Note 5. Stock-Based Compensation

In 2015, the Company established the Elutia Inc. 2015 Stock Option/Stock Issuance Plan, as amended (the “2015 Plan”) which provided for the granting of incentive and non-qualified stock options to employees, directors and consultants of the Company. On October 7, 2020, in connection with the Company’s initial public offering (“IPO”), the Company adopted the Elutia Inc. 2020 Incentive Award Plan, and on June 8, 2023, the Company’s stockholders approved the amendment and restatement of that plan (as amended and restated, the “2020 Plan”), which authorizes the grant of incentive and non-qualified stock options, restricted stock, restricted stock units and stock appreciation rights to employees, directors and consultants.  Shares of Class A common stock totaling 1,636,000 were initially reserved for issuance pursuant to the 2020 Plan, and in June 2023, the number of shares of Class A common stock reserved for issuance under the 2020 Plan was increased by 2,000,000 shares.  In addition, the shares reserved for issuance under the 2020 Plan also include shares reserved but not issued under the 2015 Plan as well as an annual increase as set forth in the 2020 Plan. As of March 31, 2026, the Company had 810,198 shares of Class A common stock available for issuance under the 2020 Plan.

In March 2026, the Company established the Elutia Inc. 2026 Inducement Award Plan (the “2026 Inducement Plan”) to attract, retain and motivate persons who are expected to make important contributions to the Company. Shares of Class A common stock totaling 2,000,000 are reserved for issuance pursuant to the 2026 Inducement Plan.

Stock Options

The Company’s policy is to grant stock options at an exercise price equal to 100% of the market value of a share of Class A common stock at closing on the date of the grant. The Company’s stock options generally have contractual terms of ten years and vest over a four-year period from the date of grant.

A summary of stock option activity under the Company’s 2015 Plan, 2020 Plan and 2026 Inducement Plan for the three months ended March 31, 2026 is as follows:

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As of March 31, 2026, there was approximately $2.9 million of total unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested stock options. These costs are expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.7 years.  

The Company uses the Black-Scholes model to value its stock option grants that vest based on the passage of time or the achievement of certain performance criteria and expenses the related compensation cost using the straight-line method over the vesting period. The fair value of stock options is determined on the grant date using assumptions for the estimated fair value of the underlying common stock, expected term, expected volatility, dividend yield, and the risk-free interest rate. The Company uses the simplified method for estimating the expected term used to determine the fair value of options. The expected volatility of the Class A common stock is based on the Company’s historical stock data. The Company uses a zero-dividend yield assumption as the Company has not paid dividends since inception nor does it anticipate paying dividends in the future. The risk-free interest rate approximates recent U.S. Treasury note auction results with a similar life to that of the option. The period expense is then determined based on the valuation of the options and is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period for the entire award.

The following weighted-average assumptions were used to determine the fair value of time-based options granted during the three months ended March 31, 2026:

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There were no options granted during the three months ended March 31, 2025.

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The Company has also granted stock options that vest upon the achievement of certain share price thresholds for twenty consecutive days of trading at each respective threshold. For these stock options, the Company accounted for the awards as market condition awards and used an option pricing model, the Monte Carlo model, to determine the fair value of the respective equity instruments and an expense recognition term of approximately three years. As of March 31, 2026, there were a total of 345,011 stock options outstanding that are market condition stock option awards.

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Restricted Stock Units

Restricted stock units (“RSUs”) represent rights to receive common shares at a future date. There is no exercise price, and no monetary payment is required for receipt of restricted stock units or the shares issued in settlement of the award.

A summary of the RSU activity under the Company’s 2020 Plan for the three months ended March 31, 2026 is as follows:

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The total fair value of the RSUs granted during the three months ended March 31, 2026 was approximately $0.1 million. For the performance vesting RSUs, the fair value was based on the fair market value of the Company's Class A common stock on the date of grant. The market condition RSUs are valued as described below. The respective fair values are amortized to expense on a straight-line basis over the vesting period of generally three to four years.

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As of March 31, 2026, $1.2 million of unrecognized compensation costs related to RSUs is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.0 years.    

The Company has granted RSUs that vest upon the achievement of certain share price thresholds for twenty consecutive days of trading at each respective threshold. For these RSUs, the Company accounted for the awards as market condition awards and used a Monte Carlo model to determine the fair value of these RSUs as well as the expense recognition term of approximately three years using the graded vesting method. As of March 31, 2026, there were 252,394 RSUs outstanding that were market condition RSU awards.

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Employee Stock Purchase Plan

The Company makes shares of its Class A common stock available for purchase under its 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “ESPP”). The ESPP provides for separate six-month offering periods that begin in March and September of each year. Under the ESPP, employees may purchase a limited number of shares of Elutia Class A common stock at 85% of the fair market value on either the first day of the offering period or the purchase date, whichever is lower. The ESPP is considered compensatory for purposes of stock-based compensation expense.  The number of shares reserved under the ESPP will automatically increase on the first day of each fiscal year through January 1, 2030, in an amount as set forth in the ESPP. As of March 31, 2026, the total shares of Class A common stock authorized for issuance under the ESPP was 1,554,296, of which 1,142,972 remained available for future issuance.

Stock-Based Compensation Expense

Stock-based compensation expense recognized during the three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025 was comprised of the following (in thousands):

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Stock-based compensation expense included within discontinued operations totaled $0.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2025.