of the two as determined by the Compensation Committee. All unvested stock units are forfeited if the participant’s employment or service is terminated for any reason, unless the Compensation Committee determines otherwise.

Stock Appreciation Rights

The Compensation Committee may grant SARs to anyone eligible for the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan separately or in tandem with any option. Tandem SARs for non-qualified stock options may be granted at the time an option is granted or while an option is outstanding. In the case of incentive stock options, SARs may only be granted at the time the incentive stock option is granted. The Compensation Committee will establish the base amount of the SAR at the time the SAR is granted, which will be equal to or greater than the fair market value of a share of our common stock as of the date of grant, as well as the vesting and other restrictions applicable to the exercisability of a SAR.

If a SAR is granted in tandem with an option, the number of SARs that are exercisable during a specified period will not exceed the number of Shares that the participant may purchase upon exercising the related option during such period. Upon exercising the related option, the related SARs will terminate, and upon the exercise of a SAR, the related option will terminate to the extent of an equal number of Shares. Generally, SARs may only be exercised while the participant is employed by, or providing services to, us or during an applicable period following termination. If a SAR is granted to a non-exempt employee, it may not be exercisable for at least six months after the date of grant.

When a participant exercises a SAR, the participant will receive the excess of the fair market value of the underlying common stock over the base amount of the SAR. The appreciation of a SAR will be paid in Shares, cash or both.

The term of any SAR cannot exceed 10 years from the date of grant. In the event that on the last day of the term of a SAR, the exercise is prohibited by applicable law, including a prohibition on purchases or sales of our common stock under our insider trading policy, the term of the SAR will be extended for a period of 30 days following the end of the legal prohibition, unless the Compensation Committee determines otherwise.

Other Stock-Based Awards

The Compensation Committee may grant other stock-based awards that are based on or measured by our common stock to anyone who is eligible to participate in the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan, subject to terms and conditions set by the Compensation Committee. Other stock-based awards may be subject to the achievement of performance goals or criteria, and may be payable in cash, Shares, or a combination of the two, as determined by the Compensation Committee.

Dividend Equivalents

The Compensation Committee may grant dividend equivalents in connection with stock units or other stock-based awards, either in the award agreement or at any point following the grant of the stock unit or other stock-based award. Dividends and dividend equivalents granted in connection with an award of stock units or other stock-based award will vest and be paid only if and to the extent that the underlying award of stock units or other stock-based award is vested and paid. Dividend equivalents may be payable in cash or Shares and upon terms and conditions set by the Compensation Committee.

Dividends and dividend equivalents may not be granted in connections with options or SARs.

Prohibition on Repricing

Except in connection with a corporate transaction involving the Company, the Compensation Committee may not (i) amend the terms of any outstanding stock options or SARs to reduce the exercise price or base price, as applicable; (ii) cancel outstanding stock options or SARs in exchange for stock options or SARs with an exercise price or base price that is lower than the exercise price or base price of the original option or SAR; or (iii) cancel outstanding stock options or SARs with an exercise price or base price, as applicable, above the current stock price in exchange for cash or other securities.

Change in Control

If we experience a change in control where we are not the surviving corporation (or survive only as a subsidiary of another corporation), unless the Compensation Committee determines otherwise, all outstanding grants that are not exercised, unvested or paid at the time of the change in control will be assumed by or replaced with grants (with respect to cash, securities or a combination thereof) that have comparable terms by the surviving corporation (or a parent or subsidiary of the surviving corporation).

Unless the Compensation Committee or applicable award agreement provides otherwise, if a participant’s employment or service to the Company is terminated involuntarily upon or within 12 months following a change in control, the participant’s awards become fully vested as of the date of such termination. For awards that become vested based, in whole or in part, on performance, the applicable award agreement must specify how to calculate the portion of such grant that becomes vested.

If there is a change in control and all outstanding grants are not assumed by or replaced with grants that have comparable terms by the surviving company, then the Compensation Committee may (but is not required to) adjust the terms and conditions of outstanding awards, including, without limitation, taking any of the following actions (or combination thereof) without the consent of any participant:

In general terms, a change in control under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan occurs if:

Deferrals

The Compensation Committee may permit or require participants to defer receipt of the payment of cash or the delivery of Shares that would otherwise be due to the participant in connection with a grant under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan. The Compensation Committee will establish the rules and procedures applicable to any such deferrals, consistent with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code.

Valuation

The fair market value per Share on any relevant date under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan will be deemed to be equal to the closing sale price per Share during regular hours trading on the relevant date on Nasdaq (or any other national securities exchange on which our Common Stock is at the time primarily traded). If there is no closing selling price for Common Stock on the date in question, then the fair market value shall be the last reported sale price during regular trading hours on the last preceding date for which a sale was reported. On March 1, 2024, the fair market value per Share of our Common Stock was $7.81.

Withholding

All awards under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan are subject to applicable U.S. federal (including FICA), state and local, foreign or other tax withholding requirements. We may require participants or other persons receiving or exercising awards to pay an amount sufficient to satisfy such tax withholding requirements with respect to such awards, or we may deduct from other wages and compensation paid by us the amount of any withholding taxes due with respect to such grant. We may also take any other actions that the Compensation Committee deems advisable to enable us to satisfy our withholding tax and other tax obligations with respect to any award made under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan.

