UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549



SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of

the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No.           )



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Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12

Moleculin Biotech, Inc.

(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)

Moleculin Biotech,Inc.

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Moleculin Biotech,Inc.
2575 West Bellfort,

5300 Memorial Drive, Suite 333
950

Houston, TX 77054
77007

(713)300-5160

To the Stockholders of Moleculin Biotech, Inc.:

You are cordially invited to attend the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Moleculin Biotech, Inc. on May 25, 2017.26, 2021. The Annual Meeting will begin at 12:1:30 p.m. local time at the Hilton Garden Inn, 3201 Sage Road,corporate offices of Moleculin Biotech, Inc., 5300 Memorial Drive, Suite 950, Houston, Texas 77056.TX 77007.

Information regarding each of the matters to be voted on at the Annual Meeting is contained in the attached Proxy Statement and Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders. We urge you to read the proxy statement carefully. The proxy statement and proxy card are being mailed to all stockholders of record as of April 26, 2017.March 29, 2021.

Because it is important that your shares be voted at the Annual Meeting, we urge you to complete, date and sign the enclosed proxy card and return it as promptly as possible in the accompanying envelope, whether or not you plan to attend in person. Even after returning your proxy, if you are a stockholder of record and do attend the meeting and wish to vote your shares in person, you still may do so.

We look forward to seeing you on May 25, 2017.26, 2021.

We intend to hold our Annual Meeting in person and we look forward to seeing you on May 26, 2021. However, due to the uncertainties surrounding the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19), it may not be possible or advisable to hold our Annual Meeting in person and we are planning for the possibility that the Annual Meeting may be held by means of remote communication. If we decide to take such step, we will announce the decision to do so in advance of the Annual Meeting. If we elect to hold our Annual Meeting by remote communication, details on how to participate will be issued by press release, posted on our website at http://ir.moleculin.com and filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as additional proxy material.

Very truly yours,

MOLECULIN BIOTECH, INC.

By:

/s/ Walter V. Klemp

By:

/s/Walter V. Klemp

Walter Klemp

Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials

for the Annual Shareholder Meeting to be Held on May 25, 2017:
26, 2021:

Electronic Copies of the Proxy Statement and our 20162020 Annual Report on Form 10-K are available at
http:

https://www.moleculin.investorroom.commaterials.proxyvote.com/60855D


 

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Moleculin Biotech, Inc.
2575 West Bellfort,

5300 Memorial Drive, Suite 333
950

Houston, TX 77054
77007

(713)300-5160

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

To Be Held May 25, 2017

26, 2021

TO THE STOCKHOLDERS OF MOLECULIN BIOTECH, INC.:

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the 20172021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Moleculin Biotech, Inc. (the “Company”) will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn, 3201 Sage Road,corporate offices at 5300 Memorial Drive, Suite 950, Houston, Texas 77056,TX 77007, on May 25, 201726, 2021 at 12:1:30 p.m., local time, for the following purposes, as described in the accompanying Proxy Statement:

1.To elect four Board nominees to the Board of Directors of the Company, each to serve until the 2018 annual meeting of stockholders of the Company or until such person’s successor is qualified and elected.
2.To ratify the appointment of Grant Thornton, LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2017.
3.To approve an amendment to the Company’s Certification of Incorporation to effect a reverse stock split of the outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock, at one of the following reverse stock split ratios, 1-for-5, 1-for-6, 1-for-7, 1-for-8, 1-for-9, 1-for-10, 1-for-11, 1-for-12, 1-for-13, 1-for-14, or 1-for-15, as determined by the Board of Directors in its sole discretion, prior to the one-year anniversary of this Annual Meeting.
4.To authorize an adjournment of the Annual Meeting, if necessary, to solicit additional proxies if there are not sufficient votes in favor of Proposal 3.
5To transact any other business that is properly brought before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

1.         To elect five Board nominees to the Board of Directors of the Company, each to serve until the 2022 annual meeting of stockholders of the Company or until such person’s successor is qualified and elected.

