Document

Exhibit 10.4
NANOSTRING TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
2022 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
PERFORMANCE-BASED RESTRICTED STOCK UNIT AGREEMENT
Unless otherwise defined herein, the terms defined in the NanoString Technologies, Inc. 2022 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) will have the same defined meanings in this Performance-Based Restricted Stock Unit Agreement (the “Award Agreement”), which includes the Notice of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Unit Grant (the “Notice of Grant”) and Terms and Conditions of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Unit Grant, attached hereto as Exhibit A.
NOTICE OF PERFORMANCE-BASED RESTRICTED STOCK UNIT GRANT
Participant Name:        ______________________
Address:                ______________________
Participant has been granted the right to receive an Award of performance-based Restricted Stock Units (“PSUs”), subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Award Agreement, as follows:
Grant Number            ______________________
Date of Grant            ______________________
Target Number of PSUs        ______________________
Maximum Number of PSUs    ______________________
Subject to any acceleration provisions contained in the Plan or set forth below, the PSUs will vest in accordance with the following schedule:
Vesting Schedule
The PSUs are eligible to vest only if certain performance goals, described in detail in Exhibit B, are satisfied.  Any PSUs that become eligible to vest will be scheduled to vest in accordance with the time-based vesting requirements set forth in Exhibit B.  Vesting is subject to continued status as a Service Provider through the applicable vesting date.
Except as provided in Exhibit B, in the event Participant ceases to be a Service Provider for any or no reason before Participant vests in the PSUs, the PSUs and Participant’s right to acquire any Shares hereunder will immediately terminate.
By Participant’s signature and the signature of the representative of NanoString Technologies, Inc. (the “Company”) below, Participant and the Company agree that this Award of PSUs is granted under and governed by the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Award Agreement, including the Terms and Conditions of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Unit Grant, attached hereto as Exhibit A, all of which are made a part of this document.  Participant has reviewed the Plan and this Award Agreement in their entirety, has had an opportunity to obtain the advice of counsel prior to executing this Award Agreement and fully understands all provisions of the Plan and Award Agreement.  Participant hereby agrees to accept as binding, conclusive and final all decisions or interpretations of the Administrator upon any questions relating to the Plan and Award Agreement.  Participant further agrees to notify the Company upon any change in the residence address indicated below.
PARTICIPANT                        NANOSTRING TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
______________________            ______________________
Signature                        By
______________________            ______________________
Print Name                        Title
Address:
______________________
______________________
EXHIBIT A
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF PERFORMANCE-BASED
RESTRICTED STOCK UNIT GRANT
1.Grant.  The Company hereby grants to the individual named in the Notice of Grant (the “Participant”) under the Plan an Award of PSUs, subject to all of the terms and conditions in this Award Agreement and the Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference.  Subject to Section 19(c) of the Plan, in the event of a conflict between the terms and conditions of the Plan and the terms and conditions of this Award Agreement, the terms and conditions of the Plan will prevail.
2.Company’s Obligation to Pay.  Each PSU represents the right to receive a Share on the date it vests.  Unless and until the PSUs will have vested in the manner set forth in Sections 3 or 4, Participant will have no right to payment of any such PSUs.  Prior to actual payment of any vested PSUs, such PSUs will represent an unsecured obligation of the Company, payable (if at all) only from the general assets of the Company.  Any PSUs that vest in accordance with Sections 3 or 4 will be paid to Participant (or in the event of Participant’s death, to his or her estate) in whole Shares, subject to Participant satisfying any applicable tax withholding obligations as set forth in Section 7.  Subject to the provisions of Section 4, such vested PSUs shall be paid in whole Shares as soon as practicable after vesting, but in each such case within the period sixty (60) days following the vesting date.  In no event will Participant be permitted, directly or indirectly, to specify the taxable year of the payment of any PSUs payable under this Award Agreement.
