Transcode Therapeutics, Inc. Stock Compensation Disclosure
(11) Share-Based Compensation
In April 2020, the Board approved the TransCode Therapeutics, Inc. 2020 Stock Option and Incentive Plan (the “2020 Plan”) providing for the issuance of options or other awards to purchase up to approximately 115 shares of the Company’s common stock. The Board determined not to make any further awards under the 2020 Plan following the closing of the IPO. In March 2021, the Company’s 2021 Stock Option and Incentive Plan (the “2021 Plan”) was approved by the Company’s Board and stockholders and became effective upon the effectiveness of the IPO. The 2021 Plan initially provided for the issuance of options or other awards to purchase up to approximately 190 shares of the Company’s common stock. The number of options or other awards available under the 2021 Plan increased approximately 25 shares in January 2022, approximately 25 shares in January 2023, approximately 951 shares in January 2024, and approximately 51,455 shares in January 2025.
Both Plans provide for grants of equity in the form of stock awards, stock options and other instruments to employees, members of the Board, officers and consultants of and advisors to the Company. The Plans are administered by the Board or, at the discretion of the Board, by a committee of the Board. The amount and terms of grants are determined by the Board. The terms of options granted under the Plans generally are for ten (10) years after date of grant and are exercisable in cash or as otherwise determined by the Board. The vesting period for equity-based awards is determined at the discretion of the Board and is generally to four years. If stock options granted under the 2021 Plan terminate, expire, or are surrendered or cancelled, the shares subject to such grants will again be available under the 2021 Plan.
The exercise price for incentive stock options is determined at the discretion of the Board but for grants to any person possessing less than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock may not have an exercise price less than 100% of the fair market value of the Common Stock on the grant date (110% for grants to any person possessing more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock). The option term for incentive stock option awards may not be greater than ten years from the date of the grant ( for grants to any person possessing more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock).
(11) Share-Based Compensation (continued)
Of options awarded under the 2021 Plan, approximately 57,132 were outstanding at December 31, 2024.
At December 31, 2024, there were approximately 58 options outstanding under the 2020 Plan that were vested and exercisable and approximately 43,765 options outstanding under the 2021 Plan that were vested and exercisable. Information about options to purchase common stock of the Company under both Plans is as follows:
|
| Weighted |
| ||||
average | Weighted | ||||||
exercise | average | ||||||
Number of | price | contractual | |||||
shares | per share | term (years) | |||||
Outstanding at December 31, 2022 |
| 114 |
| $ | 19,536.00 |
| 5.3 |
Granted |
| 89 | 7,487.04 |
| 6.4 | ||
Exercised |
| — | — |
| — | ||
Forfeited |
| (12) | 15,147.66 |
| — | ||
Outstanding at December 31, 2023 |
| 191 | 13,846.14 |
| 3.7 | ||
Granted |
| 58,497 | 39.60 |
| 9.2 | ||
Exercised |
| — | — |
| — | ||
Forfeited |
| (1,556) |
| 477.35 |
| — | |
Outstanding at December 31, 2024 |
| 57,132 | $ | 78.80 |
| 9.4 | |
The intrinsic value of the outstanding options as of December 31, 2024, was $0.
Option Valuation
The assumptions that the Company used to determine the grant-date fair value of options granted in the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, were as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | |||
2024 | 2023 | |||
Risk-free interest rate |
| 4.44% | 4.01% - 4.72% | |
Expected term (in years) |
| 6.0 | 6.0 | |
Expected volatility | 128.8% | 100.6% - 100.8% | ||
Expected dividend yield |
| — | — | |
Fair value per share of underlying stock | $1.06 - $1.08 | $7,484.40 - $7,880.40 | ||
The weighted average grant date fair value per share of the options granted in the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, was $35.63 and $7,486.71, respectively.
The Company recorded share-based compensation expense of $1,699,999 and $1,036,889 during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, all of which related to stock options. The remaining share-based compensation expense to be recognized in the future is $714,937 over approximately 1.01 years.
About Stock Compensation Disclosures
Stock-based compensation disclosures detail the equity awards granted to employees and executives — including stock options, restricted stock units (RSUs), and performance shares — along with the valuation methods and assumptions used to expense them. This section reveals the true cost of talent retention and the alignment between management incentives and shareholder interests.
Key signals: total unrecognized compensation expense and its expected recognition period signal future earnings headwinds from already-granted awards. For stock options, examine Black-Scholes assumptions — expected volatility, risk-free rate, and expected term — as understating any of these reduces reported compensation expense. Compare stock compensation expense as a percentage of revenue against peers to assess dilution cost. Watch vesting schedules for acceleration clauses tied to change-of-control events. Performance-based awards with undemanding targets may indicate weak governance. Add back stock compensation to operating cash flow to calculate a more conservative free cash flow figure.