The Compensation Committee may permit or require that our tax withholding obligation with respect to awards paid in our common stock be paid by having Shares withheld up to an amount that does not exceed the participant’s minimum applicable withholding tax rate for U.S. federal (including FICA), state and local tax liabilities, or as otherwise determined by the Compensation Committee. In addition, the Compensation Committee may, in its discretion, and subject to such rules as the Compensation Committee may adopt, allow participants to elect to have such share withholding applied to all or a portion of the tax withholding obligation arising in connection with any particular grant.

Transferability

Except as permitted by the Compensation Committee with respect to non-qualified stock options, only a participant may exercise rights under a grant during the participant’s lifetime. A participant cannot transfer those rights except by will or by the laws of descent and distribution or, with respect to awards other than incentive stock options, pursuant to a domestic relations order. Upon death, the personal representative or other person entitled to succeed to the rights of the participant may exercise such rights. The Compensation Committee may provide in an award agreement that a participant may transfer non-qualified stock options and stock awards to family members, or one or more trusts or other entities for the benefit of or owned by family members, consistent with applicable securities laws.

Amendment; Termination

The Board may amend or terminate the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan at any time, except that the Board must receive stockholder approval to do so if required to comply with the Code, applicable law, or applicable stock exchange requirements.

The Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan will terminate on the day immediately preceding the 10th anniversary of its Effective Date, unless terminated earlier by the Board or unless the Board, with stockholder approval, extends the term of the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan.

If a termination or amendment occurs after an award is made, it will not materially impair the rights of a participant with respect to the award, unless the participant consents or the Compensation Committee acts in compliance with applicable law or other exceptions set forth in the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan.

Establishment of Sub-Plans

Our Board may from time to time establish one or more sub-plans under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan to satisfy applicable blue sky, securities or tax laws of various jurisdiction. The Board will establish sub-plans by setting forth the Compensation Committee’s discretionary limits under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan and any additional terms and conditions not otherwise inconsistent with the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan.

Clawback

All grants of awards under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan will be subject to any applicable clawback or recoupment policies, share trading policies, and other policies that the Board or Compensation Committee may implement or approve at any time. We may offset any payments due under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan to a participant where repayment is required by an applicable clawback or recoupment policy, subject to applicable law.

Subject to applicable law, the Compensation Committee may provide in any award agreement that if a participant breaches any restrictive covenant obligation or agreement between the participant and us, or otherwise engages in activities that constitute misconduct either while employed by, or providing services to, us or within a specified period thereafter, all awards held by the participant will terminate, and we may rescind any exercise of an option or SAR and the vesting of any other award and delivery of Shares upon such exercise or vesting, as applicable on such terms as the Compensation Committee will determine, including the right to require that in the event of any rescission:

Payment by the participant will be made in such manner and on such terms and conditions as may be required by the Compensation Committee. We will be entitled to set off against the amount of any such payment any amounts that we otherwise owe to the participant.

Certain Federal Income Tax Aspects

The following is a summary of certain federal income tax consequences of awards under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan. It does not purport to be a complete description of all applicable rules, and those rules (including those summarized here) are subject to change.

Options

An optionee generally will not recognize taxable income upon the grant of a non-statutory option. Rather, at the time of exercise of the option, the optionee will recognize ordinary income for income tax purposes in an amount equal to the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the Shares purchased over the exercise price. We generally will be entitled to a tax deduction at such time and in the same amount, if any, that the optionee recognizes as ordinary income. The optionee’s tax basis in any Shares received upon the exercise of an option will be the fair market value of the Shares on the date of exercise, and if the Shares are later sold or exchanged, then the difference between the amount received upon such sale or exchange and the fair market value of such Shares on the date of exercise will generally be taxable as long-term or short-term capital gain or loss (if the Shares are a capital asset of the optionee) depending upon the length of time such Shares were held by the optionee.

Incentive stock options are eligible for favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment if certain requirements are satisfied. An incentive stock option must have an option price that is not less than the fair market value of the stock at the time the option is granted and must be exercisable within 10 years from the date of grant. An employee granted an incentive stock option generally does not realize compensation income for U.S. federal income tax purposes upon the grant of the option. At the time of exercise of an incentive stock option, no compensation income is realized by the optionee other than tax preference income for purposes of the federal alternative minimum tax on individual income. If the Shares acquired on exercise of an incentive stock option are held for at least two years after grant of the option and one year after exercise, the excess of the amount realized on the sale over the exercise price will be taxed as capital gain. If the Shares acquired on exercise of an incentive stock option are disposed of within less than two years after grant or one year of exercise, the optionee will realize taxable compensation income equal to the lesser of (i) the excess of the fair market value of the Shares on the date of exercise over the option price or (ii) the excess of the amount realized on the sale over the option price. Any additional amount realized will be taxed as capital gain.

Stock Awards

A participant generally will not be taxed upon the grant of stock awards subject to restrictions, but rather will recognize ordinary income in an amount equal to the fair market value of the Shares at the time the Shares are no longer subject to a “substantial risk of forfeiture” (within the meaning of the Code). We generally will be entitled to a deduction at the time when, and in the amount that, the participant recognizes ordinary income on account of the lapse of the restrictions. A participant’s tax basis in the Shares will equal their fair market value at the time the restrictions lapse, and the participant’s holding period for capital gains purposes will begin at that time. Any cash dividends paid on the restricted stock before the restrictions lapse will be taxable to the participant as additional compensation (and not as dividend income). Under Section 83(b) of the Code, a participant may elect to recognize ordinary income at the time the Shares of stock are awarded in an amount equal to their fair market value at that time, notwithstanding the fact that such Shares of stock are subject to restrictions and a substantial risk of forfeiture. If such an election is made, no additional taxable income will be recognized by such participant at the time the restrictions lapse, the participant will have a tax basis in the Shares equal to their fair market value on the date of their award, and the participant’s holding period for capital gains purposes will begin at that time. We generally will be entitled to a tax deduction at the time when, and to the extent that, ordinary income is recognized by such participant.

