Jason Jones
About Jason Jones
Jason C. Jones (age 53) is Chief Operating Officer of Ekso Bionics, serving as COO since January 2, 2023 after joining Ekso in October 2018 as Vice President of Product Development; he holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA (finance/entrepreneurship) from UC Berkeley/Haas . Company performance context: Ekso’s “Pay vs Performance” disclosure shows total shareholder return (TSR) of $23.02 (value of a $100 investment since 12/31/2021) for 2024, versus $94.34 in 2023 and $44.91 in 2022, alongside net losses of $11.33M (2024), $15.20M (2023), and $15.08M (2022) .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ekso Bionics | Chief Operating Officer | Jan 2023–present | Leads Engineering/Product Management to extend market position in medical and industrial markets |
| Ekso Bionics | VP, Product Development | Oct 2018–Jan 2023 | Led engineering/product management; product development leadership |
| Berkeley Renewables LLC | Founder & Principal | Nov 2011–Nov 2018 | Contract product development for novel monitoring/control systems in solar industry |
| Tilt Solar LLC | Co‑Founder/Operator | Jul 2007–Apr 2009 (sold) | Developed technology/equipment for solar; company sold to SunPower (Apr 2009) |
| SunPower Corporation (SPWR) | Product Line Manager, Utilities | Apr 2009–Oct 2010 | Product line management in utility-scale solar |
| Multiple banks (BAC, Citadel Securities) | Equity Research Analyst (Tech) | 2004–2013 (five total years) | Sell-side research across technology sector |
| Early career | Systems Engineer | Not disclosed | Industrial automation and robotics engineering |
External Roles
| Organization | Position | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| None disclosed in SEC proxy | — | — | No current public-company directorships or external roles disclosed for Mr. Jones in the proxy biography |
Fixed Compensation
Multi-year summary compensation (as reported in the Summary Compensation Table):
| Metric | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Base Salary ($) | 295,000 | 325,000 |
| Target Bonus (% of salary) | Up to 50% per offer letter | 50% |
| Cash Bonus Paid ($) | 137,415 | 54,600 |
| Stock Awards – Grant Date Fair Value ($) | 262,827 | — |
| Option Awards – Grant Date Fair Value ($) | — | — |
| All Other Compensation ($) | 15,000 (401k match in stock) | 15,250 (401k match in stock) |
| Total ($) | 710,242 | 394,850 |
Notes:
- Offer letter sets annual salary initially at $295,000 (raised to $325,000 subsequently) and target annual bonus up to 50% of base salary based on company/individual milestones .
Performance Compensation
Short-Term Incentive (STI) framework and 2024 outcomes:
| Plan/Period | Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual Achievement | Payout | Vesting/Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 STI | Revenue, cash spend, and milestones (predictable revenue model, brand, reimbursement, new products, regulatory certifications, ops improvements, strategic initiatives) | 35% H1 / 65% Full-year | 50% of base salary (COO) | 51% (H1 2024) and 24% (FY 2024) achievement levels | $54,600 (aggregate 2024 bonus) | Cash (paid under STI) |
Governance features:
- Compensation Committee/Board retained discretion to adjust awards considering achievements and cash resources .
