UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

Schedule 14A

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

(Amendment No. )

 

Filed by the Registrant

 

Filed by a Party other than the Registrant

 

Check the appropriate box:

 

Preliminary Proxy Statement
   
Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
   
Definitive Proxy Statement
   
Definitive Additional Materials
   
Soliciting Material under § 240.14a-12

 

SILO PHARMA, INC.
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
 
 
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if Other Than the Registrant)

 

Payment of Filing Fee (Check all boxes that apply):

 

No fee required
   
Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.
   
Fee computed on table in exhibit required by Item 25(b) per Exchange Act Rules 14a- 6(i)(1) and 0-11

 

 

 

 

 

 

SILO PHARMA, INC.

560 Sylvan Avenue, Suite 3160

Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 07632

 

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

To Be Held on December 4, 2023

 

Dear Stockholders:

 

The 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “2023 Annual Meeting”) of Silo Pharma, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), will be held on December 4, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time at our satellite office located at 677 N Washington Boulevard, Sarasota, Florida 34236.

 

At the 2023 Annual Meeting, the holders of our outstanding common stock will act on the following matters:

 

1. To elect four (4) members to our Board of Directors;
     
2. To approve the Silo Pharma, Inc. Amended and Restated 2020 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan;
     
3. To authorize the reincorporation of the Company from the State of Delaware to the State of Nevada (the “Reincorporation”);
     
4. To approve an amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to decrease the number of authorized shares of common stock of the Company from 500,000,000 to 100,000,000 (the “Share Decrease Proposal”);
     
5. To ratify the appointment of Salberg & Company, P.A. (“Salberg”) as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023; and
     
6. To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

 

Our Board unanimously recommends that you vote “FOR” the election of our Board’s director nominees (Proposal 1), “FOR” the approval of the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan (Proposal 2), “FOR” the reincorporation from Delaware to Nevada (Proposal 3), “FOR” the approval of amendment to decrease the number of authorized shares of common stock of the Company from 500,000,000 to 100,000,000 (Proposal 4), and “FOR” the ratification of the appointment of Salberg as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023 (Proposal 5).

 

Instead of mailing a printed copy of our proxy materials to all of our stockholders, we provide access to these materials via the Internet. This reduces the amount of paper necessary to produce these materials as well as the costs associated with mailing these materials to all stockholders. Accordingly, on or about October 23, 2023, we will begin mailing a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the “Notice”) to all stockholders of record on our books at the close of business on October 12, 2023, the record date for the 2023 Annual Meeting, and will post our proxy materials on the website referenced in the Notice. As more fully described in the Notice, stockholders may choose to access our proxy materials on the website referred to in the Notice or may request to receive a printed set of our proxy materials. In addition, the Notice and website provide information regarding how you may request to receive proxy materials in printed form by mail, or electronically by email, on an ongoing basis.

 

 

 

 

If you are a stockholder of record, you may vote in one of the following ways:

 

Stockholders of Record

 

For your convenience, record holders of our common stock have four methods of voting:

 

1. Vote by Internet. The website address for Internet voting is on your vote instruction form;
     
2. Vote by mail. Mark, date, sign and promptly mail the enclosed proxy card;
     
3. Vote by fax. Mark, date, sign and promptly fax the enclosed proxy card to the fax number on your vote instruction form; or
     
4. Vote in person. Attend and vote at the Annual Meeting.

 

If your shares are held in “street name,” meaning that they are held for your account by a broker or other nominee, you will receive instructions from the holder of record that you must follow for your shares to be voted.

 

Beneficial Owners of Shares Held in Street Name

 

For your convenience, beneficial owners of our common stock have four methods of voting:

 

1.Vote by Internet. The website address for Internet voting is on your vote instruction form;

 

2.Vote by mail. Mark, date, sign and promptly mail your vote instruction form;

 

3.Vote by fax. Mark, date, sign and promptly fax the enclosed proxy card to the fax number on your vote instruction form; or

 

4.Vote in person. Obtain a valid legal proxy from the organization that holds your shares and attend and vote at the Annual Meeting.

 

All stockholders are cordially invited to attend the Annual Meeting. Whether or not you expect to attend the Annual Meeting, please complete, sign and date the enclosed proxy and return it promptly. If you plan to attend the Annual Meeting and wish to vote your shares personally, you may do so at any time before the proxy is voted.

 

IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND

 

Please note that space limitations make it necessary to limit attendance to stockholders of record only. Registration and seating will begin at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time. Shares of common stock can be voted at the Annual Meeting only if the holder is present in person or by valid proxy.

 

For admission to the Annual Meeting, each stockholder may be asked to present valid picture identification, such as a driver’s license or passport, and proof of stock ownership as of the Record Date, such as the enclosed proxy card or a brokerage statement reflecting stock ownership. Cameras, recording devices and other electronic devices will not be permitted at the meeting.

 

If you have any questions or need assistance voting your shares, please call our proxy solicitor, Campaign Management:

 

 

Strategic Stockholder Advisor and Proxy Solicitation Agent

15 West 38th Street, Suite #747, New York, New York 10018

 

North American Toll-Free Phone:

1-855-246-4705

Email: info@campaign-mgmt.com

Call Collect Outside North America: +1 (212) 632-8422

 

By the Order of the Board of Directors  
   
/s/ Eric Weisblum  
Eric Weisblum  
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer  
Dated: October 23, 2023  

 

Whether or not you expect to attend the Annual Meeting in person, we urge you to vote your shares at your earliest convenience. This will ensure the presence of a quorum at the Annual Meeting. Promptly voting your shares will save the Company the expenses and extra work of additional solicitation. An addressed envelope for which no postage is required if mailed in the United States is enclosed if you wish to vote by mail. Submitting your proxy now will not prevent you from voting your shares at the Annual Meeting if your desire to do so, as your proxy is revocable at your option. Your vote is important, so please act today!

 

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SILO PHARMA, INC.
560 Sylvan Avenue, Suite 3160

Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 07632

 

PROXY STATEMENT FOR THE

2023 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

TO BE HELD ON DECEMBER 4, 2023

 

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR THE 2023 ANNUAL MEETING TO BE HELD ON DECEMBER 4, 2023

 

Copies of this proxy statement, the form of proxy card and the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 (the “2022 Annual Report”) are available without charge at https://westcoaststocktransfer.com/proxy-silo/, by telephone at 619-664-4780, by email to cs@wcsti.com, or by notifying our Corporate Secretary, in writing, at Silo Pharma, Inc., 560 Sylvan Avenue, Suite 3160, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 07632.

 

The board of directors (“Board” or “Board of Directors”) of Silo Pharma, Inc. (“Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is soliciting the enclosed proxy for use at its 2023 annual meeting of stockholders (the “2023 Annual Meeting” or “Annual Meeting”). The 2023 Annual Meeting will be held on December 4, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time at our satellite office located at 677 N Washington Boulevard, Sarasota, Florida 34236.

 

On or about October 23, 2023, we will begin mailing a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the “Notice”) to our stockholders (other than those who previously requested electronic or paper delivery of proxy materials), directing stockholders to a website where they can access our proxy materials, including this proxy statement and the 2022 Annual Report, and view instructions on how to vote. If you would prefer to receive a paper copy of our proxy materials, please follow the instructions included in the Notice. If you have previously elected to receive our proxy materials electronically, you will continue to receive access to those materials via e-mail unless you elect otherwise.

 

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THIS PROXY MATERIAL AND VOTING

 

Why did I Receive a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials in the Mail instead of a Full Set of Proxy Materials?

 

We are pleased to take advantage of the SEC rule that allows companies to furnish their proxy materials over the Internet. Accordingly, we have sent to our stockholders of record a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials. Instructions on how to access the proxy materials over the Internet free of charge or to request a paper copy may be found in the Notice. Our stockholders may request to receive proxy materials in printed form by mail or electronically on an ongoing basis. A stockholder’s election to receive proxy materials by mail or electronically will remain in effect until the stockholder changes its election.

 

What Does it Mean if I Receive More than One Notice?

 

If you receive more than one Notice, your shares may be registered in more than one name or in different accounts. Please follow the voting instructions on each Notice to ensure that all of your shares are voted.

 

How do I attend the Annual Meeting?

 

The Annual Meeting will be held on December 4, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern at our satellite office located at 677 N Washington Boulevard, Sarasota, Florida 34236.

 

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Who May Attend the Annual Meeting?

 

Only record holders and beneficial owners of our common stock, or their duly authorized proxies, may attend the Annual Meeting. If your shares of common stock are held in street name, you will need to bring a copy of a brokerage statement or other documentation reflecting your stock ownership as of the Record Date (as defined herein).

 

Who is Entitled to Vote?

 

The Board has fixed the close of business on October 12, 2023 as the record date (the “Record Date”) for the determination of stockholders entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof. On the Record Date, there were 3,108,797 shares of common stock outstanding. Each share of common stock represents one vote that may be voted on each proposal that may come before the Annual Meeting.

 

What is the Difference Between Holding Shares as a Record Holder and as a Beneficial Owner (Holding Shares in Street Name)?

 

If your shares are registered in your name with our transfer agent, West Coast Stock Transfer, Inc., you are the “record holder” of those shares. If you are a record holder, these proxy materials have been provided directly to you by the Company.

 

If your shares are held in a stock brokerage account, a bank or other holder of record, you are considered the “beneficial owner” of those shares held in “street name.” If your shares are held in street name, these proxy materials have been forwarded to you by that organization. The organization holding your account is considered to be the stockholder of record for purposes of voting at the Annual Meeting. As the beneficial owner, you have the right to instruct this organization on how to vote your shares.

 

What am I Voting on?

 

There are five matters scheduled for a vote:

 

  1. To elect four (4) members to our Board of Directors;
     
  2. To approve the Silo Pharma, Inc. Amended and Restated 2020 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan;
     
  3. To authorize the reincorporation of the Company from the State of Delaware to the State of Nevada (the “Reincorporation”);
     
  4. To approve an amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to decrease the number of authorized shares of common stock of the Company from 500,000,000 to 100,000,000 (the “Share Decrease Proposal”);
     
  5. To ratify the appointment of Salberg & Company, P.A. (“Salberg”) as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023; and
     
  6. To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

 

What if another matter is properly brought before the Annual Meeting?

 

The Board knows of no other matters that will be presented for consideration at the Annual Meeting. If any other matters are properly brought before the Annual Meeting, it is the intention of the persons named in the accompanying proxy to vote on those matters in accordance with their best judgment.

 

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How Do I Vote?

 

Stockholders of Record

 

For your convenience, record holders of our common stock have four methods of voting:

 

  1. Vote by Internet. The website address for Internet voting is on your vote instruction form;
     
  2. Vote by mail. Mark, date, sign and promptly mail the enclosed proxy card;
     
  3. Vote by fax. Mark, date, sign and promptly fax the enclosed proxy card to the fax number on your vote instruction form; or
     
  4. Vote in person. Attend and vote at the Annual Meeting.

 

Beneficial Owners of Shares Held in Street Name

 

For your convenience, beneficial owners of our common stock have four methods of voting:

 

  1. Vote by Internet. The website address for Internet voting is on your vote instruction form;

 

  2. Vote by mail. Mark, date, sign and promptly mail your vote instruction form;

 

  3. Vote by fax. Mark, date, sign and promptly fax the enclosed proxy card to the fax number on your vote instruction form; or

 

  4. Vote in person. Obtain a valid legal proxy from the organization that holds your shares and attend and vote at the Annual Meeting.

 

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If you vote by Internet, please DO NOT mail your proxy card.

 

All shares entitled to vote and represented by a properly completed and executed proxy received before the Annual Meeting and not revoked will be voted at the Annual Meeting as instructed in a proxy delivered before the Annual Meeting. If you do not indicate how your shares should be voted on a matter, the shares represented by your properly completed and executed proxy will be voted as the Board recommends on each of the enumerated proposals, with regard to any other matters that may be properly presented at the Annual Meeting and on all matters incident to the conduct of the Annual Meeting. If you are a registered stockholder and attend the Annual Meeting, you may deliver your completed proxy card in person. If you are a street name stockholder and wish to vote at the Annual Meeting, you will need to obtain a proxy form from the institution that holds your shares. All votes will be tabulated by the inspector of elections appointed for the Annual Meeting, who will separately tabulate affirmative and negative votes, abstentions and broker non-votes.

 

We provide Internet proxy voting to allow you to vote your shares online, with procedures designed to ensure the authenticity and correctness of your proxy vote instructions. However, please be aware that you must bear any costs associated with your Internet access, such as usage charges from Internet access providers and telephone companies.

 

How Many Votes do I Have?

 

On each matter to be voted upon, you have one vote for each share of common stock you own as of the close of business on the Record Date.

 

Is My Vote Confidential?

 

Yes, your vote is confidential. Only the inspector of elections, individuals who help with processing and counting your votes and persons who need access for legal reasons will have access to your vote. This information will not be disclosed, except as required by law.

 

What Constitutes a Quorum?

 

To carry on business at the Annual Meeting, we must have a quorum. A quorum is present when a majority of the shares entitled to vote as of the Record Date, are represented in person or by proxy. Thus, holders of more than 50% of the 3,108,797 shares outstanding as of the Record Date must be represented in person or by proxy to have a quorum at the Annual Meeting. Your shares will be counted towards the quorum only if you submit a valid proxy (or one is submitted on your behalf by your broker, bank or other nominee) or if you vote in person at the Annual Meeting. Abstentions and broker non-votes will be counted towards the quorum requirement. Shares owned by us are not considered outstanding or considered to be present at the Annual Meeting. If there is not a quorum at the Annual Meeting, the chairperson of the Annual Meeting may adjourn the Annual Meeting.

 

How Will my Shares be Voted if I Give No Specific Instruction?

 

We must vote your shares as you have instructed. If there is a matter on which a stockholder of record has given no specific instruction but has authorized us generally to vote the shares, they will be voted as follows:

 

1. FOR” the election of each of the four (4) members to our Board of Directors;
     
2. FOR” the approval of the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan;
     
3. FOR” the approval of the Reincorporation;
     
4. FOR” the approval of the Share Decrease; and
     
5. FOR” the ratification of the appointment of Salberg & Company, P.A., as our independent registered public accounting firm for our fiscal year ending December 31, 2023.

 

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This authorization would exist, for example, if a stockholder of record merely signs, dates and returns the proxy card but does not indicate how its shares are to be voted on one or more proposals. If other matters properly come before the Annual Meeting and you do not provide specific voting instructions, your shares will be voted at the discretion of the proxies.

 

If your shares are held in street name, see “What is a Broker Non-Vote?” below regarding the ability of banks, brokers and other such holders of record to vote the uninstructed shares of their customers or other beneficial owners in their discretion.

 

How are Votes Counted?

 

Votes will be counted by the inspector of election appointed for the Annual Meeting, who will separately count, for the election of directors, “FOR,” “WITHHOLD” and broker non-votes; and, with respect to the other proposals, votes “FOR” and “AGAINST,” abstentions and broker non-votes.

 

What is a Broker Non-Vote?

 

If your shares are held in street name, you must instruct the organization who holds your shares how to vote your shares. If you sign your proxy card but do not provide instructions on how your broker should vote on “routine” proposals, your broker will vote your shares as recommended by the Board. If you do not provide voting instructions, your shares will not be voted on any “non-routine” proposals. This vote is called a “broker non-vote.” Because broker non-votes are not considered under Delaware law to be entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting, broker non-votes will not be included in the tabulation of the voting results of any of the proposals and, therefore, will have no effect on these proposals.

 

Brokers cannot use discretionary authority to vote shares on the election of directors (Proposal 1), the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan (Proposal 2), or the Reincorporation (Proposal 3) if they have not received instructions from their clients. Please submit your vote instruction form so your vote is counted.

 

What is an Abstention?

 

An abstention is a stockholder’s affirmative choice to decline to vote on a proposal. Under Delaware law, abstentions are counted as shares present and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. However, our Amended and Restated Bylaws (“Bylaws”) provide that, except as otherwise expressly provided by statute, an action of our stockholders (other than the election of directors) is only approved if a majority of the number of shares of stock present and entitled to vote thereat vote in favor of such action. The Delaware General Corporation Law provides that the reincorporation requires the approval of a majority of the total number of votes of our capital stock entitled to vote thereon.

 

How Many Votes are Needed for Each Proposal to Pass?

 

Proposal   Vote Required
Election of each of the four (4) members to our Board of Directors   Plurality of the votes cast (the four (4) directors receiving the most “FOR” votes)
     
Approval of the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan   The affirmative vote of a majority of the total number of votes of our capital stock represented at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote thereon.
     
Approval of the reincorporation of the Company from the State of Delaware to the State of Nevada   The affirmative vote of a majority of the total number of votes of our capital stock entitled to vote thereon.
     
The approval of an amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to decrease the number of authorized shares of common stock of the Company from 500,000,000 to 100,000,000.   The affirmative vote of a majority of the total number of votes of our capital stock represented at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote thereon.
     
Ratification of the appointment of Salberg & Company, P.A.  as our independent registered public accounting firm for our fiscal year ending December 31, 2023   The affirmative vote of a majority of the total number of votes of our capital stock represented at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote thereon.

 

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What Are the Voting Procedures?

 

In voting by proxy with regard to the election of directors, you may vote “for” or “withhold” as to each nominee. With regard to other proposals, you may vote “for,” “against” or “abstain” for each proposal. You should specify your respective choices on the accompanying proxy card or your vote instruction form.

 

Is My Proxy Revocable?

 

You may revoke your proxy and reclaim your right to vote at any time before your proxy is voted by giving written notice to the Secretary of Silo Pharma, by delivering a properly completed, later-dated proxy card or vote instruction form or by voting in person at the Annual Meeting. All written notices of revocation and other communications with respect to revocations of proxies should be addressed to: Silo Pharma, Inc., 560 Sylvan Avenue, Suite 3160, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 07632. Your most current proxy card or Internet proxy is the one that will be counted.

 

Who is Paying for the Expenses Involved in Preparing and Mailing this Proxy Statement? 

 

All of the expenses involved in preparing, assembling and mailing these proxy materials and all costs of soliciting proxies will be paid by us. In addition to the solicitation by mail, proxies may be solicited by our officers and other employees by telephone or in person. Such persons will receive no compensation for their services other than their regular salaries. Arrangements will also be made with brokerage houses and other custodians, nominees and fiduciaries to forward solicitation materials to the beneficial owners of the shares held of record by such persons, and we may reimburse such persons for reasonable out of pocket expenses incurred by them in forwarding solicitation materials. If you have any questions or require any assistance with completing your proxy, please contact Campaign Management by telephone toll-free 1-855-246-4705 or collect outside North America at +1 (212) 632-8422, or by email at info@campaign-mgmt.com.

 

Do I Have Dissenters’ Rights of Appraisal?

 

Our stockholders do not have appraisal rights under Delaware law or under our governing documents with respect to the matters to be voted upon at the Annual Meeting.

 

How can I Find out the Results of the Voting at the Annual Meeting?

 

Preliminary voting results will be announced at the Annual Meeting. In addition, final voting results will be disclosed in a Current Report on Form 8-K that we expect to file with the SEC within four business days after the Annual Meeting. If final voting results are not available to us in time to file a Form 8-K with the SEC within four business days after the Annual Meeting, we intend to file a Form 8-K to publish preliminary results and, within four business days after the final results are known to us, file an additional Form 8-K to publish the final results.

 

When are Stockholder Proposals Due for the 2024 Annual Meeting?

 

Stockholders who intend to have a proposal considered for inclusion in our proxy materials for presentation at our 2024 annual meeting of stockholders (the “2024 Annual Meeting”) must submit the proposal to us at our corporate headquarters no later than September 5, 2024, which proposal must be made in accordance with the provisions of Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act. In the event the date of the 2024 Annual Meeting has been changed by more than 30 days from the date of the 2023 Annual Meeting, stockholders who intend to have a proposal considered for inclusion in our proxy materials for presentation at our 2024 Annual Meeting must submit the proposal to us at our corporate headquarters no later than a reasonable time before we begin to print and send our proxy materials for our 2024 Annual Meeting.

 

 Stockholders who intend to present a proposal at our 2024 Annual Meeting without inclusion of the proposal in our proxy materials are required to provide notice of such proposal to our Secretary so that such notice is received by our Secretary at our principal executive office on or after August 8, 2024 but no later than September 5, 2024; provided, however, if the date of the 2024 Annual Meeting is convened more than 30 days before, or delayed by more than 60 days after, December 4, 2024, to be considered for inclusion in proxy materials for our 2024 Annual Meeting, a stockholder proposal must be submitted in writing to our Secretary at Silo Pharma, Inc., 560 Sylvan Avenue, Suite 3160, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 07632 and received no earlier than the Close of Business (as defined in the Bylaws) on the 120th day prior to such annual meeting and no later than the Close of Business on the later of (i) the 90th day prior to such annual meeting or (ii) the 10th day following the day on which Public Announcement (as defined in the Bylaws) of the date of such meeting is first made by the Company.

 

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In order for stockholders to give timely notice of nominations for directors for inclusion on a universal proxy card in connection with the 2024 Annual Meeting, notice must be submitted by the same deadline as disclosed above under the advance notice provisions of our Bylaws and such notice must include all the information required by Rule 14a-19(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and such stockholders must comply with all of the requirements of Rule 14a-19 under the Exchange Act.

 

Stockholders are also advised to review our Bylaws, which contain additional requirements relating to stockholder proposals and director nominations, including who may submit them and what information must be included.

 

We reserve the right to reject, rule out of order or take other appropriate action with respect to any proposal that does not comply with these and other applicable requirements.

 

Do the Company’s Officers and Directors have an Interest in Any of the Matters to Be Acted Upon at the Annual Meeting?

 

Members of the Board have an interest in Proposal 1, the election to the Board of the four director nominees set forth herein. In addition, our officers and directors may be the recipient of future awards under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan as described later in this proxy statement under the heading “Proposal 2: Approval of the Amended and Restated 2020 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan.” Members of the Board and executive officers of Silo Pharma do not have any interest in Proposal 3, the Reincorporation, Proposal 4, the approval of an amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to decrease the number of authorized shares of common stock of the Company from 500,000,000 to 100,000,000, or the ratification of the appointment of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, Proposal 5.

 

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE STANDARDS AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

 

We are committed to good corporate governance practices. These practices provide an important framework within which our Board of Directors and management pursue our strategic objectives for the benefit of our stockholders.

 

Board Composition and Leadership Structure

 

Our Board is comprised of four directors of which three are independent. Eric Weisblum, our Chief Executive Officer, also serves as Chairman of the Board. Due to the size of our Company, we believe that this board size and structure are appropriate. We believe that the fact that three of the four members of the Board are independent reinforces the independence of the Board in its oversight of our business and affairs and provides for objective evaluation and oversight of management’s performance, as well as management accountability. Furthermore, the Board believes that Mr. Weisblum is best situated to serve as Chairman because he is the director most familiar with the Company’s business and industry and is also the person most capable of effectively identifying strategic priorities and leading the discussion and execution of corporate strategy. In addition, the Board believes that the combined role of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer strengthens the communication between the Board and management. Further, as the individual with primary responsibility for managing day-to-day operations, Mr. Weisblum is best positioned to chair Board meetings and ensure that key business issues and risks are brought to the attention of our Board. We therefore believe that the creation of a lead independent director position is not necessary at this time.

 

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Board’s Role in Risk Oversight

 

The Company’s Board is committed to a corporate culture that aligns day-to-day decision making with risk awareness and helps ensure that the Company’s long-term strategic initiatives are consistent with its risk appetite. The Board of Directors has determined that overall responsibility for overseeing enterprise risk management at the Company rests with the full Board of Directors as opposed to any specific board-level committee. The Board recognizes the importance of identifying, assessing and monitoring risks that may have a material adverse effect on the Company, including operational, financial, and strategic risks. In fulfilling its risk oversight function, the Board has delegated certain oversight responsibilities to its three standing committees—Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. The Audit Committee assists our Board of Directors in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities with respect to risk management in the areas of major financial risk exposures, internal control over financial reporting, disclosure controls and procedures and legal and regulatory compliance. The Compensation Committee assists our Board of Directors in assessing risks created by the incentives inherent in our compensation policies. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee assists our Board of Directors in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities with respect to the management of corporate, legal and regulatory risk.

 

Director Independence

 

Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market. Under the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market, independent directors must constitute a majority of a listed company’s Board of Directors. In addition, the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market require that, subject to specified exceptions, each member of a listed company’s Audit, Compensation, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee must be an “independent director.” Under the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market, a director will only qualify as an “independent director” if, in the opinion of that company’s board of directors, that person does not have a relationship that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. Additionally, compensation committee members must not have a relationship with the listed company that is material to the director’s ability to be independent from management in connection with the duties of a compensation committee member.

 

Audit committee members must also satisfy the independence criteria set forth in Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act. In order to be considered independent for purposes of Rule 10A-3, a member of an audit committee of a listed company may not, other than in his or her capacity as a member of the audit committee, the board of directors or any other board committee: (i) accept, directly or indirectly, any consulting, advisory or other compensatory fee from the listed company or any of its subsidiaries or (ii) be an affiliated person of the listed company or any of its subsidiaries.

 

Our Board of Directors has undertaken a review of the independence of each director and considered whether each director has a material relationship with us that could compromise his or her ability to exercise independent judgment in carrying out his or her responsibilities. As a result of this review, our Board of Directors determined that Wayne D. Linsley, Dr. Jeff Pavell and Dr. Kevin Muñoz, representing three of our four incumbent directors, are “independent directors” as defined under the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC and the listing requirements and rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market. In making these determinations, our Board of Directors reviewed and discussed information provided by the directors and us with regard to each directors’ business and personal activities and relationships as they may relate to us and our management, including the beneficial ownership of our capital stock by each non-employee director and any affiliates.

 

Committee of our Board of Directors

 

Our Board of Directors has established an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee and a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, each of which has the composition and responsibilities described below. Members serve on these committees until their resignation or until otherwise determined by our Board of Directors. Each of these committees has a written charter, copies of which are available on our website at www.silopharma.com. In addition, from time to time, special committees may be established under the direction of the Board of Directors when necessary to address specific issues.

 

-10-

 

 

Audit Committee

 

Our Audit Committee is responsible for, among other things:

 

  approving and retaining the independent auditors to conduct the annual audit of our financial statements;
     
  reviewing the proposed scope and results of the audit;
     
  reviewing and pre-approving audit and non-audit fees and services;
     
  reviewing accounting and financial controls with the independent auditors and our financial and accounting staff;
     
  reviewing and approving transactions between us and our directors, officers and affiliates;
     
  establishing procedures for complaints received by us regarding accounting matters;
     
  overseeing internal audit functions, if any; and
     
  preparing the report of the Audit Committee that the rules of the SEC require to be included in our annual meeting proxy statement.

 

Our Audit Committee consists of Wayne D. Linsley, Dr. Jeff Pavell and Dr. Kevin Muñoz, with Wayne D. Linsley serving as chair. Our Board of Directors has determined that Wayne D. Linsley, Dr. Jeff Pavell and Dr. Kevin Muñoz each meet the definition of “independent director” under Nasdaq rules, and that they meet the independence standards under Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act. Each member of our Audit Committee meets the financial literacy requirements of Nasdaq. In addition, our Board of Directors has determined that Wayne Linsley qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert,” as such term is defined in Item 407(d)(5) of Regulation S-K.

 

Compensation Committee

 

Our Compensation Committee is responsible for, among other things:

 

  reviewing and recommending the compensation arrangements for management, including the compensation for our Chief Executive Officer;
     
  establishing and reviewing general compensation policies with the objective to attract and retain superior talent, to reward individual performance and to achieve our financial goals;
     
  administering our stock incentive plans; and
     
  preparing the report of the Compensation Committee that the rules of the SEC require to be included in our annual meeting proxy statement.

 

Our Compensation Committee consists of Wayne D. Linsley, Dr. Jeff Pavell and Dr. Kevin Muñoz, with Wayne D. Linsley serving as chair. Our Board of Directors has determined that Wayne D. Linsley, Dr. Jeff Pavell and Dr. Kevin Muñoz are independent directors under Nasdaq rules.

 

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

 

Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for, among other things:

 

  identifying and nominating members of the Board of Directors;
     
  developing and recommending to the Board of Directors a set of corporate governance principles applicable to our Company; and
     
  overseeing the evaluation of our Board of Directors.

 

Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee consists of Wayne D. Linsley, Dr. Jeff Pavell and Dr. Kevin Muñoz, with Wayne D. Linsley serving as chair. Our Board of Directors has determined that Wayne D. Linsley, Dr. Jeff Pavell and Dr. Kevin Muñoz are independent directors under Nasdaq rules.

 

-11-

 

 

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

 

We have adopted a written code of business conduct and ethics that applies to our directors, officers and employees, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions. A copy of the code is posted on our website, www.silopharma.com. We intend to post on our website all disclosures that are required by law or Nasdaq rules concerning any amendments to, or waivers from, any provision of the code.

