Stock-Based Compensation | 7. Stock-Based Compensation The following table summarizes the activity for all stock options outstanding for the nine months ended September 30: Schedule of Stock Options Activity 2023 2022 Shares Weighted Average Exercise Price Shares Weighted Average Exercise Price Options outstanding at beginning of year 1,976,586 $ 6.34 1,315,321 $ 11.97 Granted 874,548 10.13 720,047 7.19 Exercised (82,708 ) 3.65 (4,660 ) 5.20 Forfeited (65,797 ) 7.45 (111,594 ) 10.86 Balance at September 30 2,702,629 $ 7.63 1,919,114 $ 6.08 Options exercisable at September 30: 1,440,231 $ 6.26 882,215 $ 5.92 Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value for options granted during the period: $ 7.09 $ 4.87 The following table summarizes additional information about stock options outstanding and exercisable at September 30, 2023: Schedule of Stock Options Outstanding and Exercisable Options Outstanding Options Exercisable Options Outstanding Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life Weighted Average Exercise Price Aggregate Intrinsic Value Options Exercisable Weighted Average Exercise Price Aggregate Intrinsic Value 2,702,629 8.09 $ 7.63 $ 5,355,467 1,440,231 $ 6.26 $ 4,470,641 The Company recognized stock-based compensation expense for stock options of $ 1,065,568 1,162,751 3,516,180 3,329,969 776,324 5.50 30,188 49,088 107,490 477,431 190,000 311,000 13.44 15,773 21,778 49,617 75,562 114,000 203,750 5.10 3,041 7,681 16,975 30,897 3,000 The Black-Scholes option-pricing model was used to estimate the fair value of equity-based awards with the following weighted-average assumptions for the nine months ended September 30: Schedule of Assumptions for Fair Value of Equity-based Awards 2023 2022 Risk-free interest rate 3.41 4.61 1.68 3.93 Expected volatility 78.0 79.8 76.2 79.6 Expected life (years) 5.25 6.08 5.29 6.25 Expected dividend yield 0 % 0 % The inputs for the Black-Scholes valuation model require management’s significant assumptions. Prior to the Company’s initial public offering, the price per share of common stock was determined by the Company’s board based on recent prices of common stock sold in private offerings. Subsequent to the initial public offering, the price per share of common stock is determined by using the closing market price on the Nasdaq Capital Market on the grant date. The risk-free interest rates are based on the rate for U.S. Treasury securities at the date of grant with maturity dates approximately equal to the expected life at the grant date. The expected life is based on the simplified method in accordance with the SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin Nos. 107 and 110. The expected volatility is estimated based on historical volatility information of peer companies that are publicly available in combination with the Company’s calculated volatility since being publicly traded. All assumptions used to calculate the grant date fair value of non-employee options are generally consistent with the assumptions used for options granted to employees. In the event the Company terminates any of its consulting agreements, the unvested options issued in connection with the agreements would also be cancelled. The Company had 1,958 3,273 0 250 4,903 7,245 13,597 36,686 The Company initially reserved a maximum of 750,000 102,998 149,189 216,673 increase automatically on January 1 of each year from 2024 through 2027 by the number of shares equal to 1.0% of the aggregate number of outstanding shares of Company common stock as of the immediately preceding December 31, subject to the board’s discretion to reduce the amount of the increase in any particular year. 500,000 1,000,000 1,500,000 1,147,899 Total unrecognized compensation cost related to stock options and restricted stock is estimated to be recognized as follows: Schedule of Unrecognized Compensation Cost 2023 $ 1,177,419 2023 $ 1,177,419 2024 3,679,163 2025 2,465,972 2026 1,515,642 2027 635,575 Total estimated compensation cost to be recognized $ 9,473,771 The Company recognized stock-based compensation expense related to its employee stock purchase plan of $ 38,167 53,058 129,125 132,129 100,000 51,499 74,594 108,337 number of shares equal to 0.5% of the total outstanding number of shares of Company common stock as of the immediately preceding December 31. 283,008 The Company recognized total stock-based compensation expense as follows for the three and nine months ended September 30: Schedule of Stock-based Compensation Expense 2023 2022 2023 2022 Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, September 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 Stock-based compensation expense in operating expenses: Research and development $ 660,706 $ 676,524 $ 1,954,689 $ 1,937,707 General and administrative 447,931 546,530 1,704,213 1,561,077 Total $ 1,108,637 $ 1,223,054 $ 3,658,902 $ 3,498,784 |