Lara Meisner
About Lara Meisner
Lara S. Meisner, J.D., is Chief Legal Officer (since November 2023) and Corporate Secretary (since December 2023) at Bicara Therapeutics (BCAX). She is 53, holds a J.D. from Temple University Beasley School of Law and a B.A. from the University of Michigan, and previously served as Chief Legal Officer, Compliance Officer, and Corporate Secretary at Viridian Therapeutics (Dec 2020–Nov 2023) and as VP, Legal and Corporate Secretary at Catabasis Pharmaceuticals (now Astria Therapeutics) (Feb 2017–Nov 2020) . Bicara is a clinical-stage company with no product revenue and reported a Q3 2025 net loss of $36.3 million and year-to-date net loss of $100.6 million, underscoring its development-stage risk profile . Bicara’s lead program FORTIFI-HN01 is a pivotal Phase 2/3 trial in HNSCC, indicating a near- to mid-term value creation lever is clinical execution rather than financial metrics like revenue or EBITDA growth .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viridian Therapeutics (VRDN) | Chief Legal Officer, Compliance Officer, Corporate Secretary | Dec 2020 – Nov 2023 | Not disclosed |
| Catabasis Pharmaceuticals (now Astria Therapeutics, ATXS) | VP, Legal; Corporate Secretary | Feb 2017 – Nov 2020 | Not disclosed |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| None disclosed | — | — | — |
Fixed Compensation
- Not disclosed for Ms. Meisner. As an emerging growth company, Bicara provides scaled compensation disclosure focused on named executive officers (CEO, President/COO, CFO); CLO compensation details are not presented in the proxy .
Performance Compensation
- Not specifically disclosed for Ms. Meisner. Bicara’s executive program includes annual bonuses based on non-formulaic corporate objectives and occasional milestone bonuses (illustrated for NEOs), but no CLO-specific metrics or payouts are provided .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Metric | As of | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Options exercisable within 60 days | Apr 14, 2025 | 9,751 | Listed within footnotes to executive/board group holdings |
| Common shares owned | Apr 14, 2025 | Not disclosed | No individual common share count disclosed for CLO |
| Ownership % of shares outstanding | Apr 14, 2025 | Not disclosed | Percentages provided only for specified holders and NEOs; CLO not broken out |
| Pledging/Hedging | Policy level | Prohibited | Insider trading policy prohibits pledging and derivative/hedging transactions |
| Rule 10b5-1 plans | Policy level | Permitted with safeguards | Trading plans allowed only when not in possession of MNPI and with control relinquished |
| Clawback | Policy level | Adopted | Recovery of incentive-based pay upon required restatements; applies to current/former executive officers |
| Typical vesting mechanics | Plan level | 4-year service vesting common | Company grants often vest in equal quarterly installments over ~4 years; illustrated in option awards and plan disclosures |
Employment Terms
- Appointment and role: Chief Legal Officer (Nov 2023), Corporate Secretary (Dec 2023) .
- Specific employment agreement economics (severance, change-of-control, non-compete/scope): Not disclosed for CLO; proxy details severance/change-of-control mechanics for NEOs (CEO, President/COO, CFO), not for CLO .
- Governance and compliance frameworks applicable to executives:
- Insider trading, anti-pledging/hedging, and 10b5-1 plan policy .
- Compensation recovery (clawback) policy compliant with SEC/Nasdaq rules .
- Code of Business Conduct and Ethics .
Investment Implications
- Alignment and selling pressure: Options and prohibition on pledging/derivatives suggest alignment to upside with lower forced-selling risk; 10b5-1 plans enable orderly trading but require control relinquishment and MNPI safeguards, moderating headline “insider selling” risk .
- Pay-for-performance visibility: Compensation details for CLO are not disclosed (EGC scaled disclosure), limiting pay-for-performance assessment at the individual level; analysis must rely on company-level structures and policies .
- Retention/contract risk: Absence of disclosed CLO severance/change-of-control terms creates uncertainty on retention economics versus NEOs who have defined CIC mechanics; potential retention packages may exist but are not public .
- Company execution risk: Value creation depends on clinical milestones (FORTIFI-HN01) in HNSCC; absence of revenue and ongoing losses highlight financing/execution dependencies, with an S-3 shelf and ATM program available for capital flexibility .
- Legal overhang: The Y-Trap inventorship litigation (motion to dismiss denied; answer filed) adds IP/legal uncertainty around assets relating to ficerafusp alfa—relevant to enterprise risk oversight by the CLO .
Overall, Lara Meisner’s role spans legal governance, disclosure, and litigation management vital to execution and financing. While individual pay metrics are not disclosed, policy architecture (clawback, anti-pledging/hedging, 10b5-1) supports alignment and disciplined trading conduct, and her prior public-company legal leadership suggests capability for regulatory and transactional support during Bicara’s pivotal clinical and capital-raising phases .