IMPROVENET, INC.
1999 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT
(INCENTIVE AND NONSTATUTORY STOCK OPTIONS)
Pursuant to your Stock Option Grant Notice ("Grant Notice") and this
Stock Option Agreement, IMPROVENET, INC. (the "Company") has granted you an
option under its 1999 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN (the "Plan") to purchase the
number of shares of the Company's Common Stock indicated in your Grant Notice
at the exercise price indicated in your Grant Notice. Defined terms not
explicitly defined in this Stock Option Agreement but defined in the Plan
shall have the same definitions as in the Plan.
The details of your option are as follows:
1. VESTING. Subject to the limitations contained herein, your
option will vest as provided in your Grant Notice, provided that vesting will
cease upon the termination of your Continuous Service.
2. NUMBER OF SHARES AND EXERCISE PRICE. The number of shares of
Common Stock subject to your option and your exercise price per share
referenced in your Grant Notice may be adjusted from time to time for
Capitalization Adjustments, as provided in the Plan.
3. EXERCISE PRIOR TO VESTING ("EARLY EXERCISE"). If permitted in
your Grant Notice (i.e., the "Exercise Schedule" indicates that "Early
Exercise" of your option is permitted) and subject to the provisions of your
option, you may elect at any time that is both (i) during the period of your
Continuous Service and (ii) during the term of your option, to exercise all
or part of your option, including the nonvested portion of your option;
provided, however, that:
(a) a partial exercise of your option shall be deemed to cover
first vested shares of Common Stock and then the earliest vesting installment
of unvested shares of Common Stock;
(b) any shares of Common Stock so purchased from installments
that have not vested as of the date of exercise shall be subject to the
purchase option in favor of the Company as described in the Company's form of
Early Exercise Stock Purchase Agreement;
(c) you shall enter into the Company's form of Early Exercise
Stock Purchase Agreement with a vesting schedule that will result in the same
vesting as if no early exercise had occurred; and
(d) if your option is an incentive stock option, then, as
provided in the Plan, to the extent that the aggregate Fair Market Value
(determined at the time of grant) of the shares of Common Stock with respect
to which your option plus all other incentive stock options you hold are
exercisable for the first time by you during any calendar year (under all
plans of the
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Company and its Affiliates) exceeds one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000),
your option(s) or portions thereof that exceed such limit (according to the
order in which they were granted) shall be treated as nonstatutory stock
options.
4. METHOD OF PAYMENT. Payment of the exercise price is due in full
upon exercise of all or any part of your option. You may elect to make
payment of the exercise price in cash or by check or in any other manner
PERMITTED BY YOUR GRANT NOTICE, which may include one or more of the
following:
(a) In the Company's sole discretion at the time your option is
exercised and provided that at the time of exercise the Common Stock is
publicly traded and quoted regularly in THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, pursuant to
a program developed under Regulation T as promulgated by the Federal Reserve
Board that, prior to the issuance of Common Stock, results in either the
receipt of cash (or check) by the Company or the receipt of irrevocable
instructions to pay the aggregate exercise price to the Company from the
sales proceeds.
(b) Provided that at the time of exercise the Common Stock is
publicly traded and quoted regularly in THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, by delivery
of already-owned shares of Common Stock either that you have held for the
period required to avoid a charge to the Company's reported earnings
(generally six months) or that you did not acquire, directly or indirectly
from the Company, that are owned free and clear of any liens, claims,
encumbrances or security interests, and that are valued at Fair Market Value
on the date of exercise. "Delivery" for these purposes, in the sole
discretion of the Company at the time you exercise your option, shall include
delivery to the Company of your attestation of ownership of such shares of
Common Stock in a form approved by the Company. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, you may not exercise your option by tender to the Company of
Common Stock to the extent such tender would violate the provisions of any
law, regulation or agreement restricting the redemption of the Company's
stock.
5. WHOLE SHARES. You may exercise your option only for whole shares
of Common Stock.
6. SECURITIES LAW COMPLIANCE. Notwithstanding anything to the
contrary contained herein, you may not exercise your option unless the shares
of Common Stock issuable upon such exercise are then registered under the
Securities Act or, if such shares of Common Stock are not then so registered,
the Company has determined that such exercise and issuance would be exempt
from the registration requirements of the Securities Act. The exercise of
your option must also comply with other applicable laws and regulations
governing your option, and you may not exercise your option if the Company
determines that such exercise would not be in material compliance with such
laws and regulations.
7. TERM. You may not exercise your option before the commencement
of its term or after its term expires. The term of your option commences on
the Date of Grant and expires upon the EARLIEST of the following:
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(a) three (3) months after the termination of your Continuous
Service for any reason other than your Disability or death, provided that if
during any part of such three (3) month period your option is not exercisable
solely because of the condition set forth in the preceding paragraph relating
to "Securities Law Compliance," your option shall not expire until the
earlier of the Expiration Date or until it shall have been exercisable for an
aggregate period of three (3) months after the termination of your Continuous
Service;
(b) twelve (12) months after the termination of your Continuous
Service due to your Disability;
(c) eighteen (18) months after your death if you die either
during your Continuous Service or within three (3) months after your
Continuous Service terminates;
(d) the Expiration Date indicated in your Grant Notice; or
(e) the day before the tenth (10th) anniversary of the Date of
▇▇▇▇▇.
