DEF 14A 1 ny20021653x2_def14a.htm DEF 14A

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

(Rule 14a-101)

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT

SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION

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Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No. )

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Kopin Corporation

(Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

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KOPIN CORPORATION

125 North Drive, Westborough, Massachusetts 01581

April 26, 2024

To Our Stockholders:

You are cordially invited to attend the 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of KOPIN CORPORATION, to be held at the offices of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, One Federal Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110 at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 6, 2024 (the “Meeting”).

The Notice of Meeting and the Proxy Statement that follow describe the business to be considered and acted upon by the stockholders at the Meeting. Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2023, is also enclosed for your information. The enclosed proxy statement is being mailed to stockholders of record on or about April 26, 2024.

Our Board of Directors encourages your participation in Kopin Corporation’s electoral process and, to that end, solicits your proxy with respect to the matters described in the Notice of Meeting and the Proxy Statement. You may submit your proxy by completing, dating and signing the enclosed Proxy Card and returning it promptly in the enclosed envelope. You may also vote by telephone or by the Internet, as described in the Proxy Statement. You are urged to vote by mail, telephone or Internet even if you plan to attend the Meeting.

			Sincerely,

			JAMES BREWINGTON Chairman

KOPIN CORPORATION

125 North Drive, Westborough, Massachusetts 01581

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

To Be Held On Thursday, June 6, 2024

Notice is hereby given that the 2024 Annual Meeting (the “Meeting”) of Stockholders of Kopin Corporation (the “Company”) will be held at the offices of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, One Federal Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110, on Thursday, June 6, 2024, at 9:00 a.m., to consider and act upon the following matters:

1.	To elect the six (6) directors named in the accompanying proxy statement to serve on the Board of Directors of the Company each for a term expiring at the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and until their successors are duly elected and qualified.

2.	To approve an amendment to the Company’s 2020 Equity Incentive Plan to increase the number of shares authorized for issuance under the 2020 Equity Incentive Plan from 11,000,000 to 14,000,000.

3.	To approve an amendment to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation to increase the number of authorized common shares from 150,000,000 to 200,000,000.

4.	To ratify the appointment of RSM US LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company for the current fiscal year ending December 28, 2024.

5.	To approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers during the fiscal year ended December 30, 2023.

Stockholders of record at the close of business on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, the record date for the Meeting, are entitled to notice of and to vote at the Meeting and any adjournments thereof. The enclosed proxy statement is being mailed to those stockholders on or about April 26, 2024. All stockholders are cordially invited to attend the Meeting.

			By Order of the Board of Directors

			JAMES BREWINGTON Chairman

Westborough, Massachusetts

April 26, 2024

WHETHER OR NOT YOU EXPECT TO BE PRESENT AT THE MEETING, PLEASE COMPLETE, DATE, SIGN AND MAIL THE ENCLOSED PROXY CARD, WHICH IS SOLICITED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE COMPANY, AND PROMPTLY RETURN IT IN THE PREADDRESSED ENVELOPE PROVIDED FOR THAT PURPOSE. THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE REQUIRES NO POSTAGE IF MAILED IN THE UNITED STATES. ALTERNATIVELY, YOU MAY VOTE BY TELEPHONE OR THE INTERNET AS DESCRIBED IN THE PROXY STATEMENT. IF YOU ATTEND THE MEETING, YOU MAY WITHDRAW ANY PROXY PREVIOUSLY GIVEN BY YOU AND YOU MAY VOTE YOUR SHARES IN PERSON AT THE MEETING.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

The proxy statement may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), which are subject to the safe harbor created by such sections. Words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “could,” “would,” “seeks,” “estimates,” and variations of such words and similar expressions, and the negatives thereof, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements expressed or implied in the proxy statement. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include those risks described in “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and other subsequent documents we file with the SEC. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter any statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Websites and Other Information

Website addresses referenced in this proxy statement inactive textual references only, and the content on the referenced websites specifically does not constitute a part of this proxy statement and is not incorporated by reference herein.

125 North Drive

Westborough, Massachusetts 01581

PROXY STATEMENT

Important Notice Regarding Internet Availability of Proxy Materials for the Stockholders Meeting to be Held at the Offices of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, One Federal Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110 on Thursday, June 6, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. The Proxy Statement and our 2023 Annual Report to Stockholders are

also available on our website at www.kopin.com/proxy.

This proxy statement and the accompanying proxy card are being furnished in connection with the solicitation by the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Kopin Corporation (the “Company”) for use at the 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Meeting”) to be held at the offices of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, One Federal Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110 on Thursday, June 6, 2024, at 9:00 a.m., and at any adjournments, continuations or postponements thereof. This proxy statement, the accompanying proxy card and our Annual Report for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2023, are being first mailed to stockholders on or about April 26, 2024. Stockholders will be asked to consider and act upon the following matters at the Meeting:

1.	To elect the six (6) directors to serve on the Board of Directors of the Company each for a term expiring at the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and until their successors are duly elected and qualified.

2.	To approve an amendment to the Company’s 2020 Equity Incentive Plan to increase the number of shares authorized for issuance under the 2020 Equity Incentive Plan from 11,000,000 to 14,000,000.

3.	A proposal to ratify an amendment to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation to increase the number of authorized common shares from 150,000,000 to 200,000,000.

4.	To ratify the appointment of RSM US LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company for the current fiscal year ending December 28, 2024.

5.	To approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers during the fiscal year ended December 30, 2023.

All solicitation expenses, including costs of preparing, assembling and mailing proxy materials, will be borne by the Company. It is expected that solicitations will be made primarily by mail, but our directors, officers and other employees also may solicit proxies by telephone and in person, without additional compensation. Arrangements will be made with brokerage houses and other custodians, nominees and fiduciaries for proxy materials to be sent to their principals, and we will reimburse such persons for their reasonable expenses in so doing.

The close of business on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, has been established as the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the Meeting and at any adjournments thereof. As of the record date, there were 118,428,003 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding and entitled to vote. Holders of shares of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share owned as of the record date on all matters to come before the Meeting and any adjournments thereof. The presence in person or by proxy of holders of a majority of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock entitled to vote at the Meeting constitutes a quorum for the transaction of business at the Meeting.

Stockholders may vote by completing the enclosed proxy card and mailing it in the envelope provided, by using the toll-free telephone number provided on the proxy card, over the Internet or in person at the Meeting. The Internet and telephone voting facilities for stockholders of record will close at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, the day before the Meeting. Any proxy submitted prior to the Meeting may be revoked at any time before it is voted by written notice of revocation received by the Secretary of the Company prior to the Meeting, by delivering a later dated proxy in accordance with the instructions on the enclosed proxy by voting in person at the Meeting or by revoking a written proxy by request in person at the Meeting. If the proxy submitted is not so revoked, the shares represented by such proxy will be voted in accordance with the instructions contained therein. If no choice is specified for one or more proposals in a proxy submitted by or on behalf of a stockholder, the shares represented by such proxy will be voted in favor of such proposals and in the discretion of the named proxies with respect to any other proposals that may properly come before the Meeting.

For Proposal 1, our Sixth Amended and Restated By-laws (the “By-laws”) provide a majority voting standard for election of directors in uncontested elections. Each director will be elected by the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast, meaning that the number of votes cast “FOR” a director nominee exceeds the number of “AGAINST” votes with respect to that director’s election. Broker non-votes and abstentions will have no effect on the outcome of the vote for Proposal 1. Pursuant to our By-laws, each person who is nominated to stand for election as director must tender an irrevocable and executed letter of resignation in advance of the meeting for the election of directors. If an incumbent director nominee is not elected in an uncontested election and no successor has been elected at such meeting, the director must promptly tender his or her resignation to the Board. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board (excluding the nominee, if applicable) then will make a recommendation to the Board as to whether to accept or reject the resignation, or whether other action should be taken. The Board, excluding the nominee, will act on the resignation and publicly disclose its decision in accordance with the By-laws.

Proposals 2, 4 and 5 will be approved upon the affirmative vote of a majority of shares present in person or represented by proxy at the Meeting and entitled to vote on each such proposal. Abstentions will be counted for each of Proposals 2, 4 and 5, and will have the same effect as a vote against each such proposal. Broker non- votes, if any, will have no effect on the outcome of the vote of Proposals 2, 4 or 5. However, Proposal 4, the ratification of the appointment of RSM US LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm, is considered a “routine” matter. As such, brokers that have not received voting instructions from the beneficial holders are allowed to vote their clients’ shares on Proposal 4 without having received voting instructions.

Proposal 3 will be approved upon the affirmative vote of a majority of the Company’s outstanding stock entitled to vote thereon. Proposal 3 is considered a discretionary matter. Therefore, if your shares are held by your bank, brokerage firm or other nominee in “street name” and you do not provide voting instructions with respect to your shares, your bank, brokerage firm or other nominee may vote your shares on Proposal 3. Broker non-votes (if any) and abstentions will have the same effect as votes cast against the proposal.

If, in a proxy submitted on behalf of a stockholder by a person acting solely in a representative capacity, the proxy is marked clearly to indicate that the shares represented thereby are not being voted with respect to one or more proposals, then such proxies will be counted as present for purposes of establishing a quorum at the Meeting. Proxies marked as “abstain” as to one or more proposals will be counted as present for purposes of establishing a quorum at the Meeting and for the purpose of calculating the vote on such proposals. Such abstentions will have the effect of a vote against such proposals other than Proposal 1 (for which they will have no effect on the voting results).

The chairman of the Meeting or the holders of a majority of the shares present in person or represented by proxy at the Meeting and entitled to vote have the power to adjourn the Meeting from time to time without notice other than announcement at the Meeting of the time and place of the adjourned meeting.

As of the date of this proxy statement, we do not know of any matters that will be brought before the Meeting other than those matters specifically set forth in the Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders. However, if any other matter properly comes before the Meeting, it is intended that the persons named as proxies in the enclosed proxy card, or their substitutes acting thereunder, will vote on any such matter in accordance with their best judgment.

