Raul Silva
About Raul Silva
Raul R. Silva, MD is Cingulate’s co-founder (2012) and Executive Vice President, Chief Science Officer since January 2018, with board certifications in general, child and adolescent psychiatry; he trained at Columbia University’s St. Luke’s/Roosevelt and completed a psychopharmacology research fellowship at NYU Medical Center . He has been in private practice since 2009 and previously held leadership roles at NYU’s Child Study Center, Bellevue Hospital Center, and Rockland Children’s Psychiatric Center . His age was disclosed as 67 as of April 26, 2024 .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rockland Children’s Psychiatric Center | Executive Director | 2006–2009 | Led pediatric behavioral health operations and clinical programs |
| NYU Child Study Center | Vice Chairman | 2005–2009 | Academic and clinical leadership in child psychiatry |
| Bellevue Hospital Center | Deputy Director of Child Psychiatry | 1999–2006 | Oversaw child/adolescent psychiatry services in major NYC safety-net hospital |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private Practice | Psychiatrist | 2009–present | Ongoing clinical practice informs drug development focus areas |
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Detail | Effective Date(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Base Salary (paid for part-time effort) | $35,665 (25% effort) | April 1, 2022 |
| “Base Salary” for bonus/severance/CIC calculations | $100,000 | April 1, 2022; January 1, 2023 |
| Benefits | Eligible to participate in employee benefit plans, including 401k and equity plans; plans may be amended by the company | Per employment agreement amendments |
Performance Compensation
| Incentive Type | Grant Structure | Vesting | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterly non-qualified stock options | Value-based options of at least $16,084 per quarter, number of shares determined by grant-date price | Fully vested at grant | Effective April 1, 2022 amendment |
| Quarterly non-qualified stock options | 10,000 options per quarter | Fully vested at grant | Effective January 1, 2023 amendment |
| Quarterly non-qualified stock options | 1,000 options per quarter | Fully vested at grant | Effective December 29, 2023 amendment |
| Quarterly non-qualified stock options | $28,750 value per quarter, number of shares based on grant-date closing price | Fully vested at grant | Effective July 7, 2025 amendment |
- No specific performance metrics (e.g., revenue growth, EBITDA, TSR) tied to Silva’s awards are disclosed in the available amendments; awards are time-based and fully vested upon grant .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
- Anti-hedging policy: directors, officers, and employees are prohibited from hedging or monetization transactions (e.g., zero-cost collars, forward sale contracts) .
- Pledging: no explicit pledging policy disclosure was identified for Silva in the available documents.
- Beneficial ownership: current tables of “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” do not list Silva individually; he remains an executive officer, but NEO ownership tables focus on named executive officers and directors in recent filings .
Employment Terms
- Employment Agreement and amendments exist and specify severance and change-in-control sections (Sections 5(b) and 6); importantly, “Base Salary” for those purposes is defined as $100,000 .
- Specific severance and change-in-control cash multiples for Silva are not reproduced in the accessible amendments; the most recent CFO agreement (template language) provides 1x base salary plus annual target bonus and option vesting treatment, but Silva’s agreement terms should be confirmed in Exhibit 10.8 (Employment Agreement) referenced in filings .
- Quarterly option grants for Silva are fully vested at grant across all disclosed amendments, which minimizes unvested-vesting overhang and associated insider selling pressure from scheduled vesting events .
Related Party Transactions
| Date | Instrument | Amount/Terms | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 19, 2021 (amending July 25, 2020 note) | Promissory Note amendment (Raul Silva as Lender; Cingulate Therapeutics LLC as Borrower) | Principal $100,000; “Paid in Full” date changed to February 24, 2022; penalties and interest to accrue until paid | Demonstrates prior financial support to the company by Silva (insider lending) |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Education: MD (Ross University); BS Biology (Fairleigh Dickinson University); board-certified in general, child and adolescent psychiatry .
- Academic/clinical leadership: roles at NYU Child Study Center, Bellevue Hospital; deep clinical expertise relevant to CNS and ADHD therapeutic areas .
Investment Implications
- Alignment signals: Anti-hedging restrictions support alignment with long-term shareholder outcomes; however, an explicit pledging prohibition is not identified for Silva .
- Incentive structure evolution: Quarterly option grants were reduced to 1,000 per quarter in late 2023 and later restructured to a $28,750 quarterly value in 2025; fully vested-at-grant design provides immediate liquidity rather than multi-year retention, which may lessen retention lock-in but can be a cash-preserving incentive tool for a small-cap biotech .
- Severance/CIC economics: “Base Salary” set at $100,000 for bonus/severance/CIC calculations; exact Silva severance multiples are not reproduced in the accessible amendments and should be confirmed in the original employment agreement exhibit. CFO precedent suggests 1x base plus target bonus with option vesting acceleration, implying manageable change-in-control costs and limited golden parachute risk if analogous .
- Insider-related financing history: Silva’s $100,000 insider loan in 2020–2021 underscores historic commitment to capital support; not a current overhang, but relevant to governance assessments .
- Trading signals: Because Silva’s quarterly options are fully vested on grant, there is no predictable vesting schedule to create mechanical selling pressure; monitoring Form 4 filings for actual exercises/sales remains prudent given immediate vesting and potential liquidity needs typical for development-stage biopharmas .