- Company adopted a Dodd‑Frank compliant clawback policy in Oct 2023 covering incentive pay tied to financial metrics (including stock price/TSR) received during the 3 completed fiscal years preceding any required restatement .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
As of December 31, 2024 (plan-level outstanding), and as of March 18, 2025 (beneficial ownership for proxy record date):
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Outstanding equity under 2014 Plan (12/31/2024) | Options: 26,001; RSUs: 125,972 |
| Beneficial ownership (Determination Date: Mar 18, 2025) | Total beneficially owned: 249,551 shares; components: (i) options exercisable or exercisable within 60 days: 26,001; (ii) RSUs vested and unissued or vesting within 60 days: 150,818; (iii) common shares: 72,732 |
| Ownership % of class | Less than 1% (“*” notation per proxy) |
| Hedging/Pledging | Anti‑hedging policy prohibits hedging/monetization transactions by officers; proxy does not explicitly disclose an anti‑pledging policy |
| Equity compensation plan reserve/overhang (company‑level) | 1,901,127 securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights; weighted‑avg exercise price $31.53; 692,386 remaining available for future issuance (as of 12/31/2024) |
Vesting schedules and grant specifics (outstanding at 12/31/2024):
| Instrument | Quantity | Exercise/Type | Vesting/Commencement | Expiration/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock options | 13,334 | $30.75 | N/A (exercisable balance shown) | 11/1/2028 |
| Stock options | 12,667 | $9.15 | N/A (exercisable balance shown) | 11/6/2029 |
| RSUs | 5,669 | RSU | Vest in equal annual installments over 3 years; vesting commenced 12/4/2023 | |
| RSUs | 6,667 | RSU | Vest in equal annual installments over 3 years; vesting commenced 12/8/2023 | |
| RSUs | 113,636 | RSU | Vest in equal annual installments over 3 years; vesting commenced 1/2/2024 |
Notes:
- RSUs under the 2014 Plan vest in equal installments over three years from the vesting commencement date .
- Company equity plan contemplates performance awards and multiple performance criteria, including revenue, EBITDA, TSR, ROE/ROA, regulatory achievements, budget attainment, cost reductions, and KPIs .
Employment Terms
| Term | Key details |
|---|---|
| Appointment | COO effective January 2, 2023; previously VP Product Development (Oct 2018–Jan 2023) |
| Base salary | $295,000 under Jones Offer Letter; since increased to $325,000; 2024 SCT salary shows $325,000 |
| Target annual bonus | Up to 50% of base salary, based on company and individual milestones |
| Sign-on/Promotion equity | $225,000 RSUs under 2014 Plan, vest over three years on anniversaries of Jan 2, 2023 |
| Severance (without cause) | Salary continuation for six months at base salary rate |
| Benefits | Eligible for standard health insurance, bonus, and other employee plans |
| Change-in-control (CIC) – plan level | Under the equity plan, awards are generally assumed/substituted by a successor; if not assumed/substituted, outstanding awards may become fully vested (performance awards vest to actual achievement or pro‑rata deemed achievement); administrator may choose to fully vest awards at CIC. Treatment can vary by award; not required to treat all awards similarly . |
| Clawback | Dodd‑Frank/Nasdaq compliant compensation recovery policy adopted Oct 2023 covering incentive pay tied to financial reporting measures (including stock price/TSR) for the 3 completed fiscal years preceding any required restatement |
| Hedging | No director/officer/employee may engage in hedging/monetization transactions in company securities |
Investment Implications
- Cash pay tightly linked to annual performance: 2024 STI paid $54,600 against a 50% of salary target, with achievement levels of 51% (H1) and 24% (FY), indicating below-target corporate performance outcomes embedded in cash bonuses .
- Equity alignment is meaningful but sub-1% of shares outstanding: 249,551 beneficially owned shares (including options/RSUs within 60 days), less than 1% of the class; anti-hedging policy supports alignment, though the proxy does not explicitly disclose an anti‑pledging policy .
- Vesting cadence through 2026–2027 may create periodic liquidity windows: multiple RSU grants vest annually from December 2023/January 2024 commencement dates; options expiring in 2028/2029 with strikes well above recent market prices could limit near-term in-the-money optionality .
- Retention and change-in-control risk appear contained at the individual contract level: severance is six months of salary if terminated without cause; no individual CIC multiple disclosed; plan-level CIC may accelerate vesting if awards are not assumed by a successor, but treatment is discretionary and can vary by award .
- Company performance context underscores execution risk: TSR fell to $23.02 (from $94.34) for the 2024 measurement period, with a 2024 net loss of $11.33M, which can weigh on incentive realizations and equity value during Jones’s tenure as COO .
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