Corporate Governance Matters

Our Board has an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee and a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. The following table lists each of our current directors and provides membership information for each of the committees:

Name	Audit	Compensation	Nominating and Corporate Governance
Scott L. Anchin*	X	X
Jill J. Avery	X		X
James K. Brewington#	X	X	X
Chi Chia Hsieh+		X	X
John C.C. Fan
Michael Murray
David Nieuwsma

*	Audit Committee Chairperson

#	Nominating Committee Chairperson

+	Compensation Committee Chairperson

Corporate Governance Guidelines

Our Board has adopted written charters for each of its Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Our Board has also adopted corporate governance guidelines, a code of business conduct and ethics for employees, executive officers and directors, a policy on conflict minerals sourcing and a whistleblower policy regarding the treatment of complaints on accounting, internal accounting controls and auditing matters. All of these documents are available on our website at www.kopin.com under the heading “Investors Relations: Governance Documents.” A copy of any of these documents may be obtained, without charge, upon written request to Kopin Corporation, c/o Investor Relations, 125 North Drive, Westborough, MA 01581.

Corporate Governance Practices and Board Independence

Each year, our Board reviews the relationships that each director has with us and with other parties. With the exception of Dr. Fan, our former President and Chief Executive Officer and current Board member, and Michael Murray our current President and Chief Executive Officer, only those directors who do not have any of the categorical relationships that preclude them from being independent within the meaning of applicable Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. Marketplace Rules (the “Nasdaq Rules”), and whom the Board affirmatively determines have no relationships that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director, are considered to be independent directors. Our Board has reviewed several factors to evaluate the independence of each of its members. These factors include the members’ current and historic relationships with us and our competitors, suppliers and customers; their relationships with management and other directors; the relationships their current and former employers have with us; and the relationships between us and other companies of which a member of our Board is a director or executive officer. After evaluating these factors, our Board has determined that a majority of the members of the Board, namely Scott L. Anchin, Jill J. Avery, James K. Brewington, Chi Chia Hsieh and David Nieuwsma, do not have any relationships that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out their responsibilities as a director and are independent directors of Kopin Corporation within the meaning of the applicable Nasdaq Rules.

In making its independence determinations, our Board considered transactions occurring since the beginning of 2021 between us and entities associated with the independent directors or members of their immediate family. All identified transactions that appear to relate to Kopin Corporation and a person or entity with a known connection to a director are presented to the Board for consideration. In making its subjective determination that each non-employee director is independent, our Board considered the transactions in the context of the Nasdaq Rules, the standards established by the SEC for members of audit committees and the SEC and Internal Revenue Service standards for compensation committee members. Our Board’s independence determinations included reviewing the following transactions and relationships:

Dr. Hsieh is a director of KoBrite Corp. (“KoBrite”), in which Kopin owns a minority interest. Dr. Hsieh is also a director of Bright LED, which is the majority owner of KoBrite.

Dr. Fan is currently chairman of the board of directors of LST and Solos Inc., both private companies in which the Company has investments. Dr. Fan is also on the board of directors of Lakeside Lightning Silicon, Inc., a private company.

Nomination and Election of Directors

When seeking candidates for director, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (the “Nominating Committee”) may solicit suggestions from incumbent directors, management or others. After conducting an initial evaluation of a candidate, the Nominating Committee will interview that candidate if it believes the candidate might be suitable to serve as a director. The Nominating Committee may also ask the candidate to meet with our management. If the Nominating Committee believes a candidate would be a valuable addition to the Board and there is either a vacancy on the Board or the Nominating Committee believes it is in the best interests of Kopin Corporation and its stockholders to increase the number of board members, it will recommend that candidate’s election to the full Board.

Before nominating a sitting director for re-election at an annual stockholder meeting, the Nominating Committee will consider the director’s performance on the Board and whether the director’s re-election would be consistent with our corporate governance guidelines and our continued compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations.

Our Board believes that it should be comprised of directors with diverse and complementary backgrounds, and that directors should have expertise that, at a minimum, may be useful to us and may contribute to the success of our business. Directors also should possess the highest personal and professional ethics and should be willing and able to devote an amount of time sufficient to effectively carry out their duties and contribute to the success of our business. When considering candidates for director, the Nominating Committee takes into account a number of factors, which may include the following:

•	Independence from management;

•	Age, background and gender;

•	Relevant business experience;

•	Judgment, skill and integrity;

•	Existing commitments to other businesses;

•	Potential conflicts of interest;

•	Corporate governance background;

•	Financial and accounting background;

•	Executive compensation background; and

•	Size and composition of the existing Board.

Stockholder Proposals

The Nominating Committee will consider candidates for director suggested by stockholders by considering the foregoing criteria and the additional information referred to below. Stockholders wishing to suggest a candidate for director should write to Kopin Corporation, c/o Investor Relations, 125 North Drive, Westborough, MA 01581, and include the following:

•	The name and address of the stockholder and a statement that he, she, they or it is one of our stockholders and is proposing a candidate for consideration by the Nominating Committee;

•	The class and number of shares of our capital stock owned by the stockholder as of the record date for the annual stockholder meeting (if such date has been announced) and as of the date of the notice, and length of time such stockholder has held such shares;

•	The name, age and address of the candidate;

•	A description of the candidate’s business and educational experience;

•	The class and number of shares of our capital stock, if any, owned by the candidate, and length of time such candidate has held such shares;

•	Information regarding each of the foregoing criteria the Board generally considers, other than the factors regarding Board size and composition, sufficient to enable the committee to evaluate the candidate;

•	A description of any relationship between the candidate and any of our customers, suppliers or competitors or any actual or potential conflict of interest;

•	A description of any relationship or understanding between the stockholder and the candidate; and

•	A written statement by the candidate that the candidate is willing to be considered and willing to serve as a director if nominated and elected.

Time for Submission of Stockholder Proposals

Under our By-laws, nominations for directors may be made only by or at the direction of the Board, or by a stockholder of record at the time of giving notice who is entitled to vote and delivers to Kopin Corporation written notice along with the additional information and materials required by our By-laws not less than 90 days and not more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting. For our annual meeting in the year 2025, we must receive this notice no earlier than February 6, 2025, and no later than March 8, 2025 to be eligible for consideration at the annual meeting in 2025. You can obtain, without charge, a copy of the by-laws by writing to Kopin Corporation, c/o Investor Relations, 125 North Drive, Westborough, MA 01581.

Under our By-laws, stockholders may present proposals other than director nominations that may be proper subjects for inclusion in the proxy statement and for consideration at an annual meeting. For business to be properly brought before a stockholder meeting by a stockholder, the stockholder must have given timely notice thereof in writing to the Secretary. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice shall be delivered to or mailed and received at the principal executive offices of the Company at 125 North Drive, Westborough Massachusetts, 01581, not less than 30 days nor more than 75 days prior to the first anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting. For our annual meeting in the year 2025, pursuant to the requirements of our By-laws, we must receive such notice no earlier than March 24, 2025 and no later than May 7, 2025 to be eligible for consideration at the annual meeting in 2025.

Under Rule 14a-8 of the Securities and Exchange Act stockholders must deliver proposals to Kopin Corporation not later than December 17, 2024 if the proposal is submitted for inclusion in our proxy materials for the annual meeting in 2025.

In addition, stockholders who intend to solicit proxies in support of director nominees other than the Company’s nominees must comply with the additional requirements of Exchange Act Rule 14a-19.

Stockholder Communications with the Board

The Board has established a process for stockholders to send communications to our Board or any individual director. Stockholders may send written communications to the Board or any director to Kopin Corporation, Board of Directors, c/o Chief Financial Officer, 125 North Drive, Westborough, MA 01581.

Related Party Transactions

The Audit Committee reviews and approves certain transactions or relationships involving Kopin and its directors, executive officers and their affiliates. Kopin has adopted policies and procedures that apply to any transaction or series of transactions in which Kopin, or a subsidiary, is a participant, the amount involved exceeds $120,000 and a related person has a direct or indirect material interest. In reviewing a transaction or relationship, the Audit Committee will take into account, among other factors it deems appropriate, the nature and terms of the transaction, the dollar value of the transaction, the business reasons for the transaction, whether it is on terms no more favorable than to an unaffiliated third party under similar circumstances, as well as the extent of the related party’s interest in the transaction. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics for Employees, Executive Officers and Directors prohibits any transaction or relationship that would create a conflict of interest, unless approved by the Board. Conflicts of interests are to be reported to the applicable employees’ immediate supervisor or our Chief Financial Officer.

On January 5, 2023, the Company entered into a Technology License Agreement and an Asset Purchase Agreement (the “LST Agreements”) with Lightning Silicon Technology, Inc. (“LST”). Pursuant to the LST Agreements, the Company issued a license to LST for certain technology associated with its Organic Light Emitting Technology, transferred in-process development contracts with two customers and accounts receivables that the Company had previously determined were not collectible. The technology license agreement provides for Kopin to transfer certain patents to LST if LST achieves certain milestones, however upon transfer Kopin will receive a license to the technology. To the extent LST makes improvements to the technology licensed from Kopin, Kopin will receive a license for these improvements for certain markets. Kopin is not obligated to provide any additional funding support to LST. As consideration for the transaction, the Company received 18,000,000 common shares representing a 20.0% equity stake in LST. The Company will also receive a royalty based on unit sales of products that utilize the technology licensed. Drs. John Fan, the Company’s former

President and CEO and former Chairman of the Board, Boryeu Tsaur, a former Executive Vice President of the Company and Hong Choi, the Company’s former Chief Technology Officer terminated their employment with the Company and became investors in and members of the management team of LST. Dr. Fan is the Founder of LST. As a result of this transaction, in 2022 the Company wrote off the two operating lease assets associated with facilities used for the development of the Company’s organic light emitting diode (OLED) products. The Company has recorded its investment in LST at $0 as of December 30, 2023.