3.Vesting Schedule.  Except as provided in Section 4, and subject to Section 5, the PSUs awarded by this Award Agreement will vest in accordance with the vesting provisions set forth in the Notice of Grant and Exhibit B.  PSUs scheduled to vest on a certain date or upon the occurrence of a certain condition will not vest in Participant in accordance with any of the provisions of this Award Agreement, unless Participant will have been continuously a Service Provider from the Date of Grant until the date such vesting occurs.
4.Administrator Discretion.  The Administrator, in its discretion, may accelerate the vesting of the balance, or some lesser portion of the balance, of the unvested PSUs at any time, subject to the terms of the Plan.  If so accelerated, such PSUs will be considered as having vested as of the date specified by the Administrator.  The payment of Shares vesting pursuant to this Section 4 shall in all cases be paid at a time or in a manner that is exempt from, or complies with, Section 409A.
Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or this Award Agreement to the contrary, if the vesting of the balance, or some lesser portion of the balance, of the PSUs is accelerated in connection with Participant’s termination as a Service Provider (provided that such termination is a “separation from service” within the meaning of Section 409A, as determined by the Company), other than due to death, and if (x) Participant is a “specified employee” within the meaning of Section 409A at the time of such termination as a Service Provider and (y) the payment of such accelerated PSUs will result in the imposition of additional tax under Section 409A if paid to Participant on or within the six (6) month period following Participant’s termination as a Service Provider, then the payment of such accelerated PSUs will not be made until the date six (6) months and one (1) day following the date of Participant’s termination as a Service Provider, unless the Participant dies following his or her termination as a Service Provider, in which case, the PSUs will be paid in Shares to the Participant’s estate as soon as practicable following his or her death.  It is the intent of this Award Agreement that it and all payments and benefits hereunder be exempt from, or comply with, the requirements of Section 409A so that none of the PSUs provided under this Award Agreement or Shares issuable thereunder will be subject to the additional tax imposed under Section 409A, and any ambiguities herein will be interpreted to be so exempt or so comply.  Each payment payable under this Award Agreement is intended to constitute a separate payment for purposes of Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-2(b)(2).  For purposes of this Award Agreement, “Section 409A” means Section 409A of the Code, and any final Treasury Regulations and Internal Revenue Service guidance thereunder, as each may be amended from time to time.
5.Forfeiture upon Termination of Status as a Service Provider.  Notwithstanding any contrary provision of this Award Agreement, except to the extent provided in Exhibit B, the balance of the PSUs that have not vested as of the time of Participant’s termination as a Service Provider for any or no reason and Participant’s right to acquire any Shares hereunder will immediately terminate.
6.Death of Participant.  Any distribution or delivery to be made to Participant under this Award Agreement will, if Participant is then deceased, be made to Participant’s designated beneficiary, or if no beneficiary survives Participant, the administrator or executor of Participant’s estate.  Any such transferee must furnish the Company with (a) written notice of his or her status as transferee, and (b) evidence satisfactory to the Company to establish the validity of the transfer and compliance with any laws or regulations pertaining to said transfer.
