S-8

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 2, 2023

Registration No. 333-            

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

Verve Therapeutics, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

 

 

 

Delaware   82-4800132

(State or Other Jurisdiction of

Incorporation or Organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

 

201 Brookline Avenue, Suite 601

Boston, MA

  02215
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)   (Zip Code)

2021 Stock Incentive Plan

Amended and Restated 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

(Full Title of the Plan)

Sekar Kathiresan, M.D.

Chief Executive Officer

Verve Therapeutics, Inc.

201 Brookline Avenue, Suite 601

Boston, MA 02215

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

(617) 603-0070

(Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent for Service)

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer      Accelerated filer  
Non-accelerated filer      Smaller reporting company  
     Emerging growth company  

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.  ☐

 

 

 


STATEMENT OF INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This Registration Statement on Form S-8, relating to the 2021 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2021 Plan”) and the Amended and Restated 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (together with the 2021 Plan, the “Plans”) of Verve Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Registrant”), is being filed for the purpose of registering additional securities of the same class as other securities for which a Registration Statement on Form S-8 has previously been filed and is effective. Pursuant to General Instruction E to Form S-8, except as otherwise set forth below, this Registration Statement incorporates by reference the contents of (i) the Registration Statement on Form S-8, File No.  333-257175, filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on June 17, 2021 relating to the 2018 Equity Incentive Plan and the Plans and (ii) the Registration Statement on Form S-8, File No.  333-263518, filed by the Registrant with the SEC on March 14, 2022 relating to the Plans, and the information required by Part II is omitted, except as supplemented by the information set forth below.

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 8. Exhibits.

The following exhibits are incorporated herein by reference:

 

Number   

Description

    4.1    Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant, effective as of June  21, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K, File No. 001-40489, filed June 21, 2021).
    4.2    Second Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Registrant, effective as of February  14, 2023 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K, File No. 001-40489, filed February  17, 2023).
    5.1*    Opinion of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, counsel to the Registrant.
  23.1*    Consent of Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm.
  23.2*    Consent of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1).
  24.1*    Power of attorney (included on the signature pages of this registration statement).
  99.1    2021 Stock Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to Amendment No.  1 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-256608) filed June 14, 2021).
  99.2    Amended and Restated 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.7 to Amendment No.  1 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-256608) filed June 14, 2021).
107*    Filing Fee Table.

 

*

Filed herewith


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Boston, Commonwealth of Massachusetts on this 2nd day of March, 2023.

 

Verve Therapeutics, Inc.

By:

 

/s/ Sekar Kathiresan, M.D.

 

Sekar Kathiresan, M.D.

 

Chief Executive Officer


POWER OF ATTORNEY AND SIGNATURES

We, the undersigned officers and directors of Verve Therapeutics, Inc., hereby severally constitute and appoint Sekar Kathiresan, Allison Dorval and Andrew Ashe, and each of them singly (with full power to each of them to act alone), our true and lawful attorneys with full power of substitution and resubstitution in each of them for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, and in any and all capacities, to sign for us and in our names in the capacities indicated below, the registration statement on Form S-8 filed herewith and any and all subsequent amendments to said registration statement, and generally to do all such things in our names and on our behalf in our capacities as officers and directors to enable Verve Therapeutics, Inc. to comply with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and all requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming our signatures as they may be signed by our said attorneys, or any of them, to said registration statement and any and all amendments thereto.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

Signature

  

Title

 

Date

/s/ Sekar Kathiresan

Sekar Kathiresan, M.D.

  

Chief Executive Officer, Director

(Principal Executive Officer)

  March 2, 2023

/s/ Allison Dorval

Allison Dorval

  

Chief Financial Officer

(Principal Financial Officer and

Principal Accounting Officer)

  March 2, 2023

/s/ Burt Adelman

Burt Adelman, M.D.

  

Director

  March 2, 2023

/s/ Lonnel Coats

Lonnel Coats

  

Director

  March 2, 2023

/s/ Alexander Cumbo

Alexander Cumbo

  

Director

  March 2, 2023

/s/ Michael MacLean

Michael MacLean

  

Director

  March 2, 2023

/s/ Sheila Mikhail

Sheila Mikhail, J.D.