On September 30, 2019 the Company entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement (the “Solos Purchase Agreement”) pursuant to which the Company sold and licensed certain assets of the Company’s SolosTM (“Solos”) product line and Whisper™ Audio (“Whisper”) technology. As consideration for the transaction the Company received a 20.0% equity stake in Solos Incorporation (“Solos Inc.”). The Company’s 20.0% equity stake will be maintained until Solos Inc. has raised a total of $7.5 million in equity financing. The Company will also receive a royalty in the single digits on the net sales amount of Solos products for a three-year period, after the commencement of commercial production. The Company has performed the analysis and identified Solos Technology as a variable interest entity that should not be consolidated by Kopin, as Kopin is not the primary beneficiary of the entity. Kopin is not obligated to provide any additional funding support to Solos Inc., and its potential loss exposure is the value of the investment recorded on its books. Based on the price paid for equity by the other 80.0% owners of Solos Inc., volatility based on a peer group and assumptions about the risk-free interest rate, the Company estimated the fair value of its equity holdings at $0.6 million and in 2019 recorded a $0.6 million gain on its investment for this equity transaction as the basis of assets transferred was zero. In the second quarters of 2020 and 2023, the Company reviewed the financial condition and other factors of the customer and, as a result, the Company recorded impairment charges of $0.2 million and $0.2 million, respectively, to reduce its investment in the customer to $0.2 million as of December 30, 2023. Dr. Fan is currently chairman of the board of directors of Solos Inc., a private company in which the Company has investments.

We do not currently provide personal loans to our executive officers or directors. Other than Proposal 1, none of our directors, executive officers or their associates have a substantial interest in any of the matters to be acted upon at the Meeting.

PROPOSAL 1

ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Our By-laws provide that the Board shall consist of not less than three nor more than 13 directors. At the Meeting, proxies cannot be voted for a greater number of individuals than the six nominees named in this Proxy Statement. Unless authority is withheld, it is the intention of the persons voting under the enclosed proxy to vote such proxy in favor of the election of each of the nominees to serve as director until the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and until their respective successors are elected and qualified. If any nominee is unavailable or unwilling to serve, such votes will be cast by the proxies either for a substitute nominee selected by the proxies or to fix the number of directors at a lesser number. Our Board currently has no reason to expect that any of the nominees will be unavailable or unwilling to serve. Each of the nominees has consented to being named in this proxy statement and to serve if elected.

Vote Required for Election

The election of directors requires a majority voting standard for election of directors in uncontested elections. Each director will be elected by the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast, meaning that the number of votes cast “FOR” a director nominee exceeds 50% of the number of votes cast with respect to that director’s election. Any “non-votes” and abstentions from voting received will have no effect on the outcome of this Proposal 1.

Pursuant to our By-laws, each person who is nominated to stand for election as director must tender an irrevocable and executed letter of resignation in advance of the Meeting for the election of directors. If an incumbent director nominee is not elected by a majority of the votes cast in an uncontested election and no successor has been elected at such meeting, the director must promptly tender his or her resignation to the Board. The Nominating Committee (excluding the nominee, if applicable) then will make a recommendation to the Board as to whether to accept or reject the resignation, or whether other action should be taken. The Board, excluding the nominee, will act on the resignation and publicly disclose its decision in accordance with the By- laws.

The Board of Directors has nominated and recommends that you vote “FOR” the election of each of the nominees listed below to serve as our Directors until the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and until their successors are duly elected and qualified.

Set forth below are the name and age for each director nominee, his or her principal occupation and business experience during the past five years and the names of other publicly-traded companies of which he or she served as a director.

Name	Age	Served as Director Since	Position and Offices with the Company
Scott L. Anchin	50	2019	Director
Jill J. Avery	56	2021	Director
Chi Chia Hsieh	79	1995	Director
Michael Murray	50	2022	President and Chief Executive Officer, Director
David Nieuwsma	60	2023	Director
Margaret Seif	63	—	Director Nominee

Beyond their general business acumen and insights, the Board of Directors believes the director nominees bring the following skill sets and benefits to the Company:

Scott L. Anchin – Mr. Anchin’s accounting, management and restructuring experience and background, and his expertise in advising companies and stakeholders in difficult circumstances qualify him to serve on our Board.

Jill J. Avery – Dr. Avery has over 25 years of experience in marketing and brand management as well as management. Her expertise in marketing provides a complementary skillset to the technical, operational, financial and legal experience of our other Board members.

Chi Chia Hsieh – We have significant customers and vendors in Taiwan, Korea, Japan and China, and a critical step in the production of our display products occurs in Taiwan and China. Dr. Hsieh provides us with counsel on Asian business practices and relationships with Asian business leaders.

Michael Murray – Mr. Murray has served as our Chief Executive Officer and President since September 2022. Mr. Murray is an engineer and has served as President of businesses working with defense ministries and governments. Mr. Murray has always been associated with technology-focused companies and at these companies Mr. Murray was involved in overall strategy of the business, product development, manufacturing, sales and marketing and acquisitions.

David Nieuwsma – Mr. Nieuwsma, a former US Air Force officer, had a 32-year career with Collins Aerospace where he held numerous roles including Executive Vice President, Information Management Solutions, President, Interior Solutions and President, Avionics Solutions Mr. Nieuwsma accumulated a broad range of experience in engineering leadership, product line management, sales, marketing and strategy development. A significant portion of Kopin’s revenues is derived from the sale of our products for defense applications and Mr. Nieuwsma brings a deep understanding of our end markets, customers and U.S. Department of Defense procurement.

Margaret Seif – Ms. Seif served as Chief Legal Officer and Chief People Officer of Analog Devices, Inc. a leading semiconductor manufacturer. She brings extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, talent strategy, governance and risk management to the board.

The Board considers diversity in terms of education, business experience and nationality when considering candidates for our Board. There are no family relationships among any of our directors, officers or nominees.

Background of Nominees for Director and Certain Officers

Nominees

Scott L. Anchin, Director. Mr. Anchin has been a director since 2019. Mr. Anchin is the Chief Financial Officer of Ignite Fitness Holdings Group, a private equity backed company that owns gym franchises across North America. From October 2018 through May 2022, Mr. Anchin was the managing member of Meadow Hill Place, LLC, an advisory firm providing interim management services to growth stage companies. Previously, Mr. Anchin served as a Managing Director with Opportune LLP, where he provided restructuring advisory services to companies and stakeholders. From 2009 to February 2016, Mr. Anchin was employed by Alvarez & Marsal North America, LLC, a global professional services firm specializing in turnaround and interim management and performance improvement. He is a non-practicing Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York and holds a B.S. in Accounting from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. with a concentration in Management from Columbia Business School. Mr. Anchin’s accounting, management and restructuring experience and background, and his expertise in advising companies and stakeholders in difficult circumstances qualify him to serve on our Board. During the past five years, Mr. Anchin has not served on the board of directors of any other public companies or registered management investment companies other than Genasys Inc. (Nasdaq: GNSS) and Applied DNA Sciences Inc. (Nasdaq: APDN)

Jill J. Avery, Director. Dr. Avery has served as one of our directors since 2021. Dr. Avery holds a Doctorate in Business Administration (marketing) from Harvard Business School, a MBA (marketing and finance) from the Wharton School, and a BA (English) from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Avery is a Senior Lecturer of Business Administration and C. Roland Christensen Distinguished Management Educator in the marketing unit at Harvard Business School, a position she has held since 2013. She is an authority on brand management, customer relationship management (CRM), and digital marketing. Prior to her academic career, she worked in consumer packaged goods brand management, managing brands for The Gillette Company, Braun Inc., Samuel Adams, and AT&T, and spent time on the agency side of the business, as an account executive managing consumer promotions for Pepsi, General Foods, Bristol-Myers, and Citibank. She is Lead Director of the Board at Amica Mutual Insurance Company, President Emerita of the Board of Trustees at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and a Trustee of the Boston Ballet. During the past five years, Dr. Avery has not served on the board of directors of any other public companies or registered management investment companies.

Chi Chia Hsieh, Director. Dr. Hsieh has served as one of our directors since December 1995. Dr. Hsieh is currently the Chairman of Microelectronics Technology Inc., a Taiwan corporation publicly traded on the Taiwan Stock Exchange. Dr. Hsieh is also Chairman of the board of directors of IQE Taiwan, a Taiwan private corporation. Dr. Hsieh is currently a member of the board of directors of Microelectronics Technology Inc.,

Taiwan Cement Corporation and Brite Led Electronics Corp., all public companies in Taiwan. Dr. Hsieh is also the Independent Director of Innolux Corporation, a public company in Taiwan. During the past five years, Dr. Hsieh has not served on the board of directors of any other public companies or registered management investment companies.

Michael Murray President, Chief Executive Officer, Director. Mr. Murray has served as one of our directors since 2022. Mr. Murray joined Kopin in September 2022 from Ultra Electronics Group, a British Defense and Security company, where he served as President of the Cyber business, working with defense ministries and governments. An engineer by training, Mr. Murray has always been associated with technology-focused companies. Prior to Ultra Electronics, he worked at Aceinna Inc. as Executive Vice President and Analog Devices, where he led the Industrial Sensing business unit. At these companies Mr. Murray was involved in overall strategy of the business, product development, manufacturing, sales and marketing and acquisitions. During the past five years, Mr. Murray has not served on the board of directors of any public companies or registered management investment companies.

David Nieuwsma, Director. Mr. Nieuwsma has served as one of our directors since November of 2023. A former US Air Force officer, he was employed with Collins Aerospace from 1991 to 2022. Mr. Nieuwsma led numerous lines of business at Collins Aerospace including roles as Executive Vice President, Information Management Solutions, President, Interior Solutions and President, Avionics Solutions. Mr. Nieuwsma holds a Bachelor of Science, Management from the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, a Bachelor of Science, Computer Science, from Chapman College, Orange, California, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Iowa. He spent five years in the US Air Force, completing his military career attaining the rank of Captain, as an Acquisition Project Officer, Ballistic Systems Division, Norton AFB, California. During the past five years, Mr. Nieuwsma has not served on the board of directors of any public companies or registered management investment companies.

Margaret Seif, Director Nominee. From 2014 to 2022 Ms. Seif held various positions including Chief People Officer and Chief Legal Officer at Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) a global leader in the design and manufacturing of analog, mixed signal, and DSP integrated circuits. In her roles at ADI Ms. Seif’s responsibilities included corporate governance and liaison to the Board of Directors for shareholder matters, had a lead role in multiple mergers and acquisitions, teamed with CIO and Engineering leaders to develop cyber risk mitigation strategies, and developed policies and procedures to protect ADI’s portfolio of intellectual property assets. From 1998 to 2005 Ms. Seif was Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and General Counsel & Secretary at RSA Security Inc. Ms. Seif serves on the Board of Advisors for Community Servings Inc., and the New England Regional Council of the Smithsonian Institution. Ms. Seif has a Bachelor of Arts from Brown University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Michigan Law School. During the past five years, Ms. Seif served as Corporate Secretary of ADI.