 

Anti-hedging

 

As part of our Insider Trading Policy, all of our officers, directors, employees and consultants and family members or others sharing a household with any of the foregoing or that may have access to material non-public information regarding our Company are prohibited from engaging in short sales of our securities, any hedging or monetization transactions involving our securities and in transactions involving puts, calls or other derivative securities based on our securities. Our Insider Trading Policy further prohibits such persons from purchasing our securities on margin, borrowing against any account in which our securities are held or pledging our securities as collateral for a loan unless pre-cleared by our Insider Trading Compliance Officer. As of December 31, 2022, none of our directors or executive officers had pledged any shares of our common stock.

 

Family Relationships and Other Arrangements

 

There are no family relationships among our directors and executive officers. There are no arrangements or understandings between or among our executive officers and directors pursuant to which any director or executive officer was or is to be selected as a director or executive officer.

 

Involvement in Certain Legal Proceedings

 

We are not aware of any of our directors or officers being involved in any legal proceedings in the past ten years relating to any matters in bankruptcy, insolvency, criminal proceedings (other than traffic and other minor offenses), or being subject to any of the items set forth under Item 401(f) of Regulation S-K.

 

Board and Committee Meetings and Attendance

 

The Board of Directors and its committees meet regularly throughout the year and also hold special meetings and act by written consent from time to time. During the 2022 fiscal year, the Board of Directors held 4 meetings. In addition, our Audit Committee held 5 meetings, and our Compensation Committee and our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee did not meet. During the 2022 fiscal year, none of our directors attended fewer than 75% of the aggregate of the total number of meetings held by the Board of Directors and the total number of meetings held by all committees of the Board of Directors on which he/she served. The independent members of the Board of Directors also meet separately without management directors on a regular basis to discuss such matters as the independent directors consider appropriate.

 

Board Attendance at Annual Stockholders’ Meeting

 

We invite and encourage each member of our Board of Directors to attend our annual meetings of stockholders. We do not have a formal policy regarding attendance of our annual meetings of stockholders by the members of our Board of Directors.

 

Communication with Directors

 

Stockholders and interested parties who wish to communicate with our Board of Directors, non-management members of our Board of Directors as a group, a committee of the Board of Directors or a specific member of our Board of Directors (including our Chair) may do so by letters addressed to:

 

Silo Pharma, Inc.

560 Sylvan Avenue, Suite 3160

Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 07632

 

-12-

 

 

All communications by letter addressed to the attention of our Secretary will be reviewed by the Secretary and provided to the members of the Board of Directors unless such communications are unsolicited items, sales materials and other routine items and items unrelated to the duties and responsibilities of the Board of Directors.

 

Considerations in Evaluating Director Nominees

 

Our Board of Directors is responsible for identifying, considering and recommending candidates to the Board of Directors for Board membership. A variety of methods are used to identify and evaluate director nominees, with the goal of maintaining and further developing a diverse, experienced and highly qualified Board of Directors. Candidates may come to our attention through current members of our Board of Directors, professional search firms, stockholders or other persons.

 

Our Board of Directors encourages selection of directors who will contribute to the Company’s overall corporate goals. Individual directors may from time to time review and recommend to the Board of Directors the desired qualifications, expertise and characteristics of directors, including such factors as breadth of experience, knowledge about our business and industry, willingness and ability to devote adequate time and effort to the Board of Directors, ability to contribute to the Board of Directors’ overall effectiveness, and the needs of the Board of Directors and its committees. Exceptional candidates who do not meet all of these criteria may still be considered. In evaluating potential candidates for the Board of Directors, the Board of Directors considers these factors in the light of the specific needs of the Board of Directors at that time.

 

A director is expected to spend the time and effort necessary to properly discharge such director’s responsibilities. Accordingly, a director is expected to regularly attend meetings of the Board of Directors and committees on which such director sits, and to review prior to meetings material distributed in advance for such meetings. Thus, the number of other public company boards and other boards (or comparable governing bodies) on which a prospective nominee is a member, as well as his or her other professional responsibilities, will be considered. There are no limits term that may be served by a director; however, in connection with evaluating recommendations for nomination for reelection, the Board of Directors considers director tenure. We value diversity on a company-wide basis but have not adopted a specific policy regarding Board diversity.

 

PROPOSAL 1

 

ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

 

At the Annual Meeting, the stockholders will elect four directors to hold office until the 2024 Annual Meeting. Directors are elected by a plurality of votes cast by stockholders. In the event the nominees are unable or unwilling to serve as directors at the time of the Annual Meeting, the proxies will be voted for any substitute nominees designated by the present Board or the proxy holders to fill such vacancy, or for the balance of the nominees named without nomination of a substitute, or the size of the Board will be reduced in accordance with the Bylaws of the Company. The Board has no reason to believe that the persons named below will be unable or unwilling to serve as nominees or as directors if elected.

 

Assuming a quorum is present, the four nominees receiving the highest number of affirmative votes of shares entitled to be voted for such persons will be elected as directors of the Company to serve for a one-year term. Unless marked otherwise, proxies received will be voted “FOR” the election of the nominees named below. In the event that additional persons are nominated for election as directors, the proxy holders intend to vote all proxies received by them in such a manner as will ensure the election of the nominees listed below, and, in such event, the specific nominees to be voted for will be determined by the proxy holders.

 

-13-

 

 

Information with Respect to Director Nominees

 

Listed below are the current directors who are nominated to hold office until their successors are elected and qualified, and their ages as of the Record Date.

 

Name   Age   Position
Eric Weisblum   53   Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President
Wayne D. Linsley   67   Director
Dr. Kevin Muñoz   44   Director
Dr. Jeff Pavell   56   Director

 

The business background and certain other information about our directors is set forth below.

 

Eric Weisblum

 

Eric Weisblum is the founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, and serves as Chairman of the Company’s Board of Directors. Prior to founding the Company, Mr. Weisblum was a private investor, board member, and advisor to several companies. Mr. Weisblum has experience in both licensing therapeutic assets and assisting in their development. As a result, Mr. Weisblum brings with him nearly 20 years of experience in structuring and trading financial instruments. Mr. Weisblum was a registered representative with Domestic Securities, a New Jersey-based broker-dealer. While with Domestic Securities, Mr. Weisblum held the Series 7 - General Securities Representative, the Series 63 – Uniform Securities Agent State Law Examination, and the Series 55 – Registered Equity Trader securities registrations. From 1993 to 2002, Mr. Weisblum originated, structured, traded, and placed structured financing transactions at M.H. Meyerson & Co. Inc., a publicly-traded registered investment bank. He holds a B.A. from the University of Hartford’s Barney School of Business. 

 

Wayne D. Linsley

 

Wayne D. Linsley has served as a director of the Company since January 2020. Mr. Linsley has over 40 years of experience in business management. Since April 2020, Mr. Linsley has served as a member of the board of directors of Hoth Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: HOTH), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. Since August 2021, Mr. Linsley has served as a member of the board of directors of DatChat, Inc. (NASDAQ: DATS), a blockchain, cybersecurity, and social media company. From 2014 to September 2021, Mr. Linsley served as the Vice President of Operations at CFO Oncall, Inc., a company that provides financial reporting and controller services on an outsourced basis and previously, from 2012 to 2014, Mr. Linsley worked at CFO Oncall, Inc. as an independent contractor. Mr. Linsley holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Siena College. We believe that Mr. Linsley is qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors because of his experience as a director of public companies and background in financial reporting. 

 

Dr. Kevin Muñoz

 

Dr. Kevin Muñoz has served as a director of the Company since October 2020. Since December 2021, Dr. Muñoz has taught Biomedical Science and Medical Intervention at Passaic County Technical Institute. Since June 2008, Dr. Muñoz has served as the Director of Operations and Medical Assistant at The Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Center, P.A., a diagnostic and treatment facility that specializes in treating sports, spine, orthopedic and neuromuscular conditions. Dr. Muñoz holds Doctor of Medicine degree from Xavier University School of Medicine and a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from the University of Michigan. We believe that Dr. Muñoz is qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors because of his medical background and experience in business operations. 

 

Dr. Jeff Pavell

 

Dr. Pavell has served as our director since September 2022. Since January 2017, Dr. Pavell has served as Chief of Rehabilitation Medicine at Englewood Health, and since November 2005, he has been on the teaching staff at New York-Presbyterian Columbia University Irving Medical Center. In addition, since December 2020 he has been on the teaching staff at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall. Furthermore, since 2010, Dr. Pavell has served as a partner at Patient Care Associates, an outpatient surgical center, and since 2002, he has served as a Partner at the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Center, a private medical practice serving patients with spine, sports and occupational injuries. Dr. Pavell is a Board Certified physician specializing in the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation. Dr. Pavell is also certified in pain medicine and specializes in the most advanced non-operative treatments for spine, sports and interventional pain medicines. Dr. Pavell received his bachelor of arts from Johns Hopkins University and his D.O. degree with honors from the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine. Since December 2022, Dr. Pavell has served as a director of Hoth Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: HOTH), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company. Dr. Pavell holds a Doctor of Medicine degree from the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine and a Bachelor of Art degree in Political Science from John Hopkins University. We believe that Dr. Pavell is qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors due to his medical background and experience practicing in the healthcare industry.

 

-14-

 

 

Board Diversity Matrix 

 

Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is committed to promoting diversity on our Board of Directors. We have surveyed our current directors and asked each director to self-identify their race, ethnicity, and gender using one or more of the below categories. The results of this survey as of the Record Date are included in the matrixes below.

 

Board Diversity Matrix (As of October 10, 2023)
Total Number of Directors   4 

 

Part I: Gender Identity  Female   Male   Non-Binary   Did Not Disclose Gender 
Directors                   4                             
Part II: Demographic Background                    
African American or Black                    
Alaskan Native or Native American                    
Asian                    
Hispanic or Latinx        1           
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander                    
White        1           
Two or More Races or Ethnicities                    
LGBTQ+        1           
Did Not Disclose Demographic Background        1           

 

Board Recommendation

 

THE BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE “FOR” EACH OF THE NOMINEES TO THE BOARD SET FORTH IN THIS PROPOSAL 1.

 

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

 

The following are biographical summaries of our executive officers and their ages as of the Record Date, except for Mr. Weisblum, whose biography is included under the heading “Proposal 1: Election of Directors” set forth above:

 

Name   Age   Position
Eric Weisblum   53   Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, President and Director
Daniel Ryweck   59   Chief Financial Officer

 

Daniel Ryweck

 

Mr. Ryweck has served as Chief Financial Officer of the Company since September 2022. Since January 2020, Mr. Ryweck has served as Controller at Mill City Ventures III Ltd. (NASDAQ: MCVT), a non-bank lender and specialty finance company. From. June 2014 to December 2019, he served as Chief Compliance Officer of Mill City Ventures III Ltd. Mr. Ryweck holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.

 

-15-

 

 

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Summary Compensation Table

 

The following table presents the compensation awarded to, earned by or paid to each of our named executive officers for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.

 

Name and Principal Position  Year  

Salary

($)

  

Bonus

($)

  

Stock

Awards

($)

  

Option

Awards

($)

  

Nonequity incentive plan compensation

($)

  

Nonqualified

deferred

compensation

earnings

($)

  

All other

compensation

($)

  

Total

($)

(a)  (b)   (c)   (d)   (e)   (f)   (g)   (h)   (i)   (j)
Eric Weisblum,   2022    222,500(1)   100,000(2)                       -             -            -    9,750 (6)  332,250
Chief Executive Officer   2021    175,000(3)   170,000(4)        -    -    -   -   345,000
                                              
Daniel Ryweck,   2022    15,000(5)   __-    -    -    -    -   -   15,000
Chief Financial Officer (since September 28, 2022)   2021    -    -    -    -    -    -    -   -

 

(1) On October 12, 2022, the Company entered into an employment agreement with Eric Weisblum (the “Weisblum Employment Agreement”) pursuant to which Mr. Weisblum’s (i) base salary will be $350,000 per year, (ii) Mr. Weisblum will be paid a one-time signing bonus of $100,000, and (iii) Mr. Weisblum shall be entitled to receive an annual bonus of up to $350,000, subject to the sole discretion of the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company.  On January 18, 2021, the Company and Mr. Weisblum entered into the first amendment (the “Amendment”) to the Employment Agreement, effective as of January 1, 2021. Pursuant to the Amendment Mr. Weisblum’s base salary was increased from $120,000 per year to $180,000 per year and all the terms and provisions of the Employment Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.  
(2) Pursuant to the Weisblum Employment Agreement entered into between the Company and Mr. Weisblum on October 12, 2022, Mr. Weisblum received a signing bonus of $100,000.
(3) On January 18, 2021, the Company and Mr. Weisblum entered into the first amendment (the “Amendment”) to the Employment Agreement, effective as of January 1, 2021. Pursuant to the Amendment Mr. Weisblum’s base salary was increased from $120,000 per year to $180,000 per year and all the terms and provisions of the Employment Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.
(4) Pursuant to Mr. Weisblum’s Employment Agreement dated April 17, 2020 he was eligible to earn a bonus in an amount of up to $120,000. On December 29, 2021, the Company’s Board of Directors (“Board”) approved bonus of $120,000 which was recorded as accrued liability as of December 31, 2021 and was paid out in January 2022. In addition, Mr. Weisblum also received in 2021, a cash bonus of $50,000 for his services in 2020.
(5) On September 28, 2022, the Company entered into an Employment Agreement with Mr. Ryweck under which it agreed to pay a base salary of $42,000 per year.  On October 12, 2022, the Company entered into an amendment to this employment agreement under which it increased his base salary to $60,000 per year.
(6) During 2022, the Company contributed $9,750 to the Company’s 401(k) plan.

 

Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table

 

Except as otherwise described below, there are no compensatory plans or arrangements, including payments to be received from the Company with respect to any named executive officer, that would result in payments to such person because of his or her resignation, retirement or other termination of employment with the Company, or our subsidiaries, any change in control, or a change in the person’s responsibilities following a change in control of the Company.

 

-16-

 

 

Employment Agreements

 

Eric Weisblum

 

On October 12, 2022, the Company entered into an employment agreement with Eric Weisblum (the “Weisblum Employment Agreement”) pursuant to which Mr. Weisblum’s (i) base salary will be $350,000 per year, (ii) Mr. Weisblum will be paid a one-time signing bonus of $100,000, and (iii) Mr. Weisblum shall be entitled to receive an annual bonus of up to $350,000, subject to the sole discretion of the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Compensation Committee”), and upon the achievement of additional criteria established by the Compensation Committee from time to time (the “Annual Bonus”). In addition, pursuant to the Weisblum Employment Agreement, upon termination of Mr. Weisblum’s employment for death or Total Disability (as defined in the Weisblum Employment Agreement), in addition to any accrued but unpaid compensation and vacation pay through the date of his termination and any other benefits accrued to him under any Benefit Plans (as defined in the Weisblum Employment Agreement) outstanding at such time and the reimbursement of documented, unreimbursed expenses incurred prior to such termination date (collectively, the “Weisblum Payments”), Mr. Weisblum shall also be entitled to the following severance benefits: (i) 24 months of his then base salary; (ii) if Mr. Weisblum elects continuation coverage for group health coverage pursuant to COBRA Rights (as defined in the Weisblum Employment Agreement), then for a period of 24 months following Mr. Weisblum’s termination he will be obligated to pay only the portion of the full COBRA Rights cost of the coverage equal to an active employee’s share of premiums (if any) for coverage for the respective plan year; and (iii) payment on a pro-rated basis of any Annual Bonus or other payments earned in connection with any bonus plan to which Mr. Weisblum was a participant as of the date of his termination (together with the Weisblum Payments, the “Weisblum Severance”). Furthermore, pursuant to the Weisblum Employment Agreement, upon Mr. Weisblum’s termination (i) at his option (A) upon 90 days prior written notice to the Company or (B) for Good Reason (as defined in the Weisblum Employment Agreement), (ii) termination by the Company without Cause (as defined in the Weisblum Employment Agreement) or (iii) termination of Mr. Weisblum’s employment within 40 days of the consummation of a Change in Control Transaction (as defined in the Weisblum Employment Agreement), Mr. Weisblum shall receive the Weisblum Severance; provided, however, Mr. Weisblum shall be entitled to a pro-rated Annual Bonus of at least $200,000. In addition, any equity grants issued to Mr. Weisblum shall immediately vest upon termination of Mr. Weisblum’s employment by him for Good Reason or by the Company at its option upon 90 days prior written notice to Mr. Weisblum, without Cause.

 

Daniel Ryweck

 

On September 28, 2022, the Company entered into an employment agreement (the “Ryweck Employment Agreement”) with Daniel Ryweck. Pursuant to the terms of the Employment Agreement, Mr. Ryweck will (i) receive a base salary at an annual rate of $42,000 (the “Base Compensation”) payable in equal monthly installments, and (ii) be eligible to receive an annual discretionary bonus. The term of Mr. Ryweck’s engagement under the Employment Agreement commences on the Effective Date (as defined in the Employment Agreement) and continues until September 28, 2023, unless earlier terminated in accordance with the terms of the Employment Agreement. The term of Mr. Ryweck’s Employment Agreement is automatically renewed for successive one-year periods until terminated by Mr. Ryweck or the Company.

 

On October 12, 2022, the Company entered into an amendment (the “Ryweck Amendment”) to the employment agreement by and between the Company and Daniel Ryweck dated September 27, 2022, pursuant to which Mr. Ryweck’s base salary will increase to $60,000 per year. 

 

Potential Payment Upon Termination 

 

If Mr. Weisblum dies or has a total disability, resigns, is terminated for good reason (as defined in the agreement), without cause (as defined in the agreement) or within 40 days of a change of control (as defined in the agreement, then he is entitled to 24 months’ severance.

 

The following table sets forth quantitative information with respect to potential payments to be made to Mr. Weisblum upon termination in various circumstances. The potential payments are based on the terms of Mr. Weisblum’s employment agreement discussed above. For a more detailed description of Mr. Weisblum’s employment agreement, see the “Employment Agreements” section above:

 

Name  Potential Payment Upon Termination 
Eric Weisblum  $700,000(1)

 

(1) Mr. Weisblum is entitled to 24 months’ severance at the applicable base salary rate. Mr. Weisblum’s current base salary is $350,000 per annum.

 

-17-

 

 

Equity Grant Practices

 

2020 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan

 

On January 18, 2021, the board of directors of the Company approved the Silo Pharma, Inc. 2020 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan (the “2020 Plan”). The 2020 Plan provides for the issuance of incentive stock options, non-statutory stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units, and other stock-based awards.

 

On September 15, 2023, our Board of Directors approved the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan (see Proposal 2 for more information) and recommended to our stockholders and the Annual Meeting to approve the Amended and Restated 2021 Plan.

 

Bonus Arrangements

 

Pursuant to the terms of the executive employment agreements described above, the Company, through the board, has the discretion to determine the amounts of the annual incentive bonus payments which executives may receive Based on the review of the Company’s performance for calendar year 2022, the board, in its sole discretion, determined to pay the bonuses to the named executive officers listed in the summary compensation table above.

 

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End Table

 

The following table provides information regarding option and restricted stock unit awards held by each of our named executive officers that were outstanding as of December 31, 2022. There were no stock awards or other equity awards outstanding as of December 31, 2022.

 

   Option Awards   Stock Awards 
Name  Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
(Exercisable)
   Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
(Unexercisable)
   Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards:
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Unearned
Options (#)
   Option
Exercise
Price
($)
   Option
Expiration
Date
  Number of
Shares or
Units of
Stock That
Have Not
Vested
(#)
   Market
Value of
Shares or
Units of
Stock That
Have Not
Vested (#)
   Equity
Incentive
Plan Awards:
Number of
Unearned
Shares, Units
or Other
Rights that
Have Not
Vested
(#)
   Equity
Incentive
Plan Awards:
Market or
Payout Value of Unearned
Shares, Units
or Other
Rights that
Have Not
Vested
($)
 
(a)  (b)   I   (d)   (e)   (f)  (g)   (h)   (i)   (j) 
Eric Weisblum   2,000(1)            $0.005    04/15/2024                
Chief Executive Officer   2,000(2)          $0.005    07/15/2024                
    2,000(3)          $0.005   10/15/2024                

 

(1) The options were fully vested on the date of grants (4/15/19)

 

(2) The options were granted on April 15, 2019 and vested 100% on July 15, 2019.

 

(3) The options were fully vested on the date of grant (10/15/19).

 

Disclosure of Equity Awards Based on Material Nonpublic Information: None

 

Pay Versus Performance Disclosure

 

In accordance with the SEC’s disclosure requirements regarding pay versus performance, or PVP, this section presents the SEC-defined “Compensation Actually Paid,” or CAP of our NEOs for each of the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, and our financial performance. Also required by the SEC, this section compares CAP to various measures used to gauge performance at TLSS for each such fiscal year.

 

-18-

 

 

Pay versus Performance Tab–e - Compensation Definitions

 

Salary, Bonus, Stock Awards, and All Other Compensation are each calculated in the same manner for purposes of both CAP and Summary Compensation Table, or SCT values. The primary difference between the calculation of CAP and SCT total compensation is the calculation of the value of “Stock Awards,” with the table below describing the differences in how these awards are valued for purposes of SCT total and CAP:

 

Pay Versus Performance Table

 

Year (1)  Summary
Compensation
Table Total
for PEO
   Compensation
Actually Paid
to PEO (2)
   Average
Summary
Compensation
Table Total for
Non-PEO
NEOs
   Average
Compensation
Actually Paid
to Non-PEO
NEOs (2)
   Value of
Initial Fixed
$100
Investment
Based On
Total
Shareholder
Return
   Net Income
(Loss)
 
(a)  (b)   (c)   (d)   (e)   (f)   (h) 
2022  $332,250   $332,250   $15,000   $15,000    15.83   $(3,908,55)
2021  $345,000   $345,000    0    0    33.57   $3,903,741 

 

(1) The PEO (CEO) in the 2022 and 2021 reporting year is Eric Weisblum. The non-PEO NEOs in the 2022 reporting year is Dan Ryweck.
(2) The CAP was calculated beginning with the PEO’s SCT total. No amounts were deducted from or added to the applicable SCT total compensation. Since all equity awards were fully vested prior to 2021, no reconciliation to with respect to equity awards for summary compensation numbers was required.

 

Non-Employee Director Compensation

 

The following table presents the total compensation for each person who served as a non-employee member of our board of directors and received compensation for such service during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022. Other than as set forth in the table and described more fully below, we did not pay any compensation, make any equity awards or non-equity awards to, or pay any other compensation to any of the non-employee members of our board of directors in 2022. 

 

Director Compensation

 

Name 

Fees
earned or
paid in
cash

($)

  

Stock
awards

($)

  

Option
awards

($)(1)(2)

  

Non-equity
incentive
plan
compensation

($)

  

Nonqualified
deferred
compensation
earnings

($)

  

All other
compensation

($)

  

Total

($)

 
(a)  (b)   (c)   (d)   (e)   (f)   (g)   (h) 
Wayne Linsley(2)  $45,000         —   $15,112       —         —   $60,112 
                                    
Dr. Kevin Muñoz  $25,000       $15,112               $40,112 
                                    
Dr. Jeff Pavel(3)  $-                        $ 

 

(1) Amounts reported represent the aggregate grant date fair value for option awards granted in each respective year in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718, excluding the effect of forfeitures. See Note 6, “Stockholder’s Equity” in the Notes to the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements for the fiscal year ended 2022 included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended 2022 for more information regarding the Company’s accounting for share-based compensation plans. The amounts shown in the Director Compensation Table above do not represent the actual value realized by each Director.
(2) As of December 31, 2022, Mr. Linsley held options to purchase [3,425 shares of our common stock.  Dr. Muñoz held options to purchase [3,425] shares of our common stock. Such options had the following vesting date(s):[These options vested on December 29, 2022]
(3) Dr. Pavell has served as a director since September 27, 2022 and has no items to disclose hereon as he received no compensation in 2022.

 

Director Compensation Program

 

Our current director compensation program is designed to align our director compensation program with the long-term interests of our stockholders by implementing a program comprised of cash and equity compensation.

 

In setting director compensation, we consider the amount of time that directors expend in fulfilling their duties to the Company as well as the skill level and experience required by our board of directors. We also consider board compensation practices at similarly situated companies, while keeping in mind the compensation philosophy of us and the stockholders’ interests. The directors also receive reimbursement for expenses, including reasonable travel expenses to attend board and committee meetings, reasonable outside seminar expenses, and other special board related expenses.

 

-19-

 

 

 

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS 

 

During our fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 we have not been a party to transactions in which the amount involved in the transaction exceeds the lesser of $120,000 or 1% of the average of our total assets at year-end for the last two completed fiscal years, and in which any of our directors, executive officers or, to our knowledge, beneficial owners of more than 5% of our capital stock or any member of the immediate family of any of the foregoing persons had or will have a direct or indirect material interest, other than equity and other compensation, termination, change in control and other arrangements, which are described elsewhere in this proxy statement. We are not otherwise a party to a current related party transaction, and no transaction is currently proposed, in which the amount of the transaction exceeds the lesser of $120,000 or 1% of the average of our total assets at year-end for the last two completed fiscal years and in which a related person had or will have a direct or indirect material interest.

 

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS

AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

 

The following table sets forth certain information regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of the Record Date by:

 

  each of our named executive officers;
     
  each of our directors and director nominees;
     
  all of our current directors and named executive officers as a group; and
     
  each stockholder known by us to own beneficially more than 5% of our common stock.

 

The percentage ownership information is based on 3,108,797 shares of common stock outstanding as of the Record Date. Information with respect to beneficial ownership has been furnished by each director or director nominee, officer or beneficial owner of more than 5% of our common stock. We have determined beneficial ownership 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, the rules attribute beneficial ownership of securities as of a particular date to persons who hold options or warrants to purchase shares of common stock and that are exercisable within 60 days of such date. 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.

 

Name and Address of Beneficial Owner  Number of
shares
beneficially
owned
   Percentage of
shares
beneficially
owned
 
Directors and Named Executive Officers:        
Eric Weisblum   160,854(1)   5.17%
Wayne D. Linsley   3,425(2)   * 
Dr. Kevin Muñoz   3,425(2)   * 
Daniel Ryweck   5,000    * 
Dr. Jeff Pavell   -    - 
All executive officers and directors as a group (5 persons)   172,704    5.56%

  

* Represents beneficial ownership of less than 1% of the outstanding shares of our common stock.

 

(1) Includes 6,000 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of presently exercisable options.
   
(2) Includes options to purchase 3,425 shares of common stock, all of which are presently exercisable.

 

Except as otherwise noted below, the address for each person or entity listed in the table is c/o Silo Pharma, Inc., 560 Sylvan Avenue, Suite 3160, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 07632. 

 

-20-

 

 

PROPOSAL 2

 

APPROVAL OF THE AMENDED AND RESTATED SILO PHARMA, INC.
2020 OMNIBUS EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

 

Reasons for Adoption of the Silo Pharma, Inc. Amended and Restated 2020 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan

 

Our Board of Directors initially adopted the Silo Pharma, Inc. 2020 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan on January 18, 2021 and our stockholders initially adopted such plan on March 10, 2021. We initially authorized the issuance of 170,000 shares of our common stock for issuance thereunder.

 

On September 15, 2023, our Board of Directors adopted the Silo Pharma, Inc. Amended and Restated 2020 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan which (i) increases the number of shares of common stock that may be issued under such plan by 300,000 shares and (ii) includes clawback provisions to comply with recent developments of applicable law. The Amended and Restated 2020 Plan will become effective, if at all, on the date that it is approved by the our stockholders (the “Effective Date”).

 

If this proposal is approved, under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan, 470,000 shares of Company common stock will be available for grant.

 

The plan administrator of the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan may grant incentive stock options, non-statutory stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units and other stock-based awards to participants to acquire shares of our common stock under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan. It is anticipated that the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan will be administered by the Board, or, if and to the extent the Board does not administer the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan, a committee of the Board (including the Company’s compensation committee). The closing price per-share of Company common stock on the Record Date was $1.52. The following table sets forth, as of the Record Date, the approximate number of each class of participants eligible to participate in the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan and the basis of such participation.

 

Class and Basis of Participation  Approximate
Number of
Class
 
Employees  2 
Directors (1)  4 
Independent Contractors  1 

 

(1) One of the four directors is an employee of the Company.

 

Grants of options, stock appreciation rights, restricted shares of common stock, restricted stock units and other stock-based awards to selected employees, directors, and independent contractors of the Company or its affiliates whose contributions are essential to the growth and success of the Company, (ii) strengthen the commitment of such individuals to the Company and its affiliates, (iii) motivate those individuals to faithfully and diligently perform their responsibilities and (iv) attract and retain competent and dedicated individuals whose efforts will result in the long-term growth and profitability of the Company.

 

The number of shares proposed to be available for grant under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan is designed to enable the Company to properly incentivize eligible recipients on a going-forward basis.