If your option is an incentive stock option, note that, to obtain
the federal income tax advantages associated with an "incentive stock
option," the Code requires that at all times beginning on the date of grant
of your option and ending on the day three (3) months before the date of your
option's exercise, you must be an employee of the Company or an Affiliate,
except in the event of your death or "disability" within the meaning of
Section 422 of the Code. The Company has provided for extended
exercisability of your option under certain circumstances for your benefit
but cannot guarantee that your option will necessarily be treated as an
"incentive stock option" if you continue to provide services to the Company
or an Affiliate as a Consultant or Director after your employment terminates
or if you otherwise exercise your option more than three (3) months after the
date your employment terminates.
8. EXERCISE.
(a) You may exercise the vested portion of your option (and the
unvested portion of your option if your Grant Notice so permits) during its
term by delivering a Notice of Exercise (in a form designated by the Company)
together with the exercise price to the Secretary of the Company, or to such
other person as the Company may designate, during regular business hours,
together with such additional documents as the Company may then require.
(b) By exercising your option you agree that, as a condition to
any exercise of your option, the Company may require you to enter into an
arrangement providing for the payment by you to the Company of any tax
withholding obligation of the Company arising by reason of (1) the exercise
of your option, (2) the lapse of any substantial risk of forfeiture to which
the shares of Common Stock are subject at the time of exercise, or (3) the
disposition of shares of Common Stock acquired upon such exercise.
(c) If your option is an incentive stock option, by exercising
your option you agree that you will notify the Company in writing within
fifteen (15) days after the date of any disposition of any of the shares of
the Common Stock issued upon exercise of your option that
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occurs within two (2) years after the date of your option grant or within one
(1) year after such shares of Common Stock are transferred upon exercise of
your option.
(d) By exercising your option you agree that the Company (or a
representative of the underwriter(s)) may, in connection with the first
underwritten registration of the offering of any securities of the Company
under the Securities Act, require that you not sell, dispose of, transfer,
make any short sale of, grant any option for the purchase of, or enter into
any hedging or similar transaction with the same economic effect as a sale,
any shares of Common Stock or other securities of the Company held by you,
for a period of time specified by the underwriter(s) (not to exceed one
hundred eighty (180) days) following the effective date of the registration
statement of the Company filed under the Securities Act. You further agree
to execute and deliver such other agreements as may be reasonably requested
by the Company and/or the underwriter(s) that are consistent with the
foregoing or that are necessary to give further effect thereto. In order to
enforce the foregoing covenant, the Company may impose stop-transfer
instructions with respect to your shares of Common Stock until the end of
such period.
9. TRANSFERABILITY. Your option is not transferable, except by will
or by the laws of descent and distribution, and is exercisable during your
life only by you. Notwithstanding the foregoing, by delivering written
notice to the Company, in a form satisfactory to the Company, you may
designate a third party who, in the event of your death, shall thereafter be
entitled to exercise your option.
10. OPTION NOT A SERVICE CONTRACT. Your option is not an employment
or service contract, and nothing in your option shall be deemed to create in
any way whatsoever any obligation on your part to continue in the employ of
the Company or an Affiliate, or of the Company or an Affiliate to continue
your employment. In addition, nothing in your option shall obligate the
Company or an Affiliate, their respective shareholders, Boards of Directors,
Officers or Employees to continue any relationship that you might have as a
Director or Consultant for the Company or an Affiliate.
11. WITHHOLDING OBLIGATIONS.
(a) At the time you exercise your option, in whole or in part,
or at any time thereafter as requested by the Company, you hereby authorize
withholding from payroll and any other amounts payable to you, and otherwise
agree to make adequate provision for (including by means of a "cashless
exercise" pursuant to a program developed under Regulation T as promulgated
by the Federal Reserve Board to the extent permitted by the Company), any
sums required to satisfy the federal, state, local and foreign tax
withholding obligations of the Company or an Affiliate, if any, which arise
in connection with your option.
(b) Upon your request and subject to approval by the Company, in
its sole discretion, and compliance with any applicable conditions or
restrictions of law, the Company may withhold from fully vested shares of
Common Stock otherwise issuable to you upon the exercise of your option a
number of whole shares of Common Stock having a Fair Market Value, determined
by the Company as of the date of exercise, not in excess of the minimum
amount of tax required to be withheld by law. If the date of determination
of any tax withholding
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obligation is deferred to a date later than the date of exercise of your
option, share withholding pursuant to the preceding sentence shall not be
permitted unless you make a proper and timely election under Section 83(b) of
the Code, covering the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock acquired
upon such exercise with respect to which such determination is otherwise
deferred, to accelerate the determination of such tax withholding obligation
to the date of exercise of your option. Notwithstanding the filing of such
election, shares of Common Stock shall be withheld solely from fully vested
shares of Common Stock determined as of the date of exercise of your option
that are otherwise issuable to you upon such exercise. Any adverse
consequences to you arising in connection with such share withholding
procedure shall be your sole responsibility.
(c) You may not exercise your option unless the tax withholding
obligations of the Company and/or any Affiliate are satisfied. Accordingly,
you may not be able to exercise your option when desired even though your
option is vested, and the Company shall have no obligation to issue a
certificate for such shares of Common Stock or release such shares of Common
Stock from any escrow provided for herein.
12. NOTICES. Any notices provided for in your option or the Plan
shall be given in writing and shall be deemed effectively given upon receipt
or, in the case of notices delivered by mail by the Company to you, five (5)
days after deposit in the United States mail, postage prepaid, addressed to
you at the last address you provided to the Company.
13. GOVERNING PLAN DOCUMENT. Your option is subject to all the
provisions of the Plan, the provisions of which are hereby made a part of
your option, and is further subject to all interpretations, amendments, rules
and regulations which may from time to time be promulgated and adopted
pursuant to the Plan. In the event of any conflict between the provisions of
your option and those of the Plan, the provisions of the Plan shall control.
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