Stock Units

In general, the grant of stock units will not result in income for the participant or in a tax deduction for us. Upon the settlement of such an award in cash or shares, the participant will recognize ordinary income equal to the aggregate value of the payment received, and we generally will be entitled to a tax deduction at the same time and in the same amount.

Stock Appreciation Rights

A participant who is granted a SAR generally will not recognize ordinary income upon receipt of the SAR. Rather, at the time of exercise of such SAR, the participant will recognize ordinary income for U.S. federal income tax purposes in an amount equal to the value of any cash received and the fair market value on the date of exercise of any Shares received. We generally will be entitled to a tax deduction at such time and in the same amount, if any, that the participant recognizes as ordinary income. The participant’s tax basis in any Shares received upon exercise of a SAR will be the fair market value of the Shares on the date of exercise, and if the Shares are later sold or exchanged, then the difference between the amount received upon such sale or exchange and the fair market value of such Shares on the date of exercise will generally be taxable as long-term or short-term capital gain or loss (if the Shares are a capital asset of the participant) depending upon the length of time such Shares were held by the participant.

Other Stock-Based Awards

With respect to other stock-based awards granted under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan, generally when the participant receives payment with respect to an award, the amount of cash and/or the fair market value of any Shares or other property received will be ordinary income to the participant, and we generally will be entitled to a tax deduction at the same time and in the same amount.

Impact of Section 409A

Section 409A of the Code applies to deferred compensation, which is generally defined as compensation earned currently, the payment of which is deferred to a later taxable year. Awards under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan are intended to be exempt from the requirements of Section 409A or to satisfy its requirements. An award that is subject to Section 409A and fails to satisfy its requirements will subject the holder of the award to immediate taxation, interest and an additional 20% tax on the vested amount underlying the award.

Section 162(m) of the Code

Section 162(m) of the Code generally disallows a tax deduction to a publicly held company for compensation in excess of $1 million paid to its “covered employees” which generally includes all NEOs. While the Compensation Committee considers the tax deductibility of each element of executive compensation as a factor in our overall compensation program, the Compensation Committee retains the discretion to approve compensation that may not qualify for the compensation deduction.

New Plan Benefits

Future benefits under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan generally will be granted at the discretion of the Compensation Committee and are therefore not currently determinable.

Because future grants of awards under the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan, if approved, would be subject to the discretion of the Board or Compensation Committee, the amount and terms of future awards to particular participants or groups of participants are not determinable at this time. No awards have been previously granted that are contingent on the approval of the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan.

Proposal 2 will be approved upon the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding Shares present through virtual attendance or by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote on the proposal. Stockholders may vote “FOR” or “AGAINST,” or “ABSTAIN” from voting. Abstentions will have the effect of a vote “AGAINST” this proposal. Broker non-votes, if any, will be disregarded and will have no effect on the outcome of the vote for Proposal 2.

Recommendation of the Board

The Board recommends that the stockholders vote “FOR” the approval of the Amended and Restated 2023 Equity Incentive Plan as set forth in this Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting

PROPOSAL 3

ADVISORY VOTE ON THE COMPENSATION OF THE COMPANY’S NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) enables our stockholders to vote to approve, on an advisory (nonbinding) basis, the compensation of our named executive officers as disclosed in this proxy statement in accordance with the SEC’s rules. Our executive compensation programs are designed to attract, motivate, and retain our management talent, including the named executive officers, and to reward them for strong Company performance and successful execution of our key business plans and strategies. Under these programs, our named executive officers are rewarded for the achievement of specific annual, long-term and strategic goals and the realization of increased stockholder value. The Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors regularly reviews the Company’s compensation programs to confirm that they are achieving these goals. Please read the information under the heading “Executive Compensation” above for additional information about the compensation of our named executive officers in 2023.

We are asking our stockholders to indicate their support for our named executive officer compensation for fiscal year 2023 as described in this proxy statement. This proposal, commonly known as a “say-on-pay” proposal, gives our stockholders the opportunity to express their views on our named executive officers’ compensation for the most recently completed fiscal year. This vote is not intended to address any specific item of compensation, but rather the overall compensation of our named executive officers and the philosophy, policies and practices as described in this proxy statement. While this vote is non-binding on us, our Compensation Committee values the opinions of our stockholders and will take into consideration the outcome of the vote when considering future executive compensation arrangements. Accordingly, our Board recommends stockholders to vote “FOR” the following resolution at the Annual Meeting:

“RESOLVED, that the compensation paid to the Company’s named executive officers during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, as disclosed pursuant to Item 402 of Regulation S-K, including compensation tables and narrative discussion, is hereby APPROVED on an advisory basis.”

Required Vote

Proposal 3 will be approved on an advisory basis upon the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of Common Stock present in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote on such proposal. Stockholders may vote “FOR” or “AGAINST,” or “ABSTAIN” from voting. Abstentions will have the effect of a vote “AGAINST” this proposal. Broker non-votes, if any, will be disregarded and will have no effect on the outcome of the vote for Proposal 3.

