Scholar Rock Announces New Employee Equity Grants
Scholar Rock (NASDAQ: SRRK), a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative treatments for serious diseases, announced the issuance of inducement equity awards to 19 newly hired employees. These awards were granted in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4) and are intended as material inducements for employment with the company.
In total, the inducement awards cover 156,650 shares of Scholar Rock’s common stock. This includes stock options to purchase 89,515 shares and restricted stock units (RSUs) covering 67,135 shares. The awards were approved by the company’s board of directors and issued under Scholar Rock’s 2022 Inducement Equity Plan.
Designed to Attract Top Talent
Scholar Rock uses its inducement equity plan to attract the talented professionals who are critical to its growth and innovation efforts. The plan is reserved for individuals who are new to the company, or who are rejoining after a bona fide period of non-employment, as a meaningful incentive to join the organization.
The 2022 Inducement Equity Plan, initially adopted by the board on June 16, 2022, and amended as needed, provides a framework for awarding equity exclusively to eligible new hires under Nasdaq’s listing rules. The plan aligns with the company’s long-term mission by offering equity-based compensation to help recruit and retain top-tier talent in the competitive biopharmaceutical space.
Terms of the Inducement Awards
The stock options carry an exercise price of $28.93, which matches the closing price of Scholar Rock’s common stock on April 14, 2025. These options follow a standard vesting schedule:
- 25% of the shares vest on the first anniversary of each employee’s start date.
- The remaining 75% vest in 12 equal quarterly installments thereafter, provided the employee remains in continuous service.
The RSUs granted under the same plan will vest in four equal annual installments, contingent upon the employee’s continued employment at Scholar Rock through each applicable vesting date.
These inducement grants align Scholar Rock’s new hires with shareholder interests and reinforce the company’s culture of long-term commitment and innovation.
Supporting Growth in Key Focus Areas
Scholar Rock’s expansion comes at a time when the company is progressing its pipeline of therapies targeting neuromuscular diseases, cardiometabolic disorders, and other serious medical conditions. The company’s growth requires a highly skilled and passionate workforce—particularly in areas of clinical development, regulatory affairs, and scientific research.
By leveraging its inducement equity plan, Scholar Rock is better positioned to bring in the expertise needed to advance late-stage development programs and prepare for potential commercialization of its lead candidates.
About Scholar Rock
Scholar Rock is a biopharmaceutical company pioneering novel therapies that target the transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) superfamily of proteins. With deep expertise in protein biology and a proprietary platform that generates monoclonal antibodies capable of modulating growth factor activity with high selectivity, Scholar Rock is tackling diseases with significant unmet need.
The company’s name reflects its scientific roots: a “scholar rock” is a natural formation is known for its intricate structure and resemblance to complex biological molecules. Just as these rocks are valued for their beauty and uniqueness, Scholar Rock’s therapeutic discoveries aim to reflect the complexity and precision of biological systems.
Scholar Rock is actively advancing a pipeline of investigational therapies with the potential to transform treatment standards in neuromuscular diseases, such as spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), and cardiometabolic disorders, while continuing to explore the broader potential of its growth factor-targeting platform in oncology and fibrosis.
By developing first-in-class or best-in-class therapies, the company is then committed to creating meaningful change for patients and families affected by conditions that have long lacked effective treatment options.