 

Dilution, Stock Available and Historical Stock Usage

 

Dilution. Subject to shareholder approval of the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan, the number of shares of common stock that are reserved and available for issuance pursuant to awards granted under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan shall be 470,000 shares, which represents approximately % of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock on a fully diluted basis as of October , 2023. The Board believes that this number of shares of common stock constitutes reasonable potential equity dilution and provides a significant incentive for employees and service providers to increase the value of the Company for all stockholders. The closing trading price of each share of Company common stock as of the Record Date was $ .

 

As of the Record Date, we had: (i) 3,108,797 shares of common stock outstanding; (ii) 28,849 stock options outstanding (vested and unvested), with a weighted average exercise price of $7.28 per share; (iii) 404,580 stock warrants outstanding, with a weighted average exercise price of $14.05 per share and (iv) no shares of unvested restricted stock outstanding.

  

-21-

 

 

Shares Available; Certain Limitations. The maximum number of shares of common stock reserved and available for issuance under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan will be 470,000 shares; provided that shares of common stock issued under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan with respect to an Exempt Award will not count against the share limit. We use the term “Exempt Award” to mean (i) an award granted in the assumption of, or in substitution for, outstanding awards previously granted by another business entity acquired by us or any of our subsidiaries or with which we or any of our subsidiaries merges, (ii) an “employment inducement” award as described under applicable law, or (iii) an award that a participant purchases at fair market value.

 

No more than 470,000 shares of the Company’s common stock shall be issued pursuant to the exercise of incentive stock options.

 

New shares reserved for issuance under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan may be authorized but unissued shares of the Company’s common stock or shares of the Company’s common stock that will have been or may be reacquired by the Company in the open market, in private transactions or otherwise. If any shares of the Company’s common stock subject to an award are forfeited, cancelled, exchanged or surrendered or if an award terminates or expires without a distribution of shares to the participant, the shares of the Company’s common stock with respect to such award will, to the extent of any such forfeiture, cancellation, exchange, surrender, termination or expiration, again be available for awards under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan except that (i) any shares of the Company’s common stock reacquired by the Company on the open market or otherwise using cash proceeds from the exercise of options, and (ii) any shares of the Company’s common stock surrendered or withheld as payment of either the exercise price of an award and/or withholding taxes in respect of an award will not again be available for awards under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan. If an award is denominated in shares of the Company’s common stock, but settled in cash, the number of shares of common stock previously subject to the award will again be available for grants under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan. If an award can only be settled in cash, it will not be counted against the total number of shares of common stock available for grant under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan. However, upon the exercise of any award granted in tandem with any other awards, such related awards will be cancelled as to the number of shares as to which the award is exercised and such number of shares of the Company’s common stock will no longer be available for grant under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan.

 

As exhibited by our responsible use of equity over the past several years and good corporate governance practices associated with equity and executive compensation practices in general, the stock reserved under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan will provide us with the platform needed for our continued growth, while managing program costs and share utilization levels within acceptable industry standards.

 

Summary Description of the Silo Pharma, Inc. Amended and Restated 2020 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan

 

The following is a summary of the material features of the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan. This summary is qualified in its entirety by the full text of the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan, a copy of which is attached to this proxy statement as Appendix A.

 

Types of Awards. The Amended and Restated 2020 Plan provides for the issuance of incentive stock options, non-statutory stock options, stock appreciation rights (“SARs”), restricted stock, restricted stock units (“RSUs”), and other stock-based awards. Items described above in the Section called “Shares Available; Certain Limitations” are incorporated herein by reference.

 

Administration. The Amended and Restated 2020 Plan will be administered by the Board, or if the Board does not administer the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan, any committee of the Board or any other committee or subcommittee of the Board that complies with the applicable requirements of Section 16 of the Exchange Act, as amended from time to time, and any other applicable legal or stock exchange listing requirements (each of the Board, or such committee or such subcommittee, the “plan administrator”). The plan administrator may interpret the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan and may prescribe, amend and rescind rules and make all other determinations necessary or desirable for the administration of the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan.

 

The Amended and Restated 2020 Plan permits the plan administrator to select the eligible recipients who will receive awards, to determine the terms and conditions of those awards, including, but not limited to, the exercise price or other purchase price of an award, the number of shares of common stock or cash or other property subject to an award, the term of an award and the vesting schedule applicable to an award, and to amend the terms and conditions of outstanding awards.

 

Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units. Restricted stock and RSUs may be granted under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan. The plan administrator will determine the purchase price, vesting schedule and performance goals, if any, and any other conditions that apply to a grant of restricted stock and RSUs. If the restrictions, performance goals or other conditions determined by the plan administrator are not satisfied, the restricted stock and RSUs will be forfeited. Subject to the provisions of the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan and the applicable award agreement, the plan administrator has the sole discretion to provide for the lapse of restrictions in installments.

 

Unless the applicable award agreement provides otherwise, participants with restricted stock will generally have all of the rights of a shareholder; provided that dividends will only be paid if and when the underlying restricted stock vests. RSUs will not be entitled to dividends prior to vesting, but may be entitled to receive dividend equivalents if the award agreement provides for them. The rights of participants granted restricted stock or RSUs upon the termination of employment or service to us will be set forth in the award agreement.

 

-22-

 

 

Options. Incentive stock options and non-statutory stock options may be granted under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan. An “incentive stock option” means an option intended to qualify for tax treatment applicable to incentive stock options under Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”). A “non-statutory stock option” is an option that is not subject to statutory requirements and limitations required for certain tax advantages that are allowed under specific provisions of the Code. A non-statutory stock option under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan is referred to for federal income tax purposes as a “non-qualified” stock option. Each option granted under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan will be designated as a non-qualified stock option or an incentive stock option. At the discretion of the plan administrator, incentive stock options may be granted only to our employees, employees of our “parent corporation” (as such term is defined in Section 424I of the Code) or employees of our subsidiaries.

 

The exercise period of an option may not exceed ten years from the date of grant and the exercise price may not be less than 100% of the fair market value of a share of common stock on the date the option is granted (110% of fair market value in the case of incentive stock options granted to 10% stockholders). The exercise price for shares of common stock subject to an option may be paid in cash, or as determined by the plan administrator in its sole discretion, (i) through any cashless exercise procedure approved by the plan administrator (including the withholding of shares of common stock otherwise issuable upon exercise), (ii) by tendering unrestricted shares of common stock owned by the participant, (iii) with any other form of consideration approved by the plan administrator and permitted by applicable law or (iv) by any combination of these methods. The option holder will have no rights to dividends or distributions or other rights of a shareholder with respect to the shares of the Company’s common stock subject to an option until the option holder has given written notice of exercise and paid the exercise price and applicable withholding taxes.

 

In the event of a participant’s termination of employment or service, the participant may exercise his or her option (to the extent vested as of such date of termination) for such period of time as specified in his or her option agreement.

 

Stock Appreciation Rights.

 

SARs may be granted either alone (a “Free-Standing SAR”) or in conjunction with all or part of any option granted under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan (a “Related Right”). A Free-Standing SAR will entitle its holder to receive, at the time of exercise, an amount per share up to the excess of the fair market value (at the date of exercise) of a share of common stock over the base price of the Free-Standing SAR (which shall be no less than 100% of the fair market value of the related shares of common stock on the date of grant) multiplied by the number of shares in respect of which the SAR is being exercised. A Related Right will entitle its holder to receive, at the time of exercise of the SAR and surrender of the applicable portion of the related option, an amount per share up to the excess of the fair market value (at the date of exercise) of a share of common stock over the exercise price of the related option multiplied by the number of shares in respect of which the SAR is being exercised. The exercise period of a Free-Standing SAR may not exceed ten years from the date of grant. The exercise period of a Related Right will also expire upon the expiration of its related option.

 

The holder of a SAR will have no rights to dividends or any other rights of a shareholder with respect to the shares of the Company’s common stock subject to the SAR until the holder has given written notice of exercise and paid the exercise price and applicable withholding taxes.

 

In the event of a participant’s termination of employment or service, the holder of a SAR may exercise his or her SAR (to the extent vested as of such date of termination) for such period of time as specified in his or her SAR agreement.

 

Other Stock-Based Awards. The plan administrator may grant other stock-based awards under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan, valued in whole or in part by reference to, or otherwise based on, shares of common stock. The plan administrator will determine the terms and conditions of these awards, including the number of shares of common stock to be granted pursuant to each award, the manner in which the award will be settled, and the conditions to the vesting and payment of the award (including the achievement of performance goals). The rights of participants granted other stock-based awards upon the termination of employment or service to us will be set forth in the applicable award agreement. In the event that a bonus is granted in the form of shares of common stock, the shares of common stock constituting such bonus shall, as determined by the plan administrator, be evidenced in uncertificated form or by a book entry record or a certificate issued in the name of the participant to whom such grant was made and delivered to such participant as soon as practicable after the date on which such bonus is payable. Any dividend or dividend equivalent award issued under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan shall be subject to the same restrictions, conditions and risks of forfeiture as apply to the underlying award.

 

-23-

 

 

Equitable Adjustment and Treatment of Outstanding Awards Upon a Change in Control

 

Equitable Adjustments. In the event of a merger, consolidation, reclassification, recapitalization, spin-off, spin-out, repurchase, reorganization, special or extraordinary dividend or other extraordinary distribution (whether in the form of common shares, cash or other property), combination, exchange of shares, or other change in corporate structure affecting our common stock, an equitable substitution or proportionate adjustment shall be made in (i) the aggregate number and kind of securities reserved for issuance under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan, (ii) the kind and number of securities subject to, and the exercise price of, any outstanding options and SARs granted under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan, (iii) the kind, number and purchase price of shares of common stock, or the amount of cash or amount or type of property, subject to outstanding restricted stock, RSUs and other stock-based awards granted under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan and (iv) the terms and conditions of any outstanding awards (including any applicable performance targets). Equitable substitutions or adjustments other than those listed above may also be made as determined by the plan administrator. In addition, the plan administrator may terminate all outstanding awards for the payment of cash or in-kind consideration having an aggregate fair market value equal to the excess of the fair market value of the shares of common stock, cash or other property covered by such awards over the aggregate exercise price, if any, of such awards, but if the exercise price of any outstanding award is equal to or greater than the fair market value of the shares of common stock, cash or other property covered by such award, the plan administrator may cancel the award without the payment of any consideration to the participant. With respect to awards subject to foreign laws, adjustments will be made in compliance with applicable requirements. Except to the extent determined by the plan administrator, adjustments to incentive stock options will be made only to the extent not constituting a “modification” within the meaning of Section 424(h)(3) of the Code.

 

Change in Control. The Amended and Restated 2020 Plan provides that, unless otherwise determined by the plan administrator and evidenced in an award agreement, employment, services or other agreement, if a “change in control” (as defined below) occurs and a participant is employed by, or otherwise providing services to the Company or any of its affiliates immediately prior to the consummation of the change in control, then the plan administrator, in its sole and absolute discretion, may (i) provide that any unvested or unexercisable portion of an award carrying a right to exercise will become fully vested and exercisable; and (ii) cause the restrictions, deferral limitations, payment conditions and forfeiture conditions applicable to any award granted under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan to lapse, and the awards will be deemed fully vested and any performance conditions imposed with respect to such awards will be deemed to be fully achieved at target performance levels. The plan administrator shall have discretion in connection with such change in control to provide that all outstanding and unexercised options and SARs shall expire upon the consummation of such change in control.

 

For purposes of the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan, a “change in control” means, in summary, the occurrence of any of the following events: (i) a person or entity becomes the beneficial owner of more than 50% of our voting power; (ii) an unapproved change in the majority membership of our Board; (iii) a merger or consolidation of us or any of our subsidiaries, other than (A) a merger or consolidation that results in our voting securities continuing to represent 50% or more of the combined voting power of the surviving entity or its parent and our Board immediately prior to the merger or consolidation continuing to represent at least a majority of the Board of the surviving entity or its parent or (B) a merger or consolidation effected to implement a recapitalization in which no person is or becomes the beneficial owner of our voting securities representing more than 50% of our combined voting power; or (iv) shareholder approval of a plan of our complete liquidation or dissolution or the consummation of an agreement for the sale or disposition of substantially all of our assets, other than (A) a sale or disposition to an entity, more than 50% of the combined voting power of which is owned by our stockholders in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of us immediately prior to such sale or (B) a sale or disposition to an entity controlled by our Board. However, a change in control will not be deemed to have occurred as a result of any transaction or series of integrated transactions following which our stockholders, immediately prior thereto, hold immediately afterward the same proportionate equity interests in the entity that owns all or substantially all of our assets.

 

Tax Withholding

 

Each participant will be required to make arrangements satisfactory to the plan administrator regarding payment of up to the maximum statutory tax rates in the participant’s applicable jurisdiction with respect to any award granted under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan, as determined by us. We have the right, to the extent permitted by applicable law, to deduct any such taxes from any payment of any kind otherwise due to the participant. With the approval of the plan administrator, the participant may satisfy the foregoing requirement by either electing to have us withhold from delivery of shares of common stock, cash or other property, as applicable, or by delivering already owned unrestricted shares of common stock, in each case, having a value not exceeding the applicable taxes to be withheld and applied to the tax obligations. We may also use any other method of obtaining the necessary payment or proceeds, as permitted by applicable law, to satisfy our withholding obligation with respect to any award.

 

-24-

 

 

Amendment and Termination of the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan

 

The Amended and Restated 2020 Plan provides our Board with authority to amend, alter or terminate the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan, but no such action may impair the rights of any participant with respect to outstanding awards without the participant’s consent. The plan administrator may amend an award, prospectively or retroactively, but no such amendment may materially impair the rights of any participant without the participant’s consent. Shareholder approval of any such action will be obtained if required to comply with applicable law. The Amended and Restated 2020 Plan will terminate on the tenth anniversary of the Effective Date (although awards granted before that time will remain outstanding in accordance with their terms).

 

Clawback

 

If the Company is required to prepare a financial restatement due to the Company’s material non-compliance with any financial reporting requirement under the securities law, then the plan administrator may require any Section 10D-1(d) of the Exchange Act “executive officer” to repay or forfeit to us that part of the cash or equity incentive compensation received by that Section 10D-1(d) executive officer during the preceding three completed fiscal years that the plan administrator determines was in excess of the amount that such Section 10D-1(d) executive officer would have received had such cash or equity incentive compensation been calculated based on the restated amounts reported in the restated financial statement. The plan administrator may take into account any factors it deems reasonable in determining whether to seek recoupment of previously paid cash or equity incentive compensation and how much of such compensation to recoup from each Section 10D-1(d) executive officer (which shall be made irrespective of any fault, misconduct or responsibility of each Section 10D-1(d) executive officer). The amount and form of the incentive compensation to be recouped shall be determined by the plan administrator in its sole and absolute discretion, and calculated on a pre-tax basis.

 

U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences

 

The following is a summary of certain United States federal income tax consequences of awards under the Amended and Restated 2020 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.

 

Non-Qualified Stock Options

 

A participant who has been granted a non-qualified stock option will not recognize taxable income upon the grant of a non-qualified stock option. Rather, at the time of exercise of such non-qualified stock option, the participant will recognize ordinary income for income tax purposes in an amount equal to the excess of the fair market value of the shares of common stock purchased over the exercise price. We generally will be entitled to a tax deduction at such time and in the same amount that the participant recognizes ordinary income. If shares of common stock acquired upon exercise of a non-qualified stock option 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 such 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.

 

Incentive Stock Options

 

In general, no taxable income is realized by a participant upon the grant of an incentive stock option (“ISO”). If shares of common stock are purchased by a participant, or option shares, pursuant to the exercise of an ISO granted under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan and the participant does not dispose of the option shares within the two-year period after the date of grant or within one year after the receipt of such option shares by the participant, such disposition a disqualifying disposition, then, generally (1) the participant will not realize ordinary income upon exercise and (2) upon sale of such option shares, any amount realized in excess of the exercise price paid for the option shares will be taxed to such participant as capital gain (or loss). The amount by which the fair market value of the common stock on the exercise date of an ISO exceeds the purchase price generally will constitute an item which increases the participant’s “alternative minimum taxable income.” If option shares acquired upon the exercise of an ISO are disposed of in a disqualifying disposition, the participant generally would include in ordinary income in the year of disposition an amount equal to the excess of the fair market value of the option shares at the time of exercise (or, if less, the amount realized on the disposition of the option shares), over the exercise price paid for the option shares. Subject to certain exceptions, an option generally will not be treated as an ISO if it is exercised more than three months following termination of employment. If an ISO is exercised at a time when it no longer qualifies as an ISO, such option will be treated as a nonqualified stock option as discussed above. In general, we will receive an income tax deduction at the same time and in the same amount as the participant recognizes ordinary income.

 

-25-

 

 

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 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 of common stock 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 of common stock received upon exercise of a SAR will be the fair market value of the shares of common stock 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.

 

Restricted Stock

 

A participant generally will not be taxed upon the grant of restricted stock, but rather will recognize ordinary income in an amount equal to the fair market value of the shares of common stock at the earlier of the time the shares become transferable or 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 of common stock 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 shares of common stock before the restrictions lapse will be taxable to the participant as additional compensation and not as dividend income, unless the individual has made an election under Section 83(b) of the Code. Under Section 83(b) of the Code, a participant may elect to recognize ordinary income at the time the restricted shares are awarded in an amount equal to their fair market value at that time, notwithstanding the fact that such stock is subject to restrictions or transfer 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 of common stock 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.

 

Restricted Stock Units

 

In general, the grant of RSUs 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 of common stock, 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.

 

Other Awards

 

With respect to other stock-based awards, generally when the participant receives payment in respect of the award, the amount of cash and/or the fair market value of any shares of common stock 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.

 

New Plan Benefits

 

Future grants under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan will be made at the discretion of the plan administrator and, accordingly, are not yet determinable. In addition, benefits under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan will depend on a number of factors, including the fair market value of our common stock on future dates and the exercise decisions made by participants. Consequently, at this time, it is not possible to determine the future benefits that might be received by participants receiving discretionary grants under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan.

 

Vote Required

 

You may vote “FOR” or “AGAINST” or “ABSTAIN” from voting when voting on the approval of the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan. The Amended and Restated 2020 Plan shall be approved if it receives the affirmative vote of a majority of the total number of votes of our capital stock represented at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote thereon. Proxies solicited by the Board will be voted “FOR” the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan unless stockholders specify a contrary vote.

 

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Board Recommendation

 

THE BOARD RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE AMENDED AND RESTATED 2020 PLAN.

 

PROPOSAL 3

 

AUTHORIZATION TO REINCORPORATE THE COMPANY IN THE STATE OF NEVADA

 

Our Board of Directors has approved and recommends to the stockholders a proposal to change the Company’s state of incorporation from the State of Delaware to the State of Nevada (the “Reincorporation”). If our stockholders approve the proposal, we will effect the Reincorporation by converting (the “Conversion”) the corporation as provided in the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”) and the Nevada Revised Statutes (the “NRS”). For the purposes of this proposal, we sometimes refer to the Company as “Silo-DE” prior to the Reincorporation and “Silo-NV” after the Reincorporation. Reincorporation in Nevada will not result in a material change in our business, management, assets, liabilities or net worth and will allow us to take advantage of certain provisions of the corporate and tax laws of Nevada.

 

Reasons for the Reincorporation in Nevada

 

Our Board of Directors believes that there are several reasons why a reincorporation in Nevada is in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. First of all, the Reincorporation will eliminate our obligation to pay the annual Delaware franchise tax, which we expect will result in substantial savings to us over the long term. For tax year 2022, we paid approximately $200,000 in Delaware franchise taxes. We anticipate that, if we remain a Delaware corporation, for tax year 2023, our Delaware franchise taxes will continue to be $200,000 (based on our current capital structure and assets). If we reincorporate in Nevada, our annual fees will consist of an annual business license fee of $500, an annual domestic agent representation fee of $175, and an annual fee based on the number of authorized shares and their par value, currently equal to $300.

 

In addition, the Reincorporation may help us attract and retain qualified management by reducing the risk of lawsuits being filed against the Company and its directors and officers. We believe that, for the reasons described below, in general, Nevada law provides greater protection to our directors, officers and the Company than Delaware law. The increasing frequency of claims and litigation directed towards directors and officers has greatly expanded the risks facing directors and officers in general of public companies in exercising their duties. The amount of time and money required to respond to these claims and to defend this type of litigation can be substantial. Delaware law provides that every person becoming a director or an officer of a Delaware corporation consents to the personal jurisdiction of the Delaware courts in connection with any action concerning the corporation. Accordingly, both directors and officers can be personally sued in Delaware, even though the director or officer has no other contacts with the state. Similarly, Nevada law provides that every person who accepts election or appointment, including reelection or reappointment, as a director or officer of a Nevada corporation consents to the personal jurisdiction of the Nevada courts in connection with all civil actions or proceedings brought in Nevada by, on behalf of or against the entity in which the director or officer is a necessary or proper party, or in any action or proceeding against the director or officer for a violation of a duty in such capacity, whether or not the person continues to serve as a director or officer at the time the action or proceeding is commenced. Though Delaware corporate law has recently been amended to, among other things, increase protections for officers of a corporation, we believe Nevada is more advantageous than Delaware because Nevada has pursued a statute-focused approach that does not depend upon judicial supplementation and revision, and is intended to be stable, predictable and more efficient, whereas much of Delaware corporate law still consists of judicial decisions that migrate and develop over time.

 

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Also, reincorporation in Nevada will provide potentially greater protection for directors and officers of the Company. Delaware law permits a corporation to adopt provisions limiting or eliminating the liability of a director or an officer to a company and its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, provided that the liability does not arise from certain proscribed conduct, including breach of the duty of loyalty, acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law. By contrast, Nevada law permits a broader exclusion of liability of both officers and directors to the Company and its stockholders, providing for an exclusion of all monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty unless they arise from acts or omissions which involve intentional misconduct, fraud or a knowing violation of law. The reincorporation will result in the elimination of any liability of an officer or director for a breach of the duty of loyalty unless arising from intentional misconduct, fraud or a knowing violation of law. There is currently no known pending claim or litigation against any of our directors or officers for breach of fiduciary duty related to their service as directors or officers of the Company. The directors have an interest in the Reincorporation to the extent that they will be entitled to such limitation of liability.

 

Further, a reincorporation in Nevada will provide certain corporate flexibility in connection with certain corporate transactions, including reverse stock splits, as discussed below under “Comparative Rights of Stockholders under Delaware and Nevada Law.”

 

The Reincorporation is not being effected to prevent a change in control, nor is it in response to any present attempt known to our Board to acquire control of the Company or obtain representation on our Board. Nevertheless, certain effects of the proposed reincorporation may be considered to have anti-takeover implications by virtue of being subject to Nevada law. For a discussion of differences between the laws of Delaware and Nevada, including differences that may have anti-takeover implications, see “Comparative Rights of Stockholders Before and After the Reincorporation” below.

 

Material Terms of the Conversion

 

The process for reincorporating the Company from Delaware to Nevada calls for the certificate of conversion to be filed with the Delaware Secretary of State and for the Nevada articles of incorporation and articles of conversion to be filed with the Nevada Secretary of State at approximately the time desired for the Reincorporation to take effect.

 

The Plan of Conversion

 

The Reincorporation will be effected pursuant to the plan of conversion to be entered into by the Company. The plan of conversion provides that the Company will convert into a Nevada corporation, which will continue with all of the assets, rights, privileges and powers of Silo-DE, and all property owned by Silo-DE, all debts due to Silo-DE, as well as all other causes of action belonging to Silo-DE immediately prior to the conversion, remaining vested in Silo-NV following the conversion. Silo-NV will remain as the same entity following the conversion. The directors and officers of Silo-DE immediately prior to the conversion will be the directors and officers of Silo-NV.

 

Pursuant to the Reincorporation, Silo-NV will assume all of Silo-DE’s obligations related to convertible equity securities and other rights to purchase Silo-DE Common Stock. Silo-DE’s outstanding convertible and exercisable securities consist of warrants and options to purchase Silo-DE Common Stock. Each outstanding warrant and option to purchase shares of Silo-DE Common Stock will be converted into a warrant and option to purchase a number of shares of Silo-NV Common Stock on the same terms and conditions as in effect immediately prior to the Reincorporation.

 

Effect of Vote for the Reincorporation

 

A vote in favor of the Reincorporation proposal is a vote to approve the plan of conversion and therefore the Reincorporation. A vote in favor of the Reincorporation proposal is also effectively a vote in favor of the Nevada articles of incorporation and bylaws.

 

If the Reincorporation proposal fails to obtain the requisite vote for approval, the Reincorporation will not be consummated and the Company will continue to be incorporated in Delaware and be subject to the Company’s existing Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws.

 

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Effective Time

 

If the Reincorporation proposal is approved, the Reincorporation will become effective upon the filing of, and at the date and time specified in (as applicable), the certificate of conversion filed with the Secretary of State of Delaware and the articles of conversion and articles of incorporation are filed with the Secretary of State of Nevada, in each case, upon acceptance thereof by the Nevada Secretary of State and the Delaware Secretary of State. If the Reincorporation proposal is approved, it is anticipated that the board of directors will cause the Reincorporation to be effected as soon as reasonably practicable. However, the Reincorporation may be delayed by the board of directors or the plan of conversion may be terminated and abandoned by action of the board of directors at any time prior to the effective time of the Reincorporation, whether before or after the approval by the Company’s stockholders, if the board of directors determines for any reason that the consummation of the Reincorporation should be delayed or would be inadvisable or not in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders, as the case may be..

 

Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Reincorporation

 

The following is a discussion of the material U.S. federal income tax consequences of the Reincorporation to U.S. holders (as defined below). This discussion does not purport to be a complete analysis of all the potential U.S. federal income tax consequences, and does not describe any state, local, or non-U.S. income, estate, gift, or other tax consequences, of the Reincorporation. This discussion is based upon current provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), current, temporary and proposed Treasury regulations and judicial and administrative decisions and rulings as of the date hereof, all of which are subject to change (possibly with retroactive effect) and all of which are subject to differing interpretations. This discussion is limited to U.S. holders that hold our Common Stock as a “capital asset” within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Code (generally, property held for investment). This discussion does not address all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may be relevant to a U.S. holder’s particular circumstances or to persons subject to special treatment under U.S. federal income tax laws, including, without limitation, banks and other financial institutions, insurance companies, mutual funds, regulated investment companies, real estate investment trusts, cooperatives, tax-exempt organizations, brokers, dealers or traders in securities, persons holding shares of our Common Stock as part of a hedge, straddle, or other risk reduction strategy or as part of a conversion transaction or other integrated investment, U.S. expatriates, U.S. holders whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar, persons subject to the alternative minimum tax, non-U.S. persons, partnerships or other pass-through entities or arrangements for U.S. federal income tax purposes (or holders of interests in such entities or arrangements), and persons who hold or receive our Common Stock pursuant to the exercise of any employee stock option or otherwise as compensation. No ruling will be sought from the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) with respect to the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the Reincorporation, and no assurance can be given that the IRS will not take a contrary position to the U.S. federal income tax consequences described below or that any such contrary position will not be sustained by a court.

 

For purposes of this discussion, a “U.S. holder” is a beneficial owner of our Common Stock, that, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is (1) an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States, (2) a corporation (or other entity taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) that is created or organized under the laws of the United States, any state thereof, or the District of Columbia, (3) an estate, the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income tax regardless of its source, or (4) a trust (A) if a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision of the trust and one or more “United States persons” (within the meaning of Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code) have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust, or (B) that has a valid election in effect under applicable Treasury regulations to be treated as a United States person for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

 

If a partnership (including, for this purpose, any entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) is a beneficial owner of our Common Stock, the U.S. federal income tax consequences to a partner in the partnership generally will depend on the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Accordingly, a holder of our Common Stock that is a partnership, and the partners in such partnership, should consult their tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the Reincorporation.

 

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The Reincorporation is intended to qualify as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a)(1)(F) of the Code. Assuming that the Reincorporation qualifies as a reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a)(1)(F) of the Code:

 

U.S. holders will not recognize any gain or loss as a result of the Reincorporation;
   
the aggregate tax basis of the shares of Silo-NV Common Stock deemed received in the Reincorporation by a U.S. holder will be equal to the U.S. holder’s aggregate tax basis of the shares of Silo-DE Common Stock converted therefor;
   
the holding period of the shares of Silo-NV Common Stock deemed received in the Reincorporation by a U.S. holder will include the U.S. holder’s holding period of the shares of Silo-DE common stock converted therefor; and
   
no gain or loss will be recognized by the Company as a result of the Reincorporation.

 

THE DISCUSSION SET FORTH ABOVE IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT INTENDED TO BE, NOT SHOULD IT BE CONSTRUED TO BE, LEGAL OR TAX ADVICE. MOREOVER, THIS DISCUSSION DOES NOT ADDRESS ANY NON-INCOME, STATE, LOCAL, OR NON-U.S. TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE REINCORPORATION. ALL HOLDERS OF THE COMPANY COMMON STOCK SHOULD CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS REGARDING THE TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE REINCORPORATION TO THEIR PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES, INCLUDING THE EFFECTS OF U.S. FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL, NON-U.S. AND OTHER TAX LAWS.