Recommendation of the Board

The Board recommends that the stockholders vote “FOR” the advisory approval of the compensation of our named executive officers as set forth in this proxy statement for the Annual Meeting.

PROPOSAL 4

RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP AS OUR INDEPENDENT

REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

The Audit Committee and the Board have selected Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as our independent auditors for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024 and have further directed that management submit the selection of independent auditors for ratification by the stockholders at the Annual Meeting.

A representative of Deloitte & Touche LLP is not expected to be present at the Annual Meeting but will be available to respond to appropriate questions in writing.

Ratification by stockholders is not required. If Proposal 4 is not approved by the stockholders, the Board does not plan to change the appointment for fiscal year 2024 but will consider such vote in selecting our independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal year 2025.

Information Regarding Fiscal Year 2023 Change of Independent Auditor

As reported in the Company’s Form 8-K filed October 18, 2023, following an extensive evaluation and competitive process, the Audit Committee dismissed Whitley Penn LLP and appointed Deloitte & Touche LLP as the Company’s new independent registered public accounting firm for the Company’s fiscal year ending December 31, 2023. Whitley Penn LLP’s reports on the Company’s consolidated financial statements as of and for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 did not contain any adverse opinion or disclaimer of opinion, nor were they qualified or modified as to uncertainty, audit scope, or accounting principles. During the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, and the subsequent interim periods through October 18, 2023: (i) there were no disagreements between the Company and Whitley Penn LLP on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure, or auditing scope or procedure, which disagreements, if not resolved to Whitley Penn LLP’s satisfaction, would have caused Whitley Penn LLP to make reference to the subject matter of the disagreements in connection with its reports on the financial statements for such years and (ii) there were no reportable events as defined in Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K. The Company requested that Whitley Penn LLP furnish a letter addressed to the Securities and Exchange Commission stating whether or not it agrees with the above statements. A copy of Whitley Penn LLP’s letter, dated October 17, 2023, was filed as Exhibit 16.1 to the Form 8-K filed on October 18, 2023.

During the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 and the subsequent interim periods through October 18, 2023, neither the Company nor anyone on its behalf consulted with Deloitte & Touche LLP with respect to any of the matters or reportable events set forth in Item 304(a)(2)(i) and (ii) of Regulation S-K.

Independent Auditor Fees

The following table represents aggregate fees billed or to be billed to the Company for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 by Deloitte & Touche LLP and Whitley Penn LLP and December 31, 2022 by Whitley Penn LLP.

All decisions regarding the selection of an independent registered public accounting firm and approval of accounting services and fees are made by our Audit Committee in accordance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and related SEC rules.

Policy on Audit Committee Pre-Approval of Audit and Permissible Non-Audit Services of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Audit Committee pre-approves all audit and non-audit services provided by the independent registered public accounting firm prior to the engagement with respect to such services. The Audit Committee approved all of the services listed under the preceding captions “Audit Fees” and “Audit-Related Fees.”

Required Vote

Proposal 4 will be approved upon the affirmative vote of a majority of shares of Common Stock present through virtual attendance or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote on such proposal. Abstentions will have the effect of a vote “AGAINST” Proposal 4. Brokers may vote on Proposal 4 absent instructions from the beneficial owner.

Recommendation of the Board

The Board recommends that the stockholders vote “FOR” the ratification of the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024.

OTHER MATTERS

As of the date of this proxy statement, the Board is not aware of any matters to be presented for consideration at the Annual Meeting other than those referred to above. If (i) any matters not within the knowledge of the Board as of the date of this proxy statement should properly come before the Annual Meeting; (ii) a person not named herein is nominated at the Annual Meeting for election as a director because a nominee named herein is unable to serve or for good cause will not serve; (iii) any proposals properly omitted from this proxy statement and the form of proxy, subject to applicable laws and our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws, should come before the Annual Meeting; or (iv) any matters should arise incident to the conduct of the Annual Meeting, then the proxies will be voted by the persons named in the enclosed form of proxy, or their substitutes acting thereunder, in accordance with the recommendations of the Board, or, if no such recommendations are made, in accordance with their best judgment.

SUBMISSION OF NOMINATIONS AND PROPOSALS FOR THE 2025 ANNUAL MEETING

The Board will make provisions for the presentation of proposals submitted by eligible stockholders who have complied with the relevant rules and regulations of the SEC as well as those contained in our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws. These requirements are summarized above under the heading “Nomination and Election of Directors.” A stockholder may nominate directors at the 2025 annual meeting of stockholders by submitting the nomination to the Company not later than 120 calendar days in advance of such meeting in accordance with our Certificate of Incorporation. Proposals to be included in the Company’s proxy statement under Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act (“Rule 14a-8”) for the 2025 annual meeting of stockholders must be received no later than November 19, 2024.

STOCKHOLDERS SHARING AN ADDRESS OR HOUSEHOLD

Only one copy of our Annual Report and Proxy Statement is being delivered to multiple stockholders sharing an address unless we have received instructions to the contrary from one or more of the stockholders.

We will deliver promptly upon written or oral request a separate copy of our Annual Report and Proxy Statement to any stockholder at a shared address to which a single copy of any of those documents was delivered. To receive a separate copy of our Annual Report and Proxy Statement, or if two stockholders sharing an address have received two copies of any of these documents and desire to only receive one, you may write to the Company at c/o Investor Relations, 6555 Carnegie Ave., 4^th Floor, Cleveland, OH 44103 or call the Company at 646-813-4701.