7.Withholding of Taxes.  Participant acknowledges that, regardless of any action taken by the Company or, if different, Participant’s employer (the “Employer”) or any Parent or Subsidiary to which Participant is providing services 
(together, the “Service Recipients”), the ultimate liability for any tax and/or social insurance liability obligations and requirements in connection with the PSUs, including, without limitation, (i) all federal, state, and local taxes (including Participant’s Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) obligations) that are required to be withheld by any Service Recipient or other payment of tax-related items related to Participant’s participation in the Plan and legally applicable to Participant; (ii) Participant’s and, to the extent required by any Service Recipient, the Service Recipient’s fringe benefit tax liability, if any, associated with the grant, vesting, or settlement of the PSUs or sale of Shares; and (iii) any other Service Recipient taxes the responsibility for which Participant has, or has agreed to bear, with respect to the PSUs (or settlement thereof or issuance of Shares thereunder) (collectively, the “Tax Obligations”), is and remains Participant’s sole responsibility and may exceed the amount actually withheld by the applicable Service Recipient(s).  Participant further acknowledges that no Service Recipient (A) makes any representations or undertakings regarding the treatment of any Tax Obligations in connection with any aspect of the PSUs, including, but not limited to, the grant, vesting or settlement of the PSUs, the subsequent sale of Shares acquired pursuant to such settlement and the receipt of any dividends or other distributions, and (B) makes any commitment to and is under any obligation to structure the terms of the grant or any aspect of the PSUs to reduce or eliminate Participant’s liability for Tax Obligations or achieve any particular tax result.  Further, if Participant is subject to Tax Obligations in more than one jurisdiction between the Date of Grant and the date of any relevant taxable or tax withholding event, as applicable, Participant acknowledges that the applicable Service Recipient(s) (or former employer, as applicable) may be required to withhold or account for Tax Obligations in more than one jurisdiction.
Pursuant to such procedures as the Administrator may specify from time to time, the Service Recipient may withhold the amount required to be withheld for the payment of Tax Obligations (the “Withholding Obligations”).  The Administrator, in its sole discretion and pursuant to such procedures as it may specify from time to time, may permit Participant to satisfy such Withholding Obligations, in whole or in part (without limitation), if permissible by applicable local law, by: (i) paying cash in U.S. dollars, (ii) having the Company withhold otherwise deliverable Shares having a fair market value equal to the minimum amount that is necessary to meet the withholding requirement for such Withholding Obligations (or such greater amount as Participant may elect if permitted by the Administrator, if such greater amount would not result in adverse financial accounting consequences) (“Net Share Withholding”), (iii) withholding the amount of such Withholding Obligations from Participant’s wages or other cash compensation paid to Participant by the applicable Service Recipient(s), (iv) delivering to the Company Shares that Participant owns and that already have vested with a fair market value equal to the Withholding Obligations (or such greater amount as Participant may elect if permitted by the Administrator, if such greater amount would not result in adverse financial accounting consequences), (v) selling a sufficient number of such Shares otherwise deliverable to Participant, through such means as the Company may determine in its sole discretion (whether through a broker or otherwise) equal to the minimum amount that is necessary to meet the withholding requirement for such Withholding Obligations (or such greater amount as Participant may elect if permitted by the Administrator, if such greater amount would not result in adverse financial accounting consequences) (“Sell to Cover”), (vi) such other means as the Administrator deems appropriate, or (vii) any combination of the foregoing methods of payment.  If the Withholding Obligations are satisfied by withholding in Shares, for tax purposes, Participant is deemed to have been issued the full number of Shares subject to the vested PSUs, notwithstanding that a number of the Shares are held back solely for the purpose of paying the Withholding Obligations.  To the extent determined appropriate by the Company in its discretion, it will have the right (but not the obligation) to satisfy any Withholding Obligations by Net Share Withholding.  If Net Share Withholding is the method by which such Withholding Obligations are satisfied, the Company will not withhold on a fractional Share basis to satisfy any portion of the Withholding Obligations and, unless the Company determines otherwise, no refund will be made to Participant for the value of the portion of a Share, if any, withheld in excess of the Withholding Obligations.  If a Sell to Cover is the method by which Withholding Obligations are satisfied, Participant agrees that as part of the Sell to Cover, additional Shares may be sold to satisfy any associated broker or other fees.  Only whole Shares will be sold pursuant to a Sell to Cover.  Any proceeds from the sale of Shares pursuant to a Sell to Cover that are in excess of the Withholding Obligations and any associated broker or other fees will be paid to Participant in accordance with procedures the Company may specify from time to time.
