Daniel Long
About Daniel Long
Daniel Long, D.Phil., is Senior Vice President, Drug Discovery at Septerna, serving in this role since December 2021; he joined the company in October 2021. He is 52 years old and holds a B.A., M.A., and D.Phil. in Chemistry from the University of Oxford, with an industrial post-doctoral fellowship at DuPont Pharmaceuticals . Prior to Septerna, he spent over 20 years at Theravance Biopharma, rising to Vice President and Head of Medicinal Chemistry, Biology and Pharmacology . As an emerging growth company, Septerna has not provided TSR or revenue/EBITDA growth metrics linked to executive pay, and it is not required to conduct say-on-pay votes at this time .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Septerna, Inc. | Senior Vice President, Drug Discovery | Dec 2021–present | Leads drug discovery; deep GPCR expertise applied to pipeline programs . |
| Theravance Biopharma, Inc. | VP, Head of Medicinal Chemistry, Biology & Pharmacology; prior scientist roles | 2001–2021 | Led multidisciplinary discovery functions; extensive small-molecule and respiratory disease experience . |
| DuPont Pharmaceuticals | Industrial post-doctoral fellow | Not disclosed | Industry-focused training; foundation for medicinal chemistry career . |
External Roles
No public company directorships or external board roles disclosed for Daniel Long .
Fixed Compensation
2023 pay (last year where Long is a disclosed named executive officer):
| Metric | 2023 |
|---|---|
| Base Salary ($) | $369,357 |
| Target Bonus (%) | 30% of base salary |
| Actual Bonus Paid ($) | $149,590 (discretionary annual bonus) |
| Sign-on Bonus ($) | $62,500 (second tranche of a $125,000 sign-on) |
Notes:
- Bonuses were based on corporate objectives; see Performance Compensation below .
Performance Compensation
Annual cash incentive (2023):
| Metric Category | Weighting | Target | Actual Achievement | Payout Factor | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate performance objectives (program, platform, finance/business development) | Not disclosed | 100% | 135% of target achieved | 135% factor applied to eligible bonus | Cash (no vesting) |
Long-term equity (2023 grants and outstanding at year-end shown in next section).
Equity Ownership & Alignment
Beneficial ownership (pre-IPO snapshot at Aug 31, 2024):
| Item | Shares | % of Outstanding |
|---|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership | 101,040 | * (<1%) |
| Composition detail | 92,911 common (incl. unvested restricted); 8,129 options exercisable within 60 days | — |
Outstanding equity awards (as of Dec 31, 2023):
| Grant Date | Vesting Commencement | Options Exercisable (#) | Options Unexercisable (#) | Exercise Price ($) | Expiration | Unvested Restricted Shares (#) | Vesting Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/12/2023 | 8/1/2023 | 1,742 | 19,163 | 2.76 | 11/11/2033 | — | Options vest in 48 equal monthly installments over 4 years |
| 10/26/2021 | 11/2/2021 | — | — | — | — | 46,456 | Vesting footnote referenced in filing; schedule not specified in accessible text |
Trading, hedging, pledging, and alignment safeguards:
- Insider trading policy prohibits short sales, derivatives, and any hedging or pledging of company stock by executives and directors .
- Rule 10b5-1 plan policy is in place for pre-arranged trades when not in possession of MNPI .
- Compensation recovery (clawback) policy compliant with SEC/Nasdaq: recoup incentive-based compensation for restatements within prior 3 years .
Employment Terms
| Term | Details |
|---|---|
| Employment start and role | Offer letter dated Sept 27, 2021; start Oct 4, 2021; SVP, Drug Discovery . |
| Employment nature | At-will; eligible for standard benefits . |
| Sign-on incentives | Restricted stock award; $125,000 sign-on paid in two $62,500 tranches (Jan 2022 and Jan 2023) contingent on continued employment through payment dates . |
| Executive Severance Plan (adopted Oct 2024) | Double-trigger change-in-control benefits: CEO 18 months base + 1.5x target bonus and full acceleration of time-based equity; Tier 2 executives (includes COO and CMO) 12 months base + 1.0x target; Tier 3 executives 9 months base + 0.75x target; COBRA contributions; 280G cutback (no gross-up). Plan tiers for other executives are determined by the plan administrator; Long’s tier not disclosed . |
| Policies and governance | Clawback policy; prohibition on hedging/pledging; Rule 10b5-1 plans permitted; emerging growth company—no required say-on-pay vote . |
Compensation Committee Analysis
- Compensation committee (independent directors) oversees pay and approves compensation for employees at or above Senior Vice President, including equity grants and award agreements .
- Pearl Meyer retained in 2024 as external compensation consultant; assisted in developing peer companies and benchmarking executive and director compensation; no conflicts identified .
Performance & Track Record
- Biography emphasizes >20 years of discovery leadership at Theravance before joining Septerna; at Septerna, leads drug discovery in GPCR-focused programs. No company-wide TSR or revenue/EBITDA performance metrics tied specifically to Long’s pay are disclosed .
Investment Implications
- Pay-for-performance: Long’s 2023 bonus was fully tied to corporate objectives and paid at 135% of target, indicating incentives aligned to program/platform and BD milestones rather than purely financial KPIs .
- Retention and selling pressure: Meaningful unvested restricted stock (46,456 shares) and time-based option vesting over 48 months create ongoing retention hooks; hedging/pledging prohibitions and availability of Rule 10b5-1 plans reduce governance risk around trades but scheduled vesting may add supply over time .
- Change-in-control economics: Company-wide executive plan provides double-trigger severance and full acceleration for time-based equity; performance award treatment per award agreement; no tax gross-up (280G cutback), which is shareholder-friendly. Long’s specific tier is not disclosed, so cash multiple unknown .
- Ownership alignment: Pre-IPO beneficial stake <1%, with mix of unvested RS and options; alignment further supported by clawback and anti-hedging policies .