 

Securities Act Consequences

 

The shares of Silo-NV common stock and Series B preferred stock to be issued in exchange for shares of our common stock and Series B preferred stock are not being registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). In that respect, the Silo-NV is relying on Rule 145(a)(2) under the Securities Act, which provides that a conversion that has as its sole purpose a change in a corporation’s domicile does not involve the sale of securities for purposes of the Securities Act. After the Reincorporation, Silo-NV will be a publicly held company, and it will file with the SEC and provide to its stockholders the same type of information that we have previously filed and provided. Stockholders, whose shares of our common stock are freely tradable before the Reincorporation will continue to have freely tradable shares of Silo-NV common stock. Stockholders holding restricted shares of Silo-NV common stock and Series B preferred stock will be subject to the same restrictions on transfer as those to which their present shares of our common stock and Series B preferred stock are subject. In summary, the Silo-NV and its stockholders will be in the same respective positions under the federal securities laws after the Reincorporation as the Company and our stockholders prior to the Reincorporation.

 

No Exchange of Stock Certificates Required

 

Stockholders are not required to exchange their stock certificates for new certificates representing shares of Silo-NV common stock or Series B preferred stock. New stock certificates representing shares of Silo-NV common stock and Series B preferred stock will not be issued to a stockholder until such stockholder submits one or more existing certificates for transfer, whether pursuant to a sale or other disposition. However, stockholders (at their option and at their expense) may exchange their stock certificates for new certificates representing shares of Silo-NV common stock or Series B preferred stock, as the case may be, following the Effective Time of the Conversion.

 

No Appraisal Rights

 

Under the DGCL, our stockholders are not entitled to dissenter’s or appraisal rights with respect to the Reincorporation described in this Proposal 3.

 

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Potential Disadvantages of the Reincorporation

 

Because of Delaware’s prominence as a state of incorporation for many large corporations, the Delaware courts have developed considerable expertise in dealing with corporate issues and a substantial body of case law has developed construing Delaware law and establishing public policies with respect to Delaware corporations. While Nevada also has encouraged incorporation in that state and has adopted comprehensive, modern and flexible statutes that it periodically updates and revises to meet changing business needs, because Nevada case law concerning the effects of its statutes and regulations is more limited, the Company and its stockholders may experience less predictability with respect to the legality of certain corporate affairs and transactions and stockholders’ rights to challenge them, to the extent Nevada’s statutes do not provide a clear answer and a Nevada court must make a determination.

 

In addition, underwriters and other members of the financial services industry may be less willing and able to assist the Company with capital-raising programs because they might perceive Nevada’s laws as being less flexible or developed than those of Delaware. Certain investment funds, sophisticated investors and brokerage firms may likewise be less comfortable and less willing to invest in a corporation incorporated in a jurisdiction other than Delaware whose corporate laws may be less understood or perceived to be unresponsive to stockholder rights.

 

Further, a reincorporation in Nevada will provide certain corporate flexibility in connection with certain corporate transactions, including reverse stock splits, whereby our Board of Directors may be able to take certain actions without the need for stockholder approval, as discussed under “Comparative Rights of Stockholders under Delaware and Nevada Law.”

 

Comparative Rights of Stockholders Before and After the Reincorporation

 

Upon consummation of the Reincorporation, the outstanding shares of our common stock will be converted into shares of Silo-NV’s common stock. Consequently, our common stockholders, whose rights as stockholders are currently governed by the DGCL and the Company’s current Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws, will become common stockholders of Silo-NV (as the surviving corporation) whose rights will be governed by the NRS and the Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation and the Bylaws of Silo-NV, which are attached hereto as Appendix B and Appendix C, respectively.

 

Because of differences between the NRS and the DGCL, as well as differences between the Company’s governing documents before and after the Reincorporation, the Reincorporation will effect certain changes in the rights of the Company’s stockholders. Summarized below are the most significant provisions of the NRS and DGCL, along with the differences between the rights of the stockholders of the Company before and after the Reincorporation that will result from the differences among the NRS and the DGCL and the differences between Silo-DE’s certificate of incorporation and bylaws and Silo-NV’s articles of incorporation and bylaws. The summary below is not an exhaustive list of all differences or a complete description of the differences described, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the NRS, the DGCL, Silo-DE’s certificate of incorporation and Silo-DE’s bylaws and Silo-NV’s articles of incorporation, Silo-NV’s bylaws.

 

Provisions   Silo-DE (Delaware law)   Silo-NV (Nevada law)

Authorized Capital Stock

  The authorized capital stock of Silo-DE consists of 500,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share.   The authorized capital stock of Silo-NV will consist of 500,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share.
         
    Silo-DE’s certificate of incorporation authorizes the board of directors to provide for the issuance of shares of preferred stock in one or more series, to establish the number of shares in each series, and to fix the designations, powers, preferences and rights of each such series and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof.   Silo-NV’s articles of incorporation will authorize the board of directors to provide for the issuance of shares of preferred stock in one or more series, to establish the number of shares in each series, and to fix the designations, powers, preferences and rights of each such series and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof.
         
Number of Directors   Delaware law provides that a corporation must have at least one director and that the number of directors shall be fixed by or in the manner provided in the bylaws unless the certificate of incorporation fixes the number of directors.   Nevada law provides that a corporation must have at least one director and may provide in its articles of incorporation or in its bylaws for a fixed number of directors or a variable number, and for the manner in which the number of directors may be increased or decreased.
         
    Silo-DE’s bylaws provide that the number of directors shall be fixed from time to time by the board of directors either by a resolution or bylaw adopted by the affirmative vote of a majority of the entire board of directors and shall consist of not less than three directors.   Silo-NV’s bylaws will provide that the number of directors shall be at least one. Subject to this limitation, the number of directors may be fixed from time to time by action of the stockholders or of the directors.

 

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Classified Board   Delaware law permits any Delaware corporation to classify its board of directors into as many as three classes divided as equally as possible with staggered terms of office.   Nevada law permits corporations to classify their boards of directors. At least one-fourth of the total number of directors of a Nevada corporation must be elected annually.
         
    Neither the certificate of incorporation nor the bylaws of Silo-DE provide for a classified board of directors. Directors will continue to be elected annually at the annual meeting of stockholders.   Neither the articles of incorporation nor the bylaws of Silo-NV provide for a classified board of directors. Directors will continue to be elected annually at the annual meeting of stockholders.
         
Removal of Directors   Under Delaware law, although stockholders may generally remove directors with or without cause by a majority vote, stockholders may remove members of classified boards only for cause unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Similarly, if holders of a class or series have a right to elect one or more directors pursuant to the certificate of incorporation, those directors may not be removed without cause by stockholders other than those entitled to elect them.   Under Nevada law, any one or all of the directors of a corporation may be removed by the vote of the holders of not less than two-thirds of the voting power of a corporation’s issued and outstanding stock. Nevada does not distinguish between removal of directors with or without cause.
         
    Silo-DE’s bylaws provide that any director or the entire board of directors may be removed, with or without cause, at an annual meeting or at a special meeting called for that purpose, by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares then entitled to vote at an election of directors.   Silo-NV’s bylaws will provide that a director may be removed only for cause by a vote of at least two-thirds of the voting power of the then outstanding stock entitled to vote generally on the election of directors, voting together as a single class.
         
Board Action by Written Consent   Delaware law provides that, unless the certificate of incorporation or bylaws provide otherwise, any action required or permitted to be taken at a meeting of the board or of any committee thereof may be taken without a meeting if all members of the board or committee consent thereto in writing or by electronic transmission and the writing or writings or electronic transmission or transmissions are filed with the minutes of proceedings of the board or committee.   Nevada law provides that, unless the articles of incorporation or bylaws provide otherwise, any action required or permitted to be taken at a meeting of the board of directors or of a committee thereof may be taken without a meeting if, before or after the action, a written consent thereto is signed by all the members of the board or committee.
         
    Silo-DE’s articles and bylaws do not change this statutory rule.   Silo-NV’s articles and bylaws will not change this statutory rule.
         
Special Meetings of Stockholders   Delaware law permits special meetings of stockholders to be called by the board of directors or by any other person authorized in the certificate of incorporation or bylaws to call a special stockholder meeting.   Nevada law provides that unless otherwise provided in a corporation’s articles of incorporation or bylaws, the entire board of directors, any two directors, or the president of the corporation may call a special meeting of the stockholders.
         
    Silo-DE’s certificate of incorporation and bylaws provides that special meetings of the stockholders may be called only by, in addition to the rights of the holders of any series of preferred stock of the Company, (a) the chairman of the board, or (b) the board of directors, or an officer of the Company authorized by the board, pursuant to a resolution approved by a majority of the whole board of directors, (c) the Chief Executive Officer of the Company; or (iv) the President of the Company (in the absence of a chief executive officer).   Silo-NV’s bylaws will provide that special meetings of the stockholders may be called by the directors or by any officer instructed by the directors to call the meeting.

 

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Cumulative Voting   A Delaware corporation may provide for cumulative voting in the corporation’s certificate of incorporation.   Unless otherwise provided in the articles of incorporation, directors of a Nevada corporation are elected by a plurality of the votes cast by the shares entitled to vote in the election at a meeting at which a quorum is present. Nevada law permits cumulative voting in the election of directors only if the articles of incorporation provide for cumulative voting and certain procedures for the exercise of cumulative voting are followed.
         
    Silo-DE’s certificate of incorporation and bylaws do not have a provision granting cumulative voting rights in the election of its directors.   Silo-NV’s will not have a provision granting cumulative voting rights in the election of its directors in its articles of incorporation or bylaws.
         
Vacancies   All vacancies on the board of directors of a Delaware corporation may be filled by a majority of the remaining directors, though less than a quorum, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Unless otherwise provided in the certificate of incorporation, the board may fill the vacancies for the remainder of the term of office of resigning director or directors.   All vacancies on the board of directors of a Nevada corporation may be filled by a majority of the remaining directors, though less than a quorum, unless the articles of incorporation provide otherwise. Unless otherwise provided in the articles of incorporation, the board may fill the vacancies for the remainder of the term of office of resigning director or directors.
         
    Silo-DE’s bylaws provide that any vacancies may be filled by a majority of the remaining directors.   Silo-NV’s bylaws will provide that any vacancies may be filled by a majority vote of the remaining directors.
         
Stockholder Voting Provisions  

Under Delaware law, a majority of the shares entitled to vote, present in person or represented by proxy, generally constitutes a quorum at a meeting of stockholders. Generally, in all matters other than the election of directors, the affirmative vote of the majority of shares present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote on the subject matter constitutes the act of stockholders. Directors are generally elected by a plurality of the votes of the shares present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote on the election of directors.

 

 

Under Nevada law, a majority of the voting power, which includes the voting power that is present in person or by proxy, regardless of whether the proxy has authority to vote on all matters, generally constitutes a quorum for the transaction of business at a meeting of stockholders and action by the stockholders on a matter other than the election of directors is approved if the number of votes cast in favor of the action exceeds the number of votes cast in opposition to the action, unless otherwise provided in Nevada law or the articles of incorporation or bylaws of the corporation. Generally, directors are elected by a plurality of the votes of the shares present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote on election of directors.

 

    Where a separate vote by a class or series or classes or series is required, a majority of the outstanding shares of such class or series or classes or series, present in person or represented by proxy, generally constitutes a quorum entitled to take action with respect to that vote on that matter and, generally, the affirmative vote of the majority of shares of such class or series or classes or series present in person or represented by proxy constitutes the act of such class or series or classes or series.   Where a separate vote by a class or series or classes or series is required, a majority of the voting power of the class or series that is present or by proxy, regardless of whether the proxy has authority to vote on all matters, generally constitutes a quorum for the transaction of business. Generally, an act by the stockholders of each class or series is approved if a majority of the voting power of a quorum of the class or series votes for the action.
         
    Silo-DE’s bylaws do not provide that any action required or permitted to be taken by the stockholders must be taken at a meeting and not by written consent.   Silo-NV’s articles and bylaws will not change these statutory rules.

 

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Stockholder Action by Written Consent   Delaware law provides that, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise, any action required or permitted to be taken at a meeting of the stockholders may be taken without a meeting if the holders of outstanding stock having at least the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize such action at a meeting provide written consent. Delaware law also requires the corporation to give prompt notice of corporate action taken without a meeting by less than unanimous written consent to those stockholders who did not consent in writing.   Nevada law provides that, unless the articles of incorporation or bylaws provides otherwise, any action required or permitted to be taken at a meeting of the stockholders may be taken without a meeting if the holders of outstanding stock having at least a majority of the voting power consent to the action in writing.
         
    Silo-DE’s bylaws provide that unless otherwise provided in the certificate of incorporation, a corporation may take any action without a meeting if consents are received by the stockholders having not less than the minimum number of votes necessary to approve the action at a meeting.   Silo-NV’s bylaws will provide that any action required or permitted to be taken by the stockholders at any annual or special meeting of stockholders, may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if a consent in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by the holders of outstanding stock having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares entitled to vote thereon were present and voted.
         
Advance Notice of Stockholder Proposals   Delaware law permits a corporation to include in its bylaws provisions requiring advance notice of stockholder proposals.   Nevada law permits a corporation to include in its bylaws provisions requiring advance notice of stockholder proposals.
         
    Silo-DE’s bylaws provide that notice of each meeting of the stockholders shall be mailed to each stockholder entitled to vote thereat not less than 10 nor more than 60 days before the date of the meeting.  Such notice shall state the place, date and hour of the meeting and, in the case of a special meeting, the purposes for which the meeting is called.   Silo-NV’s bylaws will provide that whenever stockholders are required or permitted to take any action at a meeting, a written notice of the meeting shall be given which shall state the place, date and hour of the meeting, the means of electronic communication, if any, and, in the case of a Special Meeting, the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called. Unless otherwise required by law, written notice of any meeting shall be given not less than ten (10) nor more than sixty (60) days before the date of the meeting to each stockholder entitled to notice of and to vote at such meeting, and shall be delivered in accordance with NRS 78.370.
         
Amendments to the Bylaws   Delaware law provides that the power to adopt, amend, or repeal the bylaws shall be vested in the stockholders entitled to vote, provided that the certificate of incorporation may confer such power on the board of directors, although the power vested in the stockholders is not divested or limited where the board of directors also has such power.   Nevada law provides that, unless otherwise prohibited by any bylaws adopted by the stockholders, the board of directors may amend any bylaw, including any bylaw adopted by the stockholders. The articles of incorporation may grant the authority to adopt, amend or repeal bylaws exclusively to the directors.
         
    Silo-DE’s certificate of incorporation and bylaws empower the board of directors or the stockholders to alter, amend, repeal or adopt new bylaws.   Silo-NV’s articles of incorporation and bylaws will provide that the Bylaws may be amended or repealed in any respect, and new Bylaws may be adopted, in each case by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least fifty (50%) of the outstanding voting power of the Corporation, voting together as a single class.

 

Vote Required

 

The approval and adoption of the Reincorporation of the Company from the State of Delaware to the State of Nevada requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote.

 

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” APPROVAL OF THE REINCORPORATION.

 

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PROPOSAL 4

 

APPROVAL OF AN AMENDMENT OF THE COMPANY’S AMENDED AND RESTATED
CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION TO DECREASE THE AUTHORIZED COMMON STOCK

 

The Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Certificate of Incorporation”) currently authorizes the issuance of 500,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share. On September 15, 2023, the Company’s Board adopted a resolution approving, and declaring advisable, subject to stockholder approval, an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation to decrease the number of authorized shares of our common stock from 500,000,000 to 100,000,000 (the “Share Decrease Amendment”). No change to the authorized number of shares of preferred stock is being proposed.

 

Text of the Amendment

 

The text of the form of proposed Certificate of Amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation amending the number of authorized shares is attached to this Proxy Statement as Appendix D (the “Certificate of Amendment”). If our stockholders approve this Proposal 5, we expect to file the Certificate of Amendment with the Secretary of State for the State of Delaware shortly following stockholder approval. Upon filing of the Certificate of Amendment with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware, the Article FOURTH, Section (A) of our Certificate of Incorporation would read as follows:

 

The corporation shall have authority to issue shares as follows:

 

  (A) The total number of shares of stock authorized which the Corporation shall have the authority to issue shall be 505,000,000 shares. The Corporation shall be authorized to issue two classes of shares of stock, designated “Common Stock” and “Preferred Stock.” The Corporation shall be authorized to issue 100,000,000 shares of Common Stock, each share to have a par value of $0.0001 per share, and 5,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock, each share to have a par value of $0.0001 per share.

 

Purpose of the Amendment

 

The Board of Directors believes that the Authorized Share Decrease will appropriately balance the needs for available shares for capital raising, strategic transactions, and equity incentive awards with the desire to avoid having an unreasonably high number of authorized shares and payment of excess franchise taxes. The Board of Directors believes that the size of the remaining available shares is appropriate to provide for our long-term needs and is in line with most similarly situated companies..

 

Effect of Approval of Proposed Amendment

 

If the Share Decrease Amendment is approved by stockholders, all other sections of the Certificate of Incorporation would be maintained in their current form. The Share Decrease Amendment would become effective upon the filing of a Certificate of Amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware, which the Company would do shortly after the Annual Meeting, assuming Proposal 5 is approved by our stockholders. In the event that the Share Decrease Amendment is not approved by our stockholders at the Annual Meeting, the current Certificate of Incorporation would remain in effect in its entirety. Our Board reserves the right, notwithstanding stockholder approval of the Share Decrease Amendment and without further action by our stockholders, not to proceed with the Share Decrease Amendment at any time before it becomes effective.

 

Dissenters’ Rights of Appraisal

 

Under Delaware law, stockholders are not entitled to appraisal rights with respect to the Share Decrease Amendment, and we will not independently provide our stockholders with any such right.

 

Vote Required

 

The approval of an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation to decrease the number of authorized shares of our common stock from 500,000,000 to 100,000,000 requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present in person at the Annual Meeting or represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting is required.

 

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” APPROVAL OF THE SHARE DECREASE AMENDMENT.

 

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PROPOSAL 5

 

RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF OUR INDEPENDENT
REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR FISCAL YEAR ENDING
DECEMBER 31, 2023

 

The Board has appointed Salberg & Company, P.A. (“Salberg”) to serve as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2023. Salberg has acted as our principal accountant since 2019.

 

A representative of Salberg is expected to be present via telephone conference at the Annual Meeting. He or she will have the opportunity to make a statement if desired and is expected to be available to respond to appropriate questions.

 

Our Audit Committee retains our independent registered public accounting firm and approves in advance all audit and non-audit services performed by this firm and any other auditing firms. Although management has the primary responsibility for the financial statements and the reporting process including the systems of internal control, the Audit Committee consults with management and our independent registered public accounting firm regarding the preparation of financial statements and the adoption and disclosure of our critical accounting estimates and generally oversees the relationship of the independent registered public accounting firm with the Company. The independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for expressing an opinion on the conformity of those audited financial statements with generally accepted accounting principles, relating to their judgments as to the quality, not just the acceptability, of the Company’s accounting principles, and such other matters as are required to be discussed with the Audit Committee under generally accepted auditing standards.

 

It is the responsibility of our management to determine that our financial statements and disclosures are complete and accurate and in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. It is the responsibility of our independent registered public accounting firm to conduct the audit of our financial statements and disclosures. In giving its recommendation to the Board that our audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2022 be included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, the Audit Committee has relied on: (1) management’s representation that such financial statements have been prepared with integrity and objectivity and in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States; and (2) the report of our independent registered public accounting firm with respect to such financial statements.

 

Principal Accountant Fees and Services

 

The aggregate fees billed to us by Salberg, our independent registered public accounting firm, for the indicated services for each of the last two fiscal years were as follows:

 

   2022   2021 
Audit Fees  $57,100   $52,300 
Audit Related Fees   24,800    12,100 
Tax Fees   -    - 
All Other Fees   -    - 
Total  $81,900   $64,400 

 

Audit Fees: Audit fees consist of fees billed for professional services performed by Salberg for the audit of our annual consolidated financial statements, the review of interim consolidated financial statements, and the issuance of consents and comfort letters in connection with registration statements, including the filing of our registration statement on Form S-1 for our initial public offering.

 

Audit-Related Fees: Audit related fees may consist of fees billed by an independent registered public accounting firm for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of our consolidated financial statements. There were no such fees incurred by the Company in the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.

 

Tax Fees: Tax fees may consist of fees for professional services, including tax compliance performed by Salberg. There were no such fees incurred by the Company in the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.

 

All Other Fees: There were no such fees incurred by the Company in the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.

 

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Policy on Audit Committee Pre-Approval of Audit and Permissible Non-Audit Services of Independent Auditors

 

Consistent with SEC policies and guidelines regarding audit independence, the Audit Committee is responsible for the pre-approval of all audit and permissible non-audit services provided by our independent registered public accounting firm on a case-by-case basis. Our Audit Committee has established a policy regarding approval of all audit and permissible non-audit services provided by our principal accountants. Our Audit Committee pre-approves these services by category and service and has pre-approved all of the services provided by our independent registered public accounting firm.

 

Vote Required

 

The selection of our independent registered public accounting firm is not required to be submitted to a vote of our stockholders for ratification. However, we are submitting this matter to the stockholders as a matter of good corporate governance. Even if the appointment is ratified, the Board may, in its discretion, appoint a different independent registered public accounting firm at any time during the year if it determines that such a change would be in the best interests of us and our stockholders. If the appointment is not ratified, the Board will reconsider whether or not to retain Salberg.

 

The affirmative vote of a majority of the shares (by voting power) present in person at the Annual Meeting or represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting is required to approve the ratification of the appointment of Salberg as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023.

 

Board Recommendation

 

THE BOARD RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF SALBERG & COMPANY, P.A. AS THE COMPANY’S INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2023.

 

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AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

 

The following Audit Committee Report shall not be deemed to be “soliciting material,” deemed “filed” with the Securities and Exchange Commission or subject to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in any of the Company’s previous filings under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act that might incorporate by reference future filings, including this proxy statement, in whole or in part, the following Audit Committee Report shall not be incorporated by reference into any such filings.

 

The Audit Committee is comprised of three independent directors (as defined under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5605(a)(2)). The Audit Committee operates under a written charter, which is available on the Company’s website at www.silopharma.com.

 

The Audit Committee has reviewed and discussed with management and the Company’s auditors, the Company’s audited financial statements as of and for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.

 

The Audit Committee has discussed with Salberg & Company, P.A., the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, the matters as required to be discussed by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”) Auditing Standard No. 1301 (Communications with Audit Committees).

 

The Audit Committee has received the written disclosures and the letter from Salberg & Company, P.A. required by applicable requirements of the PCAOB regarding Salberg & Company, P.A.’s communications with the Audit Committee concerning independence, and has discussed with Salberg & Company, P.A. their independence from management and the Company.

 

Based on the review and discussions referred to above, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board that the financial statements referred to above be included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 for filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

Submitted by the Audit Committee

Wayne D. Linsley

Dr. Kevin Muñoz

Dr. Jeff Pavell

 

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OTHER MATTERS

 

We have no knowledge of any other matters that may come before the Annual Meeting and do not intend to present any other matters. However, if any other matters shall properly come before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof, the persons soliciting proxies will have the discretion to vote as they see fit unless directed otherwise.

 

We will bear the cost of soliciting proxies in the accompanying form. In addition to the use of the mails, proxies may also be solicited by our directors, officers or other employees, personally or by telephone, facsimile or email, none of whom will be compensated separately for these solicitation activities. We have engaged Campaign Management to assist in the solicitation of proxies. We will pay a fee of approximately $8,000 plus reasonable out-of-pocket charges to Campaign Management for such services.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

Householding

 

The SEC has adopted rules that permit companies and intermediaries (e.g., brokers) to satisfy the delivery requirements for Proxy Availability Notice or other Annual Meeting materials with respect to two or more stockholders sharing the same address by delivering a single Notice or other Annual Meeting materials addressed to those stockholders. This process, which is commonly referred to as householding, potentially provides extra convenience for stockholders and cost savings for companies. Stockholders who participate in householding will continue to be able to access and receive separate proxy cards.

 

This year, a number of brokers with account holders who are our stockholders will be “householding” our proxy materials. A Notice or proxy materials will be delivered in one single envelope to multiple stockholders sharing an address unless contrary instructions have been received from one or more of the affected stockholders. Once you have received notice from your broker that they will be householding communications to your address, householding will continue until you are notified otherwise or until you revoke your consent. If, at any time, you no longer wish to participate in householding and would prefer to receive a separate Notice or proxy materials, please notify your broker or call our Secretary at (718) 400-9031, or submit a request in writing to our Secretary, Silo Pharma, Inc., 560 Sylvan Avenue, Suite 3160, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 07632. Stockholders who currently receive multiple copies of the Notice or proxy materials at their address and would like to request householding of their communications should contact their broker. In addition, we will promptly deliver, upon written or oral request to the address or telephone number above, a separate copy of the Notice or proxy materials to a stockholder at a shared address to which a single copy of the documents was delivered.

 

Annual Reports on Form 10-K

 

Additional copies of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 may be obtained without charge at https://westcoaststocktransfer.com/proxy-silo/, by telephone at 619-664-4780, by email to cs@wcsti.com, or by notifying our Corporate Secretary, in writing, at Silo Pharma, Inc., 560 Sylvan Avenue, Suite 3160, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 07632.

 

By Order of the Board of Directors  
   
/s/ Eric Weisblum  
Eric Weisblum  
Chairman of the Board of Directors and
Chief Executive Officer
 

 

October 23, 2023

 

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Appendix A

 

SILO PHARMA, INC.

AMENDED AND RESTATED

2020 OMNIBUS EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

 

Section 1. Purpose of Plan.

 

The name of the Plan is the Silo Pharma, Inc. Amended and Restated 2020 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”). The purposes of the Plan are to (i) provide an additional incentive to selected employees, directors and independent contractors of the Company or its Affiliates whose contributions are essential to the growth and success of the Company, (ii) strengthen the commitment of such individuals to the Company and its Affiliates, (iii) motivate those individuals to faithfully and diligently perform their responsibilities and (iv) attract and retain competent and dedicated individuals whose efforts will result in the long-term growth and profitability of the Company. To accomplish these purposes, the Plan provides that the Company may grant Options, Stock Appreciation Rights, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Other Stock-Based Awards or any combination of the foregoing.

 

Section 2. Definitions.

 

For purposes of the Plan, the following terms shall be defined as set forth below:

 

(a) “Administrator” means the Board, or, if and to the extent the Board does not administer the Plan, the Committee in accordance with Section 3 hereof.

 

(b) “Affiliate” means a Person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, or is controlled by, or is under common control with, the Person specified as of any date of determination.

 

(c) “Applicable Laws” means the applicable requirements under U.S. federal and state corporate laws, U.S. federal and state securities laws, including the Code, any stock exchange or quotation system on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted and the applicable laws of any other country or jurisdiction where Awards are granted under the Plan, as are in effect from time to time.

 

(d) “Awards” means any Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Unit or Other Stock-Based Award granted under the Plan.

 

(e) “Award Agreement” means any written notice, agreement, contract or other instrument or document evidencing an Award, including through electronic medium, which shall contain such terms and conditions with respect to an Award as the Administrator shall determine, consistent with the Plan.

 

(f) “Beneficial Owner” (or any variant thereof) has the meaning defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act.

 

(g) “Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

 

(h) “Bylaws” mean the bylaws of the Company, as may be amended and/or restated from time to time.

 

(i) “Cause” has the meaning assigned to such term in any individual service, employment or severance agreement or Award Agreement with the Participant or, if no such agreement exists or if such agreement does not define “Cause,” then “Cause” means a Participant’s (i)  conviction of a felony or a crime involving fraud or moral turpitude; (ii) theft, material act of dishonesty or fraud, intentional falsification of any employment or Company records, or commission of any criminal act which impairs Participant’s ability to perform appropriate employment duties for the Company, (iii) intentional or reckless conduct or gross negligence materially harmful to the Company or the successor to the Company after a Change in Control, including violation of a non-competition or confidentiality agreement; (iv) willful failure to follow lawful instructions of the person or body to which Participant reports; or (v) gross negligence or willful misconduct in the performance of Participant’s assigned duties. . “Cause” shall not include mere unsatisfactory performance in the achievement of a Participant’s job. Any voluntary termination of employment or service by the Participant in anticipation of an involuntary termination of the Participant’s employment or service, as applicable, for Cause shall be deemed to be a termination for Cause.

