9. STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Preferred Stock
Upon closing of the Business Combination, pursuant to the terms of its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, the Company became authorized to issue 2,000,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value $0.0001 per share. The Company’s board of directors has the authority, without further action by the stockholders, to issue such shares of preferred stock in one or more series, to establish from time to time the number of shares to be included in each such series, and to fix the dividend, voting, and other rights, preferences and privileges of the shares. There were no issued and outstanding shares of preferred stock as of March 31, 2023.
Common Stock
Upon the closing of the Business Combination, pursuant to the terms of the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, the Company became authorized to issue 1,250,000,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share.
Each share of common stock entitles the holder to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of the Company’s stockholders. Common stockholders are entitled to receive dividends, as may be declared by the board of directors, if any, subject to the preferential dividend rights of the Company’s preferred stock.
As of March 31, 2023, 538,474,800 shares of common stock were issued, including 40,334,420 shares sold to Legacy EQRx’s founders, employees and advisors under restricted stock agreements (see note 10) that were exchanged in the Business Combination for common stock, and 50,000,000 Earn-Out Shares.
10. STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
In January 2020, Legacy EQRx’s board of directors and stockholders adopted the 2019 Stock Option and Grant Plan (the “2019 Plan”), which was assumed in the Business Combination. On December 16, 2021, the Company’s board of directors and its stockholders adopted the 2021 Option Grant and Incentive Plan (the “2021 Plan”), which became effective upon the closing of the Business Combination. The 2021 Plan provides for the issuance of incentive stock options, non-qualified stock options, restricted stock awards, unrestricted stock awards, restricted stock units, or any combination of the foregoing to employees, board members, consultants and advisors.
Upon completion of the Business Combination, the Company ceased issuing awards under the 2019 Plan. The total number of shares of common stock that may be issued under the 2021 Plan was 59,353,357 at plan adoption (“Share Reserve”). The 2021 Plan provides that the Share Reserve will automatically increase on January 1, 2022 and each January 1 thereafter, by 5% of the outstanding number of shares of common stock on the immediately preceding December 31 or such lesser number of shares as determined by the Compensation and Talent Development Committee (the “Annual Increase”). Share limits under the 2021 Plan are subject to adjustment in the event of a stock split, stock dividend or other change in the Company’s capitalization. The shares of common stock underlying any awards that are forfeited, cancelled, held back upon exercise or settlement of an award to satisfy the exercise price or tax withholding, reacquired by the Company prior to vesting, satisfied without the issuance of stock, expire or are otherwise terminated (other than by exercise) under each of the 2021 Plan and the 2019 Plan will be added back to the Share Reserve. As of March 31, 2023, 88,945,914 shares remain available for future grant under the 2021 Plan.