Officers

Michael Murray President, Chief Executive Officer, Director. Mr. Murray, age 50, has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer since September 6, 2022. Mr. Murray served as President of the Cyber business of Ultra Electronics Group, a British Defense and Security company. Prior to Ultra Electronics, he worked at Aceinna as Executive Vice President and Analog Devices, where he led the Industrial Sensing business unit.

Richard A. Sneider, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Sneider, age 64, has served as our Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer since September 1998. Mr. Sneider is a former Certified Public Accountant and was formerly a partner of the international public accounting firm, Deloitte & Touche LLP, where he worked for 16 years.

Paul Baker, Chief Operating Officer for Kopin Government and Industrial and Strategic Business Officer. Mr. Baker, age 61, previously served as the Company’s Strategic Business Officer from February 2019 to January 2020, Senior Vice President, Business Development from January 2017 to January 2019, and as Vice President, Business Development between March 2014 and December 2016. From 2007 to 2014, Mr. Baker served as Executive Vice President, Business Development & Sales at ZINK Imaging Co., a private company headquartered in Billerica, Massachusetts that invented ZINK Zero Ink® Technology. Mr. Baker holds a B.A. in economics from Colby College and a M.B.A. from Boston University.

The following individuals were officers of the Company in 2022 and 2023 but resigned from the Company in 2023:

Hong Choi, Chief Technology Officer and Vice President. Dr. Choi, age 72, joined us as Chief Technology Officer in July 2000 and resigned from the Company in March 2023. Previously, Dr. Choi served as Senior Staff Member at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, where he worked for 17 years. Dr. Choi received a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.

Boryeu Tsaur, Executive Vice President—Display Operations. Dr. Tsaur, age 68, joined us as Executive Vice President—Display Operations in July 1997 and resigned from the Company in January 2023. From 1993 to 1997, Dr. Tsaur served as Group Leader, Electronic Material Group, at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Dr. Tsaur received a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology.

John C.C. Fan, President and Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Fan is the Founder of Kopin Corporation and served as our Chairman of the Board since our organization in April 1984 through May 2023. Dr. Fan was our Chief Executive Officer from 1984 through September 2022. Dr. Fan received a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Harvard University.

Board Structure and Risk

Our Board leadership structure is commonly utilized by other public companies in the United States, and we believe that it is effective for us. We believe this leadership structure is appropriate for us given the size and scope of our business, the experience and active involvement of our independent directors, and our corporate governance practices, which include regular communication with and interaction between and among the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer and the independent directors. Pursuant to our By-laws, our Board selects the Chairman and the Chief Executive Officer that it determines to be in the best interest of our stockholders. Our Board has determined that each of Scott L. Anchin, Jill J. Avery, Chi-Chia Hsieh, David Nieuwsma and Marnie Seif are independent as that term is defined under the applicable independence listing standards of Nasdaq Rules and the applicable SEC rules and regulations.

We believe that our directors provide effective oversight of risk management functions. Annually, we perform a risk review where the management team evaluates the risks facing us in the upcoming year and over a longer-term horizon, typically three years. From this risk assessment, we develop plans to deal with the risks identified. This risk assessment is provided to the Board and their input is reflected in the annual risk assessment.

In addition, members of our management periodically present to the Board the strategies, issues and plans for the product lines they manage. The Compensation Committee also reviews our incentive plans to determine whether they result in management behavior that may result in additional risk beyond the plans’ intended purpose. While the Board oversees our risk management, our management is responsible for day-to-day risk management processes. Additionally, the Board requires that management raise exceptional issues to the Board. We believe this division of responsibilities is the most effective approach for addressing the risks facing us and that the Board leadership structure supports this approach.

Board and Committee Meetings

During fiscal year 2023, our Board held four meetings. For each director, overall attendance at Board meetings and relevant committee meetings, either in person or by conference call, was greater than 75% during the period they were on the committee. All directors attended the Company’s 2023 annual stockholder meeting except for Dr. Hsieh and Mr. Nieuwsma. Mr. Nieuwsma joined the Board of Directors after the annual meeting. Although we currently do not require our directors to attend annual stockholder meetings, we do encourage directors to do so and welcome their attendance.

Audit Committee: We have established a separately designated Audit Committee as defined by Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Exchange Act. Our Audit Committee was composed of three directors: Scott L. Anchin, Jill J. Avery, and James K. Brewington, each of whom the Board has determined is independent under the Nasdaq Rules and the applicable SEC rules and regulations. The Board has determined that Mr. Anchin is an “audit committee financial expert” as defined by Item 407(d)(5)(ii) of Regulation S-K of the Exchange Act. Our Board adopted an Audit Committee Charter, which is available on our website at www.kopin.com under the heading “Investor Relations: Governance Documents.” Our Audit Committee Charter delegates to the Audit Committee the responsibility, among other things, to engage our independent auditors, review the audit fees, supervise matters relating to audit functions, review and set internal policies and procedure regarding audits, accounting and other financial controls and review related party transactions. The Audit Committee pre-approved

all audit and non-audit services provided by RSM US LLP for fiscal year 2023. During the 2023 fiscal year, our Audit Committee met in person or through a conference call five times. All members participated in all five meetings.

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee: Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee presently is composed of three directors: Dr. Jill Avery, Mr. Brewington and Dr. Hsieh, each of whom the Board has determined is independent under applicable SEC and Nasdaq Rules. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for, among other things, considering potential Board members, making recommendations to the full Board as to nominees for election to the Board, assessing the effectiveness of the Board and implementing our corporate governance guidelines. The charter of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is available on the Company’s website at www.kopin.com under the heading “Investor Relations: Governance Documents.” During the 2023 fiscal year, our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee met in person or through a conference call once and all members participated in the meetings. In addition, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee engaged and paid a fee to a consultant, Egon Zehnder, to identify possible Board of Director candidates, The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee members periodically met with Egon Zehnder for status updates and to review candidates.

Compensation Committee: Our Compensation Committee presently is composed of three directors: Mr. Anchin, Mr. Brewington and Dr. Hsieh, each of whom the board has determined is independent under applicable SEC and Nasdaq Rules. The charter of the Compensation Committee is available on our website at www.kopin.com under the heading “Investor Relations: Governance Documents.” During the 2023 fiscal year, our Compensation Committee met in person or through a conference call four times. Mr. Brewington and Dr. Hsieh participated in each meeting. Mr. Anchin was added to the Compensation Committee in December of 2023 which was subsequent to the four meetings. The Compensation Committee is responsible for the approval of remuneration arrangements for our executive officers, review and approval of compensation plans relating to executive officers and directors, including grants of stock options, restricted stock and stock grants under our 2020 Equity Incentive Plan and other benefits and general review of our employee compensation policies.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

None of our executive officers serves as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee, or other committee serving an equivalent function, of any other entity that has one or more of its executive officers serving as a member of our Board or Compensation Committee. None of the current members of our Compensation Committee has ever been an employee of Kopin or any subsidiary of Kopin.

Board Diversity Matrix

We believe that, as a company serving a wide variety of markets across multiple geographies, embracing and cultivating diversity is an essential part of serving our customers and increasing stockholder value. Our goal is to reflect our commitment to diversity in the leadership of Kopin, including on our Board of Directors.

The following diversity statistics are reported in the standardized Nasdaq disclosure matrix for our Board of Directors. The diversity composition of our Board of Directors has not changed since the introduction of the Board Diversity Matrix in our 2022 proxy statement.

	Board Diversity Matrix (as of April 12, 2024)
Total Number of Directors	7
	Female	Male	Non-Binary	Did Not Disclose Gender
Part I: Gender Identity
Directors	1	6	—	—
Part II: Demographic Background
African American or Black	—	—	—	—
Alaskan Native or Native American	—	—	—	—
Asian	—	2	—	—
Hispanic or Latinx	—	—	—	—
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander	—	—	—	—
White	1	4	—	—
Two or More Races or Ethnicities	—	—	—	—
LGBTQ+	—	—	—	—
Demographic Background Undisclosed	—	—	—	—

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

The table below contains information, as of the dates below, regarding the beneficial ownership of all those known to us to be a beneficial owner of more than 5% of our common stock as well as our directors and nominees, named executive officers and all of our executive officers and directors as a group as of March 31, 2024. The address of each holder listed below, except as otherwise indicated, is 125 North Drive, Westborough, Massachusetts 01581.

Name and Address of Beneficial Owner	Amount and Nature of Beneficial Ownership⁽¹⁾	Percentage Ownership⁽²⁾
Scott L. Anchin	55,000	*
Jill J. Avery	30,000	*
James K. Brewington	125,000	*
John C.C Fan	5,541,099	4.7
Chi Chia Hsieh	257,000	*
Michael Murray	1,126,507	*
David Nieuwsma	64,500	*
Richard A. Sneider	451,7440	*
Paul Baker	260,513	*
All directors and executive officers as a group (10 persons)	7,911,363	6.7
5% or Greater Stockholders
AWM Investment Company, Inc⁽³⁾	11,433,465	9.7

*	Less than 1%

(1)	Unless otherwise indicated in these footnotes, each stockholder has sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares beneficially owned.

(2)	Percentages are based on 118,428,003 shares of our common stock outstanding as of April 10, 2024.

(3)

This information is based solely on information reported on a Schedule 13G filed on February 13, 2024 on behalf of AWM Investment Company, Inc. According to the report, AWM Investment Company, Inc. beneficially owns 11,433,465 shares of common stock with sole voting power with respect to 8,549,346 shares of common stock, shared voting power with respect to 0 shares of common stock, sole dispositive power with respect to 8,549,346 shares of common stock, and shared dispositive power with respect to 0 shares of common stock as of December 29, 2023. The business address of AWM Investment Company, Inc. is c/o Special Situations Funds, 527 Madison Avenue, Suite 2600, New York, NY 10022. In addition, AWM has warrants to acquire 6,000,000 million shares of Kopin’s common stock for $.01 per share.