 

A-1

 

 

(j) “Change in Capitalization” means any (i) merger, consolidation, reclassification, recapitalization, spin-off, spin-out, repurchase or other reorganization or corporate transaction or event, (ii) special or extraordinary dividend or other extraordinary distribution (whether in the form of cash, Common Stock or other property), stock split, reverse stock split, share subdivision or consolidation, (iii) combination or exchange of shares or (iv) other change in corporate structure, which, in any such case, the Administrator determines, in its sole discretion, affects the Common Stock such that an adjustment pursuant to Section 5 hereof is appropriate.

 

(k) “Change in Control” means the first occurrence of an event set forth in any one of the following paragraphs following the Effective Date:

 

(1) any Person is or becomes the Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company (not including in the securities Beneficially Owned by such Person which were acquired directly from the Company or any Affiliate thereof) representing more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities, excluding any Person who becomes such a Beneficial Owner in connection with a transaction described in clause (i) of paragraph (3) below; or

 

(2) the date on which individuals who constitute the Board as of the Effective Date and any new director (other than a director whose initial assumption of office is in connection with an actual or threatened election contest, including, but not limited to, a consent solicitation, relating to the election of directors of the Company) whose appointment or election by the Board or nomination for election by the Company’s stockholders was approved or recommended by a vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the directors then still in office who either were directors on the Effective Date or whose appointment, election or nomination for election was previously so approved or recommended cease for any reason to constitute a majority of the number of directors serving on the Board; or

 

(3) there is consummated a merger or consolidation of the Company or any direct or indirect Subsidiary with any other corporation or other entity, other than (i) a merger or consolidation (A) which results in the voting securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior to such merger or consolidation continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity or any parent thereof), in combination with the ownership of any trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company or any Subsidiary, fifty percent (50%) or more of the combined voting power of the securities of the Company or such surviving entity or any parent thereof outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation and (B) following which the individuals who comprise the Board immediately prior thereto constitute at least a majority of the Board of the Company, the entity surviving such merger or consolidation or, if the Company or the entity surviving such merger or consolidation is then a Subsidiary, the ultimate parent thereof, or (ii) a merger or consolidation effected to implement a recapitalization of the Company (or similar transaction) in which no Person is or becomes the Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company (not including in the securities Beneficially Owned by such Person any securities acquired directly from the Company or its Affiliates) representing more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities; or

 

(4) the stockholders of the Company approve a plan of complete liquidation or dissolution of the Company or there is consummated an agreement for the sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets, other than (A) a sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets to an entity, more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the voting securities of which are owned by stockholders of the Company following the completion of such transaction in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the Company immediately prior to such sale or (B) a sale or disposition of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets immediately following which the individuals who comprise the Board immediately prior thereto constitute at least a majority of the board of directors of the entity to which such assets are sold or disposed or, if such entity is a subsidiary, the ultimate parent thereof.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, (i) a Change in Control shall not be deemed to have occurred by virtue of the consummation of any transaction or series of integrated transactions immediately following which the holders of Common Stock immediately prior to such transaction or series of transactions continue to have substantially the same proportionate ownership in an entity which owns all or substantially all of the assets of the Company immediately following such transaction or series of transactions and (ii) to the extent required to avoid accelerated taxation and/or tax penalties under Section 409A of the Code, a Change in Control shall be deemed to have occurred under the Plan with respect to any Award that constitutes deferred compensation under Section 409A of the Code only if a change in the ownership or effective control of the Company or a change in ownership of a substantial portion of the assets of the Company shall also be deemed to have occurred under Section 409A of the Code. For purposes of this definition of Change in Control, the term “Person” shall not include (i) the Company or any Subsidiary thereof, (ii) a trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company or any Subsidiary thereof, (iii) an underwriter temporarily holding securities pursuant to an offering of such securities, or (iv) a corporation owned, directly or indirectly, by the stockholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of shares of the Company.

 

A-2

 

 

(l) “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time, or any successor thereto.

 

(m) “Committee” means any committee or subcommittee the Board (including, but not limited to, the Compensation Committee) may appoint to administer the Plan. Subject to the discretion of the Board, the Committee shall be composed entirely of individuals who meet the qualifications of a “non-employee director” within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act and any other qualifications required by the applicable stock exchange on which the Common Stock is traded.

 

(n) “Common Stock” means the common stock of the Company, par value $0.0001.

 

(o) “Company” means Silo Pharma, Inc., a Delaware corporation (or any successor company, except as the term “Company” is used in the definition of “Change in Control” above).

 

(p) Covered Executive” means any Executive Officer that (1) has received Incentive Compensation (A) during the Look-Back Period (as defined in Section 27) and (B) after beginning service as an Executive Officer; and (2) served as an Executive Officer at any time during the performance period for the applicable Incentive Compensation.

 

(q) “Disability” has the meaning assigned to such term in any individual service, employment or severance agreement or Award Agreement with the Participant or, if no such agreement exists or if such agreement does not define “Disability,” then “Disability” means that a Participant, as determined by the Administrator in its sole discretion, (i) is unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than twelve (12) months, or (ii) is, by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than twelve (12) months, receiving income replacement benefits for a period of not less than three (3) months under an accident and health plan covering employees of the Company or an Affiliate thereof.

 

(r) “Effective Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 17 hereof.

 

(s) “Eligible Recipient” means an employee, director or independent contractor of the Company or any Affiliate of the Company who has been selected as an eligible participant by the Administrator; providedhowever, to the extent required to avoid accelerated taxation and/or tax penalties under Section 409A of the Code, an Eligible Recipient of an Option or a Stock Appreciation Right means an employee, non-employee director or independent contractor of the Company or any Affiliate of the Company with respect to whom the Company is an “eligible issuer of service recipient stock” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code.

 

(t) “Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time.

 

(u) “Executive Officer” means “any executive officer” as defined in Section 10D-1(d) of the Exchange Act whom the Board (or the Committee, as applicable) has determined is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 10D of the Exchange Act, and includes any person who is the Company’s president, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer (or if there is no such accounting officer, the controller), any vice-president of the issuer in charge of a principal business unit, division, or function (such as sales, administration, or finance), any other officer who performs a policy-making function, or any other person who performs similar policy-making functions for the Company (with any executive officers of the Company’s parent(s) or subsidiaries being deemed Executive Officers of the Company if they perform such policy making functions for the Company). All Executive Officers of the Company identified by the Board (or the Committee, as applicable) pursuant to 17 CFR 229.401(b) shall be deemed an “Executive Officer.

 

A-3

 

 

(v) “Exempt Award” shall mean the following:

 

(1) An Award granted in assumption of, or in substitution for, outstanding awards previously granted by a corporation or other entity acquired by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or with which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries combines by merger or otherwise. The terms and conditions of any such Awards may vary from the terms and conditions set forth in the Plan to the extent the Administrator at the time of grant may deem appropriate, subject to Applicable Laws.

 

(2) An “employment inducement” award as described in the applicable stock exchange listing manual or rules may be granted under the Plan from time to time. The terms of any “employment inducement” award may vary from the terms and conditions set forth in the Plan to such extent as the Administrator at the time of grant may deem appropriate, subject to Applicable Laws.

 

(3) An award that an Eligible Recipient purchases at Fair Market Value (including awards that an Eligible Recipient elects to receive in lieu of fully vested compensation that is otherwise due) whether or not the Shares are delivered immediately or on a deferred basis.

 

(w) “Exercise Price” means, (i) with respect to any Option, the per share price at which a holder of such Option may purchase Shares issuable upon exercise of such Award, and (ii) with respect to a Stock Appreciation Right, the base price per share of such Stock Appreciation Right.

 

(x) “Fair Market Value” of a share of Common Stock or another security as of a particular date shall mean the fair market value as determined by the Administrator in its sole discretion; provided, that, (i) if the Common Stock or other security is admitted to trading on a national securities exchange, the fair market value on any date shall be the closing sale price reported on such date, or if no shares were traded on such date, on the last preceding date for which there was a sale of a share of Common Stock on such exchange, or (ii) if the Common Stock or other security is then traded in an over-the-counter market, the fair market value on any date shall be the average of the closing bid and asked prices for such share in such over-the-counter market for the last preceding date on which there was a sale of such share in such market.

 

(y) “Free Standing Rights” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.

 

(z) “Good Reason” has the meaning assigned to such term in any individual service, employment or severance agreement or Award Agreement with the Participant or, if no such agreement exists or if such agreement does not define “Good Reason,” “Good Reason” and any provision of this Plan that refers to “Good Reason” shall not be applicable to such Participant.

 

(aa) “Incentive Compensation” shall be deemed to be any compensation (including any Award or any other short-term or long-term cash or equity incentive award or any other payment) that is granted, earned, or vested based wholly or in part upon the attainment of any financial reporting measure (i.e., any measures that are determined and presented in accordance with the accounting principles used in preparing the Company’s financial statements, and any measure that is derived wholly or in part from such measures, including stock price and total shareholder return). For avoidance of doubt, financial reporting measures include “non-GAAP financial measures” for purposes of Exchange Act Regulation G and 17 CFR 229.10, as well as other measures, metrics and ratios that are not non-GAAP measures, like same store sales. Financial reporting measures may or may not be included in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and may be presented outside the Company’s financial statements, such as in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations or the performance graph.

 

A-4

 

 

(bb) “ISO” means an Option intended to be and designated as an “incentive stock option” within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code.

 

(cc) “Nonqualified Stock Option” shall mean an Option that is not designated as an ISO.

 

(dd) “Option” means an option to purchase shares of Common Stock granted pursuant to Section 7 hereof. The term “Option” as used in the Plan includes the terms “Nonqualified Stock Option” and “ISO.”

 

(ee) “Other Stock-Based Award” means a right or other interest granted pursuant to Section 10 hereof that may be denominated or payable in, valued in whole or in part by reference to, or otherwise based on or related to, Common Stock, including, but not limited to, unrestricted Shares, dividend equivalents or performance units, each of which may be subject to the attainment of performance goals or a period of continued provision of service or employment or other terms or conditions as permitted under the Plan.

 

(ff) “Participant” means any Eligible Recipient selected by the Administrator, pursuant to the Administrator’s authority provided for in Section 3 below, to receive grants of Awards, and, upon Participant’s death, Participant’s successors, heirs, executors and administrators, as the case may be.

  

(gg) “Person” shall have the meaning given in Section 3(a)(9) of the Exchange Act, as modified and used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) thereof.

 

(hh) “Plan” means this Amended and Restated 2020 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan.

 

(ii) “Related Rights” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.

 

(jj) “Restricted Period” has the meaning set forth in Section 9.

 

(kk) “Restricted Stock” means a Common Stock granted pursuant to Section 9 below subject to certain restrictions that lapse at the end of a specified period (or periods) of time and/or upon attainment of specified performance objectives.

 

(ll)  “Restricted Stock Unit” means the right granted pursuant to Section 9 hereof to receive a Share at the end of a specified restricted period (or periods) of time and/or upon attainment of specified performance objectives.

 

(mm) “Rule 16b-3” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.

 

(nn) “Stock Appreciation Right” means a right granted pursuant to Section 8 hereof to receive an amount equal to the excess, if any, of (i) the aggregate Fair Market Value, as of the date such Award or portion thereof is surrendered, of the Shares covered by such Award or such portion thereof, over (ii) the aggregate Exercise Price of such Award or such portion thereof.

 

(oo) “Subsidiary” means, with respect to any Person, as of any date of determination, any other Person as to which such first Person owns or otherwise controls, directly or indirectly, more than 50% of the voting shares or other similar interests or a sole general partner interest or managing member or similar interest of such other Person.

 

(pp) “Transfer” has the meaning set forth in Section 15.

 

Section 3. Administration.

 

(a) The Plan shall be administered by the Administrator and shall be administered, to the extent applicable, in accordance with Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act (“Rule 16b-3”).

 

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(b) Pursuant to the terms of the Plan, the Administrator, subject, in the case of any Committee, to any restrictions on the authority delegated to it by the Board, shall have the power and authority, without limitation:

 

(1) to select those Eligible Recipients who shall be Participants;

 

(2) to determine whether and to what extent Options, Stock Appreciation Rights, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Other Stock-Based Awards or a combination of any of the foregoing, are to be granted hereunder to Participants;

 

(3) to determine the number of Shares to be covered by each Award granted hereunder;

 

(4) to determine the terms and conditions, not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, of each Award granted hereunder (including, but not limited to, (i) the restrictions applicable to Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units and the conditions under which restrictions applicable to such Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units shall lapse, (ii) the performance goals and periods applicable to Awards, (iii) the Exercise Price of each Option and each Stock Appreciation Right or the purchase price of any other Award, (iv) the vesting schedule and terms applicable to each Award, (v) the number of Shares or amount of cash or other property subject to each Award and (vi) subject to the requirements of Section 409A of the Code (to the extent applicable) any amendments to the terms and conditions of outstanding Awards, including, but not limited to, extending the exercise period of such Awards and accelerating the payment schedules of such Awards and/or, to the extent specifically permitted under the Plan, accelerating the vesting schedules of such Awards);

 

(5) to determine the terms and conditions, not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, which shall govern all written instruments evidencing Awards;

 

(6) to determine the Fair Market Value in accordance with the terms of the Plan;

 

(7) to determine the duration and purpose of leaves of absence which may be granted to a Participant without constituting termination of the Participant’s service or employment for purposes of Awards granted under the Plan;

 

(8) to adopt, alter and repeal such administrative rules, regulations, guidelines and practices governing the Plan as it shall from time to time deem advisable;

 

(9) to construe and interpret the terms and provisions of, and supply or correct omissions in, the Plan and any Award issued under the Plan (and any Award Agreement relating thereto), and to otherwise supervise the administration of the Plan and to exercise all powers and authorities either specifically granted under the Plan or necessary and advisable in the administration of the Plan; and

 

(10) to prescribe, amend and rescind rules and regulations relating to sub-plans established for the purpose of satisfying applicable non-United States laws or for qualifying for favorable tax treatment under applicable non-United States laws, which rules and regulations may be set forth in an appendix or appendixes to the Plan.

 

(c) Subject to Section 5, neither the Board nor the Committee shall have the authority to reprice or cancel and regrant any Award at a lower exercise, base or purchase price or cancel any Award with an exercise, base or purchase price in exchange for cash, property or other Awards without first obtaining the approval of the Company’s stockholders.

 

(d) All decisions made by the Administrator pursuant to the provisions of the Plan shall be final, conclusive and binding on all Persons, including the Company and the Participants.

 

(e) The expenses of administering the Plan (which for the avoidance of doubt does not include the costs of any Participant) shall be borne by the Company and its Affiliates.

 

(f) If at any time or to any extent the Board shall not administer the Plan, then the functions of the Administrator specified in the Plan shall be exercised by the Committee. Except as otherwise provided in the Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws of the Company, any action of the Committee with respect to the administration of the Plan shall be taken by a majority vote at a meeting at which a quorum is duly constituted or unanimous written consent of the Committee’s members.

 

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Section 4. Shares Reserved for Issuance Under the Plan.

 

(a) Subject to Section 5 hereof, the number of shares of Common Stock that are reserved and available for issuance pursuant to Awards granted under the Plan shall be equal to 147,150 shares of Common Stock; providedthat, shares of Common Stock issued under the Plan with respect to an Exempt Award shall not count against such share limit.

  

(b) Common Stock issued under the Plan may, in whole or in part, be authorized but unissued Common Stock or Common Stock that shall have been or may be reacquired by the Company in the open market, in private transactions or otherwise. If an Award entitles the Participant to receive or purchase Common Stock, the number of shares of Common Stock covered by such Award or to which such Award relates shall be counted on the date of grant of such Award against the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock available for granting Awards under the Plan. If any Common Stock subject to an Award are forfeited, cancelled, exchanged or surrendered or if an Award otherwise terminates or expires without a distribution of Common Stock to the Participant, the Common Stock with respect to such Award shall, to the extent of any such forfeiture, cancellation, exchange, surrender, termination or expiration, again be available for granting Awards under the Plan. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (i) Common Stock surrendered or withheld as payment of either the Exercise Price of an Award (including Common Stock otherwise underlying a Stock Appreciation Right that are retained by the Company to account for the Exercise Price of such Stock Appreciation Right) and/or withholding taxes in respect of an Award and (ii) any shares of Common Stock reacquired by the Company in the open market or otherwise using cash proceeds from the exercise of Options shall no longer be available for grant under the Plan. In addition, (i) to the extent an Award is denominated in shares of Common Stock, but paid or settled in cash, the number of shares of Common Stock with respect to which such payment or settlement is made shall again be available for grants of Awards pursuant to the Plan and (ii) shares of Common Stock underlying Awards that can only be settled in cash shall not be counted against the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock available for Awards under the Plan. Upon the exercise of any Award granted in tandem with any other Awards, such related Awards shall be cancelled to the extent of the number of shares of Common Stock as to which the Award is exercised and, notwithstanding the foregoing, such number of shares of Common Stock shall no longer be available for grant under the Plan.

 

(c) No more than 147,150 shares shall be issued pursuant to the exercise of ISOs.

 

Section 5. Equitable Adjustments.

 

In the event of any Change in Capitalization, an equitable substitution or proportionate adjustment shall be made in (i) the aggregate number and kind of securities reserved for issuance under the Plan pursuant to Section 4, (ii) the kind, number of securities subject to, and the Exercise Price subject to outstanding Options and Stock Appreciation Rights granted under the Plan, (iii) the kind, number and purchase price of Common Stock or other securities or the amount of cash or amount or type of other property subject to outstanding Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units or Other Stock-Based Awards granted under the Plan; and/or (iv) the terms and conditions of any outstanding Awards (including, without limitation, any applicable performance targets or criteria with respect thereto); providedhowever, that any fractional shares resulting from the adjustment shall be eliminated. Such other equitable substitutions or adjustments shall be made as may be determined by the Administrator, in its sole discretion. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, in connection with a Change in Capitalization, the Administrator may provide, in its sole discretion, but subject in all events to the requirements of Section 409A of the Code, for the cancellation of any outstanding Award granted hereunder in exchange for payment in cash or other property having an aggregate Fair Market Value equal to the Fair Market Value of the Shares, cash or other property covered by such Award, reduced by the aggregate Exercise Price or purchase price thereof, if any; providedhowever, that if the Exercise Price or purchase price of any outstanding Award is equal to or greater than the Fair Market Value of the shares of Common Stock, cash or other property covered by such Award, the Administrator may cancel such Award without the payment of any consideration to the Participant. Further, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, with respect to Awards subject to foreign laws, adjustments made hereunder shall be made in compliance with applicable requirements. Except to the extent determined by the Administrator, any adjustments to ISOs under this Section 5 shall be made only to the extent not constituting a “modification” within the meaning of Section 424(h)(3) of the Code. The Administrator’s determinations pursuant to this Section 5 shall be final, binding and conclusive.

 

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Section 6. Eligibility.

 

The Participants in the Plan shall be selected from time to time by the Administrator, in its sole discretion, from those individuals that qualify as Eligible Recipients. No Participant who is a director, but is not also an employee or consultant, of the Company shall receive Awards and be paid cash compensation during any calendar year that exceed, in the aggregate, $150,000 in total value (with cash compensation measured for this purpose at its value upon payment and any Awards measured for this purpose at their grant date Fair Market Value, as determined for the Company’s financial reporting purposes), increased to $195,000 in the calendar year of such Participant’s initial service as a non-employee director.

 

Section 7. Options.

 

(a) General. Options granted under the Plan shall be designated as Nonqualified Stock Options or ISOs. Each Participant who is granted an Option shall enter into an Award Agreement with the Company, containing such terms and conditions as the Administrator shall determine, in its sole discretion, including, among other things, the Exercise Price of the Option, the term of the Option and provisions regarding exercisability of the Option, and whether the Option is intended to be an ISO or a Nonqualified Stock Option (and in the event the Award Agreement has no such designation, the Option shall be a Nonqualified Stock Option). The provisions of each Option need not be the same with respect to each Participant. More than one Option may be granted to the same Participant and be outstanding concurrently hereunder. Options granted under the Plan shall be subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Section 7 and shall contain such additional terms and conditions, not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, as the Administrator shall deem desirable and set forth in the applicable Award Agreement.

 

(b) Exercise Price. The Exercise Price of Common Stock purchasable under an Option shall be determined by the Administrator in its sole discretion at the time of grant, but in no event shall the exercise price of an Option be less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock on the date of grant.

 

(c) Option Term. The maximum term of each Option shall be fixed by the Administrator, but no Option shall be exercisable more than ten (10) years after the date such Option is granted. Each Option’s term is subject to earlier expiration pursuant to the applicable provisions in the Plan and the Award Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, subject to Section 4(d) of the Plan, the Administrator shall have the authority to accelerate the exercisability of any outstanding Option at such time and under such circumstances as the Administrator, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate.

 

(d) Exercisability. Each Option shall be subject to vesting or become exercisable at such time or times and subject to such terms and conditions, including the attainment of performance goals, as shall be determined by the Administrator in the applicable Award Agreement. The Administrator may also provide that any Option shall be exercisable only in installments, and the Administrator may waive such installment exercise provisions at any time, in whole or in part, based on such factors as the Administrator may determine in its sole discretion.

 

(e) Method of Exercise. Options may be exercised in whole or in part by giving written notice of exercise to the Company specifying the number of whole shares of Common Stock to be purchased, accompanied by payment in full of the aggregate Exercise Price of the Common Stock so purchased in cash or its equivalent, as determined by the Administrator. As determined by the Administrator, in its sole discretion, with respect to any Option or category of Options, payment in whole or in part may also be made (i) by means of consideration received under any cashless exercise procedure approved by the Administrator (including the withholding of Common Stock otherwise issuable upon exercise), (ii) in the form of unrestricted Common Stock already owned by the Participant which have a Fair Market Value on the date of surrender equal to the aggregate exercise price of the Common Stock as to which such Option shall be exercised, (iii) any other form of consideration approved by the Administrator and permitted by Applicable Laws or (iv) any combination of the foregoing.

 

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(f) ISOs. The terms and conditions of ISOs granted hereunder shall be subject to the provisions of Section 422 of the Code and the terms, conditions, limitations and administrative procedures established by the Administrator from time to time in accordance with the Plan. At the discretion of the Administrator, ISOs may be granted only to an employee of the Company, its “parent corporation” (as such term is defined in Section 424(e) of the Code) or a Subsidiary of the Company.

 

(1) ISO Grants to 10% Stockholders. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Plan, if an ISO is granted to a Participant who owns shares representing more than ten percent (10%) of the voting power of all classes of shares of the Company, its “parent corporation” (as such term is defined in Section 424(e) of the Code) or a Subsidiary of the Company, the term of the ISO shall not exceed five (5) years from the time of grant of such ISO and the Exercise Price shall be at least one hundred and ten percent (110%) of the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock on the date of grant.

  

(2) $100,000 Per Year Limitation For ISOs. To the extent the aggregate Fair Market Value (determined on the date of grant) of the shares of Common Stock for which ISOs are exercisable for the first time by any Participant during any calendar year (under all plans of the Company) exceeds $100,000, such excess ISOs shall be treated as Nonqualified Stock Options.

 

(3) Disqualifying Dispositions. Each Participant awarded an ISO under the Plan shall notify the Company in writing immediately after the date the Participant makes a “disqualifying disposition” of any Common Stock acquired pursuant to the exercise of such ISO. A “disqualifying disposition” is any disposition (including any sale) of such Common Stock before the later of (i) two (2) years after the date of grant of the ISO and (ii) one (1) year after the date the Participant acquired the shares of Common Stock by exercising the ISO. The Company may, if determined by the Administrator and in accordance with procedures established by it, retain possession of any shares of Common Stock acquired pursuant to the exercise of an ISO as agent for the applicable Participant until the end of the period described in the preceding sentence, subject to complying with any instructions from such Participant as to the sale of such Common Stock.

 

(g) Rights as Stockholder. A Participant shall have no rights to dividends, dividend equivalents or distributions or any other rights of a stockholder with respect to the shares of Common Stock subject to an Option until the Participant has given written notice of the exercise thereof, and has paid in full for such Common Stock and has satisfied the requirements of Section 15 hereof.

 

(h) Termination of Employment or Service. Treatment of an Option upon termination of employment of a Participant shall be provided for by the Administrator in the Award Agreement.

 

(i) Other Change in Employment or Service Status. An Option shall be affected, both with regard to vesting schedule and termination, by leaves of absence, including unpaid and un-protected leaves of absence, changes from full-time to part-time employment, partial Disability or other changes in the employment status or service status of a Participant, in the discretion of the Administrator.

 

Section 8. Stock Appreciation Rights.

 

(a) General. Stock Appreciation Rights may be granted either alone (“Free Standing Rights”) or in conjunction with all or part of any Option granted under the Plan (“Related Rights”). Related Rights may be granted either at or after the time of the grant of such Option. The Administrator shall determine the Eligible Recipients to whom, and the time or times at which, grants of Stock Appreciation Rights shall be made. Each Participant who is granted a Stock Appreciation Right shall enter into an Award Agreement with the Company, containing such terms and conditions as the Administrator shall determine, in its sole discretion, including, among other things, the number of shares of Common Stock to be awarded, the Exercise Price per share of Common Stock, and all other conditions of Stock Appreciation Rights. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no Related Right may be granted for more shares of Common Stock than are subject to the Option to which it relates. The provisions of Stock Appreciation Rights need not be the same with respect to each Participant. Stock Appreciation Rights granted under the Plan shall be subject to the following terms and conditions set forth in this Section 8 and shall contain such additional terms and conditions, not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, as the Administrator shall deem desirable, as set forth in the applicable Award Agreement.

 

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(b) Awards; Rights as Stockholder. A Participant shall have no rights to dividends or any other rights of a stockholder with respect to the shares of Common Stock, if any, subject to a Stock Appreciation Right until the Participant has given written notice of the exercise thereof and has satisfied the requirements of Section 15 hereof.

 

(c) Exercise Price. The Exercise Price of Common Stock purchasable under a Stock Appreciation Right shall be determined by the Administrator in its sole discretion at the time of grant, but in no event shall the exercise price of a Stock Appreciation Right be less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock on the date of grant.

 

(d) Exercisability.

 

(1) Stock Appreciation Rights that are Free Standing Rights shall be exercisable at such time or times and subject to such terms and conditions as shall be determined by the Administrator in the applicable Award Agreement.

 

(2) Stock Appreciation Rights that are Related Rights shall be exercisable only at such time or times and to the extent that the Options to which they relate shall be exercisable in accordance with the provisions of Section 7 hereof and this Section 8 of the Plan.

 

(e) Payment Upon Exercise.

 

(1) Upon the exercise of a Free Standing Right, the Participant shall be entitled to receive up to, but not more than, that number of shares of Common Stock equal in value to the excess of the Fair Market Value as of the date of exercise over the Exercise Price per share specified in the Free Standing Right multiplied by the number of shares of Common Stock in respect of which the Free Standing Right is being exercised.

 

(2) A Related Right may be exercised by a Participant by surrendering the applicable portion of the related Option. Upon such exercise and surrender, the Participant shall be entitled to receive up to, but not more than, that number of shares of Common Stock equal in value to the excess of the Fair Market Value as of the date of exercise over the Exercise Price specified in the related Option multiplied by the number of shares of Common Stock in respect of which the Related Right is being exercised. Options which have been so surrendered, in whole or in part, shall no longer be exercisable to the extent the Related Rights have been so exercised.

 

(3) Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Administrator may determine to settle the exercise of a Stock Appreciation Right in cash (or in any combination of Shares and cash).

 

(f) Termination of Employment or Service. Treatment of a Stock Appreciation Right upon termination of employment of a Participant shall be provided for by the Administrator in the Award Agreement.

 

(g) Term.

 

(1) The term of each Free Standing Right shall be fixed by the Administrator, but no Free Standing Right shall be exercisable more than ten (10) years after the date such right is granted.

 

(2) The term of each Related Right shall be the term of the Option to which it relates, but no Related Right shall be exercisable more than ten (10) years after the date such right is granted.

 

(h) Other Change in Employment or Service Status. Stock Appreciation Rights shall be affected, both with regard to vesting schedule and termination, by leaves of absence, including unpaid and un-protected leaves of absence, changes from full-time to part-time employment, partial Disability or other changes in the employment or service status of a Participant, in the discretion of the Administrator.

 

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Section 9. Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units.

 

(a) General. Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units may be issued under the Plan. The Administrator shall determine the Eligible Recipients to whom, and the time or times at which, Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units shall be made. Each Participant who is granted Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units shall enter into an Award Agreement with the Company, containing such terms and conditions as the Administrator shall determine, in its sole discretion, including, among other things, the number of Shares to be awarded; the price, if any, to be paid by the Participant for the acquisition of Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units; the period of time restrictions, performance goals or other conditions that apply to Transferability, delivery or vesting of such Awards (the “Restricted Period”); and all other conditions applicable to the Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units. If the restrictions, performance goals or conditions established by the Administrator are not attained, a Participant shall forfeit his or her Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units, in accordance with the terms of the grant. The provisions of the Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units need not be the same with respect to each Participant.