COST AND METHOD OF SOLICITATION

We will pay the cost of soliciting proxies. Proxies may be solicited on behalf of the Company by directors, officers or employees of Abeona in person or by telephone, email or other electronic means. As required by the SEC, we also will reimburse brokerage firms and other custodians, nominees and fiduciaries for their expenses incurred in sending proxies and proxy materials to beneficial owners of our Common Stock.

FORM 10-K

Our annual report on Form 10-K for the 2023 fiscal year is available without charge to each stockholder, upon written request to the Company at c/o Investor Relations, 6555 Carnegie Ave., 4^th Floor, Cleveland, OH 44103 and is also available on our website at www.abeonatherapeutics.com under the heading “Investors & Media—SEC Filings.”

APPENDIX A

Amended and Restated Abeona Therapeutics Inc. 2023 Equity Incentive Plan

Section 1. Effectiveness and Purpose.

Effective as of the Effective Date, the Amended and Restated Abeona Therapeutics Inc. 2023 Equity Incentive Plan (as may be amended from time to time, the “Plan”) is hereby established.

The purpose of the Plan is to provide employees of Abeona Therapeutics Inc., a Delaware corporation (together with its successors, the “Corporation”), and its Subsidiaries, certain consultants and advisors who perform services for the Corporation or its Subsidiaries, and non-employee members of the Board, with the opportunity to receive grants of equity awards in the form of incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, stock awards, stock units, and other stock-based awards. Capitalized terms used in the Plan and not otherwise defined herein shall have the meaning assigned to them in Section 2.

The Corporation believes that the Plan will encourage the participants to contribute materially to the growth of the Corporation, thereby benefitting the Corporation’s stockholders, and will align the economic interests of the participants with those of the stockholders.

The Plan is intended to replace the Prior Plan. No additional grants shall be made under the Prior Plan on or after the Effective Date. Outstanding grants under the Prior Plan shall continue in effect according to their terms.

Section 2. Definitions.

The following terms shall have the meanings set forth below for purposes of the Plan:

(a) “Affiliate” means, when used with reference to any Person, any other Person that directly or indirectly, through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by or is under common control with, or owns greater than 50% of the voting power in, the specified Person (the term “control” for this purpose means the ability, whether by the ownership of shares or other equity interest, by contract or otherwise, to elect a majority of the directors of a corporation, independently to select the managing partner of a partnership or the managing member or the majority of the managers, as applicable, of a limited liability company, or otherwise to have the power independently to remove and then select a majority of those Persons exercising governing authority over an entity, and control shall be conclusively presumed in the case of the direct or indirect ownership of 50% or more of the voting equity interests in the specified Person).

(b) “Award” means an Option, SAR, Stock Award, Stock Unit or Other Stock-Based Award granted under the Plan.

(c) “Award Agreement” means the written agreement that sets forth the terms and conditions of an Award, including all amendments thereto.

(d) “Board” means the Board of Directors of the Corporation.

(e) “CEO” means the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation.

(f) “Change in Control” means a change in ownership or control of the Corporation effected through any of the following transactions:

(i) any “person” (as such term is used in sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act) becomes a “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Corporation representing more than fifty percent (50%) of the voting power of the then-outstanding securities of the Corporation; provided that a Change in Control shall not be deemed to occur as a result of a transaction in which the Corporation becomes a direct or indirect subsidiary of another Person and in which the stockholders of the Corporation, immediately prior to the transaction, will beneficially own, immediately after the transaction, shares of such other Person representing more than fifty percent (50%) of the voting power of the then-outstanding securities of such other Person;

(ii) the consummation of (A) a merger or consolidation of the Corporation with another Person where, immediately after the merger or consolidation, the stockholders of the Corporation, immediately prior to the merger or consolidation, will not beneficially own, in substantially the same proportion as ownership immediately prior to the merger or consolidation, shares entitling such stockholders to more than fifty percent (50%) of all votes to which all stockholders of the surviving Person would be entitled in the election of directors, or where the members of the Board, immediately prior to the merger or consolidation, will not, immediately after the merger or consolidation, constitute a majority of the board of directors of the surviving Person or (B) a sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Corporation;

(iii) a change in the composition of the Board over a period of twelve (12) consecutive months or less such that a majority of the Board members ceases, by reason of one or more contested elections, or threatened election contests, for Board membership, to be comprised of individuals who either (A) have been Board members continuously since the beginning of such period or (B) have been elected or nominated for election as Board members during such period by at least a majority of the Board members described in clause (A) who were still in office at the time the Board approved such election or nomination; or

(iv) the consummation of a complete dissolution or liquidation of the Corporation.

The Committee may modify the definition of Change in Control for a particular Award as the Committee deems appropriate to comply with Section 409A of the Code. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if an Award constitutes deferred compensation subject to Section 409A of the Code and the Award provides for payment upon a Change in Control, then, for purposes of such payment provisions, no Change in Control shall be deemed to have occurred upon an event described in items (i)-(iv) above unless the event would also constitute a change in ownership or effective control of, or a change in the ownership of a substantial portion of the assets of, the Corporation under Section 409A of the Code.

(g) “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

(h) “Committee” means the Compensation Committee of the Board or another committee appointed by the Board to administer the Plan. The Committee shall consist of directors who are “non-employee directors” as defined under Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act and “independent directors,” as determined in accordance with the independence standards established by the stock exchange on which the Common Stock is at the time primarily traded.

