Sefton Cohen
About Sefton Cohen
Sefton Cohen, age 55, is Chief Revenue Officer at Research Solutions (RSSS) since November 4, 2024, with an MBA from Columbia Business School and a 20+ year SaaS growth background spanning CRO roles and enterprise software commercialization . Company pay-versus-performance data shows TSR value of a $100 investment at $100.35 in FY2025 (vs $93.01 in FY2024 and $71.33 in FY2023) and net income of $1,265,553 in FY2025 (vs $(3,786,597) in FY2024; $571,623 in FY2023), providing context for performance during his tenure’s first fiscal year . Cohen filed an initial Form 3 on November 14, 2024 (event date 11/04/2024), reporting no securities beneficially owned at that time; subsequent equity awards and ownership were established after appointment .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suralink | Chief Revenue Officer | Not disclosed | Led revenue organization at SaaS firm; focus on scaling growth |
| RapidRatings | Chief Revenue Officer | Not disclosed | Led commercial transformation culminating in a $240M private equity exit |
| Medidata Solutions | Executive roles (commercial) | Not disclosed | Drove adoption of AI and analytics solutions across global pharma |
| Qubit | Commercial leadership | Not disclosed | Scaled US operations from 6 to 65 employees; supported $66M venture funding |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Business School | Finalist Judge, Lang Venture Competition | Not disclosed | Senior judge for entrepreneurship competition |
| Columbia Business School | Mentor, Greenhouse Venture Program | Not disclosed | Mentors founders in Columbia’s venture program |
Fixed Compensation
| Fiscal Year | Base Salary ($) | All Other Compensation ($) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | 225,392 | 9,213 | Partial-year earned; appointment 11/04/2024 |
| Contract Terms | 340,000 (annual) | — | Employment agreement Exhibit A; CRO role |
Performance Compensation
Annual Incentive Plan (AIP) — Structure and Actuals
| Executive | Metric | Weight FY2025 | Weight FY2026 | Target Definition | Actual/Payout FY2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRO (Cohen) | Net ARR growth vs plan | 60% | 77% | Annual net ARR growth vs plan | Actual bonus paid $173,583 |
| CRO (Cohen) | Adjusted EBITDA vs plan | 20% | 11.5% | Adjusted EBITDA vs plan | Included in total payout |
| CRO (Cohen) | OKRs (strategic goals) | 20% | 11.5% | Board-approved objectives & key results | Included in total payout |
| Fiscal Year | Bonus Paid ($) | Stock Awards Grant-Date Fair Value ($) | Total Compensation ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | 173,583 | 777,240 (340,000 RS grant 11/12/2024) | 1,185,428 |
Long-Term Equity Bonus Plan (LTEBP) — Design and Vesting
| Grant Date | Award Type | Shares Granted | Vesting Design | Status as of 6/30/2025 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/12/2024 | Restricted Stock (LTEBP) | 340,000 | 5 price-based tiers; each vests 20% upon achieving 30-day VWAP thresholds: $3.00, $3.75, $4.50, $5.25, $6.00 | First two tiers achieved; unvested RS 204,000 | Fair value via Monte Carlo model; derived service period 0.64–2.31 yrs |
Clawback: Effective 11/14/2023, Compensation Recovery Policy compliant with Nasdaq and SEC Rule 10D-1; applies to Section 16 officers and contributors to restatements .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Outstanding | Composition/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sefton Cohen | 279,933 | <1% | Includes 204,000 unvested RS from 11/12/2024 LTEBP grant |
| Shares Outstanding (reference) | 32,821,783 | — | As of 9/22/2025 |
- Pledging/Hedging: As of the proxy date, none of the executive officers or non-employee directors have previously engaged in hedging or pledging transactions involving Company securities .
- Options: No options reported for Cohen; equity is restricted stock under LTEBP .
- Ownership Guidelines: Not disclosed in the proxy; Insider Trading Policy updated July 1, 2025 with pre-clearance requirements for certain transactions .
Employment Terms
| Term | Detail |
|---|---|
| Role/Start | Chief Revenue Officer; appointed November 4, 2024 |
| Base Salary | $340,000 annually (Exhibit A) |
| Target Bonus | $260,000 on-target (Exhibit A; management bonus) |
| Bonus Plan | Based on Company sales and retention; participates in executive bonus plan |
| Non-Solicit | 18 months post-employment; customer and employee non-solicitation; confidentiality and invention assignment provisions |
| Severance (No Cause, first year or within 12 months of CoC) | 9 months salary continuation; earned but unpaid bonus; pro-rata current-year bonus; health and welfare continuation for 9 months |
| Severance (No Cause, other) | 6 months salary continuation; earned but unpaid bonus; pro-rata current-year bonus; health and welfare continuation for 6 months |
| Employment Term | At-will; indefinite term unless terminated per agreement |
| Governing Law/Notices | Connecticut law; notice provisions and addresses as specified |
Investment Implications
- Alignment: Cohen’s AIP is heavily weighted to net ARR growth and adjusted EBITDA vs plan (FY2025: 60%/20%/20; FY2026: 77%/11.5%/11.5%), and his LTEBP vests strictly on stock-price VWAP tiers—directly linking pay to growth and shareholder value creation .
- Retention vs Liquidity: Unvested RS of 204,000 as of FY2025 year-end under price-based tiers indicates continued retention incentives; first two tiers achieved suggest meaningful vested equity and potential future selling pressure as additional tiers are met (subject to insider trading windows and policy pre-clearance) .
- Risk Controls: The clawback policy and insider trading/hedging/pledging restrictions reduce governance risk; severance is moderate (6–9 months salary, pro-rata bonus, benefits) with change-of-control protection limited to the first year/12 months post-CoC—tempering golden parachute concerns .
- Execution Track Record: Prior roles emphasize scaling SaaS revenue and commercial transformations (including a $240M exit), supportive of accelerated ARR growth targets fundamental to AIP payouts and equity value creation at RSSS .