STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2020
Stockholders Equity Note [Abstract]
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY	6. STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY Public Offering On May 27, 2020, we completed an underwritten public offering of 107,049,375 shares of our common stock and a pre-funded warrant to purchase 8,335,239 shares of our common stock, together with accompanying stock purchase warrants to purchase 57,692,307 shares of our common stock. The shares of common stock were immediately separable from the pre-funded warrant and the stock purchase warrants. All of the securities were issued separately. The combined public offering price of the common stock and accompanying stock purchase warrants was $1.30 per share. The stock purchase warrants have an exercise price of $1.30 per share and are exercisable immediately. The term of the stock purchase warrants expires on the earlier to occur of (a) the date that is 30 business days following the date on which we first issue a press release disclosing, if applicable, positive top-line safety and efficacy results from the Phase 3 portion of IMerge and (b) December 31, 2025. The combined public offering price of the pre-funded warrant and accompanying stock purchase warrants was $1.299 per share. The pre-funded warrant has an exercise price of $0.001 per share and may be exercised at any time until the pre-funded warrant is exercised in full. As of June 30, 2020, none of the pre-funded warrant and stock purchase warrants have been exercised. The net cash proceeds from this offering were approximately $140,184,000, after deducting the underwriting discount and other offering expenses payable by us, and excluding any future proceeds from the exercise of the pre-funded warrant or the stock purchase warrants. Approximately $610,000 in offering expenses were accrued and unpaid as of June 30, 2020. Upon the issuance of the pre-funded warrant and stock purchase warrants, we evaluated the terms of each warrant to determine the appropriate accounting and classification pursuant to FASB Accounting Standards Codification Topic 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity, and FASB Accounting Standards Codification Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging. Warrants are classified as liabilities when the warrant terms allow settlement of the warrant exercise in cash and classified as equity when the warrant terms only allow settlement in shares of common stock. The terms of the pre-funded warrant and the stock purchase warrants include certain provisions related to fundamental transactions, a cashless exercise provision in the event registered shares are not available, and do not include any mandatory redemption provisions. Based on our evaluation, we have concluded the pre-funded warrant and the stock purchase warrants should be classified as equity with no subsequent remeasurement as long as such warrants continue to be classified as equity. At Market Issuance Sales Agreement On May 18, 2018, we entered into an At Market Issuance Sales Agreement, or the 2018 Sales Agreement, with B. Riley FBR, Inc., or B. Riley FBR, pursuant to which we may elect to issue and sell shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $100,000,000 in such quantities and on such minimum price terms as we set from time to time through B. Riley FBR as our sales agent. We pay B. Riley FBR an aggregate commission rate equal to up to 3.0% of the gross proceeds of the sales price per share for common stock sold through B. Riley FBR under the 2018 Sales Agreement. On July 10, 2018, we filed a prospectus supplement, or the ATM Prospectus Supplement, pursuant to which we may offer and sell, from time to time, shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $62,821,700 under the 2018 Sales Agreement. From January 2020 through April 2020, we sold an aggregate of 3,496,616 shares of our common stock pursuant to the 2018 Sales Agreement, resulting in net cash proceeds to us of approximately $4,075,000, after deducting sales commissions and other offering expenses payable by us. As of June 30, 2020, approximately $36,500,000 of our common stock remained available for issuance under the 2018 Sales Agreement. The 2018 Sales Agreement will expire upon the earlier of the remaining common stock being sold or May 2021. In connection with the public offering in May 2020, we terminated the ATM Prospectus Supplement, but the 2018 Sales Agreement remains in full force and effect. We cannot make any further sales of common stock under the 2018 Sales Agreement until the later of August 19, 2020, or the date we file a new prospectus under an effective registration statement covering the offer and sale of shares under the 2018 Sales Agreement. 2018 Inducement Award Plan In December 2018, our board of directors approved the adoption of the 2018 Inducement Award Plan, or the Inducement Plan, pursuant to which we reserved 3,000,000 shares of Geron common stock (subject to customary adjustments in the event of a change in capital structure) to be used exclusively for grants of inducement awards to individuals who were not previously Geron employees or directors, other than following a bona fide period of non-employment. In January 2019 and February 2020, our Compensation Committee approved amendments to increase the reserve of shares of our common stock under the 2018 Inducement Award Plan by 5,000,000 and 1,300,000 shares, respectively. The Inducement Plan provides for the grant of nonstatutory stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units and other stock awards, and all awards under the Inducement Plan are intended to meet the standards under Rule 5635(c)(4) of the Nasdaq Listing Rules. The terms and conditions of the Inducement Plan and the inducement awards to be granted thereunder are substantially similar to our stockholder-approved 2018 Equity Incentive Plan. 2018 Equity Incentive Plan In June 2020, our stockholders approved an amendment to our 2018 Equity Incentive Plan to increase the total number of shares issuable under such plan by 5,700,000 shares of our common stock.

STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2020

6. STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

Public Offering

On May 27, 2020, we completed an underwritten public offering of 107,049,375 shares of our common stock and a pre-funded warrant to purchase 8,335,239 shares of our common stock, together with accompanying stock purchase warrants to purchase 57,692,307 shares of our common stock. The shares of common stock were immediately separable from the pre-funded warrant and the stock purchase warrants. All of the securities were issued separately. The combined public offering price of the common stock and accompanying stock purchase warrants was $1.30 per share. The stock purchase warrants have an exercise price of $1.30 per share and are exercisable immediately. The term of the stock purchase warrants expires on the earlier to occur of (a) the date that is 30 business days following the date on which we first issue a press release disclosing, if applicable, positive top-line safety and efficacy results from the Phase 3 portion of IMerge and (b) December 31, 2025. The combined public offering price of the pre-funded warrant and accompanying stock purchase warrants was $1.299 per share. The pre-funded warrant has an exercise price of $0.001 per share and may be exercised at any time until the pre-funded warrant is exercised in full. As of June 30, 2020, none of the pre-funded warrant and stock purchase warrants have been exercised. The net cash proceeds from this offering were approximately $140,184,000, after deducting the underwriting discount and other offering expenses payable by us, and excluding any future proceeds from the exercise of the pre-funded warrant or the stock purchase warrants. Approximately $610,000 in offering expenses were accrued and unpaid as of June 30, 2020.

Upon the issuance of the pre-funded warrant and stock purchase warrants, we evaluated the terms of each warrant to determine the appropriate accounting and classification pursuant to FASB Accounting Standards Codification Topic 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity, and FASB Accounting Standards Codification Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging. Warrants are classified as liabilities when the warrant terms allow settlement of the warrant exercise in cash and classified as equity when the warrant terms only allow settlement in shares of common stock. The terms of the pre-funded warrant and the stock purchase warrants include certain provisions related to fundamental transactions, a cashless exercise provision in the event registered shares are not available, and do not include any mandatory redemption provisions. Based on our evaluation, we have concluded the pre-funded warrant and the stock

purchase warrants should be classified as equity with no subsequent remeasurement as long as such warrants continue to be classified as equity.

At Market Issuance Sales Agreement

On May 18, 2018, we entered into an At Market Issuance Sales Agreement, or the 2018 Sales Agreement, with B. Riley FBR, Inc., or B. Riley FBR, pursuant to which we may elect to issue and sell shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $100,000,000 in such quantities and on such minimum price terms as we set from time to time through B. Riley FBR as our sales agent. We pay B. Riley FBR an aggregate commission rate equal to up to 3.0% of the gross proceeds of the sales price per share for common stock sold through B. Riley FBR under the 2018 Sales Agreement. On July 10, 2018, we filed a prospectus supplement, or the ATM Prospectus Supplement, pursuant to which we may offer and sell, from time to time, shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $62,821,700 under the 2018 Sales Agreement. From January 2020 through April 2020, we sold an aggregate of 3,496,616 shares of our common stock pursuant to the 2018 Sales Agreement, resulting in net cash proceeds to us of approximately $4,075,000, after deducting sales commissions and other offering expenses payable by us. As of June 30, 2020, approximately $36,500,000 of our common stock remained available for issuance under the 2018 Sales Agreement. The 2018 Sales Agreement will expire upon the earlier of the remaining common stock being sold or May 2021. In connection with the public offering in May 2020, we terminated the ATM Prospectus Supplement, but the 2018 Sales Agreement remains in full force and effect. We cannot make any further sales of common stock under the 2018 Sales Agreement until the later of August 19, 2020, or the date we file a new prospectus under an effective registration statement covering the offer and sale of shares under the 2018 Sales Agreement.

2018 Inducement Award Plan

In December 2018, our board of directors approved the adoption of the 2018 Inducement Award Plan, or the Inducement Plan, pursuant to which we reserved 3,000,000 shares of Geron common stock (subject to customary adjustments in the event of a change in capital structure) to be used exclusively for grants of inducement awards to individuals who were not previously Geron employees or directors, other than following a bona fide period of non-employment. In January 2019 and February 2020, our Compensation Committee approved amendments to increase the reserve of shares of our common stock under the 2018 Inducement Award Plan by 5,000,000 and 1,300,000 shares, respectively. The Inducement Plan provides for the grant of nonstatutory stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units and other stock awards, and all awards under the Inducement Plan are intended to meet the standards under Rule 5635(c)(4) of the Nasdaq Listing Rules. The terms and conditions of the Inducement Plan and the inducement awards to be granted thereunder are substantially similar to our stockholder-approved 2018 Equity Incentive Plan.

2018 Equity Incentive Plan

In June 2020, our stockholders approved an amendment to our 2018 Equity Incentive Plan to increase the total number of shares issuable under such plan by 5,700,000 shares of our common stock.