(i) “Common Stock” means common stock, par value $.01 per share, of the Corporation, and such other securities as may be substituted for Common Stock pursuant to Section 5(c) or Section 5(e).

(j) “Disability” or “Disabled” has the meaning set forth in an applicable Award Agreement or employment or services agreement with a Participant, and in the absence of the forgoing, means (i) the Participant’s becoming disabled within the meaning of the Employer’s long-term disability plan applicable to the Participant, or (ii) if no long-term disability plan is applicable to the Participant, the Participant’s inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that is expected to result in death or has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of six months or more.

(k) “Dividend Equivalent” means an amount determined by multiplying the number of shares of Common Stock subject to a Stock Unit or Other Stock-Based Award by the per-share cash dividend paid by the Corporation on its outstanding Common Stock, or the per-share Fair Market Value of any dividend paid on its outstanding Common Stock in consideration other than cash. If interest is credited on accumulated divided equivalents, the term “Dividend Equivalent” shall include the accrued interest.

(l) “Effective Date” means May 17, 2023.

(m) “Employed by, or providing service to, the Employer” means employment or service as an Employee, Key Advisor or member of the Board (so that, for purposes of exercising Options and SARs and satisfying conditions with respect to Stock Awards, Stock Units, and Other Stock-Based Awards, a Participant shall not be considered to have terminated employment or service until the Participant ceases to be an Employee, Key Advisor and member of the Board), unless the Committee determines otherwise. If a Participant’s relationship is with a Subsidiary and that entity ceases to be a Subsidiary, the Participant will be deemed to cease employment or service when the entity ceases to be a Subsidiary, unless the Participant transfers employment or service to an Employer. If a Participant has military, sick leave or other bona fide leave, the Participant will not be deemed to cease employment or service solely as a result of such leave; provided that such leave does not exceed the longer of 90 days or the period during which the absent Participant’s reemployment rights, if any, are guaranteed by statute or contract. To the extent consistent with applicable law, the Committee may provide that Awards continue to vest for all or a portion of the period of such leave, or that vesting shall be tolled during such leave and only recommence upon the Participant’s return from such leave.

(n) “Employee” means an employee of the Employer (including an officer or director who is also an employee), but excluding any person who is classified by the Employer as a “contractor” or “consultant,” no matter how characterized by the Internal Revenue Service, other governmental agency or a court. Any change of characterization of an individual by the Internal Revenue Service or any court or government agency shall have no effect upon the classification of an individual as an Employee for purposes of this Plan, unless the Committee determines otherwise.

(o) “Employer” means the Corporation and its Subsidiaries.

(p) “Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

(q) “Exercise Price” means the per share price at which shares of Common Stock may be purchased under an Option, as designated by the Committee.

(r) “Fair Market Value” means:

(i) If the Common Stock is publicly traded, the Fair Market Value per share shall be determined as follows: (A) if the principal trading market for the Common Stock is a national securities exchange, the closing sales price during regular trading hours on the relevant date or, if there were no trades on that date, the latest preceding date upon which a sale was reported, or (B) if the Common Stock is not principally traded on any such exchange, the last reported sale price of a share of Common Stock during regular trading hours on the relevant date, as reported by the OTC Bulletin Board.

(ii) If the Common Stock is not publicly traded or, if publicly traded, is not subject to reported transactions as set forth above, the Fair Market Value per share shall be determined by the Committee through any reasonable valuation method authorized under the Code.

(s) “Incentive Stock Option” means an Option that is intended to meet the requirements of an incentive stock option under Section 422 of the Code.

(t) “Involuntary Termination” has the following meaning with respect to each Award made under the Plan:

(i) Involuntary Termination shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the Award Agreement for the particular Award or in any other agreement incorporated by reference into the Award Agreement for purposes of defining such term.

(ii) In the absence of any other Involuntary Termination definition in the Award Agreement (or in any other agreement incorporated by reference into the Award Agreement), Involuntary Termination means such individual’s involuntary dismissal or discharge by the Employer for reasons other than Misconduct.

(u) “Key Advisor” means a consultant or advisor of the Employer.

(v) “Misconduct” has the following meaning with respect to each Award made under the Plan:

(i) Misconduct shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the Award Agreement for the particular Award or in any other agreement incorporated by reference into the Award Agreement for purposes of defining such term.

(ii) In the absence of any other Misconduct definition in the Award Agreement for a particular Award (or in any other agreement incorporated by reference into the Award Agreement), Misconduct means the commission of any act of fraud, embezzlement or dishonesty by the Participant, any unauthorized use or disclosure by such person of confidential information or trade secrets of the Corporation or any Affiliate, or any other intentional misconduct by such person adversely affecting the business or affairs of the Corporation or any Affiliate in a material manner. The foregoing definition shall not in any way preclude or restrict the right of the Employer to discharge or dismiss any Participant, employee or other person in the service of the Employer for any other acts or omissions, but such other acts or omissions shall not be deemed, for purposes of the Plan, to constitute grounds for termination for Misconduct.

(w) “Non-Employee Director” means a member of the Board who is not an Employee.

(x) “Nonqualified Stock Option” means an Option that is not intended to be taxed as an incentive stock option under Section 422 of the Code.

(y) “Option” means an option to purchase shares of Common Stock, as described in Section 7.