 

(b) Awards and Certificates. Except as otherwise provided below in Section 9(c), (i) each Participant who is granted an Award of Restricted Stock may, in the Company’s sole discretion, be issued a share certificate in respect of such Restricted Stock; and (ii) any such certificate so issued shall be registered in the name of the Participant, and shall bear an appropriate legend referring to the terms, conditions and restrictions applicable to any such Award. The Company may require that the share certificates, if any, evidencing Restricted Stock granted hereunder be held in the custody of the Company until the restrictions thereon shall have lapsed, and that, as a condition of any Award of Restricted Stock, the Participant shall have delivered a share transfer form, endorsed in blank, relating to the Shares covered by such Award. Certificates for shares of unrestricted Common Stock may, in the Company’s sole discretion, be delivered to the Participant only after the Restricted Period has expired without forfeiture in such Restricted Stock Award. With respect to Restricted Stock Units to be settled in shares of Common Stock, at the expiration of the Restricted Period, share certificates in respect of the shares of Common Stock underlying such Restricted Stock Units may, in the Company’s sole discretion, be delivered to the Participant, or Participant’s legal representative, in a number equal to the number of shares of Common Stock underlying the Restricted Stock Units Award. Notwithstanding anything in the Plan to the contrary, any Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units to be settled in shares of Common Stock (at the expiration of the Restricted Period, and whether before or after any vesting conditions have been satisfied) may, in the Company’s sole discretion, be issued in uncertificated form. Further, notwithstanding anything in the Plan to the contrary, with respect to Restricted Stock Units, at the expiration of the Restricted Period, Shares, or cash, as applicable, shall promptly be issued (either in certificated or uncertificated form) to the Participant, unless otherwise deferred in accordance with procedures established by the Company in accordance with Section 409A of the Code, and such issuance or payment shall in any event be made within such period as is required to avoid the imposition of a tax under Section 409A of the Code.

 

(c) Restrictions and Conditions. The Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units granted pursuant to this Section 9 shall be subject to the following restrictions and conditions and any additional restrictions or conditions as determined by the Administrator at the time of grant or, subject to Section 409A of the Code where applicable, thereafter:

 

(1) The Administrator may, in its sole discretion, provide for the lapse of restrictions in installments and may accelerate or waive such restrictions in whole or in part based on such factors and such circumstances as the Administrator may determine, in its sole discretion, including, but not limited to, the attainment of certain performance goals, the Participant’s termination of employment or service with the Company or any Affiliate thereof, or the Participant’s death or Disability. Notwithstanding the foregoing, upon a Change in Control, the outstanding Awards shall be subject to Section 11 hereof.

 

(2) Except as provided in the applicable Award Agreement, the Participant shall generally have the rights of a stockholder of the Company with respect to Restricted Stock during the Restricted Period; providedhowever, that dividends declared during the Restricted Period with respect to an Award, shall only become payable if (and to the extent) the underlying Restricted Stock vests. Except as provided in the applicable Award Agreement, the Participant shall generally not have the rights of a stockholder with respect to Shares subject to Restricted Stock Units during the Restricted Period; providedhowever, that, subject to Section 409A of the Code, an amount equal to dividends declared during the Restricted Period with respect to the number of Shares covered by Restricted Stock Units shall, unless otherwise set forth in an Award Agreement, be paid to the Participant at the time (and to the extent) Shares in respect of the related Restricted Stock Units are delivered to the Participant. Certificates for Shares of unrestricted Common Stock may, in the Company’s sole discretion, be delivered to the Participant only after the Restricted Period has expired without forfeiture in respect of such Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units, except as the Administrator, in its sole discretion, shall otherwise determine.

 

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(3) The rights of Participants granted Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units upon termination of employment or service as a director or independent contractor to the Company or to any Affiliate thereof terminates for any reason during the Restricted Period shall be set forth in the Award Agreement.

 

(d) Form of Settlement. The Administrator reserves the right in its sole discretion to provide (either at or after the grant thereof) that any Restricted Stock Unit represents the right to receive the amount of cash per unit that is determined by the Administrator in connection with the Award.

 

Section 10. Other Stock-Based Awards.

 

Other Stock-Based Awards may be issued under the Plan. Subject to the provisions of the Plan, the Administrator shall have sole and complete authority to determine the individuals to whom and the time or times at which such Other Stock-Based Awards shall be granted. Each Participant who is granted an Other Stock-Based Award shall enter into an Award Agreement with the Company, containing such terms and conditions as the Administrator shall determine, in its sole discretion, including, among other things, the number of shares of Common Stock to be granted pursuant to such Other Stock-Based Awards, or the manner in which such Other Stock-Based Awards shall be settled (e.g., in shares of Common Stock, cash or other property), or the conditions to the vesting and/or payment or settlement of such Other Stock-Based Awards (which may include, but not be limited to, achievement of performance criteria) and all other terms and conditions of such Other Stock-Based Awards. In the event that the Administrator grants a bonus in the form of shares of Common Stock, the Common Stock constituting such bonus shall, as determined by the Administrator, be evidenced in uncertificated form or by a book entry record or a certificate issued in the name of the Participant to whom such grant was made and delivered to such Participant as soon as practicable after the date on which such bonus is payable. Notwithstanding anything set forth in the Plan to the contrary, any dividend or dividend equivalent Award issued hereunder shall be subject to the same restrictions, conditions and risks of forfeiture as apply to the underlying Award.

 

Section 11. Change in Control.

 

Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator and evidenced in an Award Agreement, in the event that (a) a Change in Control occurs, and (b) the Participant is employed by, otherwise providing services to, the Company or any of its Affiliates immediately prior to the consummation of such Change in Control then upon the consummation of such Change in Control, the Administrator, in its sole and absolute discretion, may:

 

(a) provide that any unvested or unexercisable portion of any Award carrying a right to exercise become fully vested and exercisable; and

 

(b) cause the restrictions, deferral limitations, payment conditions and forfeiture conditions applicable to an Award granted under the Plan to lapse and such Awards shall be deemed fully vested and any performance conditions imposed with respect to such Awards shall be deemed to be fully achieved at target performance levels.

 

If the Administrator determines in its discretion pursuant to Section 3(b)(4) hereof to accelerate the vesting of Options and/or Share Appreciation Rights in connection with a Change in Control, the Administrator shall also have discretion in connection with such action to provide that all Options and/or Stock Appreciation Rights outstanding immediately prior to such Change in Control shall expire on the effective date of such Change in Control.

 

Section 12. Amendment and Termination.

 

The Board may amend, alter or terminate the Plan at any time, but no amendment, alteration or termination shall be made that would impair the rights of a Participant under any Award theretofore granted without such Participant’s consent. The Board shall obtain approval of the Company’s stockholders for any amendment that would require such approval in order to satisfy the requirements of any rules of the stock exchange on which the Common Stock is traded or other Applicable Law. Subject to Section 3(c), the Administrator may amend the terms of any Award theretofore granted, prospectively or retroactively, but, subject to Section 5 of the Plan and the immediately preceding sentence, no such amendment shall materially impair the rights of any Participant without his or her consent.

 

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Section 13. Unfunded Status of Plan.

 

The Plan is intended to constitute an “unfunded” plan for incentive compensation. With respect to any payments not yet made to a Participant by the Company, nothing contained herein shall give any such Participant any rights that are greater than those of a general creditor of the Company.

 

Section 14. Withholding Taxes.

 

Each Participant shall, no later than the date as of which the value of an Award first becomes includible in the gross income of such Participant for purposes of applicable taxes, pay to the Company, or make arrangements satisfactory to the Administrator regarding payment of an amount up to the maximum statutory tax rates in the Participant’s applicable jurisdiction with respect to the Award, as determined by the Company. The obligations of the Company under the Plan shall be conditional on the making of such payments or arrangements, and the Company shall, to the extent permitted by Applicable Laws, have the right to deduct any such taxes from any payment of any kind otherwise due to such Participant. Whenever cash is to be paid pursuant to an Award, the Company shall have the right to deduct therefrom an amount sufficient to satisfy any applicable withholding tax requirements related thereto. Whenever Shares or property other than cash are to be delivered pursuant to an Award, the Company shall have the right to require the Participant to remit to the Company in cash an amount sufficient to satisfy any related taxes to be withheld and applied to the tax obligations; providedthat, with the approval of the Administrator, a Participant may satisfy the foregoing requirement by either (i) electing to have the Company withhold from delivery of Shares or other property, as applicable, or (ii) delivering already owned unrestricted shares of Common Stock, in each case, having a value not exceeding the applicable taxes to be withheld and applied to the tax obligations. Such already owned and unrestricted shares of Common Stock shall be valued at their Fair Market Value on the date on which the amount of tax to be withheld is determined and any fractional share amounts resulting therefrom shall be settled in cash. Such an election may be made with respect to all or any portion of the Shares to be delivered pursuant to an award. The Company may also use any other method of obtaining the necessary payment or proceeds, as permitted by Applicable Laws, to satisfy its withholding obligation with respect to any Award.

 

Section 15. Transfer of Awards.

 

Until such time as the Awards are fully vested and/or exercisable in accordance with the Plan or an Award Agreement, no purported sale, assignment, mortgage, hypothecation, transfer, charge, pledge, encumbrance, gift, transfer in trust (voting or other) or other disposition of, or creation of a security interest in or lien on, any Award or any agreement or commitment to do any of the foregoing (each, a “Transfer”) by any holder thereof in violation of the provisions of the Plan or an Award Agreement will be valid, except with the prior written consent of the Administrator, which consent may be granted or withheld in the sole discretion of the Administrator. Any purported Transfer of an Award or any economic benefit or interest therein in violation of the Plan or an Award Agreement shall be null and void ab initio and shall not create any obligation or liability of the Company, and any Person purportedly acquiring any Award or any economic benefit or interest therein transferred in violation of the Plan or an Award Agreement shall not be entitled to be recognized as a holder of such Shares or other property underlying such Award. Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator in accordance with the provisions of the immediately preceding sentence, an Option or a Stock Appreciation Right may be exercised, during the lifetime of the Participant, only by the Participant or, during any period during which the Participant is under a legal Disability, by the Participant’s guardian or legal representative.

 

Section 16. Continued Employment or Service.

 

Neither the adoption of the Plan nor the grant of an Award shall confer upon any Eligible Recipient any right to continued employment or service with the Company or any Affiliate thereof, as the case may be, nor shall it interfere in any way with the right of the Company or any Affiliate thereof to terminate the employment or service of any of its Eligible Recipients at any time.

 

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Section 17. Effective Date.

 

The Plan was approved by the Board on August 14, 2023 and shall be adopted and become effective on the date that it is approved by the Company’s stockholders (the “Effective Date”).

 

Section 18. Electronic Signature.

 

Participant’s electronic signature of an Award Agreement shall have the same validity and effect as a signature affixed by hand.

 

Section 19. Term of Plan.

 

No Award shall be granted pursuant to the Plan on or after the tenth anniversary of the Effective Date, but Awards theretofore granted may extend beyond that date.

 

Section 20. Securities Matters and Regulations.

 

(a) Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the obligation of the Company to sell or deliver Common Stock with respect to any Award granted under the Plan shall be subject to all Applicable Laws, rules and regulations, including all applicable federal and state securities laws, and the obtaining of all such approvals by governmental agencies as may be deemed necessary or appropriate by the Administrator. The Administrator may require, as a condition of the issuance and delivery of certificates evidencing shares of Common Stock pursuant to the terms hereof, that the recipient of such shares make such agreements and representations, and that such certificates bear such legends, as the Administrator, in its sole discretion, deems necessary or advisable.

 

(b) Each Award is subject to the requirement that, if at any time the Administrator determines that the listing, registration or qualification of Common Stock is required by any securities exchange or under any state or federal law, or the consent or approval of any governmental regulatory body is necessary or desirable as a condition of, or in connection with, the grant of an Award or the issuance of Shares, no such Award shall be granted or payment made or Shares issued, in whole or in part, unless listing, registration, qualification, consent or approval has been effected or obtained free of any conditions not acceptable to the Administrator.

 

(c) In the event that the disposition of Common Stock acquired pursuant to the Plan is not covered by a then current registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and is not otherwise exempt from such registration, such Common Stock shall be restricted against transfer to the extent required by the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or regulations thereunder, and the Administrator may require a Participant receiving Common Stock pursuant to the Plan, as a condition precedent to receipt of such Common Stock, to represent to the Company in writing that the Common Stock acquired by such Participant is acquired for investment only and not with a view to distribution.

 

Section 21. Section 409A of the Code.

 

The Plan as well as payments and benefits under the Plan are intended to be exempt from, or to the extent subject thereto, to comply with Section 409A of the Code, and, accordingly, to the maximum extent permitted, the Plan shall be interpreted in accordance therewith. Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, to the extent required in order to avoid accelerated taxation and/or tax penalties under Section 409A of the Code, the Participant shall not be considered to have terminated employment or service with the Company for purposes of the Plan and no payment shall be due to the Participant under the Plan or any Award until the Participant would be considered to have incurred a “separation from service” from the Company and its Affiliates within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code. Any payments described in the Plan that are due within the “short term deferral period” as defined in Section 409A of the Code shall not be treated as deferred compensation unless Applicable Law requires otherwise. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Plan, to the extent that any Awards (or any other amounts payable under any plan, program or arrangement of the Company or any of its Affiliates) are payable upon a separation from service and such payment would result in the imposition of any individual tax and penalty interest charges imposed under Section 409A of the Code, the settlement and payment of such awards (or other amounts) shall instead be made on the first business day after the date that is six (6) months following such separation from service (or death, if earlier). Each amount to be paid or benefit to be provided under this Plan shall be construed as a separate identified payment for purposes of Section 409A of the Code. The Company makes no representation that any or all of the payments or benefits described in this Plan will be exempt from or comply with Section 409A of the Code and makes no undertaking to preclude Section 409A of the Code from applying to any such payment. The Participant shall be solely responsible for the payment of any taxes and penalties incurred under Section 409A.

 

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Section 22. Notification of Election Under Section 83(b) of the Code.

 

If any Participant shall, in connection with the acquisition of shares of Common Stock under the Plan, make the election permitted under Section 83(b) of the Code, such Participant shall notify the Company of such election within ten (10) days after filing notice of the election with the Internal Revenue Service.

 

Section 23. No Fractional Shares.

 

No fractional shares of Common Stock shall be issued or delivered pursuant to the Plan. The Administrator shall determine whether cash, other Awards, or other property shall be issued or paid in lieu of such fractional shares or whether such fractional shares or any rights thereto shall be forfeited or otherwise eliminated.

 

Section 24. Beneficiary.

 

A Participant may file with the Administrator a written designation of a beneficiary on such form as may be prescribed by the Administrator and may, from time to time, amend or revoke such designation. If no designated beneficiary survives the Participant, the executor or administrator of the Participant’s estate shall be deemed to be the Participant’s beneficiary.

 

Section 25. Paperless Administration.

 

In the event that the Company establishes, for itself or using the services of a third party, an automated system for the documentation, granting or exercise of Awards, such as a system using an internet website or interactive voice response, then the paperless documentation, granting or exercise of Awards by a Participant may be permitted through the use of such an automated system.

 

Section 26. Severability.

 

If any provision of the Plan is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the other provisions of the Plan shall not be affected but shall be applied as if the invalid or unenforceable provision had not been included in the Plan.

 

Section 27. Clawback.

 

(a) If the Company is required to prepare an accounting restatement of its financial statements due to the Company’s material noncompliance (whether one occurrence or a series of occurrences of noncompliance) with any financial reporting requirement under the securities laws (including if the Company is required to prepare an accounting restatement to correct an error (or a series of errors)) (a “Covered Accounting Restatement”), and if such Covered Accounting Restatement includes (i) restatements that correct errors that are material to previously issued financial statements (commonly referred to as “Big R” restatements), and (ii) restatements that correct errors that are not material to previously issued financial statements, but would result in a material misstatement if (a) the errors were left uncorrected in the current report, or (b) the error correction was recognized in the current period (commonly referred to as “little r” restatements), then the Committee may require any Covered Executive to repay (in which event, such Covered Executive shall, within thirty (30) days of the notice by the Company, repay to the Company) or forfeit (in which case, such Covered Executive shall immediately forfeit to the Company) to the Company, and each Covered Executive hereby agrees to so repay or forfeit, that portion of the Incentive Compensation received by such Covered Executive during the period comprised of the Company’s three (3) completed fiscal years (together with any intermittent stub fiscal year period(s) of less than nine (9) months resulting from Company’s transition to different fiscal year measurement dates) immediately preceding the date the Company is deemed (as described below) to be required to prepare a Covered Accounting Restatement (such period, the “Look-Back Period”), that the Committee determines was in excess of the amount of Incentive Compensation that such Covered Executive would have received during such Look-Back Period, had such Incentive Compensation been calculated based on the restated amounts, and irrespective of any fault, misconduct or responsibility of such Covered Executive for the Covered Accounting Restatement. It is specifically understood that, to the extent that the impact of the Covered Accounting Restatement on the amount of Incentive Compensation received cannot be calculated directly from the information therein (e.g., if such restatement’s impact on the Company’s stock price is not clear), such excess amount of Incentive Compensation shall be determined based on a reasonable estimate by the Committee of the effect of the Covered Accounting Restatement on the applicable financial measure (including the stock price or total shareholder return) based upon which the Incentive Compensation was received. The amount of the Incentive Compensation to be recouped shall be determined by the Committee in its sole and absolute discretion and calculated on a pre-tax basis, and the form of such recoupment of Incentive Compensation may be made, in the Committee’s sole and absolute discretion, through the forfeiture or cancellation of vested or unvested Awards, cash repayment or both. Incentive Compensation shall be deemed received, either wholly or in part, in the fiscal year during which the financial reporting measure specified in such Incentive Compensation Award is attained (or with respect to, or based on, the achievement of any financial reporting measure which such Incentive Compensation was granted, earned or vested, as applicable), even if the payment, vesting or grant of such Incentive Compensation occurs after the end of such fiscal year. For purposes of this Section 27, the Company is deemed to be required to prepare a Covered Accounting Restatement on the earlier of (A) the date upon which the Board or an applicable committee thereof, or the officer or officers of the Company authorized to take such action if Board action is not required, concludes, or reasonably should have concluded, that the Company is required to prepare a Covered Accounting Restatement; or (B) the date a court, regulator, or other legally authorized body directs the Company to prepare a Covered Accounting Restatement..

 

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(b) Notwithstanding any other provisions in this Plan, any Award or any other compensation received by a Participant which is subject to recovery under any Applicable Laws, government regulation or stock exchange listing requirement (or any policy adopted by the Company pursuant to any such Applicable Law, government regulation or stock exchange listing requirement), will be subject to such deductions and clawback as may be required to be made pursuant to such Applicable Law, government regulation or stock exchange listing requirement (or any policy adopted by the Company pursuant to any such law, government regulation or stock exchange listing requirement on or following the Effective Date).

 

Section 28. Governing Law.

 

The Plan shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware, without giving effect to principles of conflicts of law of such state.

 

Section 29. Indemnification.

 

To the extent allowable pursuant to Applicable Law, each member of the Board and the Administrator and any officer or other employee to whom authority to administer any component of the Plan is designated shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Company from any loss, cost, liability, or expense that may be imposed upon or reasonably incurred by such member in connection with or resulting from any claim, action, suit, or proceeding to which he or she may be a party or in which he or she may be a party or in which he or she may be involved by reason of any action or failure to act pursuant to the Plan and against and from any and all amounts paid by him or her in satisfaction of judgment in such action, suit, or proceeding against him or her; provided, however, that he or she gives the Company an opportunity, at its own expense, to handle and defend the same before he or she undertakes to handle and defend it on his or her own behalf. The foregoing right of indemnification shall not be exclusive of any other rights of indemnification to which such individuals may be entitled pursuant to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws, as a matter of law, or otherwise, or any power that the Company may have to indemnify them or hold them harmless.

 

Section 30. Titles and Headings, References to Sections of the Code or Exchange Act.

 

The titles and headings of the sections in the Plan are for convenience of reference only and, in the event of any conflict, the text of the Plan, rather than such titles or headings, shall control. References to sections of the Code or the Exchange Act shall include any amendment or successor thereto.

 

Section 31. Successors.

 

The obligations of the Company under the Plan shall be binding upon any successor corporation or organization resulting from the merger, consolidation or other reorganization of the Company, or upon any successor corporation or organization succeeding to substantially all of the assets and business of the Company.

 

Section 32. Relationship to other Benefits.

 

No payment pursuant to the Plan shall be taken into account in determining any benefits under any pension, retirement, savings, profit sharing, group insurance, welfare, or other benefit plan of the Company or any Affiliate except to the extent otherwise expressly provided in writing in such other plan or an agreement thereunder.

 

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Appendix B

 

SILO PHARMA, INC.

ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION

 

Annex A

 

ARTICLE NINTH

CAPITAL STOCK

 

The corporation is authorized to issue two classes of stock. One class of stock shall be common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Common Stock”), of which the corporation shall have the authority to issue 100,000,000 shares. The second class of stock shall be preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Preferred Stock”), of which the corporation shall have the authority to issue 5,000,000 shares.

 

(A) Common Stock. A statement of the designations, powers, preferences, rights, qualifications, limitations and restrictions in respect to the shares of Common Stock is as follows:

 

(i) Dividends. The board of directors (the “Board of Directors” or “Board”) of the corporation may cause dividends to be paid to the holders of shares of Common Stock out of funds legally available for the payment of dividends by declaring an amount per share as a dividend. When and as dividends are declared on the Common Stock, whether payable in cash, in property or in shares of stock or other securities of the corporation, the holders of Common Stock shall be entitled to share ratably according to the number of shares of Common Stock held by them, in such dividends.

 

(ii) Liquidation Rights. Subject to the terms of any resolution or resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors pursuant to Section B of this ARTICLE NINTH, in the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the affairs of the corporation, the holders of Common Stock shall be entitled to share ratably, according to the number of shares of Common Stock held by them, in all remaining assets of the corporation available for distribution to its stockholders.

 

(iii) Voting Rights. Except as otherwise provided in these Articles of Incorporation or required by applicable law, the holders of Common Stock shall be entitled to vote on each matter on which the stockholders of the corporation shall be entitled to vote, and each holder of Common Stock shall be entitled to one vote for each share of such stock held by him. Notwithstanding the foregoing, except as otherwise required by law, holders of Common Stock shall not be entitled to vote on any amendment to these Articles of Incorporation (including any resolution adopted pursuant to Section B of this ARTICLE NINTH relating to any series of Preferred Stock) that relates solely to the terms of one or more outstanding series of Preferred Stock if the holders of such affected series are entitled, either separately or together as a class with the holders of one or more other such series, to vote thereon pursuant to these Articles of Incorporation (including any resolution adopted pursuant to Section B of this ARTICLE NINTH relating to any series of Preferred Stock).

 

(B) Preferred Stock. The Board of Directors is authorized, subject to any limitation prescribed by law, to adopt one or more resolutions to provide for the issuance of the shares of Preferred Stock in one or more series, and by filing a certificate pursuant to applicable Nevada law to establish from time to time the number of shares to be included in each such series, and to fix the designation, powers, preferences and rights of the shares of each such series and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof. The number of authorized shares of Preferred Stock may be increased or decreased (but not below the number of shares thereof then outstanding) by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power of all of the then-outstanding shares of capital stock of the corporation entitled to vote thereon.

 

The authority of the Board of Directors with respect to each series shall include, but not be limited to, determination of the following:

 

(i) The number of shares constituting the series and the distinctive designation of the series;

 

(ii) The dividend rate (or the method of calculation of dividends) on the shares of the series, whether dividends will be cumulative, and if so, from which date or dates, and the relative rights of priority, if any, of payment of dividends on shares of the series;

 

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(iii) Whether the series shall have voting rights, in addition to the voting rights required by law, and if so, the terms of such voting rights;

 

(iv) Whether the series shall have conversion rights, and, if so, the terms and conditions of such conversion, including provision for adjustment of the conversion rate in such events as the Board of Directors shall determine;

 

(v) Whether or not the shares of that series shall be redeemable or exchangeable, and, if so, the terms and conditions of such redemption or exchange, as the case may be, including the date or dates upon or after which they shall be redeemable or exchangeable, as the case may be, and the amount per share payable in case of redemption, which amount may vary under different conditions and at different redemption dates;

 

(vi) Whether the series shall have a sinking fund for the redemption or purchase of shares of that series, and if so, the terms and amount of such sinking fund;

 

(vii) The rights of the shares of the series in the event of voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the corporation, and the relative rights or priority, if any, of payment of shares of the series; and

 

(viii) Any other relative rights, preferences, powers and limitations of that series.

 

Except for any difference so provided by the Board of Directors, the shares of Preferred Stock will rank on parity with respect to the payment of dividends and to the distribution of assets upon liquidation.

 

ARTICLE TENTH

DIRECTORS

 

(A) Number of Directors. Subject to the rights of the holders of any series of Preferred Stock to elect additional directors under specified circumstances, the number of directors which shall constitute the Board of Directors shall be fixed exclusively by resolutions adopted by a majority of the whole Board, provided that the number of directors shall not be less than three (3).

 

(B) Term of Directors. The Board of Directors shall have power to elect each additional director to hold office until the next annual meeting of stockholders and until their successor is elected and qualified or their earlier death, resignation or removal pursuant to paragraph (D) of this ARTICLE TENTH. Subject to the rights of the holders of one or more series of Preferred Stock, voting separately by class or series, to elect directors pursuant to the terms of one or more series of Preferred Stock, the election of directors shall be determined by a plurality of the votes cast by the stockholders present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote thereon.

 

(C) Vacancies. Except as otherwise required by law and subject to the rights of the holders of any series of Preferred Stock, unless the Board of Directors otherwise determines, newly created directorships resulting from any increase in the authorized number of directors or any vacancies on the Board of Directors resulting from the death, resignation, retirement, disqualification, removal from office or other cause shall be filled only by a majority vote of the directors then in office and entitled to vote thereon, though less than a quorum, or by a sole remaining director entitled to vote thereon, and not by the stockholders of the corporation. Any director so chosen shall hold office until his or her successor shall be elected and qualified or until his or her earlier death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal from office. Any decrease in the number of directors shall take effect at the time of such action by the Board only to the extent that vacancies then exist; to the extent that such decrease exceeds the number of such vacancies, the decrease shall not become effective, except as further vacancies may thereafter occur, until the time of and in connection with the election of directors at the next succeeding annual meeting of the stockholders. If the office of any director becomes vacant, by reason of death, resignation, disqualification or otherwise, a majority of the directors then in office, although less than a quorum, may fill the vacancy by electing a successor who shall hold office until the next annual meeting of stockholders and until his successor is elected and qualified or their earlier resignation or removal.

 

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(D) Resignation or Removal. Subject to the rights of the holders of any series of Preferred Stock, any director, or the entire Board of Directors, may be removed from office, but only for cause, by a vote of stockholders representing not less than 66 and 2/3% of the voting power of the issued and outstanding Common Stock (or, if any holders of Preferred Stock then outstanding are entitled to vote together with the holders of Common Stock, as a single class with such holders of Preferred Stock) entitled to vote at an annual or special meeting of the stockholders duly noticed and called in accordance with the bylaws. Any director may resign at any time by giving written notice of their resignation to the Board. Any such resignation shall take effect upon receipt thereof by the Board, or at such later date as may be specified therein.

 

(E) No Written Ballot. Elections of directors need not be by written ballot unless the bylaws shall so provide.

 

ARTICLE ELEVENTH

EXISTENCE

 

The corporation is to have perpetual existence.

 

ARTICLE TWELFTH

PURPOSE

 

The corporation is formed for the purpose of engaging in any lawful activity for which corporations may be organized under the laws of the State of Nevada.

 

ARTICLE THIRTEENTH

STOCKHOLDER ACTION BY WRITTEN CONSENT; SPECIAL MEETINGS

 

(A) Stockholder Action by Written Consent. Except as otherwise provided with respect to a series of Preferred Stock in a resolution or resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors pursuant to ARTICLE NINTH, any action required or permitted to be taken by the stockholders must be effected at a duly called meeting of such stockholders upon prior notice in the manner required by the bylaws.

 

(B) Special Meetings.  Special meetings of stockholders shall be held at such place, either within or without the State of Nevada, and at such time and on such date as shall be determined by the Board and stated in the corporation’s notice of the meeting, provided that the Board may, in its sole discretion, determine that the special meeting shall not be held at any place, but may instead be held solely by means of electronic communication pursuant to the corporation’s bylaws. Special meetings of the stockholders for any purpose or purposes shall be called by the Secretary of the corporation at the written request by a majority of the whole Board, by the Chairman of the Board of Directors or by the President of the corporation.  Such request shall state the purpose or purposes of the proposed meeting.  Business transacted at any special meeting shall be limited to the purposes stated in the notice.  Except as otherwise restricted by the Articles of Incorporation or applicable law, the Board of Directors may postpone, reschedule or cancel any special meeting of stockholders. Notwithstanding the foregoing, whenever holders of one or more series of Preferred Stock shall have the right, voting separately as a class or series, to elect directors, such holders may call, pursuant to the terms of the resolution or resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors pursuant to ARTICLE NINTH, special meetings of holders of such Preferred Stock.