COMPENSATION AND OTHER INFORMATION CONCERNING DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS

Named Executive Officers

Our NEOs for fiscal 2023 were:

•	Michael Murray, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

•	Richard A. Sneider, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

•	Paul Baker, Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Executive Summary

Provided below are key Company performance and executive compensation highlights for fiscal 2023:

In 2023, we commercialized some of our technologies, continued to ramp up production on a key military program and restructured the business to reduce costs. Below is a summary of certain performance highlights that occurred in 2023:

•

Our gross margins were raised to approximately four percent for 2023 compared to approximately zero for 2022.Our operating loss decreased from $21.8 million to $17.2 million. Our operating loss included an increase of approximately $5.0 million, the majority of which relates to a matter being litigated.

•

In 2023 we received follow-on orders of $19.9 million for our displays for thermal weapon sights and a $3.4 million order for our displays for a fixed wing pilot’s helmet application. In addition, we continued the development of other funded R&D programs including the U.S. Army armored vehicle, a headset for surgery and micro-LED.

•	We restructured the organization and increased staffing in quality control, program management and business development

Compensation Highlights:

Summarized below are highlights with respect to executive compensation for fiscal year 2023:

•	Mr. Murray and Mr. Sneider received no increase in base wages, while Mr. Baker’s base wages increased from $315,000 to $324,450.

•

Our primary objective for fiscal year 2023 was to continue to increase revenues and cash flow. To that end, we granted our CEO, CFO and COO 107,500, 83,000, and 74,800 shares of restricted stock, respectively, which could have been earned if certain revenue, cash flow and individual goals were met. The number of shares granted represented 35% of their 2022 base wages divided by approximately the Company’s share price on day of grant. 20% of the shares could have been earned by meeting certain revenue targets, 70% of the shares could have been earned by meeting certain cash flow targets and 10% could be earned based on meeting individual goals in fiscal 2023. The revenue and cash flow goals had a minimum base amount, a target amount and a maximum upper goal amount. If the minimum base amount was not achieved, then no restricted stock was earned. If the minimum base amount was achieved approximately 30% of the shares could be earned, if the target amount was achieved approximately 75% of the shares could be earned and if the maximum upper goals was achieved all of the shares could be earned.

Messrs. Murray, Sneider and Baker earned 102,345,79,020 and 71,213, respectively, of the shares granted which represents achieving approximately 95% of the goals.

President and Chief Executive Officer:

In September 2022, Mr. Michael Murray joined Kopin as President and Chief Executive Officer.

Mr. Murray received an annual base salary of $450,000. Additionally, Mr. Murray received 800,000 shares of restricted stock, which vest in 20% increments each December 10 beginning in 2023, and a sign-on bonus of

$100,000. Mr. Murray is entitled to an annual performance-based bonus opportunity in the form of cash and long-term awards, subject to approval by the Compensation Committee. Mr. Murray also is eligible for the Company’s standard benefits package and to participate in all applicable group employee benefit plans and

programs offered. In the event Mr. Murray’s employment is terminated without Cause upon or within 12 months following a Change of Control (each as defined in the certain letter agreement, by and between Mr. Murray and the Company (the “Agreement”)), (i) Mr. Murray may receive a lump sum payment within 60 days following the termination date equal to the greater of $450,000 or his annualized base salary immediately prior to such termination, (ii) any outstanding equity awards held on the termination date that vest based solely on continued service and would have vested over the following 12 months if not for the termination will become vested,

(iii) Mr. Murray will receive a lump sum payment within 60 days following the termination date equal to the COBRA premium that he would pay if he had elected to continue health coverage under the Company’s health plan.

On April 15, 2024 the Company and Mr. Murray signed a new Employment Agreement (the “New Agreement”). This summary of the New Agreement is subject to the terms of the New Agreement which is filed with the SEC as an exhibit to Form 8-K. Under the New Agreement, Mr. Murray’s salary was set at $495,000 with eligibility for a target bonus of 100% of base salary up to a maximum of 150% base salary based on a formula and the determination of achievement of goals as determined by the Board. Mr. Murray also is eligible for the Company’s standard benefits package and to participate in all applicable group employee benefit plans and programs offered. Mr. Murray is eligible to receive equity awards covering the Company’s common stock. As of the effective date of the New Agreement, Mr. Murray is no longer eligible to participate in the executive stock program applicable to other senior executives of the Company. Provided that Mr. Murray continues to be employed by the Company on the date of a change of control (as defined in the New Agreement), all outstanding equity awards held by Mr. Murray immediately prior to the effective date of a change of control which vest based upon his continued service over time shall accelerate, become fully vested and/or exercisable, as the case may be, immediately prior to the change of control, and all outstanding equity awards held immediately prior to the change of control which vest based upon attainment of performance criteria shall vest based on target performance immediately prior to the change of control.

Key Compensation Governance Attributes:

Our pay practices emphasize good governance and market practice:

What We Do		What We Don’t Do
✔	Stock Ownership guidelines for the CEO and Non- Employee Directors	✘	Employment agreements for anyone other than the CEO
✔	Maintain a clawback policy	✘	Excise tax gross-up provisions
✔	Emphasize pay for performance	✘	Executive perquisites
✔	Perform annual compensation risk assessment

2023 Say on Pay Vote:

•

In 2023, our stockholders voted to approve our executive compensation program (also known as “Say on Pay”) for the twelfth time, and of the 34,701,305 votes cast, 33,029,244, or 95.2%, were in favor. The Compensation Committee considered the results of this advisory vote as it continually evaluates the Company’s compensation programs and policies to ensure that the programs strike a balance between internal (business strategy) and external (stockholder) alignment.

Compensation Philosophy

We believe that our NEOs play a critical role in the operational and financial performance of our company that creates long-term value for our stockholders. Accordingly, our executive compensation philosophy is to reward our executives for individual performance and for contributions to our performance. We have invested significant efforts and funds in developing new technologies and products for both our traditional markets, military and industrial, and for the emerging “wearables” industrial market. In fiscal 2022, our strategic emphasis shifted to improving operational excellence. Accordingly, we are in the process of adjusting our performance award system to be based more towards financial and operational metrics, specifically revenue growth, gross margin improvement, on-time in-full deliveries, production yields, and cash flow improvement.

We strive to counterbalance our employee retention objectives and pay-for-performance objectives. Historically we believe we have accomplished this by compensating our executives with a combination of base

salary, performance bonus awards and long-term equity-based retention compensation. In fiscal 2023, we maintained the same philosophy but believed that our management would be more incentivized by a significant restricted stock grant that would vest upon the attainment of revenue and cash flow milestones than a cash bonus.

We believe that the quality, commitment and performance of our executives are critical factors affecting our long-term value. Accordingly, our compensation objectives include:

•	aligning our executive’s interests with the Company’s goals and our stockholders’ interests;

•	retaining our executives and key employees; and

•	rewarding individuals for their performance.

In addition, we periodically use benchmarks and peer group comparisons to assist us in determining whether our executive compensation is appropriate in light of our compensation objectives and philosophy.

Role of the Compensation Committee

The Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors sets our executive compensation policies and determines the amounts and elements of compensation for our executive officers and Board of Directors. As set forth in the Compensation Committee’s written charter, its responsibilities include establishing compensation policies for our directors and executive officers; reviewing and approving the Chief Executive Officer’s annual compensation; approving employment agreements or arrangements with executive officers; administering our 2020 Equity Incentive Plan and legacy equity award plans (the “Equity Plans”) and approving grants under the 2020 Equity Plan; and making recommendations regarding any other incentive compensation or equity-based plans. The Compensation Committee may delegate certain authority with respect to compensation matters to our executive officers.

The Compensation Committee considers the amounts and elements of compensation for our executive officers, both for the past and the upcoming fiscal year based on the following:

•	the Company’s next fiscal year’s forecasted development and financial results;

•	the evaluation and performance review process; and

•	the Compensation Committee members’ personal experience and trends identified in the peer group benchmarking analysis.

For all employees, other than our NEOs and certain executive officers, the Compensation Committee approves ranges of merit increase, for example up to 5% of base salary compensation based on recommendations from the Chief Executive Officer.

For all executive officers other than our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, the Compensation Committee establishes and approves the base salary compensation based on recommendations from the Chief Executive Officer.

With respect to compensation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, the Compensation Committee establishes and approves the compensation determinations based on the Compensation Committee’s evaluation and performance reviews of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer.

A copy of the Compensation Committee charter is posted on our website, www.kopin.com, under the heading “Investors: Corporate Governance.” For the fiscal year 2023, our Compensation Committee consisted of Dr. Hsieh (Chairperson), Mr. Brewington, and Mr. Scott Anchin. All Board members who served on the Compensation Committee in 2023 were determined to be an independent director as determined by our Board, based upon the Nasdaq Rules and our independence guidelines.

The Role of Management

At the request of the Committee, NEOs of the Company may be present at Compensation Committee meetings for discussion purposes. However, they are not involved in the decisions made by the Committee, nor do they have a vote on any matters brought before the Committee. The Compensation Committee meets with the Chief Executive Officer to discuss his performance and compensation package, but ultimately, decisions

regarding his package are made solely based upon the Committee’s deliberations, as well as input from the compensation consultant, as requested. The Compensation Committee considers recommendations from the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as well as input from the compensation consultant as requested, to make decisions regarding other NEOs.

Role of the Compensation Consultant

In making its determinations with respect to executive compensation, the Compensation Committee has periodically engaged the services of a compensation consultant to provide input on trends in executive compensation and to obtain an outside perspective on our executive compensation practices and assist with our peer group benchmarking analysis. The Compensation Committee does not believe a formal annual peer group assessment by an independent third party is necessary unless either internal factors, such as employee turn-over, or external factors, such as published reports in industry periodicals, indicate significant changes in executive compensation have taken place. In 2017, the Company engaged Radford, an Aon company (“Radford”), as the compensation consultant to provide the following services:

•	Recommend changes to the peer group of comparable companies;

•	Complete a competitive analysis of compensation for each executive utilizing comparable peer company compensation data;

•	Provide assistance with our long-term incentive strategy; and

•	Provide general executive compensation advice.

In addition, the Company periodically asks Radford for assistance in benchmarking the compensation and long-term incentives of the CEO and other NEOs.

In 2023 Radford was engaged to review the Company’s Board of Director compensation.