(z) “Other Stock-Based Award” means any Award based on, measured by or payable in Common Stock (other than an Option, Stock Unit, Stock Award, or SAR), as described in Section 11.

(aa) “Participant” means an Employee, Key Advisor or Non-Employee Director designated by the Committee to participate in the Plan.

(bb) “Performance Goals” means the business criteria selected by the Corporation to measure the level of performance of the Corporation or an Affiliate during a performance period, which may include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following criteria: (i) cash flow; (ii) earnings (including earnings before interest and taxes, earnings before taxes, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and charges for stock-based compensation, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, and net earnings); (iii) earnings per share; (iv) growth in earnings or earnings per share; (v) stock price; (vi) return on equity or average stockholder equity; (vii) total stockholder return or growth in total stockholder return either directly or in relation to a comparative group; (viii) return on capital; (ix) return on assets or net assets; (x) invested capital, required rate of return on capital or return on invested capital; (xi) revenue, growth in revenue or return on sales; (xii) income or net income; (xiii) operating income, net operating income or net operating income after tax; (xiv) operating profit or net operating profit; (xv) operating margin or gross margin; (xvi) return on operating revenue or return on operating profit; (xvii) market share; (xviii) market capitalization; (xix) application approvals; (xx) litigation and regulatory resolution goals; (xxi) product sales or milestones; (xxii) budget comparisons; (xxiii) growth in stockholder value relative to the growth of a peer group or index; (xxiv) development and implementation of strategic plans and/or organizational restructuring goals; (xxv) development and implementation of risk and crisis management programs; (xxvi) improvement in workforce diversity; (xxvii) compliance requirements and compliance relief; (xxviii) productivity goals; (xxix) workforce management and succession planning goals; (xxx) economic value added (including typical adjustments consistently applied from generally accepted accounting principles required to determine economic value added performance measures); (xxxi) measures of customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction or staff development; (xxxii) development or marketing collaborations, formations of joint ventures or partnerships or the completion of other similar transactions intended to enhance the Corporation’s revenue or profitability or enhance its customer base; (xxxiii) merger and acquisitions; (xxxiv) strategic goals or objectives (including objectives related to qualitative or quantitative environmental, social or governance metrics); and (xxxiv) other applicable criteria as determined by the Committee. Performance Goals applicable to an Award shall be determined by the Committee, and may be established on an absolute or relative basis and may be established on a corporate-wide basis or with respect to one or more business units, divisions, subsidiaries or business segments. Relative performance may be measured against a group of peer companies, a financial market index or other objective and quantifiable indices.

(cc) “Person” means any natural person, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, trust, joint stock company, business trust, unincorporated association, joint venture, governmental authority or other legal entity of any nature whatsoever.

(dd) “Prior Plan” means the Abeona Therapeutics, Inc. 2015 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended through the Effective Date.

(ee) “SAR” means a stock appreciation right, as described in Section 10.

(ff) “Stock Award” means an award of Common Stock, as described in Section 8.

(gg) “Stock Unit” means an award of a contractual right to receive one or more shares of Common Stock, cash or combination thereof, as described in Section 9, and denominated in a number of shares of Common Stock specified in an Award Agreement.

(hh) “Subsidiary” means any corporation (other than the Corporation) in an unbroken chain of corporations beginning with the Corporation, provided each corporation (other than the last corporation) in the unbroken chain owns, at the time of the determination, stock possessing 50% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock in one of the other corporations in such chain.

Section 3. Administration.

(a) Committee. The Plan shall be administered and interpreted by the Committee; provided, however, that any Awards to members of the Board must be authorized by a majority of the Board. The Committee may delegate authority to one or more subcommittees of the Committee or as set forth in Section 3(b), as it deems appropriate. Subject to compliance with applicable law and the applicable stock exchange rules, the Board, in its discretion, may perform any action of the Committee hereunder. To the extent that the Board, the Committee, a subcommittee or the CEO, as described below administers the Plan, references in the Plan to the “Committee” shall be deemed to refer to the Board, the Committee, or such subcommittee or the CEO.

(b) Delegation to CEO or CFO. Subject to compliance with applicable law and applicable stock exchange requirements, the Committee may delegate all or part of its authority and power to the CEO or CFO of the Corporation or a committee comprised of executives of the Corporation, as it deems appropriate, with respect to Awards to Employees or Key Advisors who are not executive officers or directors under Section 16 of the Exchange Act.

(c) Committee Authority. The Committee shall have the sole authority to (i) determine the individuals to whom Awards shall be made under the Plan; (ii) determine the type, size, terms and conditions of the Awards to be made to each such individual; (iii) determine the time when the Awards will be made and the duration of any applicable exercise or restriction period, including the criteria for exercisability and the acceleration of exercisability, which criteria may be based on the attainment of Performance Goals; (iv) determine the amounts payable based on attainment of Performance Goals, including discretion to make such adjustments (positive or negative) to the amounts payable as the Committee deems appropriate and in the best interests of the Corporation; (v) amend the terms of any previously issued Award, subject to the provisions of Section 18 below; (vi) determine and adopt terms, guidelines, and provisions, not inconsistent with the Plan and applicable law, that apply to individuals residing outside of the United States who receive Awards under the Plan; and (vii) deal with any other matters arising under the Plan.