Participant is advised to review with his or her own tax advisers the U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. tax consequences of the transactions contemplated by this Award Agreement.  With respect to such matters, Participant relies solely on such advisers and not on any statements or representations of the Company or any of its agents, written or oral.  Participant understands that Participant (and not the Company or any Service Recipient) shall be responsible for Participant’s own tax liability that may arise as a result of the transactions contemplated by this Award Agreement.
For clarification purposes, in no event will the Company issue Participant any Shares unless and until arrangements satisfactory to the Administrator have been made for the payment of Participant’s Withholding Obligations.  If Participant fails to make satisfactory arrangements for the payment of such Withholding Obligations hereunder at the time any applicable PSUs otherwise are scheduled to vest pursuant to this Award Agreement or Participant’s Withholding Obligations otherwise become due, Participant permanently will forfeit such PSUs to which Participant’s Withholding Obligation relates and any right to receive Shares thereunder and such PSUs will be returned to the Company at no cost to the Company.  Participant 
acknowledges and agrees that the Company may permanently refuse to issue or deliver the Shares if such Withholding Obligations are not delivered at the time they are due.
8.Rights as Stockholder.  Neither Participant nor any person claiming under or through Participant will have any of the rights or privileges of a stockholder of the Company in respect of any Shares deliverable hereunder unless and until certificates representing such Shares will have been issued, recorded on the records of the Company or its transfer agents or registrars, and delivered to Participant.  After such issuance, recordation and delivery, Participant will have all the rights of a stockholder of the Company with respect to voting such Shares and receipt of dividends and distributions on such Shares.
9.No Guarantee of Continued Service.  PARTICIPANT ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT THE VESTING OF THE PERFORMANCE-BASED RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS PURSUANT TO THE VESTING SCHEDULE HEREOF IS EARNED ONLY BY CONTINUING AS A SERVICE PROVIDER AT THE WILL OF THE COMPANY (OR THE PARENT OR SUBSIDIARY EMPLOYING OR RETAINING PARTICIPANT) AND NOT THROUGH THE ACT OF BEING HIRED, BEING GRANTED THIS AWARD OF PERFORMANCE-BASED RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS OR ACQUIRING SHARES HEREUNDER.  PARTICIPANT FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT THIS AWARD AGREEMENT, THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREUNDER AND THE VESTING SCHEDULE SET FORTH HEREIN DO NOT CONSTITUTE AN EXPRESS OR IMPLIED PROMISE OF CONTINUED ENGAGEMENT AS A SERVICE PROVIDER FOR THE VESTING PERIOD, FOR ANY PERIOD, OR AT ALL, AND WILL NOT INTERFERE IN ANY WAY WITH PARTICIPANT’S RIGHT OR THE RIGHT OF THE COMPANY (OR THE PARENT OR SUBSIDIARY EMPLOYING OR RETAINING PARTICIPANT) TO TERMINATE PARTICIPANT’S RELATIONSHIP AS A SERVICE PROVIDER AT ANY TIME, WITH OR WITHOUT CAUSE.
10.Address for Notices.  Any notice to be given to the Company under the terms of this Award Agreement will be addressed to the Company at NanoString Technologies, Inc., 530 Fairview North, Seattle, WA 98109, or at such other address as the Company may hereafter designate in writing.
11.Grant is Not Transferable.  Except to the limited extent provided in Section 6, this grant and the rights and privileges conferred hereby will not be transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated in any way (whether by operation of law or otherwise) and will not be subject to sale under execution, attachment or similar process.  Upon any attempt to transfer, assign, pledge, hypothecate or otherwise dispose of this grant, or any right or privilege conferred hereby, or upon any attempted sale under any execution, attachment or similar process, this grant and the rights and privileges conferred hereby immediately will become null and void.
12.Binding Agreement.  Subject to the limitation on the transferability of this grant contained herein, this Award Agreement will be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the heirs, legatees, legal representatives, successors and assigns of the parties hereto.