The compensation consultant reports directly to the Compensation Committee and carries out responsibilities as assigned by the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee has the sole authority to retain and terminate the compensation consultant and to approve the compensation consultant’s fees and all other terms of the engagement. The Committee exercised this authority to engage Radford as its independent compensation consultant and has direct access to the compensation consultant throughout the year. Radford serves as an advisor to the Compensation Committee on topics primarily related to Board and executive compensation. Radford does not provide us with any services other than the services provided at the request of the Compensation Committee.

The Compensation Committee periodically reviews the services provided by its outside consultants and believes that Radford is independent in providing executive compensation consulting services. The Compensation Committee conducted a specific review of its relationship with Radford in preparation of the 2024 proxy statement and determined that Radford’s work for the Compensation Committee did not raise any conflicts of interest, consistent with the guidance provided under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, and by the SEC and the Nasdaq Capital Market (“Nasdaq”).

Compensation Determinations

In making determinations with respect to amounts and elements of executive compensation, the Compensation Committee evaluates our overall performance during the fiscal year against development plans and annual budgets; evaluates the Chief Executive Officer’s achievements against the Board’s expectations; obtains input from the Chief Executive Officer on the performance reviews of the other executive officers; evaluates the potential for future contributions by each executive to our long-term success; and periodically compares our executive compensation against a benchmarking analysis of a group of peer companies. In 2017, we did a formal benchmarking analysis of our CEO, EVP of Display Operations, CFO and CTO compensation.

Peer Group – NEO Compensation

In 2017, the Compensation Committee engaged Radford to assist in selecting a new peer group with a median revenue and market capitalization size that approximated ours. Based on Radford’s structured peer group review process and recommendations:

•	Six companies—Clearfield Inc., CVD Equipment Corp, GSI Technology Inc., Innovative Solutions & Support Inc., QuickLogic Corp. and Rubicon Technology, Inc.—were removed from the peer group due to acquisition or because their revenues and market capitalization were materially different than ours.

•	Three companies of generally similar size were added: Digimarc, DSP Group and Maxwell Technologies.

The final 2017 peer group consisted of 13 companies with a median revenue and market capitalization size that approximated ours and included the following companies:

•	CEVA Inc.	•	Maxwell Technologies
•	Digimarc.	•	Mesa Laboratories Inc.
•	DSP Group	•	Microvision Inc.
•	eMagin Corp.	•	NVE Corp.
•	ID Systems Inc.	•	PDF Solutions Inc.
•	Immersion Corp.	•	Pixelworks, Inc.
•	Intevac Inc.

Peer Group – Board of Director Compensation

In 2023, the Compensation Committee engaged Radford to assist in selecting a new peer group with a median revenue and market capitalization size that approximated ours for the purposes of benchmarking our Board of Director compensation. Based on Radford’s structured peer group review process and recommendations:

•	Five companies—DSP Group., ID Systems Inc., Maxwell Technologies, Microvision Inc, and PDF Solutions Inc.—were removed from the peer group due to acquisition or because their revenues and market capitalization were materially different than ours.

•	Twelve companies of generally similar size were added: 908 Devices, Amtech Systems, Aware, Coda Octopus Group, Emcore, Everspin Technologies, GSI Technology, InTEST, Ouster, PowerFleet, Quicklogic and Vuzix

Elements of Compensation

Our compensation program is designed to be simple, straightforward and fair. We use the following compensation and benefits elements to provide an overall competitive compensation and benefits package that is tied to creating stockholder value and supporting the execution of our business strategies:

•	Base salary;

•	Annual incentive (cash or restricted stock);

•	Long-term incentives; and

•	Employment and change-in-control agreements for the Chief Executive Officer.

The combination and allocation of the components and the target amount of each component is influenced by the role of the executive officer, individual performance, expected contributions, market practices, and the total value of all the compensation and benefits available to the individual executive officers. The Compensation Committee reviews and considers each component for each executive officer before making compensation decisions. Consistent with our historical practice, we weighted the mix of compensation more towards base salary and long-term equity incentive plans and to a lesser extent short-term cash bonuses or short-term equity awards as discussed below.

Compensation Element Detail

For the fiscal year ended December 30, 2023 the elements of compensation based on the amounts in the Summary Compensation Table for our CEO and Named Executive Officers was as follows:

Officer			Salary⁽¹⁾			Bonus			Restricted Stock Awards
Michael Murray			48.4%			15.8%			35.8%

Officer	Salary⁽¹⁾	Bonus	Restricted Stock Awards
Richard Sneider	78.7%	—	21.3%
Paul Baker	77.7%	—	22.3%

(1)	Includes “All Other Compensation” for Mr. Murray, Mr. Sneider and Mr. Baker of $10,357, $10,211 and $10,145, respectively. Amounts represent the Company’s matching contributions under the Company’s 401(k) Plan of $8,700 per year and premiums paid for life insurance.

Salary

We believe that establishing an appropriate level of annual base salary for our executives is an important element in retaining and motivating our executive officers. In determining base salaries for our executive officers, the Compensation Committee considers the responsibilities of each position, cost of living adjustments and the skills and experience required for each job. The Compensation Committee’s determinations are influenced heavily by the evaluations and performance reviews for each executive officer by our Chief Executive Officer, as discussed above. In addition, the Compensation Committee reviews the peer group benchmarking analysis, if performed, and finally, reviews total compensation for reasonableness prior to making any final determinations.

The following table summarizes the base salaries for 2023:

Officer			Salary
Mr. Murray			$450,000
Mr. Sneider			$349,048
Mr. Baker			$324,450

Annual Bonus and Incentives

For fiscal year 2023, we believed that a restricted stock grant that could be earned by achieving certain financial metrics would provide greater incentive than a cash bonus and align our management with shareholders’ interests. We believe that there are larger companies that have wider-range and more complicated reward programs that, due to our size and development stage, we cannot afford to offer. We believe our executive officers are drawn in part to a smaller company such as ours for the potential wealth that can be created by growing our company. This potential wealth is more likely created through our equity-based incentive compensation plan. We therefore use annual incentive awards to provide some element of a more immediate reward to motivate our executives.

For fiscal year 2023 the Compensation Committee awarded Mr. Murray a $150,000 bonus. For fiscal year 2023 no cash bonus was awarded by the Compensation Committee to the other NEOs.

For fiscal 2023 Messrs. Murray, Sneider and Baker received 107,500, 83,000, and 74,800 shares of restricted stock, respectively, which could have been earned if certain fiscal year 2023 revenue, cash flow targets and individual goals were met. The revenue and cash flow goals had a minimum base amount, a targets amount and a maximum upper goal amount. If the minimum base amount was achieved approximately 30% of the shares could be earned, if the target amount was achieved approximately 75% of the shares could be earned and if the maximum upper goals was achieved all of the shares could be earned. If the base amount was not achieved, then no restricted stock was earned.

Messrs. Murray, Sneider and Baker earned 102,345, 79,020 and 71,213, respectively, of the shares granted which represents achieving approximately 95% of the goals.

Long-Term Incentives

We believe that including an equity-based incentive component of compensation is a critical tool for motivating our executives and certain employees. We believe that granting equity awards to our executives aligns executive compensation with long-term stockholder value. By awarding executive officers with equity awards that vest over time, we believe that our executive officers will have a continuing stake in our long-term success and these awards serve as an important retention program.

We weighted our total executive compensation towards restricted stock awards that either vest upon the achievement of certain milestones or vest over time. While our management can improve our financial

performance through the sales of our current products, cost reduction efforts, process improvements and other short-term advancements, we believe that our executive officers’ focus on long-term achievements, particularly increasing our product and patent portfolios, will create the greatest stockholder value. We believe that by granting our executives meaningful levels of equity awards that vest both in the short- and long-term we will achieve the proper balance between incentivizing them to focus on the current fiscal year’s results and longer- term strategies of the Company.

In determining the size of each equity award granted to our executive officers, the Compensation Committee considers:

•	the amount previously awarded on an annual basis to the executive,

•	recommendations from the compensation consultant,

•	the total value of unvested equity awards held by the executive, and

•	the executive’s overall performance, our performance during the year and the dilution to the stockholders.

In 2023, we granted Messrs. Murray, Sneider and Baker 100,000, 60,000 and 60,000 of restricted stock that vest on the first three December 10ths following the grant date (May 25, 2023).

In 2023 we granted our Board and employees an aggregate of 3,423,531 shares of restricted common stock of the Company of which 1,892,737 could be earned based on achieving milestones in fiscal year 2023.

Perquisites

The Company does not offer any perquisites for the exclusive benefit of the NEOs. Our healthcare, insurance and other welfare and employee-benefit programs are the same for all eligible domestic employees, including executive officers. Benefits provided include health and dental coverage, group term life insurance, disability programs and matching contributions to our 401(k) plan. We share the cost of health and welfare benefits with our employees, a cost that is dependent on the level of benefits coverage that each employee elects. The benefits provided to foreign employees are typically determined by the laws of the applicable country they reside in. We have no outstanding loans of any kind to our executive officers.

Clawback Policy

We have a Clawback Policy that provides that performance-based compensation is recoverable from an executive officer if the Board determines that an officer has engaged in knowing or intentional fraudulent or illegal conduct that caused or substantially caused the need for a restatement of the Company’s financial results. Performance-based compensation includes cash payments and any other awards pursuant to any Company incentive plan made on or after January 1, 2009 where payment was predicated on achieving certain financial results. If the Board or an authorized committee determines that any such performance-based compensation would have been at a lower amount had it been based on the restated financial results, the Company will, to the extent practicable and permitted by applicable law, seek recoupment from such officer of the portion of such performance-based compensation that is greater than that which would have been awarded or earned had such compensation been calculated on the basis of the restated financial results.

Employment and Other Agreements

On September 5, 2022, John C.C. Fan, the Company’s then President and Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Company’s Board of Directors, notified the Company of his resignation as President and CEO effective September 6, 2022. Under the terms of his previous employment agreement Dr. Fan received $750,000 of severance payments for the fiscal year 2023 and he will receive another $750,000 for fiscal year 2024. In addition, Dr. Fan received $40,000 for medical benefits for fiscal year 2023 and he (or his spouse) will receive $40,000 through 2032.

