Kanya Rajangam
About Kanya Rajangam
Kanya Rajangam, M.D., Ph.D., is President, Head of Research & Development, and Chief Medical Officer at Senti Biosciences. She became President on May 14, 2024, after serving as Chief Medical and Development Officer from July 2022 and as Head of R&D/CMO since March 2023; she is 51 years old and holds an M.D. from St. John’s Medical College and a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Northwestern University . Senti reports she earned a 2024 annual bonus at 126% of target based on research/product development and capital-raising objectives; TSR, revenue, and EBITDA metrics are not disclosed in the proxy .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nkarta, Inc. (NASDAQ: NKTX) | Chief Medical Officer; SVP & CMO | Dec 2018–Jun 2022 | Not disclosed |
| Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATRA) | SVP & Chief Medical Officer | Aug 2017–Sep 2018 | Not disclosed |
| Cleave Biosciences | Chief Medical Officer; VP Clinical Development | Jun 2015–Jul 2017 | Not disclosed |
| Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ: NKTR) | Executive Director | Mar 2015–May 2015 | Not disclosed |
| Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | Positions of increasing responsibility | Apr 2011–Feb 2015 | Not disclosed |
| Exelixis, Inc. | Positions of increasing responsibility | Jan 2008–Apr 2011 | Not disclosed |
| Baxter Healthcare, Inc. | Positions of increasing responsibility | 2006–2007 | Not disclosed |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turnstone Biologics, Inc. (NASDAQ: TSBX) | Independent Director | Since Nov 2021 | Public company board |
| Vibe Bio | Scientific Advisory Board Member | Since Jan 2023 | Privately held; AI-powered analyses |
Fixed Compensation
| Metric | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Base Salary ($) | $516,460 | $526,789 |
| Target Bonus (% of Base) | 40% | 40% |
| Actual Cash Bonus ($) | $173,531 (84% of target) | $265,502 (126% of target) |
| Stock Awards (RSUs) – Grant Date Fair Value ($) | — | $46,460 |
| Option Awards – Grant Date Fair Value ($) | $168,779 | $52,701 |
Performance Compensation
| Incentive | Metric(s) | Target | Actual | Payout ($) | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Cash Bonus (2024) | Corporate & individual objectives (R&D, product development, capital raising) | 40% of $526,789 base | 126% of target | $265,502 | Cash (paid following year) |
| Annual Cash Bonus (2023) | Corporate & individual objectives (R&D, product development, capital raising) | 40% of $516,460 base | 84% of target | $173,531 | Cash (paid following year) |
| RSUs (2024 grant) | Time-based | 10,100 units | N/A | $46,460 grant-date FV | Vests in three equal annual installments from 2/1/2024 |
| Options (time-based) | Service tenure | Various grants; see equity table | N/A | N/A | 25% after 1-year cliff then monthly/48-month installments |
| Options (market-based) – 2021 grant to CEO noted for context | Share price hurdles | Not applicable to Rajangam; CEO only | — | — | Not applicable to Rajangam |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Total Beneficial Ownership | 94,155 shares; less than 1% of common stock outstanding |
| Breakdown | 61,155 options exercisable within 60 days and 33,000 shares held by the Iyer Family Revocable Trust (where Rajangam is one of two authorized trustees) |
| Warrants via Iyer Trust | Warrant for 49,500 shares; 2,470 currently exercisable subject to beneficial ownership limits |
| Insider Trading Policies | Prohibit short sales, hedging, margin use, and pledging; none of the executives/directors have engaged in hedging or pledging transactions |
| Clawback Policy | Adopted Oct 2, 2023; recovers incentive comp tied to financial reporting measures for 3 prior years if restatement required |
Outstanding Equity Awards (as of Dec 31, 2024)
| Grant Date | Vest Start | Exercisable | Unexercisable | Exercise Price | Expiration | RSUs Unvested | RSU Market Value (12/31/24) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7/18/2022 (Option) | 7/5/2022 | 116,077 | 211,673 | $1.80 | 7/17/2032 | — | — |
| 2/1/2023 (Option) | 2/1/2023 | 27,083 | 102,917 | $1.81 | 1/31/2033 | — | — |
| 2/2/2024 (Option) | 2/1/2024 | 3,169 | — | — | 1/31/2034 | — | — |
| 2/2/2024 (RSU) | 2/1/2024 | — | — | — | — | 10,100 | $35,451 (at $3.51/share) |
Vesting mechanics:
- 2015–2024 service-based options typically vest 25% after one year then in 36 monthly installments or over 48 monthly installments (grant-specific) .
- 2024 RSUs vest in three equal annual installments from the vesting commencement date .
- Amounts shown reflect post reverse-split adjustments (1-for-10 on July 17, 2024) .
Employment Terms
| Term | Detail |
|---|---|
| Employment status | At-will; offer letter dated May 2022 |
| Initial comp at hire (May 2022) | Base salary $490,000; signing bonus $90,000; target bonus 40% of base |
| Equity at hire | Option to purchase 0.75% of post–business combination shares; four-year vesting, continuous service required |
| Severance (no change-in-control) | 9 months base salary; earned but unpaid bonus; up to 9 months of health benefits (upon termination without cause or resignation for good reason) |
| Change-in-control (double-trigger) | If terminated within 3 months before or 12 months after a change-in-control: 12 months base salary; target bonus for year of termination; earned but unpaid prior-year bonus; up to 18 months health benefits; acceleration of time-based vesting on equity awards (including time-based portion of combo awards) |
| Tax gross-ups | No excise-tax gross-up; benefits reduced if doing so yields higher net after-tax benefit under 280G/4999 |
| Clawback | Compensation recovery policy described above |
| Non-compete/Non-solicit | Not disclosed |
Related Party Transactions (Alignment Signals)
- Iyer Family Revocable Trust (where Rajangam is one of two authorized trustees) participated in the Dec 2024 PIPE, purchasing 33 shares of Series A redeemable convertible preferred stock for $74,250 and warrants for 49,500 common shares for $113,850 . This indicates personal capital commitment alongside institutional investors (NEA, Bayer, Celadon Partners) in the funding round .
Investment Implications
- Pay-for-performance alignment: 2024 bonus at 126% of target reflects achievement against disclosed R&D and financing objectives; RSUs and multi-year option vesting tie retention and realized value to continued execution .
- Retention risk appears moderated by severance and double-trigger change-in-control protection (12 months salary/benefits and equity acceleration), but total personal stake is under 1% of shares outstanding, limiting pure ownership alignment; the PIPE participation via the Iyer Trust is a positive alignment signal .
- Insider selling pressure is structurally mitigated by prohibited hedging/pledging; scheduled monthly/annual vesting (options/RSUs) could create periodic liquidity events, but acceleration is limited to change-in-control scenarios .
- Governance and controls: clawback policy (Oct 2023) and insider trading restrictions support shareholder-friendly discipline; no related-party operational conflicts disclosed beyond the PIPE participation and trustee status noted .