  

Director

  March 2, 2023

/s/ Krishna Yeshwant

Krishna Yeshwant, M.D.

  

Director

  March 2, 2023
EX-5.1

Exhibit 5.1

 

LOGO

 

March 2, 2023      

 

+ 1 617 526 6000 (t)

+ 1 617 526 5000 (f)

Verve Therapeutics, Inc.

201 Brookline Avenue, Suite 601

Boston, MA 02215

 

  Re:

2021 Stock Incentive Plan

Amended and Restated 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have assisted in the preparation of a Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the “Registration Statement”) to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), relating to an aggregate of 3,703,849 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value per share (the “Shares”), of Verve Therapeutics, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), issuable under the Company’s 2021 Stock Incentive Plan and Amended and Restated 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (collectively, the “Plans”).

We have examined the Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws of the Company, each as amended and restated to date, and originals, or copies certified to our satisfaction, of all pertinent records of the meetings of the directors and stockholders of the Company, the Registration Statement and such other documents relating to the Company as we have deemed material for the purposes of this opinion.

In our examination of the foregoing documents, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as certified, photostatic or other copies, the authenticity of the originals of any such documents and the legal competence of all signatories to such documents.

We assume that the appropriate action will be taken, prior to the offer and sale of the Shares in accordance with the Plans, to register and qualify the Shares for sale under all applicable state securities or “blue sky” laws.

We express no opinion herein as to the laws of any state or jurisdiction other than the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware and the federal laws of the United States of America.

It is understood that this opinion is to be used only in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares while the Registration Statement is in effect.

 

LOGO


LOGO

Verve Therapeutics Inc.

March 2, 2023

Page 2

 

Please note that we are opining only as to the matters expressly set forth herein, and no opinion should be inferred as to any other matters.

Based on the foregoing, we are of the opinion that the Shares have been duly authorized for issuance and, when the Shares are issued and paid for in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Plans, the Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion with the Commission in connection with the Registration Statement in accordance with the requirements of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act. In giving such consent, we do not hereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission.

 

Very truly yours,

By:

 

/s/ Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP

  WILMER CUTLER PICKERING
  HALE AND DORR LLP
EX-23.1

Exhibit 23.1

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

We consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement (Form S-8) pertaining to the 2021 Stock Incentive Plan and the Amended and Restated 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan of Verve Therapeutics, Inc. of our report dated March 2, 2023, with respect to the consolidated financial statements of Verve Therapeutics, Inc. included in its Annual Report (Form 10-K) for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
Boston, Massachusetts
March 2, 2023
EX-FILING FEES

Exhibit 107

Calculation of Filing Fee Tables

Form S-8

(Form Type)

Verve Therapeutics, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

Table 1—Newly Registered Securities

 

               
Security Type  

Security
Class

Title

  Fee
Calculation
Rule
  Amount
Registered (1)
  Proposed
Maximum
Offering
Price Per
Unit
 

Maximum

Aggregate

Offering

Price

 

Fee

Rate

  Amount of
Registration
Fee
               
Equity   Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share   Other   3,703,849 shares (2)   $18.935 (3)   $70,132,380.82 (3)   $110.20 per $1,000,000   $7,728.59
         
Total Offering Amounts     $70,132,380.82     $7,728.59
         
Total Fee Offsets        
         
Net Fee Due               $7,728.59

 

(1)

In accordance with Rule 416 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), this registration statement shall be deemed to cover any additional securities that may from time to time be offered or issued to prevent dilution resulting from stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions.

(2)

Consists of (i) 3,086,541 shares issuable under the 2021 Stock Incentive Plan and (ii) 617,308 shares issuable under the Amended and Restated 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan.

(3)

Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rules 457(c) and 457(h) of the Securities Act. The price per share and aggregate offering price are calculated on the basis of the average of the high and low sale prices of the registrant’s common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on February 27, 2023, in accordance with Rule 457(c) under the Securities Act.