2.         To ratify the appointment of Grant Thornton, LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2021.

3.         To transact any other business that is properly brought before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

Only stockholders of record of the Company at the close of business on April 26, 2017March 29, 2021 are entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof. A complete list of these stockholders will be open for the examination of any stockholder of record at the Company’s principal executive offices located at 2575 West Bellfort,5300 Memorial Drive, Suite 333,950, Houston, TX 7705477007 for a period of ten days prior to the Annual Meeting. The list will also be available for the examination of any stockholder of record present at the Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting may be adjourned or postponed from time to time without notice other than by announcement at the meeting.

The Company intends to hold the Annual Meeting in person. However, due to the uncertainties surrounding the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19), it may not be possible or advisable to hold the Annual Meeting in person and the Company is planning for the possibility that the Annual Meeting may be held by means of remote communication. If the Company decides to take such step, it will announce the decision to do so in advance of the Annual Meeting. If the Company elects to hold the Annual Meeting by remote communication, details on how to participate will be issued by press release, posted on the Company’s website at http://ir.moleculin.com and filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as additional proxy material.

WHETHER OR NOT YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THE MEETING, PLEASE SIGN AND DATE THE ENCLOSED PROXY AND RETURN IT IN THE ENVELOPE PROVIDED.


By Order of the Board of Directors,

MOLECULIN BIOTECH, INC.

Houston, Texas
May 1, 2017

/s/ Walter V. Klemp

Houston, Texas

Walter V. Klemp

April 1, 2021

Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer



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MOLECULIN BIOTECH, INC.

PROXY STATEMENT

FOR

ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

To Be Held May 25, 2017

26, 2021

INFORMATION ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING AND VOTING

WHY DID YOU SEND ME THIS PROXY STATEMENT?

This proxy statement and the enclosed proxy card are furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Board of Directors of Moleculin Biotech, Inc., a Delaware corporation, for use at the Annual Meeting of Moleculin Biotech Inc.'s stockholders to be held at the Hilton Garden Inn, 3201 Sage Road,5300 Memorial Drive, Suite 950, Houston, Texas 77056,TX 77007, on May 25, 201726, 2021 at 12:1:30 p.m., local time, and at any adjournments or postponements of the Annual Meeting. This proxy statement summarizes the information you need to make an informed vote on the proposals to be considered at the Annual Meeting. However, you do not need to attend the Annual Meeting to vote your shares. Instead, you may simply complete, sign and return the enclosed proxy card using the envelope provided. The terms “Moleculin,” “Company,” “we,” or “our” refer to Moleculin Biotech, Inc.

On January 29, 2021, pursuant to authority granted by our stockholders, our board of directors approved a one-for-six reverse stock split of our common stock and the filing of an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to effectuate the reverse stock split. The amendment was filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware and the reverse stock split became effective in accordance with the terms of the amendment at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on January 29, 2021 (the “Effective Time”). The amendment provides that, at the Effective Time, every six shares of our issued and outstanding common stock will automatically be combined into one issued and outstanding share of common stock, without any change in par value per share, which will remain $0.001. This proxy statement gives retroactive effect to the reverse stock split for all periods presented.

WHAT PROPOSALS WILL BE ADDRESSED AT THE ANNUAL MEETING?

We will address the following proposals at the Annual Meeting:

1.To elect four Board nominees to the Board of Directors of the Company, each to serve until the 2018 annual meeting of stockholders of the Company or until such person’s successor is qualified and elected.
2.To ratify the appointment of Grant Thornton, LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2017.
3.To approve an amendment to the Company’s Certification of Incorporation to effect a reverse stock split of the outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock, at one of the following reverse stock split ratios, 1-for-5, 1-for-6, 1-for-7, 1-for-8, 1-for-9, 1-for-10, 1-for-11, 1-for-12, 1-for-13, 1-for-14, or 1-for-15, as determined by the Board of Directors in its sole discretion, prior to the one-year anniversary of this Annual Meeting.
4.To authorize an adjournment of the Annual Meeting, if necessary, to solicit additional proxies if there are not sufficient votes in favor of Proposal 3.
5To transact any other business that is properly brought before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

1.         To elect five Board nominees to the Board of Directors of the Company, each to serve until the 2022 annual meeting of stockholders of the Company or until such person’s successor is qualified and elected.