In September 2022, Mr. Michael Murray joined Kopin as President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Murray’s compensation was as follows: Mr. Murray received an annual base salary of $450,000. Additionally, Mr. Murray received 800,000 shares of restricted stock, which vest in 20% increments each December 10 beginning in 2023, and a sign-on bonus of $100,000. Mr. Murray is entitled to an annual

performance-based bonus opportunity in the form of cash and long-term awards, subject to approval by the Compensation Committee. Mr. Murray also is eligible for the Company’s standard benefits package and to participate in all applicable group employee benefit plans and programs offered. In 2023, the Compensation Committee awarded Mr. Murray a $150,000 bonus for performance in 2022.

Subject to continued employment on the grant date, Mr. Murray is eligible for a performance-based award with a target of 1,000,000 RSUs, which will vest based on attainment of corporate performance goals and targets established by the Board in its sole discretion, after consultation with Mr. Murray and his continued employment through December 31, 2026 (“2026 Performance-Based Equity Award”). The Board has the discretion to modify the performance goals and targets during the performance period to account for certain irregular, nonrecurring or one-time items in order to maintain alignment with shareholders’ interests in the Board’s sole discretion. If any of the applicable performance goals are attained at less than 80% of target, the number of RSUs earned for the portion of the 2026 Performance-Based Equity Award attributable to that performance goal will be zero. If any of the applicable performance goals are attained at between 80% and 100% of target, the number of RSUs earned for the portion of the 2026 Performance-Based Equity Award attributable to that performance goal will be between 50% and 100% of target. If any of the applicable performance goals are attained at between 100% and 120% of target, the number of RSUs earned for the portion of the 2026 Performance-Based Equity Award attributable to that performance goal will be between 100% and 120% of target. Performance achievement will be determined by the Board in its reasonable discretion exercised in good faith in 2027 based on the audited financials for fiscal year 2026, and in no event will the 2026 Performance-Based Equity Award be earned at greater than 120% of target. Performance between performance levels for financial goals will be interpolated on a straight-line basis. The Board has the discretion to grant an additional performance based equity award following the 2026 fiscal year. The Company may terminate Mr. Murray’s employment at any time without cause or Mr. Murray may terminate his employment at any time for good reason. Upon termination by the Company without cause or by Mr. Murray with good reason, whether before or after the Change of Control Protection Period (as defined in the New Agreement), if Mr. Murray executes and does not revoke a written release (as defined in the New Agreement), Mr. Murray shall be entitled to receive, in lieu of any payments under any severance plan or program for employees or executives, the following:

The Company will pay Mr. Murray an amount equal to six months of Base Salary at the rate in effect immediately prior to the termination date. Payment shall be made over the six-month period following the termination date in substantially equal installments in accordance with the Company’s normal payroll practices. Payment will begin within 60 days following the termination date, and any installments not paid between the termination date and the date of the first payment will be paid with the first payment.

Provided that he is eligible for and timely elects continuation coverage under COBRA, the Company will pay directly to the COBRA administrator the COBRA premiums required to maintain Mr. Murray’s continued health care coverage under the Company’s group health plans that he participated in on the date of termination (“COBRA Payments”). The Company will pay the COBRA Payments for the period from his termination date until the earliest to occur of (i) the end of the six-month period following the termination date; (ii) the date he becomes eligible for group health insurance coverage through a subsequent employer; or (iii) the date he ceases

to be eligible for COBRA coverage for any reason (each of the events described in (ii) or (iii) a “Disqualifying Event”. Mr. Murray is required to notify the Company within five days of becoming aware that a Disqualifying Event has occurred or will occur. The COBRA health care continuation coverage period under section 4980B of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), shall run concurrently with the period during which the Company pays the COBRA Payments.

The Company shall pay any earned, accrued, and owing Base Salary up until the date of termination and any benefits accrued and due under any applicable benefit plans and programs of the Company.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, upon termination by the Company without Cause or by the Mr. Murray with Good Reason on or within six months preceding or 15 months following a Change of Control (the “Change of Control Protection Period”), and provided that Mr. Murray executes and does not revoke a written Release, then he shall be entitled to receive, in lieu of certain payments or any severance plan or program for employees or executives the following:

(a)

The Company will pay an amount equal to 12 months Base Salary at the rate in effect immediately prior to the termination date (but not less than $495,000 in the aggregate). Payment shall be made in a lump sum within 60 days following the termination date; provided that such payment shall be made in installments as set forth in Section 6(a) above over the 12-month period following the termination date if the Change of Control is not a “change in control event” as defined under section 409A of the Code and; provided further that in the event Mr. Murray’s employment is terminated as described in this Section 7 on or within six months preceding the Change of Control, payments shall commence and, effective upon the closing of the Change of Control, he shall receive any additional amount less the aggregate amount of installment payments already received.

(b)

Provided that he is eligible for and timely elects continuation coverage under COBRA, the Company will pay the COBRA administrator the COBRA Payments for the period from his termination date until the earliest to occur of (i) the end of the 12-month period following the termination date or (ii) a Disqualifying Event. Mr. Murray is required to notify the Company within five days of becoming aware that a Disqualifying Event has occurred or will occur. The COBRA health care continuation coverage period under section 4980B of the Code shall run concurrently with the period during which the Company pays the COBRA Payments.

(c)

The Company will pay a prorated target Annual Bonus for the year in which his termination of employment occurs, which amount will be determined by multiplying (i) the full-year target Annual Bonus for the year in which his termination of employment occurs, by (ii) a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of days during which he was employed by the Company in the fiscal year in which the termination date occurs and the denominator of which is 365. Such prorated target Annual Bonus shall be paid in a lump sum within 60 days following the termination date.

Our Equity Plans provide for the acceleration of the vesting of unvested stock options and restricted stock awards in the event of a change in control.

Policies Regarding Stock Ownership and Related Matters

We believe that by holding shares of our common stock and options to purchase our common stock, our executives will have interests that are more closely aligned with those of our stockholders.

We have share ownership and retention guidelines that require each director of the Company to own shares of our common stock or options to purchase shares of our common stock having an aggregate market value of at least three times the cash component of the director’s annual retainer (excluding committee retainers) for service on the Board.

In addition, the guidelines require our CEO to own shares of our common stock having an aggregate market value of at least three times his or her annual base salary. Our directors and our CEO have five years from the time they become subject to the stock ownership guidelines to achieve the target ownership thresholds. In 2023, our directors and CEO were on track to maintain compliance with the minimum stock ownership guidelines.

We have an Insider Trading Policy that governs our officers, directors and employees. The policy imposes limits as to when and how our personnel can engage in transactions in our securities and prohibits short sales of our common stock by all our personnel. All of our officers have established Rule 10b5-1 plans with an

independent broker. These plans typically govern the sale of an officer’s stock when our stock prices meet certain levels. These plans, generally, may only be adjusted during certain times of the year with the Company’s approval. Officers and directors may also sell shares outside a Rule 10b5-1 plan during open windows under our Insider Trading Policy.

Tax and Accounting Implications

As part of its role, the Compensation Committee reviews and considers the deductibility of executive compensation under Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended (the “Code”), which generally disallows a tax deduction to public companies for certain compensation in excess of $1.0 million paid in any year to a company’s chief executive officer and the four other most highly compensated officers. Certain compensation, including qualified performance-based compensation, will not be subject to the deduction limitation if certain requirements are met. Although the Compensation Committee has not adopted any specific policy with respect to the application of Section 162(m), we generally seek to structure any long-term incentive compensation granted to our executive officers in a manner that is intended to avoid disallowance of deductions under Section 162(m).

Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation

As discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2023, the accounting for stock-based awards requires the measurement and recognition of compensation expense based on the fair value of all share-based payment awards made to employees and directors, including stock options and employee stock purchases under employee stock purchase plans. We are required to account for share-based compensation transactions using a fair value method and recognize the related expense associated with share- based payments in our statement of operations. Stock-based compensation cost is measured at the accounting measurement date based on the fair value of the award and is recognized as expense over the service period, which generally represents the vesting period. The expense recognized over the service period is required to include an estimate of the awards that will be forfeited.

Since 2004 we have only issued restricted stock awards and the fair value of the award is typically based on the closing price of our stock on Nasdaq on the day of grant. All employees are eligible to participate in our equity award program but the number of employees who actually participate annually has been reduced and does not typically include employees who are paid on an hourly basis.

Summary Compensation Table

The following table summarizes the total compensation for the fiscal years ended December 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 of those persons who served as our principal executive officer, our principal financial officer and our next most highly compensated executive officer for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2023 and our other executive officers for fiscal year ended December 31, 2022. We refer to these individuals in this proxy as our named executive officers.

Name and Principle Position	Year	Salary ($)	Bonus ($)⁽¹⁾	Restricted Stock Awards ($)⁽²⁾	Option Awards ($)	Non-equity Incentive Plan Compensation ($)⁽³⁾	Change in Pension Value and Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Earnings ($)⁽⁴⁾	All Other Compensation ($)⁽⁵⁾	Total $
Michael Murray President and Chief Executive Officer commencing September 2022	2023	$450,000	$150,000	$340,545	—	$—	—	$10,357	$950,902
	2022	$128,076	$100,000	$1,032,000	—	$—	—	$3,860	$1,263,936
Richard A. Sneider Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer	2023	$349,048	$—	$97,506	—	$—	—	$10,211	$456,766
Richard A. Sneider Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer	2022	$349,048	$—	$—	—	$—	—	$10,043	$359,091
Boryeu Tsaur Executive Vice President—Display Operations	2022	$389,563	$—	$—	—	$—	—	$9,212	$398,775
Boryeu Tsaur Executive Vice President—Display Operations

Name and Principle Position	Year	Salary ($)	Bonus ($)⁽¹⁾	Restricted Stock Awards ($)⁽²⁾	Option Awards ($)	Non-equity Incentive Plan Compensation ($)⁽³⁾	Change in Pension Value and Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Earnings ($)⁽⁴⁾	All Other Compensation ($)⁽⁵⁾	Total $
Paul Baker Chief Operating Officer of Kopin Government and Industrial and Strategic Business Officer	2023	$324,450	$—	$96,260	—	$—	—	$10,145	$430,855
	2022	$315,000	$—	$—	—	$—	—	$9,951	$324,951
John C.C. Fan⁽⁶⁾ Former President and Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Board	2022	$600,000	$—	$—	—	$—	—	$9,776	$609,776

(1)	The amount represents a discretionary cash bonus awarded by the Company.