 

ARTICLE FOURTEENTH

LIABILITY

 

The personal liability of all directors, stockholders and officers of the corporation is hereby eliminated to the fullest extent permitted by the provisions of the NRS and particularly Section 78.747 therefor, as the same may be amended or supplemented.

 

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ARTICLE FIFTEENTH

INDEMNIFICATION

 

The corporation shall, to the fullest extent permitted by the provisions of Section 78.751 of the NRS, as the same may be amended and supplemented, indemnify any and all persons whom it shall have the power to indemnify under such section from and against any and all of the expenses, liabilities or other matters referred to in or covered by such section, and the indemnification provided for herein shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those indemnified persons may be entitled under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders and disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in such person’s official capacity and as to action in any other capacity while holding such office, and shall continue as to persons who have ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall insure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such persons. The corporation shall pay or otherwise advance all expenses of officers and directors incurred in defending a civil or criminal action, suit or providing as such expenses are incurred and in advance of the final disposition of the action, suit or proceeding, provided that the indemnified officer or director undertakes to repay the amounts so advanced if a court of competent jurisdiction ultimately determines that such officer or director is not entitled to be indemnified by the corporation. Nothing herein shall be construed to affect any rights to advancement of expenses to which personnel other than officers or directors of the corporation may be entitled under any contract or otherwise by law.

 

ARTICLE SIXTEENTH

SECURITIES

 

No stockholder shall be entitled as a matter of right to subscribe for or receive additional shares of any class of stock of the corporation, whether nor or hereafter authorized, or any bonds, debentures or securities convertible into stock, but such additional shares of stock or other securities convertible into stock may be issued or disposed of by the Board of Directors to such persons and on such terms as in its discretion it shall deem advisable.

 

ARTICLE SEVENTEENTH

AMENDMENT TO ARTICLES

 

The corporation reserves the right to amend, alter, change or repeal and provision contained in these Articles of Incorporation, in the manner now or hereafter prescribed by statute, or by these Articles of Incorporation, and all rights conferred upon the stockholders herein are granted subject to this reservation.

 

ARTICLE EIGHTEENTH

BYLAWS

 

The Board of Directors shall adopt the initial bylaws of the corporation. The Board of Directors shall also have the power to alter, amend or repeal the bylaws, or to adopt new bylaws, except as otherwise may be specifically provided in the bylaws.

 

ARTICLE NINETEENTH

MANDATORY FORUM FOR ADJUDICATION OF DISPUTES

 

To the fullest extent permitted by law, and unless the corporation consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Eighth Judicial District Court of Clark County, Nevada, shall be the sole and exclusive forum for each of the following: (a) any derivative action or proceeding brought in the name or right of the corporation or on its behalf, (b) any action asserting a claim for breach of any fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation to the corporation or the corporation’s stockholders, (c) any action arising or asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the NRS Chapters 78 or 92A or any provision of these Articles of Incorporation or the bylaws of the corporation or (d) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine, including, without limitation, any action to interpret, apply, enforce or determine the validity of these Articles of Incorporation or the bylaws of the corporation. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of capital stock of the corporation shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the provisions of this ARTICLE NINETEENTH.

 

ARTICLE TWENTIETH

SPECIAL PROVISIONS REGARDING DISTRIBUTIONS

 

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in these Articles of Incorporation or the bylaws, the corporation is hereby specifically allowed to make any distribution that otherwise would be prohibited by NRS 78.288(2)(b).

 

ARTICLE TWENTY-FIRST

INAPPLICABILITY OF COMBINATIONS WITH INTERESTED STOCKHOLDERS STATUTES

 

At such time, if any, as the Corporation becomes a “resident domestic corporation” (as defined in NRS 78.427), the Corporation shall not be subject to, or governed by, any of the provisions in NRS 78.411 to 78.444, inclusive, as amended from time to time, or any successor statutes.

 

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Appendix C

 

BYLAWS

OF

SILO PHARMA, INC.

(hereinafter called the “Corporation”)

 

ARTICLE I

OFFICES

 

Section 1.1 Registered Office. The registered office of the corporation shall be established and maintained at the office of [    ], at [    ], in the City of [    ], County of [    ], in the State of Nevada. [    ] shall be the registered agent of the corporation in charge thereof. The registered office and registered agent may be changed from time to time by action of the board of directors of the Corporation (the “Board of Directors”) and the appropriate filing by the corporation in the office of the Secretary of State of the State of Nevada.

 

Section 1.02. Principal Office. The principal office for the transaction of the business of the Corporation shall be at 560 Sylvan Ave, Suite 3160, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632. The Board of Directors is hereby granted full power and authority to change said principal office from one location to another.

 

Section 1.3 Other Offices. The Corporation may also have offices at such other places, both within and without the State of Nevada, as the Board of Directors may from time to time determine.

 

ARTICLE II

MEETINGS OF STOCKHOLDERS

 

Section 2.1 Annual Meetings. The Annual Meeting of stockholders of the Corporation for purposes of the Nevada Revised Statutes (“NRS”) 78.330 shall be held on such date and at such time and such place as shall be designated from time to time by the Board of Directors in the notice of meeting, provided that the Board may in its sole discretion determine that the meeting shall not be held at any place, but may instead be held solely by means of electronic communication pursuant to Section 9.2(a). The election of directors and any other proper business may be transacted at the Annual Meeting of stockholders.

 

Section 2.2 Special Meetings. Except as otherwise required by law, Special Meetings of the stockholders of the Corporation may be called only in accordance with the provisions of the Corporation’s Articles of Incorporation.

 

Section 2.3 Place of Meetings. The president, the Board of Directors, or a committee of the Board of Directors, as the case may be, may designate the time and place, either within or without the State of Nevada, for any Annual Meeting or for any Special Meeting of the stockholders called by the president, the Board of Directors, or a committee of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors may, in its sole discretion, determine that any meeting of the stockholders shall be held by means of electronic communications or other available technology in accordance with Section 2.17.

 

Section 2.4 Notice. Whenever stockholders are required or permitted to take any action at a meeting, a written notice of the meeting shall be given which shall state the place, date and hour of the meeting, the means of electronic communication, if any, by which stockholders or proxies may be deemed to be present in the meeting and vote, and, in the case of a Special Meeting, the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called. Unless otherwise required by law, written notice of any meeting shall be given not less than ten (10) nor more than sixty (60) days before the date of the meeting to each stockholder entitled to notice of and to vote at such meeting, and shall be delivered in accordance with NRS 78.370.

 

Section 2.5 Adjournments. Any meeting of the stockholders may be adjourned from time to time to reconvene at the same or some other place, and notice need not be given of any such adjourned meeting if the date, time and place thereof, and the means of electronic communication, if any, are announced at the meeting at which the adjournment is taken. At the adjourned meeting, the Corporation may transact any business which might have been transacted at the original meeting. If the adjournment is for more than sixty (60) days, or if after the adjournment a new record date is fixed for the adjourned meeting, notice of the adjourned meeting in accordance with the requirements of Section 2.4 hereof shall be given to each stockholder of record (including the new record date) entitled to notice of and to vote at the meeting.

 

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Section 2.6 Quorum. Unless otherwise required by applicable law or the Articles of Incorporation, the holders of one-third of the Corporation’s capital stock issued and outstanding and entitled to vote thereat, present in person or represented by proxy, shall constitute a quorum at all meetings of the stockholders for the transaction of business. A quorum, once established, shall not be broken by the withdrawal of enough votes to leave less than a quorum. If, however, a quorum shall not be present or represented at any meeting of the stockholders, the stockholders entitled to vote thereat, present in person or represented by proxy, shall have power to adjourn the meeting from time to time, in the manner provided in Section 2.5 hereof, until a quorum shall be present or represented.

 

Section 2.7 Voting.

 

(a) Unless otherwise required by law, the Articles of Incorporation or these Bylaws, any question brought before any meeting of the stockholders, other than the election of directors, shall be decided by the vote of the holders of a majority of the votes cast on a matter at the meeting at which a quorum is present. Directors shall be elected by a plurality of the votes cast at the election. Broker non-votes and abstentions are considered for purposes of establishing a quorum but not considered as votes cast for or against a proposal or director nominee.

 

(b) Unless otherwise provided in the Articles of Incorporation, and subject to Section 2.11(a), each stockholder represented at a meeting of the stockholders shall be entitled to cast one (1) vote for each share of the capital stock entitled to vote thereat held by such stockholder. Such votes may be cast in person or by proxy as provided in Section 2.8. The Board of Directors, in its discretion, or the officer of the Corporation presiding at a meeting of the stockholders, in such officer’s discretion, may require that any votes cast at such meeting shall be cast by written ballot.

 

(c) At any stockholders meeting, every stockholder entitled to vote may vote in person or by proxy. If authorized by the Board of Directors, the voting by stockholders or proxy holders at any meeting conducted by electronic communication may be effected by a ballot submitted by electronic transmission, provided that any such electronic transmission must either set forth or be submitted with information from which the Corporation can determine that the electronic transmission was authorized by the stockholder or proxy holder. The Board of Directors, in its discretion, or the chairman of the meeting of stockholders, in such person’s discretion, may require that any votes cast at such meeting shall be cast by written ballot.

 

Section 2.8 Proxies. Each stockholder entitled to vote at a meeting of the stockholders or to express consent or dissent to corporate action in writing without a meeting may authorize another person or persons to act for such stockholder as proxy, but no such proxy shall be voted upon after six (6) months from its date of creation, unless such proxy provides for a longer period, which may not exceed seven (7) years from the date of its creation. Without limiting the manner in which a stockholder may authorize another person or persons to act for such stockholder as proxy, the following shall constitute a valid means by which a stockholder may grant such authority:

 

(i) A stockholder may execute a writing authorizing another person or persons to act for such stockholder as proxy. Execution may be accomplished by the stockholder or such stockholder’s authorized officer, director, employee or agent signing such writing or causing such person’s signature to be affixed to such writing by any reasonable means, including, but not limited to, by facsimile signature.

 

(ii) A stockholder may authorize another person or persons to act for such stockholder as proxy by transmitting or authorizing the transmission of an electronic transmission to the person who will be the holder of the proxy or to a proxy solicitation firm, proxy support service organization or like agent duly authorized by the person who will be the holder of the proxy to receive the transmission, provided that any such electronic transmission must either set forth or be submitted with information from which it can be determined that the electronic transmission was authorized by the stockholder. If it is determined that such electronic transmission is valid, the inspectors or, if there are no inspectors, such other persons making that determination shall specify the information on which they relied.

 

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Any copy, facsimile or other electronic telecommunication or other reliable reproduction of the writing or electronic transmission authorizing another person or persons to act as proxy for a stockholder may be substituted or used in lieu of the original writing or electronic transmission for any and all purposes for which the original writing or electronic transmission could be used; provided, however, that such copy, facsimile telecommunication or other reproduction shall be a complete reproduction of the entire original writing or electronic transmission .

 

Section 2.9 Consent of Stockholders in Lieu of Meeting. Any action required or permitted to be taken by the stockholders may be effected only in accordance with the provisions of the Articles of Incorporation.

 

Section 2.10 List of Stockholders Entitled to Vote. The officer of the Corporation who has charge of the stock ledger of the Corporation shall prepare and make, at least ten (10) days but not more than sixty (60) days, before every meeting of the stockholders, a complete list of the stockholders of record entitled to vote at the meeting, arranged in alphabetical order, and showing the address of each stockholder of record and the number of shares registered in the name of each stockholder of record. Such list shall be open to the examination of any stockholder, for any purpose germane to the meeting, during ordinary business hours, for a period of at least ten (10) days prior to the meeting (i) either (A) at a place within the city where the meeting is to be held, which place shall be specified in the notice of the meeting, or, if not so specified, at the place where the meeting is to be held or (B) on a reasonably accessible electronic network, provided that the information required to gain access to such list is provided with the notice of the meeting or (ii) during ordinary business hours, at the principal place of business of the Corporation. In the event that the Corporation determines to make the list available on an electronic network, the Corporation may take reasonable steps to ensure that such information is available only to stockholders of the Corporation.  If the meeting is to be held at a place, the list shall also be produced and kept at the time and place of the meeting during the whole time thereof, and may be inspected by any stockholder who is present. Except as otherwise required by law, such list shall be the only evidence as to who are the stockholders entitled to vote at any meeting of the stockholders.  If a meeting of stockholders is to be held solely by means of electronic communication as permitted by Section 9.2(a), the list shall be open to the examination of any stockholder during the whole time of the meeting on a reasonably accessible electronic network, and the information required to access such list shall be provided with the notice of meeting. In the event that more than one group of shares is entitled to vote as a separate voting group at the meeting, there shall be a separate listing of the stockholders of each group.

 

Section 2.11 Record Date. In order that the Corporation may determine the stockholders entitled to notice of or to vote at any meeting of the stockholders or any adjournment thereof, the Board of Directors may fix a record date, which record date shall not precede the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted by the Board of Directors, and which record date shall not be more than sixty (60) nor less than ten (10) days before the date of such meeting. If no record date is fixed by the Board of Directors, the record date for determining stockholders entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of the stockholders shall be at the close of business on the day before the day on which the first notice is given, or, if notice is waived, at the close of business on the day next preceding the day on which the meeting is held. A determination of stockholders of record entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of the stockholders shall apply to any adjournment of the meeting; provided, however, that the Board of Directors may fix a new record date for the adjourned meeting.

 

Section 2.12 Stock Ledger. The stock ledger of the Corporation shall be the only evidence as to who are the stockholders entitled to examine the stock ledger, the list required by Section 2.10 or the books of the Corporation, or to vote in person or by proxy at any meeting of the stockholders.

 

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Section 2.13 Conduct of Meetings. Meetings of stockholders shall be presided over by the chairman of the Board of Directors (the “Chairman”), or, in the absence of the Chairman, by the vice chairman of the Board of Directors, if any, or if there be no vice chairman or in the absence of the vice chairman, by the chief executive officer, if any, or if there be no chief executive officer or in the absence of the chief executive officer, by the president, or, in the absence of the president, or, in the absence of any of the foregoing persons, by a chairman designated by the Board of Directors, or by a chairman chosen at the meeting by the stockholders entitled to cast a majority of the votes which all stockholders present in person or by proxy are entitled to cast. The individual acting as chairman of the meeting may delegate any or all of his or her authority and responsibilities as such to any director or officer of the Corporation present in person at the meeting. The secretary, or in the absence of the secretary an assistant secretary, shall act as secretary of the meeting, but in the absence of the secretary and any assistant secretary the chairman of the meeting may appoint any person to act as secretary of the meeting. The order of business at each such meeting shall be as determined by the chairman of the meeting. The chairman of the meeting shall have the right and authority to prescribe such rules, regulations and procedures and to do all such acts and things as are necessary or desirable for the proper conduct of the meeting, including, without limitation, (i) the establishment of procedures for the maintenance of order and safety, (ii)  the establishment of an agenda or order of business for the meeting, (iii) limitation on participation in the meeting to stockholders of record of the Corporation, their duly authorized and constituted proxies and such other persons as the chairman of the meeting shall permit, (iv) limitation on the time allotted for consideration of each agenda item and for questions or comments by meeting participants, (v) restrictions on entry to such meeting after the time prescribed for the commencement thereof, and (vi) the opening and closing of the voting polls. The Board of Directors, in its discretion, or the chairman of the meeting, in his or her discretion, may require that any votes cast at such meeting shall be cast by written ballot.

 

Section 2.14 Inspectors of Election. In advance of any meeting of the stockholders, the Board of Directors, by resolution, the Chairman or the president shall appoint one or more inspectors to act at the meeting and make a written report thereof. One or more other persons may be designated as alternate inspectors to replace any inspector who fails to act. If no inspector or alternate is able to act at a meeting of the stockholders, the chairman of the meeting shall appoint one or more inspectors to act at the meeting. Unless otherwise required by applicable law, inspectors may be officers, employees or agents of the Corporation. Each inspector, before entering upon the discharge of the duties of inspector, shall take and sign an oath to faithfully execute the duties of inspector with strict impartiality and according to the best of such inspector’s ability. The inspector or inspectors may (i) ascertain the number of shares outstanding and the voting power of each; (ii) determine the number of shares represented at a meeting and the validity of proxies or ballots; (iii) count all votes and ballots; (iv) determine any challenges made to any determination made by the inspector(s); and (v) certify the determination of the number of shares represented at the meeting and the count of all votes and ballots.

 

Section 2.15 Nature of Business at Meetings of Stockholders. Only such business (other than nominations for election to the Board of Directors and the election of directors, which must comply with the provisions of Section 2.16) may be transacted at an Annual Meeting of stockholders as is either (a) specified in the notice of meeting (or any supplement thereto) given by or at the direction of the Board of Directors (or any duly authorized committee thereof), (b) otherwise properly brought before the Annual Meeting by or at the direction of the Board of Directors (or any duly authorized committee thereof), or (c) otherwise properly brought before the Annual Meeting by any stockholder of the Corporation (i) who is a stockholder of record on the date of the giving of the notice provided for in this Section 2.15 and on the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at such Annual Meeting and (ii) who complies with the notice procedures set forth in this Section 2.15.

 

In addition to any other applicable requirements, for business to be properly brought before an Annual Meeting by a stockholder, such stockholder must have given timely notice thereof in proper written form to the secretary of the Corporation.

 

To be timely, a stockholder’s notice to the secretary must be delivered to or be mailed and received at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not less than ninety (90) days nor more than one-hundred and twenty (120) days prior to the anniversary date of the immediately preceding Annual Meeting of stockholders; provided, however, that in the event that the Annual Meeting is called for a date that is not within twenty-five (25) days before or after such anniversary date, notice by the stockholder in order to be timely must be so received not later than the close of business on the tenth (10th) day following the day on which such notice of the date of the Annual Meeting was mailed or such public disclosure of the date of the Annual Meeting was made, whichever first occurs. In no event shall the adjournment or postponement of an Annual Meeting, or the public announcement of such an adjournment or postponement, commence a new time period (or extend any time period) for the giving of a stockholder’s notice as described above.

 

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To be in proper written form, a stockholder’s notice to the secretary must set forth the following information: (a) as to each matter such stockholder proposes to bring before the Annual Meeting, a brief description of the business desired to be brought before the Annual Meeting and the reasons for conducting such business at the Annual Meeting, and (b) as to the stockholder giving notice and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the proposal is being made, (i) the name and address of such person, (ii) (A) the class or series and number of all shares of stock of the Corporation which are owned beneficially or of record by such person and any affiliates or associates of such person, (B) the name of each nominee holder of shares of all stock of the Corporation owned beneficially but not of record by such person or any affiliates or associates of such person, and the number of such shares of stock of the Corporation held by each such nominee holder, (C) whether and the extent to which any derivative instrument, swap, option, warrant, short interest, hedge or profit interest or other transaction has been entered into by or on behalf of such person, or any affiliates or associates of such person, with respect to stock of the Corporation and (D) whether and the extent to which any other transaction, agreement, arrangement or understanding (including any short position or any borrowing or lending of shares of stock of the Corporation) has been made by or on behalf of such person, or any affiliates or associates of such person, the effect or intent of any of the foregoing being to mitigate loss to, or to manage risk or benefit of stock price changes for, such person, or any affiliates or associates of such person, or to increase or decrease the voting power or pecuniary or economic interest of such person, or any affiliates or associates of such person, with respect to stock of the Corporation; (iii) a description of all agreements, arrangements, or understandings (whether written or oral) between or among such person, or any affiliates or associates of such person, and any other person or persons (including their names) in connection with the proposal of such business and any material interest of such person or any affiliates or associates of such person, in such business, including any anticipated benefit therefrom to such person, or any affiliates or associates of such person, (iv) a representation that the stockholder giving notice intends to appear in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting to bring such business before the meeting; and (v) any other information relating to such person that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filing required to be made in connection with the solicitation of proxies by such person with respect to the proposed business to be brought by such person before the Annual Meeting pursuant to Section 14 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

A stockholder providing notice of business proposed to be brought before an Annual Meeting shall further update and supplement such notice, if necessary, so that the information provided or required to be provided in such notice pursuant to this Section 2.15 shall be true and correct as of the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to receive notice of the Annual Meeting and such update and supplement shall be delivered to or be mailed and received by the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not later than five (5) business days after the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to receive notice of the Annual Meeting.

 

No business shall be conducted at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders except business brought before the Annual Meeting in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section 2.15; provided, however, that, once business has been properly brought before the Annual Meeting in accordance with such procedures, nothing in this Section 2.15 shall be deemed to preclude discussion by any stockholder of any such business. If the chairman of an Annual Meeting determines that business was not properly brought before the Annual Meeting in accordance with the foregoing procedures, the chairman shall declare to the meeting that the business was not properly brought before the meeting and such business shall not be transacted.

 

Nothing contained in this Section 2.15 shall be deemed to affect any rights of stockholders to request inclusion of proposals in the Corporation’s proxy statement pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act (or any successor provision of law).

 

Section 2.16 Nomination of Directors. Only natural persons of at least 18 years of age who are nominated in accordance with the following procedures shall be eligible for election as directors of the Corporation, except as may be otherwise provided in the Articles of Incorporation with respect to the right of holders of preferred stock, if any, of the Corporation to nominate and elect a specified number of directors in certain circumstances. Nominations of persons for election to the Board of Directors may be made at any Annual Meeting of stockholders, or at any Special Meeting of stockholders called for the purpose of electing directors, (a) by or at the direction of the Board of Directors (or any duly authorized committee thereof) or (b) by any stockholder of the Corporation (i) who is a stockholder of record on the date of the giving of the notice provided for in this Section 2.16 and on the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at such Annual Meeting or Special Meeting and (ii) who complies with the notice procedures set forth in this Section 2.16.

 

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In addition to any other applicable requirements, for a nomination to be made by a stockholder, such stockholder must have given timely notice thereof in proper written form to the secretary of the Corporation. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice to the secretary must be delivered to or be mailed and received at the principal executive offices of the Corporation (a) in the case of an Annual Meeting, not less than ninety (90) days nor more than one-hundred and twenty (120) days prior to the anniversary date of the immediately preceding Annual Meeting of stockholders; provided, however, that in the event that the Annual Meeting is called for a date that is not within twenty-five (25) days before or after such anniversary date, notice by the stockholder in order to be timely must be so received not later than the close of business on the tenth (10th) day following the day on which such notice of the date of the Annual Meeting was mailed or such public disclosure of the date of the Annual Meeting was made, whichever first occurs; and (b) in the case of a Special Meeting of stockholders called for the purpose of electing directors, not later than the close of business on the tenth (10th) day following the day on which notice of the date of the Special Meeting was mailed or public disclosure of the date of the Special Meeting was made, whichever first occurs. In no event shall the adjournment or postponement of an Annual Meeting or a Special Meeting called for the purpose of electing directors, or the public announcement of such an adjournment or postponement, commence a new time period (or extend any time period) for the giving of a stockholder’s notice as described above.

 

To be in proper written form, a stockholder’s notice to the secretary must set forth the following information: (a) as to each person whom the stockholder proposes to nominate for election as a director (i) the name, age, business address and residence address of such person and that such person is a natural person of at least 18 years of age, (ii) the principal occupation or employment of such person, (iii) (A) the class or series and number of all shares of stock of the Corporation which are owned beneficially or of record by such person and any affiliates or associates of such person, (B) the name of each nominee holder of shares of all stock of the Corporation owned beneficially but not of record by such person or any affiliates or associates of such person, and the number of such shares of stock of the Corporation held by each such nominee holder, (C) whether and the extent to which any derivative instrument, swap, option, warrant, short interest, hedge or profit interest or other transaction has been entered into by or on behalf of such person, or any affiliates or associates of such person, with respect to stock of the Corporation and (D) whether and the extent to which any other transaction, agreement, arrangement or understanding (including any short position or any borrowing or lending of shares of stock of the Corporation) has been made by or on behalf of such person, or any affiliates or associates of such person, the effect or intent of any of the foregoing being to mitigate loss to, or to manage risk or benefit of stock price changes for, such person, or any affiliates or associates of such person, or to increase or decrease the voting power or pecuniary or economic interest of such person, or any affiliates or associates of such person, with respect to stock of the Corporation; and (iv) any other information relating to such person that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filings required to be made in connection with solicitations of proxies for election of directors pursuant to Section 14 of the Exchange Act, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder; and (b) as to the stockholder giving the notice, and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination is being made, (i) the name and record address of the stockholder giving the notice and the name and principal place of business of such beneficial owner; (ii) (A) the class or series and number of all shares of stock of the Corporation which are owned beneficially or of record by such person and any affiliates or associates of such person, (B) the name of each nominee holder of shares of the Corporation owned beneficially but not of record by such person or any affiliates or associates of such person, and the number of shares of stock of the Corporation held by each such nominee holder, (C) whether and the extent to which any derivative instrument, swap, option, warrant, short interest, hedge or profit interest or other transaction has been entered into by or on behalf of such person, or any affiliates or associates of such person, with respect to stock of the Corporation and (D) whether and the extent to which any other transaction, agreement, arrangement or understanding (including any short position or any borrowing or lending of shares of stock of the Corporation) has been made by or on behalf of such person, or any affiliates or associates of such person, the effect or intent of any of the foregoing being to mitigate loss to, or to manage risk or benefit of stock price changes for, such person, or any affiliates or associates of such person, or to increase or decrease the voting power or pecuniary or economic interest of such person, or any affiliates or associates of such person, with respect to stock of the Corporation; (iii) a description of all agreements, arrangements, or understandings (whether written or oral) between such person, or any affiliates or associates of such person, and any proposed nominee or any other person or persons (including their names) pursuant to which the nomination(s) are being made by such person, and any material interest of such person, or any affiliates or associates of such person, in such nomination, including any anticipated benefit therefrom to such person, or any affiliates or associates of such person; (iv) a representation that the stockholder giving notice intends to appear in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting or Special Meeting to nominate the persons named in its notice; and (v) any other information relating to such person that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filings required to be made in connection with the solicitation of proxies for election of directors pursuant to Section 14 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. Such notice must be accompanied by a written consent of each proposed nominee to being named as a nominee and to serve as a director if elected.

 

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A stockholder providing notice of any nomination proposed to be made at an Annual Meeting or Special Meeting shall further update and supplement such notice, if necessary, so that the information provided or required to be provided in such notice pursuant to this Section 2.16 shall be true and correct as of the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to receive notice of the Annual Meeting or Special Meeting, and such update and supplement shall be delivered to or be mailed and received by the secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not later than five (5) business days after the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to receive notice of such Annual Meeting or Special Meeting.

 

No person shall be eligible for election as a director of the Corporation unless nominated in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section 2.16. If the chairman of the meeting determines that a nomination was not made in accordance with the foregoing procedures, the chairman shall declare to the meeting that the nomination was defective and such defective nomination shall be disregarded.

 

Section 2.17 Meetings Through Electronic Communications. If authorized by the Board of Directors, in its sole discretion, and subject to such guidelines and procedures as the Board of Directors may adopt, stockholders entitled to vote at such meeting and proxy holders not physically present at a meeting of stockholders may, by means of electronic communication:

 

(i) participate in a meeting of stockholders; and

 

(ii) be deemed present in person and vote at a meeting of stockholders, whether such meeting is to be held at a designated place or solely by means of electronic communication, provided that (A) the Corporation shall implement reasonable measures to verify that each person deemed present and permitted to vote at the meeting by means of electronic communication is a stockholder or proxy holder and (B) the Corporation shall implement reasonable measures to provide such stockholders and proxy holders a reasonable opportunity to participate in the meeting and, if entitled to vote, to vote on matters submitted to the applicable stockholders, including an opportunity to read or hear the proceedings of the meeting substantially concurrently with such proceedings, and (C) if any stockholder or proxy holder votes or takes other action at the meeting by means of electronic communication, a record of such votes or other action shall be maintained by the Corporation. Participation in a meeting pursuant to this Section 2.17 constitutes presence in person at the meeting.

 

ARTICLE III

DIRECTORS

 

Section 3.1 Number, Election and Term of Directors. The Board of Directors shall consist of not less than one (1) nor more than fifteen (15) members, the exact number of which shall be fixed from time to time by the Board of Directors. No decrease in the number of authorized directors constituting the Board of Directors of the Corporation shall shorten the term of any incumbent director. Except as provided in Section 3.2, directors shall be elected by a plurality of the votes cast at each Annual Meeting of stockholders and each director so elected shall hold office until such director’s successor is duly elected and qualified, or until such director’s earlier death, resignation or removal in the manner hereinafter provided or as set forth in the Articles of Incorporation. Directors must be natural persons of at least 18 years of age but need not be stockholders of the Corporation or residents of the State of Nevada.