13.Additional Conditions to Issuance of Stock.  If at any time the Company will determine, in its discretion, that the listing, registration, qualification or rule compliance of the Shares upon any securities exchange or under any state, federal or foreign law, the tax code and related regulations or the consent or approval of any governmental regulatory authority is necessary or desirable as a condition to the issuance of Shares to Participant (or his or her estate) hereunder, such issuance will not occur unless and until such listing, registration, qualification, rule compliance, consent or approval will have been completed, effected or obtained free of any conditions not acceptable to the Company.  Where the Company determines that the delivery of the payment of any Shares will violate federal securities laws or other applicable laws, the Company will defer delivery until the earliest date at which the Company reasonably anticipates that the delivery of Shares will no longer cause such violation.  The Company will make all reasonable efforts to meet the requirements of any such state, federal or foreign law or securities exchange and to obtain any such consent or approval of any such governmental authority or securities exchange.
14.Plan Governs.  This Award Agreement is subject to all terms and provisions of the Plan.  In the event of a conflict between one or more provisions of this Award Agreement and one or more provisions of the Plan, the provisions of the Plan will govern.  Capitalized terms used and not defined in this Award Agreement will have the meaning set forth in the Plan.
15.Administrator Authority.  The Administrator will have the power to interpret the Plan and this Award Agreement and to adopt such rules for the administration, interpretation and application of the Plan as are consistent therewith and to interpret or revoke any such rules (including, but not limited to, the determination of whether or not any PSUs have vested).  All actions taken and all interpretations and determinations made by the Administrator in good faith will be final and binding upon Participant, the Company and all other interested persons.  No member of the Administrator will be personally liable for any action, determination or interpretation made in good faith with respect to the Plan or this Award Agreement.
16.Electronic Delivery.  The Company may, in its sole discretion, decide to deliver any documents related to PSUs awarded under the Plan or future PSUs or Restricted Stock Units that may be awarded under the Plan by electronic means or 
request  or require Participant’s consent to participate in the Plan by electronic means.  Participant hereby consents to receive such documents by electronic delivery and agrees to participate in the Plan through any on-line or electronic system established and maintained by the Company or another third party designated by the Company.
17.Captions.  Captions provided herein are for convenience only and are not to serve as a basis for interpretation or construction of this Award Agreement.
18.Agreement Severable.  In the event that any provision in this Award Agreement will be held invalid or unenforceable, such provision will be severable from, and such invalidity or unenforceability will not be construed to have any effect on, the remaining provisions of this Award Agreement.
19.Modifications to the Award Agreement.  This Award Agreement constitutes the entire understanding of the parties on the subjects covered.  Participant expressly warrants that he or she is not accepting this Award Agreement in reliance on any promises, representations, or inducements other than those contained herein.  Modifications to this Award Agreement can be made only in an express written contract executed by a duly authorized officer of the Company.  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Plan or this Award Agreement, the Company reserves the right to revise this Award Agreement as it deems necessary or advisable, in its sole discretion and without the consent of Participant, to comply with Section 409A or to otherwise avoid imposition of any additional tax or income recognition under Section 409A in connection to this Award of PSUs.
20.Amendment, Suspension or Termination of the Plan.  By accepting this Award, Participant expressly warrants that he or she has received an Award of PSUs under the Plan, and has received, read and understood a description of the Plan.  Participant understands that the Plan is discretionary in nature and may be amended, suspended or terminated by the Company at any time.
21.Governing Law.  This Award Agreement will be governed by the laws of Washington without giving effect to the conflict of law principles thereof.  For purposes of litigating any dispute that arises under this Award of PSUs or this Award Agreement, the parties hereby submit to and consent to the jurisdiction of the State of Washington, and agree that such litigation will be conducted in the courts of King County, Washington, or the federal courts for the United States for the District of Washington, and no other courts, where this Award of PSUs is made and/or to be performed.
EXHIBIT B
VESTING SCHEDULE
[Applicable Vesting Schedule Inserted Here]