(2)

The amounts in the column reflect the number of shares of restricted common stock granted in each year multiplied by the closing share price of the Company’s stock as listed on Nasdaq on the date of grant. See notes 1 and 6 of the consolidated financial statements included in our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2023, regarding assumptions underlying valuation of equity awards.

(3)	The amounts reflect cash bonus payments earned with respect to annual incentive plans.

(4)	The Company does not maintain any pension or non-qualified deferred compensation plan.

(5)	Amounts represent the Company’s matching contributions under the Company’s 401(k) Plan of $8,700 per year and premiums paid for life insurance.

(6)	Dr. Fan was not compensated for his services as a director.

Perquisites and Benefits

We provide benefit programs to executive officers and to other employees. The Board and executive management believe that perquisites for executive officers should be extremely limited in scope and value. As a result, Kopin has historically given nominal perquisites to executive officers, including NEOs. The following table generally identifies such benefit plans and who may be eligible to participate

401(k)

Yes

Not Offered

Defined Contribution to Retirement Plan

Not Offered

Yes⁽¹⁾

Medical/Dental/ Vision Plans

Yes

Not Offered

Life and Disability Insurance⁽²⁾

Yes

Not Offered

Short Term Incentive Plan .

Yes⁽³⁾

Yes⁽⁴⁾

Not Offered

Equity Incentive Plan

Yes

Not Offered

Automobile Allowance

Not Offered

Income Tax Planning services

Not Offered

Deferred Compensation Plan

Not Offered

Supplemental Early Retirement Plan

Not Offered

Employee Stock Ownership Plan

Not Offered

Defined Benefit Pension Plan

Not Offered

Financial Planning Allowance

Not Offered

Country Club Memberships

Not Offered

Dwellings for Personal Use⁽⁵⁾

Not Offered

(1)	Kopin’s United Kingdom subsidiary contributes to a government sponsored retirement program for its employees.

(2)	Kopin pays for life insurance equal to an employee’s base salary for domestic employees.

(3)	Kopin has a short-term incentive plan pursuant to which certain officers and certain managers are paid a bonus if they remain with the company during the next fiscal year.

(4)	The Board has historically provided for a discretionary bonus award at the end of the fiscal year.

(5)	Kopin does not provide dwellings for personal use other than for temporary job relocation.

Executive Employment Agreement / Other Potential Post-Employment Compensation

As discussed above in our Compensation Discussion and Analysis, certain of our named executive officers and other employees have potential post-employment benefits. Our Equity Plans have provisions that may result in the acceleration of vesting of certain equity awards as a result of a change in control. In addition, the employment agreement with our former Chief Executive Officer provides for certain post-employment benefits. The table below summarizes the effects on the compensation of our named executive officers as if the termination of employment or change of control provisions of the Equity Plans and employment agreement were triggered on December 30, 2023.

Name	Value of Equity Awards if a Change in Control Occurs on 12/30/23⁽¹⁾	Health Care Benefits⁽²⁾	Severance Payments
Michael Murray	$1,727,390	—	—
Richard A. Sneider	$388,505	—	—
Paul Baker	$322,364	—	—

(1)

Our Equity Plans provide for the acceleration of the vesting of our equity awards in the event of a change in control of the Company. The amounts in this column represent the value the executive officer would have received if there were a change of control of the Company on December 30, 2023, and his unvested restricted stock awards as of December 30, 2023 became vested. The restricted stock award value is computed by multiplying the number of unvested shares of restricted stock at December 30, 2023 by the closing price of the Company’s common stock on Nasdaq on December 30, 2023 ($2.03). There were no unvested stock options as of December 30, 2023.

OUTSTANDING EQUITY AWARDS AT FISCAL YEAR-END

The following table discloses information concerning stock options and unvested stock awards held by our named executive officers as of December 30, 2023 pursuant to our Equity Plans.

	Option Awards					Stock Awards
Name	Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Exercisable	Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Unexercisable	Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Unearned Options (#)	Option Exercise Price ($)	Option Expiration Date	Number of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested (#)	Market Value of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Yet Vested ($)⁽¹⁾	Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights That Have Not Vested (#)	Equity Incentive Plan Awards; Market or Payout Value of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights That Have Not Vested ($)
Michael Murray .	—	—	—	—	—	850,931	$1,727,390	—	—
Richard A. Sneider	—	—	—	—	—	191,382	$388,505	—	—
Paul Baker	—	—	—	—	—	158,800	$322,364	—	—

(1)	Market value information is determined by multiplying the number of shares by the closing price of our common stock on Nasdaq on the last trading day of our 2023, fiscal year ($2.03 as of December 30, 2023).

			2023 Incentive Plan⁽¹⁾			2023 Retention Grants⁽²⁾			2023 Retention Grant⁽³⁾			2022 Retention Grant⁽⁴⁾			2021 Retention Grant⁽⁵⁾			2020 Incentive Grant⁽⁶⁾			Total⁽⁷⁾
Michael Murray			107,500			36,764			66,667			640,000			—			—			850,931

	2023 Incentive Plan⁽¹⁾	2023 Retention Grants⁽²⁾	2023 Retention Grant⁽³⁾	2022 Retention Grant⁽⁴⁾	2021 Retention Grant⁽⁵⁾	2020 Incentive Grant⁽⁶⁾	Total⁽⁷⁾
Richard Sneider	83,000	18,382	40,000	—	10,000	40,000	191,382
Paul Baker	74,800	—	40,000	—	10,000	34,000	158,800

(1)	Vesting of shares will vest upon achievement of certain milestones in the Company’s fiscal year 2023.

(2)	Shares vest on December 10, 2024.

(3)	Shares vest at the rate of 50% on December 10, 2024 and December 10, 2025.

(4)	The original grant was 800,000 shares and they vest at the rate of 160,000 shares on each December 10th, commencing December 10, 2023.

(5)	Shares vest at the rate of 5,000 shares on December 10, 2024 and December 10, 2025

(6)	Shares vest at the rate of 50% on December 10, 2024 and December 10, 2025

(7)	The employees must remain employed by the Company, except as provided in the Company’s equity plans, and meet certain other conditions for the shares to vest

PAY VERSUS PERFORMANCE

As required by Item 402(v) of Regulation S-K, we are providing the following information about the relationship between the compensation actually paid to our named executive officers and the financial performance of the Company for the fiscal years listed below. The Compensation Committee did not consider the pay versus performance disclosure below in making its pay decisions for any of the years shown.

Year	Summary Compensation Table Total for Former PEO– John C.C Fan⁽¹⁾	Compensation Actually Paid for former PEO – John C.C. Fan	Summary Compensation Table Total for PEO– M. Murray⁽¹⁾	Compensation Actually Paid to PEO– M Murray	Average Summary Compensation Table Total for Non-PEO NEOs⁽²⁾	Average Compensation Actually Paid to Non-PEO NEOs⁽²⁾	Value of Initial Fixed $100 Investment Based On Total Shareholder Return	Net Loss
2023	$—	—	$950,902	$1,651,367	$443,811	$ 684,290	$73.55	($19,748,219)
2022	$ 609,776	($ 254,406)	$1,263,936	$1,223,936	$378,934	($89,244)	$ 44.93	($19,326,265)

(1)	Dr. Fan was the Company’s PEO through August 2022. Mr. Murray became the Company’s PEO in September 2022.

(2)	Consists of Mr. Sneider and Mr. Baker in 2023 and Messrs. Sneider and Baker and Drs. Tsaur and Choi in 2022.

(3)	Compensation Actually Paid reflects the exclusions and inclusions of certain amounts for the PEO and the Non-PEO NEOs as set forth below. Equity values are calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718.

For Dr. Fan:

Year			Reported Summary Compensation Table Total for Former PEO (John C.C. Fan)			Reported Value of Equity Awards^(a)			Equity Award Adjustments^(b)			Compensation Actually Paid to Former PEO (John C.C.Fan)
2022			$609,776			$ —			($864,182)			($254,406)

(a)	Represents the total of the grant date fair value of the equity awards reported in the “Stock Awards” column in the Summary

Compensation Table for the applicable year.

(b)

The equity award adjustments for each applicable year include the addition (or subtraction, as applicable) of the following: (i) the year- end fair value of any equity awards granted in the applicable year that are outstanding and unvested as of the end of the year; (ii) the amount of change as of the end of the applicable year (from the end of the prior fiscal year) in fair value of any awards granted in prior years that are outstanding and unvested as of the end of the applicable year; (iii) for awards that are granted and vest in same applicable year, the fair value as of the vesting date; (iv) for awards granted in prior years that vest in the applicable year, the amount equal to the change as of the vesting date (from the end of the prior fiscal year) in fair value; (v) for awards granted in prior years that are determined to fail to meet the applicable vesting conditions during the applicable year, a deduction for the amount equal to the fair value at the end of the prior fiscal year; and (vi) the dollar value of any dividends or other earnings paid on stock awards in the applicable year prior to the vesting date that are not otherwise reflected in the fair value of such award or included in any other component of total compensation for the applicable year. The valuation assumptions used to calculate fair value did not materially differ from those disclosed at the time of grant. The amounts deducted or added in calculating the equity award adjustments are as follows:

Year			Granted during Year that Remains Unvested Year End Fair Value of Equity Award			Year over Year Change in Fair Value of Outstanding and Unvested Equity Awards			Fair Value as of Vesting Date of Equity Awards Granted and Vested in the Year			Change in Fair Value of Equity Awards Granted in Prior Years that Vested in the Year			Fair Value at the End of the Prior Year of Equity Awards that Failed to Meet Vesting Conditions in the Year			Value of Dividends or other Earnings Paid on Stock Awards not Otherwise Reflected in Fair Value or Total Compensation			Total Equity Award Adjustments
2022			$ —			$(94,860)			$ —			$(493,723)			($ 275,599)			$ —			$(864,182)

For Mr. Murray:

Year	Reported Summary Compensation Table Total for PEO (Michael Murray)	Reported Value of Equity Awards^(a)	Equity Award Adjustments^(b)	Compensation Actually Paid to PEO (Michael Murray)
2023 .	$950,902	($340,545)	$1,041,010	$ 1,651,367
2022	$1,263,936	($1,032,000)