(d) Committee Determinations. The Committee shall have full power and express discretionary authority to administer and interpret the Plan, to make factual determinations and to adopt or amend such rules, regulations, agreements and instruments for implementing the Plan and for the conduct of its business as it deems necessary or advisable, in its sole discretion. The Committee’s written interpretations of the Plan and all determinations made by the Committee pursuant to the powers vested in it hereunder shall be conclusive and binding on all persons having any interest in the Plan or in any Awards granted hereunder. The Committee may rely on internal or external advisors in determining appropriate interpretations of the Plan or Awards granted hereunder. All powers of the Committee shall be executed in its sole discretion, in the best interest of the Corporation, not as a fiduciary, and in keeping with the objectives of the Plan and need not be uniform as to similarly situated individuals.

(e) Indemnification. No member of the Committee or the Board, and no employee of the Corporation or any Affiliate shall be liable for any act or failure to act with respect to the Plan, except in circumstances involving such person’s bad faith or willful misconduct, or for any act or failure to act hereunder by any other member of the Committee or employee or by any agent to whom duties in connection with the administration of this Plan have been delegated. The Corporation shall indemnify members of the Committee and the Board and any agent of the Committee or the Board who is an employee of the Corporation or a Subsidiary against any and all liabilities or expenses to which they may be subjected by reason of any act or failure to act with respect to their duties on behalf of the Plan, except in circumstances involving such person’s bad faith or willful misconduct.

Section 4. Awards.

(a) General. Awards under the Plan may consist of Options as described in Section 7, Stock Awards as described in Section 8, Stock Units as described in Section 9, SARs as described in Section 10, and Other Stock-Based Awards as described in Section 11. All Awards shall be subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein and to such other terms and conditions consistent with this Plan as the Committee deems appropriate and as are specified in writing by the Committee to the individual in the Award Agreement. All Awards shall be made conditional upon the Participant’s acknowledgement, in writing or by acceptance of the Award, that all decisions and determinations of the Committee shall be final and binding on the Participant, the Participant’s beneficiaries and any other person having or claiming an interest under such Award. Awards under a particular Section of the Plan need not be uniform as among the Participants.

(b) Minimum Vesting. Awards granted under the Plan shall include regular vesting schedules that provide that no portion of an Award shall vest earlier than one year from the date of grant. However, (i) for purposes of Awards granted to Non-Employee Directors, such Awards shall be deemed to satisfy this minimum vesting requirement if such Awards are granted on the date of the Corporation’s annual meeting of stockholders and vest on the date of the Corporation’s annual meeting of stockholders immediately following the date of grant (but not less than 50 weeks following the date of grant), and (ii) subject to adjustments made in accordance with Section 5(e) below, up to 5% of the shares of Common Stock authorized under the Plan as set forth in Section 5(a) as of the Effective Date may be granted without regard to this minimum vesting requirement.

(c) Dividends and Dividend Equivalents. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, any dividends or Dividend Equivalents granted in connection with Awards under the Plan shall vest and be paid only if and to the extent the underlying Awards vest and are paid.

Section 5. Shares Subject to the Plan.

(a) Shares Authorized. Subject to adjustment as described below in Sections 5(b) and 5(e) below, the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock that may be issued or transferred under the Plan shall not exceed 3,200,000 shares of Common Stock. In addition, subject to adjustment as described below in Sections 5(b) and 5(e) below, shares of Common Stock reserved for issuance under the Prior Plan that remain available for grant under the Prior Plan as of the Effective Date and shares of the Common Stock underlying any outstanding award granted under the Prior Plan that, following the Effective Date, expires, or is terminated, surrendered, cancelled, or forfeited or exchanged for any reason without issuance of such shares shall be available for new Awards under this Plan. Subject to adjustment as described below in Sections 5(b) and 5(e) below, the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock that may be issued or transferred under the Plan pursuant to Incentive Stock Options shall not exceed 3,200,000 shares of Common Stock.

(b) Source of Shares; Share Counting. Shares issued or transferred under the Plan may be authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock or reacquired shares of Common Stock, including shares purchased by the Corporation on the open market for purposes of the Plan. If and to the extent Awards granted under the Plan expire, terminate or are surrendered cancelled, forfeited, exchanged or without having been exercised, vested or paid in shares, the shares subject to such Awards shall again be available for purposes of the Plan. Shares of Common Stock surrendered in payment of the Exercise Price of an Option (or an option granted under the Prior Plan) shall not be available for re-issuance under the Plan. Shares of Common Stock withheld or surrendered for payment of taxes with respect to Awards (or awards granted under the Prior Plan) shall not be available for re-issuance under the Plan. If SARs are granted, the full number of shares subject to the SARs shall be considered issued under the Plan, without regard to the number of shares issued upon exercise of the SARs. To the extent any Awards are paid in cash, and not in shares of Common Stock, any shares previously subject to such Awards shall again be available for issuance or transfer under the Plan. For the avoidance of doubt, if shares are repurchased by the Corporation on the open market with the proceeds of the Exercise Price of Options (including options granted under the Prior Plan), such shares may not again be made available for issuance under the Plan.

(c) Substitute Awards. Shares issued or transferred under Awards made pursuant to an assumption, substitution or exchange for previously granted awards of a company acquired by the Corporation in a transaction (“Substitute Awards”) shall not reduce the number of shares of Common Stock available under the Plan and available shares under a stockholder approved plan of an acquired company (as appropriately adjusted to reflect the transaction) may be used for Awards under the Plan and shall not reduce the Plan’s share reserve (subject to applicable stock exchange listing and Code requirements).