11. STOCK OPTIONS

A summary of option activity for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 is presented below.

 SCHEDULE OF STOCK OPTION ACTIVITY

At September 30, 2023, the intrinsic value of the outstanding options was $0.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, the Company granted stock options to board members to purchase a total of 8,090 stock options as replacement awards related to forfeited restricted stock units. The options have an average exercise price of $9.20 per share, expire in five years, and vested on the grant date. The total fair value of these options at grant date was $66 using the Black-Scholes Option Pricing model.

On June 21, 2023, the Company granted stock options to board members to purchase a total of 997,595 stock options. The options have an average exercise price of $1.11 per share, expire in five years, and vest annually over 4 years. The total grant date fair value of these options was $953 based on the Black-Scholes option pricing model.

On September 28, 2023, the Company granted stock options to employees and a board member to purchase a total of 1,022,740 stock options. The options have an average exercise price of $0.73 per share, expire in five years, and vest annually over 4 years. The total grant date fair value of these options was $676 based on the Black-Scholes option pricing model.

The share-based compensation expense recognized relating to the vesting of stock options for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 amounted to $440 and $954, respectively. As of September 30, 2023, the total unrecognized share-based compensation expense was $1,795, which is expected to be recognized as part of operating expense through September 2027.

The fair value of share option award is estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing method based on the following weighted-average assumptions:

 SCHEDULE OF FAIR VALUE ASSUMPTIONS USING BLACK-SCHOLES METHOD

The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of measurement corresponding with the expected term of the share option award; the expected term represents the weighted-average period of time that share option awards granted are expected to be outstanding giving consideration to vesting schedules and historical participant exercise behavior; the expected volatility is based upon historical volatility of the Company’s common stock; and the expected dividend yield is based on the fact that the Company has not paid dividends in the past and does not expect to pay dividends in the future.