Company: CERO
Filing Date: 2025-04-25
Form Type: PRE 14A
Source: 0001213900-25-035562
Chunk: 42

Company: CERO THERAPEUTICS HOLDINGS, INC.
Filing Date: 2025-04-25
Form: PRE 14A
Chunk 42
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, 2025 plusshares being requested under this proposal) would be available for new awards, not including any shares that would become available again upon the expiration, termination, cancellation, cash settlement or forfeiture of certain previously -issuedawards, as described below. A copy of the Amended Plan is attached to this proxy statement as Appendix B. The compensation committee of the Board (the “compensation committee”) believes the number of shares of common stock available for issuance under the Plan is not sufficient to make the grants that will be needed over the next year to provide adequate long -termequity incentives to the Company’s key employees. Approval of the Amended Plan will enable the Company to continue making equity compensation grants that serve as incentives to recruit and retain key employees and to continue aligning the interests of its employees with stockholders. This Proposal No. 4 does not assume any implementation of a reverse stock split. If a reverse stock split is implemented, all of the foregoing numbers would be proportionally adjusted based on the split ratio determined by the Board. Refer to the chart in Proposal No. 1 for more information. Additionally, if a reverse stock split is implemented, outstanding awards under the Amended Plan would be proportionally adjusted, including the stock options reflected in the section titled “ New Plan Benefits and Historical Equity Awards”, in this Proposal No. 4. Plan Development In determining the number of shares to add to the authorized share pool for the Plan, the compensation committee considered a number of factors, including key data relating to outstanding equity awards and shares available for grant, historical share usage, and future share needs. The compensation committee also considered the fact that the Company’s compensation program will be heavily weighted to equity compensation, and that the Company’s equity compensation will be heavily weighted to performance -basedincentives, including: •Anticipated equity awards to be granted in connection with the engagement of a new permanent CEO and growth anticipated as CER -1236advances to clinical development; •The fact that, in light of the status of the Company’s development and need to fund clinical trials following acceptance of the IND, it expects to conduct additional financing transactions throughout 2025, which can be expected to increase the number of fully diluted shares outstanding and reduce the percentage of the fully diluted shares outstanding constituted by the pool. In order to have sufficient shares available for grants that are competitive in attracting new talent, the Company will need a pool sufficiently large to constitute a significant percentage of the fully diluted shares outstanding after completing such financing; •