Exhibit 97.1
Knightscope, Inc. Incentive Compensation Recovery Policy
| 1. | Purpose |
The purpose of the Knightscope, Inc. Incentive Compensation Recovery Policy (this “Policy”) is to provide for the recovery of certain Incentive-Based Compensation in the event of an Accounting Restatement. This Policy is intended to comply with, and to be administered and interpreted consistent with, Section 10D of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), Rule 10D-1 promulgated under the Exchange Act (“Rule 10D-1”), Listing Rule 5608 adopted by the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) (the “Listing Standard”), and any applicable rules, standards or other guidance adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission or any national securities exchange or association on which the Company’s securities are listed, in each case, as amended from time to time (collectively, “Applicable Rules”). Unless otherwise defined in this Policy, capitalized terms shall have the meanings set forth in Section 10 below.
| 2. | Policy for Recovery of Erroneously Awarded Compensation |
In the event of an Accounting Restatement, it is the Company’s policy that it will recover reasonably promptly the amount of any Erroneously Awarded Compensation Received by an Executive Officer during the Recovery Period.
| 3. | Administration |
| 3.1. | This Policy shall be administered by the Committee, except that the Board may determine to act as the administrator or designate another committee of the Board to act as the administrator with respect to any portion of this Policy other than Section 3.4 (the “Administrator”). The Administrator is authorized to interpret and construe this Policy and to make all determinations necessary, appropriate, or advisable for the administration of this Policy. |
| 3.2. | The Administrator is authorized to take appropriate steps to implement this Policy and may effect recovery hereunder by: (i) requiring payment to the Company, (ii) set-off, (iii) reducing compensation, or (iv) such other means or combination of means as the Administrator determines to be appropriate. |
| 3.3. | The Administrator is authorized to engage any third-party advisers that it deems necessary or appropriate in connection with its administration of this Policy and to effect any recovery required hereunder, with appropriate funding provided by the Company for such third-party engagement. The Administrator is further authorized and directed to consult with the full Board or such other committees of the Board, such as the Audit Committee, as may be necessary or appropriate as to matters within the scope of such other committee’s responsibility and authority. |
| 3.4. | The Company need not recover Erroneously Awarded Compensation if and to the extent that the Committee determines that such recovery is impracticable and not required under Rule 10D-1 and the Listing Standard because: (i) the direct expense paid to a third party to assist in enforcing this Policy would exceed the amount to be recovered after (a) making a reasonable attempt to recover such Erroneously Awarded Compensation, (b) documenting such reasonable attempt(s), and (c) providing such documentation to Nasdaq, (ii) recovery would likely cause an otherwise tax-qualified broad-based retirement plan to fail to meet the requirements of Section 401(a)(13) or Section 411(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and regulations thereunder, or |
(iii) recovery would violate the Company’s home country laws; provided that the Company has (a) obtained an opinion of home country counsel, acceptable to Nasdaq, that recovery would result in such violation, and (b) provided such opinion to Nasdaq.
| 3.5. | Any determinations made by the Administrator under this Policy shall be final and binding on all affected individuals and need not be uniform with respect to each Executive Officer covered by this Policy. |
| 4. | Other Recovery Rights; Company Claims |
Any right of recovery pursuant to this Policy is in addition to, and not in lieu of, any other remedies or rights of recovery at law or in equity that may be available to the Company under applicable law or pursuant to the terms of any other compensation recovery policy of the Company that may be in effect from time to time, including in any employment agreement, plan or award agreement, or similar agreement and any other legal remedies available to the Company. Nothing contained in this Policy and no recovery hereunder shall limit any claims, damages, or other legal remedies the Company may have against an individual arising out of or resulting from any actions or omissions by such individual.
| 5. | Reporting and Disclosure |
The Company shall file all disclosures with respect to this Policy in accordance with the requirements of federal securities laws.
| 6. | Indemnification Prohibition |
Notwithstanding the terms of any indemnification or insurance policy or any contractual arrangement that may be interpreted to the contrary, the Company shall not indemnify any Executive Officer with respect to amount(s) recovered under this Policy or claims relating to the enforcement of this Policy, including any payment or reimbursement for the cost of third- party insurance purchased by such individual to fund potential clawback obligations hereunder.
| 7. | Amendment; Termination |
The Board or the Committee may amend or terminate this Policy `from time to time in its discretion as it deems appropriate and shall amend this policy as it deems necessary to comply with applicable law or any rules or standards adopted by a national securities exchange or association on which the Company’s securities are listed; provided, however, that no amendment or termination of this Policy shall be effective to the extent it would cause the Company to violate any federal securities laws, Securities and Exchange Commission rule or the rules or standards of any national securities exchange or association on which the Company’s securities are listed. This Policy will terminate automatically when the Company does not have a class of securities listed on a national securities exchange or association and will be limited the extent that an y provision of the Applicable Rules is no longer in effect or applicable to the Company.
| 8. | Successors |
This Policy shall be binding and enforceable against all individuals who are, were or become Executive Officers and their beneficiaries, heirs, executors, administrators, or other legal representatives.
| 9. | Effective Date |
This Policy is effective only for Incentive-Based Compensation Received by an Executive Officer on or after the Effective Date.
| 10. | Definitions. For purposes of this Policy, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below: |
| 10.2. | “Administrator” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.1 hereof. |
| 10.3. | “Board” means the Company’s Board of Directors. |
| 10.4. | “Company” means Knightscope, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its affiliates. |
| 10.5. | “Committee” means the Compensation Committee of the Board. |
| 10.6. | “Effective Date” means October 2, 2023. |
to the Erroneously Awarded Compensation. As set forth in Section 3.3, the Administrator is authorized to engage third-party advisers in connection with the determination of any amounts of Erroneously Awarded Compensation.
Exhibit A-1
Knightscope, Inc. Incentive Compensation Recovery Policy ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORM
I, the undersigned, acknowledge and affirm that I have received and reviewed a copy of the Knightscope, Inc. Incentive Compensation Recovery Policy, as amended from time to time (the “Policy”), and agree that:
| (i) | I am and will continue to be subject to the Policy. |
| (ii) | The Policy will apply to me both during and after my employment with the Company. |
| (iii) | I will abide by the terms of the Policy and will take all actions requested by the Company in order to enable or facilitate the enforcement of the Policy, including, without limitation, by promptly returning any Erroneously Awarded Compensation to the Company to the extent required by, and in a manner determined by the Administrator and permitted by, the Policy. |
| (iv) | In the event of any inconsistency between the Policy and the terms of any contractual rights I may have, including any employment agreement or offer letter to which I am a party, or the terms of any compensation plan, program, or agreement under which any compensation has been granted, awarded, earned or paid, the terms of the Policy shall govern. |
| (v) | I further acknowledge that I am not entitled to indemnification in connection with any enforcement of the Policy and expressly waive any rights to such indemnification under the Company’s organizational documents or otherwise. |
Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined in this Acknowledgement Form shall have the meanings ascribed to such terms in the Policy.
Signature |
Print Name |
Date |
2