 

Section 3.2 Vacancies. Except as otherwise required by law, vacancies on the Board and newly created directorships will be filled in accordance with the Articles of Incorporation. 

 

Section 3.3 Duties and Powers. The business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by or under the direction of the Board of Directors which may exercise all such powers of the Corporation and do all such lawful acts and things as are not by statute or by the Articles of Incorporation or by these Bylaws required to be exercised or done by the stockholders.

  

Section 3.4 Meetings. The Board of Directors and any committee thereof may hold meetings, both regular and special, either within or without the State of Nevada. Regular meetings of the Board of Directors or any committee thereof may be held without notice at such date and time and at such place as may from time to time be determined by the Board of Directors or such committee, respectively. Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be called by the Chairman, if any, or the president. Special meetings of any committee of the Board of Directors may be called by the chairman of such committee, if any, the president, or any director serving on such committee. Notice thereof stating the place, date and hour of the meeting shall be given to each director (or, in the case of a committee, to each member of such committee) either by mail not less than seventy-two (72) hours before the date of the meeting, by telephone or electronic mail on twenty-four (24) hours’ notice, or on such shorter notice as the person or persons calling such meeting may deem necessary or appropriate in the circumstances.

 

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Section 3.5 Organization. At each meeting of the Board of Directors or any committee thereof, the Chairman of the Board of Directors or the chairman of such committee, as the case may be, or, in his or her absence or if there be none, a director chosen by a majority of the directors present, shall act as chairman. Except as provided below, the secretary of the Corporation shall act as secretary at each meeting of the Board of Directors and of each committee thereof. In case the secretary shall be absent from any meeting of the Board of Directors or of any committee thereof, an assistant secretary shall perform the duties of secretary at such meeting; and in the absence from any such meeting of the secretary and all the assistant secretaries, the chairman of the meeting may appoint any person to act as secretary of the meeting. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the members of each committee of the Board of Directors may appoint any person to act as secretary of any meeting of such committee and the secretary or any assistant secretary of the Corporation may, but need not if such committee so elects, serve in such capacity.

 

Section 3.6 Resignations and Removals of Directors.

 

(a) Any director of the Corporation may resign from the Board of Directors or any committee thereof at any time, by giving notice in writing or by electronic transmission to the Chairman of the Board of Directors, if any, the president or the secretary of the Corporation and, in the case of a committee, to the chairman of such committee, if any. Such resignation shall take effect at the time therein specified or, if no time is specified, immediately; and, unless otherwise specified in such notice, the acceptance of such resignation shall not be necessary to make it effective.

 

(b) Any director or the entire Board of Directors may be removed from office in accordance with the Articles of Incorporation. Any director serving on a committee of the Board of Directors may be removed from such committee at any time by the Board of Directors.

 

Section 3.7 Quorum and Voting.

 

(a) Except as otherwise required or permitted by the Articles of Incorporation, the NRS or the rules and regulations of any securities exchange or quotation system on which the Corporation’s securities are listed or quoted for trading, at all meetings of the Board of Directors or any committee thereof, a majority of the entire Board of Directors or a majority of the directors constituting such committee, as the case may be, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business and the act of a majority of the directors or committee members present at any meeting at which there is a quorum shall be the act of the Board of Directors or such committee, as applicable. If a quorum shall not be present at any meeting of the Board of Directors or any committee thereof, the directors present thereat may adjourn the meeting from time to time, without notice other than announcement at the meeting of the time and place of the adjourned meeting, until a quorum shall be present.

 

(b) Each director shall have one vote for any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the Board or any committee thereof or without a meeting as provided herein. In accordance with NRS 78.330, all directors shall have the same voting rights.

 

Section 3.8 Actions of the Board by Written Consent. Unless otherwise provided in the Articles of Incorporation or these Bylaws, any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the Board of Directors or of any committee thereof may be taken without a meeting, if all the members of the Board of Directors or such committee, as the case may be, consent thereto in writing or by electronic transmission, and the writing or writings or electronic transmission or transmissions  are filed with the minutes of proceedings of the Board of Directors or such committee.

 

Section 3.9 Meetings by Means of Conference Telephone. Unless otherwise restricted by applicable law, the Articles of Incorporation or these Bylaws, members of the Board of Directors, or any committee thereof, may participate in a meeting of the Board of Directors or such committee by means of a conference telephone or other communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other, and participation in a meeting pursuant to this Section 3.9 shall constitute presence in person at such meeting.

 

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Section 3.10 Committees. The Board of Directors may designate one or more committees, each committee to consist of one or more of the directors of the Corporation. Each member of a committee must meet the requirements for membership, if any, imposed by applicable law and the rules and regulations of any securities exchange or quotation system on which the securities of the Corporation are listed or quoted for trading. The Board of Directors may designate one or more directors as alternate members of any committee, who may replace any absent or disqualified member at any meeting of any such committee. Subject to the rules and regulations of any securities exchange or quotation system on which the securities of the Corporation are listed or quoted for trading, in the absence or disqualification of a member of a committee, and in the absence of a designation by the Board of Directors of an alternate member to replace the absent or disqualified member, the member or members thereof present at any meeting and not disqualified from voting, whether or not such member or members constitute a quorum, may unanimously appoint another qualified member of the Board of Directors to act at the meeting in the place of any absent or disqualified member. Any committee, to the extent permitted by law and provided in the resolution establishing such committee, shall have and may exercise all the powers and authority of the Board of Directors in the management of the business and affairs of the Corporation, and may authorize the seal of the Corporation to be affixed to all papers which may require it. Each committee shall keep regular minutes and report to the Board of Directors when required. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Article III, the resolution of the Board of Directors establishing any committee of the Board of Directors and/or the charter of any such committee may establish requirements or procedures relating to the governance and/or operation of such committee that are different from, or in addition to, those set forth in these Bylaws and, to the extent that there is any inconsistency between these Bylaws and any such resolution or charter, the terms of such resolution or charter shall be controlling; provided that it complies with the NRS.

 

Section 3.11 Compensation. The directors may be paid their expenses, if any, of attendance at each meeting of the Board of Directors and may be paid a fixed sum for attendance at each meeting of the Board of Directors or a stated salary for service as director, payable in cash or securities. No such payment shall preclude any director from serving the Corporation in any other capacity and receiving compensation therefor. Members of special or standing committees may be allowed like compensation for service as committee members.

 

Section 3.12 Interested Directors. No contract or transaction between the Corporation and one or more of its directors or officers, or between the Corporation and any other corporation, partnership, association or other organization in which one or more of its directors or officers are directors or officers or have a financial interest, shall be void or voidable solely for this reason, or solely because the director or officer is present at or participates in the meeting of the Board of Directors or committee thereof which authorizes the contract or transaction, or solely because any such director’s or officer’s vote is counted for such purpose if: (i) the material facts as to the director’s or officer’s relationship or interest and as to the contract or transaction are disclosed or are known to the Board of Directors or the committee, and the Board of Directors or committee in good faith authorizes the contract or transaction by the affirmative votes of a majority of the disinterested directors, even though the disinterested directors be less than a quorum; or (ii) the material facts as to the director’s or officer’s relationship or interest and as to the contract or transaction are disclosed or are known to the stockholders entitled to vote thereon, and the contract or transaction is specifically approved in good faith by vote of the stockholders holding a majority of the voting power (the votes of the common or interested directors may be counted); and (iii) the contract or transaction is fair as to the Corporation as of the time it is authorized, approved or ratified by the Board of Directors, a committee thereof or the stockholders. Common or interested directors may be counted in determining the presence of a quorum at a meeting of the Board of Directors or of a committee which authorizes the contract or transaction as set forth herein.

 

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ARTICLE IV

OFFICERS

 

Section 4.1 General. The officers of the Corporation shall consist of a chief executive officer, president, chief operating officer, chief financial officer and a secretary, each of whom shall be elected by the Board. Such other officers and assistant officers as may be deemed necessary may be elected or appointed by the Board. All officers must be natural persons and any natural person may hold two or more offices, except that in the event that the Corporation shall have more than one director, the offices of president and secretary shall be held by different persons.

 

Section 4.2 Election, Qualification and Term of Office. Each of the officers shall be elected by the Board. None of said officers need be a director. Except as hereinafter provided or subject to the express provisions of a contract authorized by the Board of Directors, each of said officers shall hold office from the date of his/her election until the next annual meeting of the Board and until his/her successor shall have been duly elected and qualified or until his or her removal or resignation.

 

Section 4.3 Voting Securities Owned by the Corporation. Powers of attorney, proxies, waivers of notice of meeting, consents and other instruments relating to securities owned by the Corporation may be executed in the name of and on behalf of the Corporation by the president or any vice president or any other officer authorized to do so by the Board of Directors and any such officer may, in the name of and on behalf of the Corporation, take all such action as any such officer may deem advisable to vote in person or by proxy at any meeting of security holders of any corporation in which the Corporation may own securities and at any such meeting shall possess and may exercise any and all rights and power incident to the ownership of such securities and which, as the owner thereof, the Corporation might have exercised and possessed if present. The Board of Directors may, by resolution, from time to time confer like powers upon any other person or persons.

 

Section 4.4 Removal. The Board of Directors shall have the right to remove, with or without cause, any officer of the Corporation.

 

Section 4.5 Resignation. Any officer may resign at any time by giving notice to the Board, the president or the secretary. Any such resignation shall take effect at the date of receipt of such notice or at any later date specified therein; and, unless otherwise specified therein, the acceptance of such resignation shall not be necessary to make it effective.

 

Section 4.6 Vacancies. The Board of Directors shall fill any office which becomes vacant with a successor who shall hold office for the unexpired term and until his/her successor shall have been duly elected and qualified or until his or her removal or resignation.

 

Section 4.7 Powers and Duties. The powers and duties of the respective corporate officers shall be determined by the Board.

 

Section 4.8 Salaries. The salaries of all executive officers of the Corporation shall be fixed by the Board of Directors or by such committee of the Board of Directors as may be designated from time to time by a resolution adopted by a majority of the Board of Directors.

 

Section 4.9 Other Officers. Such other officers as the Board of Directors may choose shall perform such duties and have such powers as from time to time may be assigned to them by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors may delegate to any other officer of the Corporation the power to choose such other officers and to prescribe their respective duties and powers.

 

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ARTICLE V

STOCK

 

Section 5.1 Shares of Stock. The shares of capital stock of the Corporation may be represented by a certificate or may be uncertificated. Every holder of capital stock of the Corporation theretofore represented by certificates and, upon request, every holder of uncertificated shares, shall be entitled to have a certificate for shares of capital stock of the Corporation signed by, or in the name of the Corporation by, (a) the Chairman, the chief executive officer or the president, and (b) the chief financial officer or the secretary, certifying the number of shares owned by such stockholder in the Corporation.

 

Section 5.2 Signatures. Any or all of the signatures on a certificate may be a facsimile. In case any officer, transfer agent or registrar who has signed or whose facsimile signature has been placed upon a certificate shall have ceased to be such officer, transfer agent or registrar before such certificate is issued, it may be issued by the Corporation with the same effect as if such person were such officer, transfer agent or registrar at the date of issue.

 

Section 5.3 Lost Certificates. Unless otherwise provided in the Articles of Incorporation or these Bylaws, the Board of Directors may direct a new certificate or uncertificated shares be issued in place of any certificate theretofore issued by the Corporation alleged to have been lost, stolen or destroyed, upon the making of an affidavit of that fact by the person claiming the certificate of stock to be lost, stolen or destroyed. When authorizing such issuance of a new certificate or uncertificated shares, the Board of Directors may, in its discretion and as a condition precedent to the issuance thereof, require the owner of such lost, stolen or destroyed certificate, or such owner’s legal representative, to identify the same in such manner as the Board of Directors shall require and/or to give the Corporation a bond in such sum as it may direct as indemnity against any claim that may be made against the Corporation on account of the alleged loss, theft or destruction of such certificate or the issuance of such new certificate or uncertificated shares.

 

Section 5.4 Transfers. Stock of the Corporation shall be transferable in the manner prescribed by applicable law and in these Bylaws. Transfers of stock shall be made only on the books of the Corporation, and in the case of certificated shares of stock, only by the person named in the certificate or by such person’s attorney lawfully constituted in writing and upon the surrender of the certificate therefor, properly endorsed for transfer and payment of all necessary transfer taxes; or, in the case of uncertificated shares of stock, upon receipt of proper transfer instructions from the registered holder of the shares or by such person’s attorney lawfully constituted in writing, and upon payment of all necessary transfer taxes and compliance with appropriate procedures for transferring shares in uncertificated form; provided, however, that such surrender and endorsement, compliance or payment of taxes shall not be required in any case in which the officers of the Corporation shall determine to waive such requirement. With respect to certificated shares of stock, every certificate exchanged, returned or surrendered to the Corporation shall be marked “Cancelled,” with the date of cancellation, by the Secretary or Assistant Secretary of the Corporation or the transfer agent thereof. No transfer of stock shall be valid as against the Corporation for any purpose until it shall have been entered in the stock records of the Corporation by an entry showing from and to whom transferred.

 

Section 5.5 Regulations. The Board of Directors may make such rules and regulations as it may deem expedient, not inconsistent with these Bylaws, concerning the issue, transfer and registration of certificates for shares or uncertificated shares of the stock of the Corporation.

 

Section 5.6 Dividend Record Date. Subject to compliance with NRS 78.288 and 78.300, and the Articles of Incorporation, in order that the Corporation may determine the stockholders entitled to receive payment of any dividend or other distribution or allotment of any rights or the stockholders entitled to exercise any rights in respect of any change, conversion or exchange of stock, or for the purpose of any other lawful action, the Board of Directors may fix a record date, which record date shall not precede the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted, and which record date shall be not more than sixty (60) days prior to such action. If no record date is fixed, the record date for determining stockholders for any such purpose shall be at the close of business on the day on which the Board of Directors adopts the resolution relating thereto.

 

Section 5.7 Record Owners. The Corporation shall be entitled to recognize the exclusive right of a person registered on its books as the owner of shares to receive dividends, and to vote as such owner, and to hold liable for calls and assessments a person registered on its books as the owner of shares, and shall not be bound to recognize any equitable or other claim to or interest in such share or shares on the part of any other person, whether or not it shall have express or other notice thereof, except as otherwise required by law.

  

Section 5.8 Transfer and Registry Agents. The Corporation may from time to time maintain one or more transfer offices or agencies and registry offices or agencies at such place or places as may be determined from time to time by the Board of Directors.

 

Section 5.9 Consideration for Shares. The Board of Directors may authorize shares to be issued for consideration consisting of any tangible or intangible property or benefit to the Corporation including, without limitation, cash, services performed or other securities of the Corporation. When the Corporation receives the consideration for which the Board of Directors authorized the issuance of shares, such shares shall be fully paid and non-assessable (if non-assessable stock) and the stockholders shall not be liable to the Corporation or to its creditors in respect thereof.

 

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ARTICLE VI

NOTICES

 

Section 6.1 Notice to Directors. Whenever under applicable law, the Articles of Incorporation or these Bylaws notice is required to be given to any director, such notice shall be given either (i) in writing and sent by mail, or by a nationally recognized delivery service, (ii) by means of facsimile telecommunication or other form of electronic transmission, or (iii) by oral notice given personally or by telephone. A notice to a director will be deemed given as follows: (i) if given by hand delivery, orally, or by telephone, when actually received by the director, (ii) if sent through the United States mail, when deposited in the United States mail, with postage and fees thereon prepaid, addressed to the director at the director’s address appearing on the records of the Corporation, (iii) if sent for next day delivery by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service, when deposited with such service, with fees thereon prepaid, addressed to the director at the director’s address appearing on the records of the Corporation, (iv) if sent by facsimile telecommunication, when sent to the facsimile transmission number for such director appearing on the records of the Corporation, (v) if sent by electronic mail, when sent to the electronic mail address for such director appearing on the records of the Corporation, or (vi) if sent by any other form of electronic transmission, when sent to the address, location or number (as applicable) for such director appearing on the records of the Corporation.

 

Section 6.2 Notice to Stockholders. Whenever under applicable law, the Articles of Incorporation or these Bylaws notice is required to be given to any stockholder, such notice may be given (i) in writing and sent either by hand delivery, through the United States mail, or by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service for next day delivery, or (ii) by means of a form of electronic transmission consented to by the stockholder, to the extent permitted by the NRS. A notice to a stockholder shall be deemed given as follows: (i) if given by hand delivery, when actually received by the stockholder, (ii) if sent through the United States mail, when deposited in the United States mail, with postage and fees thereon prepaid, addressed to the stockholder at the stockholder’s address appearing on the stock ledger of the Corporation, (iii) if sent for next day delivery by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service, when deposited with such service, with fees thereon prepaid, addressed to the stockholder at the stockholder’s address appearing on the stock ledger of the Corporation, and (iv) if given by a form of electronic transmission consented to by the stockholder to whom the notice is given and otherwise meeting the requirements set forth above, (A) if by facsimile transmission, when directed to a number at which the stockholder has consented to receive notice, (B) if by electronic mail, when directed to an electronic mail address at which the stockholder has consented to receive notice, (C) if by a posting on an electronic network together with separate notice to the stockholder of such specified posting, upon the later of (1) such posting and (2) the giving of such separate notice, and (D) if by any other form of electronic transmission, when directed to the stockholder. A stockholder may revoke such stockholder’s consent to receiving notice by means of electronic communication by giving written notice of such revocation to the Corporation. Any such consent shall be deemed revoked if (1) the Corporation is unable to deliver by electronic transmission two consecutive notices given by the Corporation in accordance with such consent and (2) such inability becomes known to the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary or to the Corporation’s transfer agent, or other person responsible for the giving of notice; provided, however, the inadvertent failure to treat such inability as a revocation shall not invalidate any meeting or other action.

 

Section 6.3 Electronic Transmission. “Electronic transmission” means any form of communication, not directly involving the physical transmission of paper, that creates a record that may be retained, retrieved and reviewed by a recipient thereof, and that may be directly reproduced in paper form by such a recipient through an automated process, including, but not limited to, transmission by telex, facsimile telecommunication, electronic mail, telegram and cablegram.  

 

Section 6.4 Notice to Stockholders Sharing Same Address. Without limiting the manner by which notice otherwise may be given effectively by the Corporation to stockholders, any notice to stockholders given by the Corporation under any provision of the NRS, the Articles of Incorporation or these Bylaws shall be effective if given by a single written notice to stockholders who share an address if consented to by the stockholders at that address to whom such notice is given. A stockholder may revoke such stockholder’s consent by delivering written notice of such revocation to the Corporation. Any stockholder who fails to object in writing to the Corporation within sixty (60) days of having been given written notice by the Corporation of its intention to send such a single written notice shall be deemed to have consented to receiving such single written notice.

 

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Section 6.5 Waivers of Notice. Whenever any notice is required by applicable law, the Articles of Incorporation or these Bylaws, to be given to any director, member of a committee or stockholder, a waiver thereof in writing, signed by the person or persons entitled to notice, or by transmission of an electronic transmission by that person, whether before or after the time stated therein, shall be deemed equivalent thereto.

 

Attendance of a person at a meeting, present in person or represented by proxy, shall constitute a waiver of notice of such meeting, except where the person attends the meeting for the express purpose of objecting at the beginning of the meeting to the transaction of any business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened. Neither the business to be transacted at, nor the purpose of, any Annual or Special Meeting of Stockholders or any regular or special meeting of the directors or members of a committee of directors need be specified in any written waiver of notice unless so required by law, the Articles of Incorporation or these Bylaws.

 

ARTICLE VII

GENERAL PROVISIONS

 

Section 7.1 Dividends. Dividends upon the capital stock of the Corporation, subject to the requirements of the NRS and the provisions of the Articles of Incorporation, if any, may be declared by the Board of Directors at any regular or special meeting of the Board of Directors (or any action by written consent in lieu thereof in accordance with Section 3.8 hereof), and may be paid in cash or in property other than shares. Before payment of any dividend, there may be set aside out of any funds of the Corporation available for dividends such sum or sums as the Board of Directors from time to time, in its absolute discretion, deems proper as a reserve or reserves to meet contingencies, or for purchasing any of the shares of capital stock, warrants, rights, options, bonds, debentures, notes, scrip or other securities or evidences of indebtedness of the Corporation, or for equalizing dividends, or for repairing or maintaining any property of the Corporation, or for any proper purpose, and the Board of Directors may modify or abolish any such reserve.

 

Section 7.2 Disbursements. All checks or demands for money and notes of the Corporation shall be signed by such officer or officers or such other person or persons as the Board of Directors may from time to time designate.

 

Section 7.3 Fiscal Year. The fiscal year of the Corporation shall be fixed by resolution of the Board of Directors.

 

Section 7.4 Corporate Seal. The corporate seal shall have inscribed thereon the name of the Corporation, the year of its organization and the words “Corporate Seal, Nevada”. The seal may be used by causing it or a facsimile thereof to be impressed or affixed or reproduced or otherwise.

 

ARTICLE VIII

INDEMNIFICATION

 

Section 8.1 Power to Indemnify in Actions, Suits or Proceedings other than Those by or in the Right of the Corporation. Subject to Section 8.3 and to the fullest extent permitted by the NRS, the Corporation shall indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the Corporation), by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director or officer of the Corporation, or is or was a director or officer of the Corporation serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if such person acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe such person’s conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner which such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that such person’s conduct was unlawful.

 

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Section 8.2 Power to Indemnify in Actions, Suits or Proceedings by or in the Right of the Corporation. Subject to Section 8.3 and to the fullest extent permitted by the NRS, the Corporation shall indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the Corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director or officer of the Corporation, or is or was a director or officer of the Corporation serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if such person acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation; except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the Corporation unless and only to the extent that the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the court in which such action or suit was brought deem proper.

 

Section 8.3 Authorization of Indemnification. Any indemnification under this Article VIII (unless ordered by a court) shall be made by the Corporation only as permitted by the NRS and authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the present or former director or officer is proper in the circumstances because such person has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in Section 8.1 or Section 8.2, as the case may be. Such determination shall be made, with respect to a person who is a director or officer at the time of such determination, (i) by a majority vote of the directors who are not parties to such action, suit or proceeding, even though less than a quorum, or (ii) by a committee of such directors designated by a majority vote of such directors, even though less than a quorum, or (iii) if there are no such directors, or if such directors so direct, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion or (iv) by the stockholders. Such determination shall be made, with respect to former directors and officers, by any person or persons having the authority to act on the matter on behalf of the Corporation. To the extent, however, that a present or former director or officer of the Corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding described above, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith, without the necessity of authorization in the specific case.

 

Section 8.4 Good Faith Defined. For purposes of any determination under Section 8.3, a person shall be deemed to have acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation, or, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, to have had no reasonable cause to believe such person’s conduct was unlawful, if such person’s action is based on the records or books of account of the Corporation or another enterprise, or on information supplied to such person by the officers of the Corporation or another enterprise in the course of their duties, or on the advice of legal counsel for the Corporation or another enterprise or on information or records given or reports made to the Corporation or another enterprise by an independent certified public accountant or by an appraiser or other expert selected with reasonable care by the Corporation or another enterprise. The provisions of this Section 8.4 shall not be deemed to be exclusive or to limit in any way the circumstances in which a person may be deemed to have met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in Section 8.1 or Section 8.2, as the case may be.

 

Section 8.5 Indemnification by a Court. Notwithstanding any contrary determination in the specific case under Section 8.3, and notwithstanding the absence of any determination thereunder, any director or officer may apply to any court of competent jurisdiction in the State of Nevada for indemnification to the extent otherwise permissible under Section 8.1 or Section 8.2. The basis of such indemnification by a court shall be a determination by such court that indemnification of the director or officer is proper in the circumstances because such person has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in Section 8.1 or Section 8.2, as the case may be. Neither a contrary determination in the specific case under Section 8.3 nor the absence of any determination thereunder shall be a defense to such application or create a presumption that the director or officer seeking indemnification has not met any applicable standard of conduct. Notice of any application for indemnification pursuant to this Section 8.5 shall be given to the Corporation promptly upon the filing of such application. If successful, in whole or in part, the director or officer seeking indemnification shall also be entitled to be paid the expense of prosecuting such application.

 

Section 8.6 Expenses Payable in Advance. Expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by a director or officer in defending any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding shall be paid by the Corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such director or officer to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified by the Corporation as authorized in this Article VIII. Such expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by former directors and officers or other employees and agents may be so paid upon such terms and conditions, if any, as the Corporation deems appropriate.

 

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Section 8.7 Nonexclusivity of Indemnification and Advancement of Expenses. The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, this Article VIII shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be entitled under the Articles of Incorporation, these Bylaws, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in such person’s official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office, it being the policy of the Corporation that indemnification of the persons specified in Section 8.1 and Section 8.2 shall be made to the fullest extent permitted by law. The provisions of this Article VIII shall not be deemed to preclude the indemnification of any person who is not specified in Section 8.1 or Section 8.2 but whom the Corporation has the power or obligation to indemnify under the provisions of the NRS, or otherwise.

 

Section 8.8 Insurance. The Corporation may purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director or officer of the Corporation, or is or was a director or officer of the Corporation serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of such person’s status as such, whether or not the Corporation would have the power or the obligation to indemnify such person against such liability under the provisions of this Article VIII.

 

Section 8.9 Certain Definitions. For purposes of this Article VIII, references to “the Corporation” shall include, in addition to the resulting corporation, any constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and authority to indemnify its directors or officers, so that any person who is or was a director or officer of such constituent corporation, or is or was a director or officer of such constituent corporation serving at the request of such constituent corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, shall stand in the same position under the provisions of this Article VIII with respect to the resulting or surviving corporation as such person would have with respect to such constituent corporation if its separate existence had continued.

  

The term “another enterprise” as used in this Article VIII shall mean any other corporation or any partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise of which such person is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent. For purposes of this Article VIII, references to “fines” shall include any excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to an employee benefit plan; and references to “serving at the request of the Corporation” shall include any service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director or officer with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or beneficiaries; and a person who acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in a manner “not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation” as referred to in this Article VIII.

 

Section 8.10 Survival of Indemnification and Advancement of Expenses. The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, this Article VIII shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director or officer and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person.

 

Section 8.11 Limitation on Indemnification. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Article VIII to the contrary, except for proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification (which shall be governed by Section 8.5), the Corporation shall not be obligated to indemnify any director or officer (or his or her heirs, executors or personal or legal representatives) or advance expenses in connection with a proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such person unless such proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized or consented to by the Board of Directors.

 

Section 8.12 Indemnification of Employees and Agents. The Corporation may, to the extent authorized from time to time by the Board of Directors, provide rights to indemnification and to the advancement of expenses to employees and agents of the Corporation similar to those conferred in this Article VIII to directors and officers of the Corporation.

 

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ARTICLE IX

MISCELLANEOUS

 

Section 9.1 Acquisition of Controlling Interest Statute Opt–Out. The provisions of NRS 78.378 to 78.3793, inclusive, shall not apply to the Corporation or to an acquisition of a “controlling interest” (as defined in NRS 78.3785).

 

ARTICLE X

AMENDMENTS

 

Section 10.1 Amendments. These Bylaws may be altered, amended or repealed by the Board as set forth in the Articles of Incorporation or by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66 and 2/3% of the outstanding voting power of the Corporation, voting together as a single class.

 

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CERTIFICATION

 

The undersigned, as the duly elected Secretary of Silo Pharma, Inc., a Nevada corporation, does hereby certify that the Board of Directors of the Corporation adopted the foregoing Bylaws as of N [    ], 2023.

 

   
  [______________], Secretary

 

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Appendix D

 

CERTIFICATE OF AMENDMENT

to

AMENDED AND RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION

of

SILO PHARMA, INC.

 

Under Section 242 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, Silo Pharma, Inc., a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware (the “Corporation”) hereby certifies as follows:

 

FIRST: The Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Certificate of Incorporation”) of the Corporation is hereby amended by amending and restating Article FOURTH, Section (A) of the Corporation’s Certificate of Incorporation in its entirety to read as follows:

 

“(A) The total number of shares of stock authorized which the Corporation shall have the authority to issue shall be 105,000,000 shares. The Corporation shall be authorized to issue two classes of shares of stock, designated “Common Stock” and “Preferred Stock.” The Corporation shall be authorized to issue 100,000,000 shares of Common Stock, each share to have a par value of $0.0001 per share, and 5,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock, each share to have a par value of $0.0001 per share.”

 

SECOND: The stockholders of the Corporation have duly approved the foregoing amendment in accordance with the provisions of Section 242 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Corporation has caused this Certificate of Amendment to be duly adopted and executed in its corporate name and on its behalf by its duly authorized officer as of the __ day of _______, 2023.

 

  SILO PHARMA, INC.
   
  By:  
  Name:  Eric Weisblum
  Title: Chief Executive Officer

 

D-1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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