2.         To ratify the appointment of Grant Thornton, LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2021.

3.         To transact any other business that is properly brought before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

WHO MAY VOTE ON THESE PROPOSALS?

We will send this proxy statement, the attached Notice of Annual Meeting and the enclosed proxy card on or about MayApril 1, 20172021 to all stockholders as of April 26, 2017March 29, 2021 (the “Record Date”). Stockholders who owned shares of our common stock at the close of business on the Record Date are entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting inon all matters properly brought before the Annual Meeting.

On the Record Date, we had 17,756,87228,444,425 shares of issued and outstanding common stock entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting.

HOW MANY VOTES DO I HAVE?

Each share of common stock is entitled to one vote on each matter presented at the Annual Meeting. Cumulative voting is not permitted.

WHY WOULD THE ANNUAL MEETING BE POSTPONED?

The Annual Meeting will be postponed if a quorum is not present on May 25, 2017.26, 2021. The presence in person or by proxy of at least a majority of our common stock outstanding as of the Record Date will constitute a quorum and is required to transact business at the Annual Meeting. If a quorum is not present, the Annual Meeting may be adjourned until a quorum is obtained.


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Abstentions and broker non-votes are treated as shares present or represented at the meeting, but are not counted as votes cast. Shares held by brokers who do not have discretionary authority to vote on a particular matter and who have not received voting instructions from their customers are not counted or deemed to be present or represented for the purpose of determining whether stockholders have approved that matter, but they are counted as present for the purposes of determining the existence of a quorum at the Annual Meeting.

HOW DO I VOTE BY PROXY?

Whether you plan to attend the Annual Meeting or not, we urge you to complete, sign and date the enclosed proxy card and return it promptly in the envelope provided. Returning the proxy card will not affect your right to attend the Annual Meeting and vote in person.

If you properly fill in your proxy card and send it to us in time to vote, your proxy (one of the individuals named on your proxy card) will vote your shares as you have directed. If you sign the proxy card but do not make specific choices, your proxy will vote your shares as recommended by the Board of Directors (the "Board") as follows:

1.FOR the election of the Board’s four nominees to our Board of Directors.
2.FOR ratification of the appointment of Grant Thornton, LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2017.
3.FOR approval of an amendment to the Company’s Certification of Incorporation to effect a reverse stock split of the outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock, at one of the following reverse stock split ratios, 1-for-5, 1-for-6, 1-for-7, 1-for-8, 1-for-9, 1-for-10, 1-for-11, 1-for-12, 1-for-13, 1-for-14, or 1-for-15, as determined by the Board of Directors in its sole discretion, prior to the one-year anniversary of this Annual Meeting.
4.FOR authorization of an adjournment of the Annual Meeting, if necessary, to solicit additional proxies if there are not sufficient votes in favor of Proposal 3.

1.         FOR the election of the Board’s five nominees to our Board of Directors.

2.         FOR ratification of the appointment of Grant Thornton, LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2021.

3.          In their discretion, upon such other matters as may property come before the meeting.

1

If any other matters are presented, your proxy will vote in accordance with his or her best judgment. At the time this proxy statement was printed, we knew of no matters that needed to be acted on at the Annual Meeting other than those discussed in this proxy statement.

HOW DO I VOTE IN PERSON?

If you plan to attend the Annual Meeting and vote in person on May 25, 2017,26, 2021, or at a later date if the meeting is adjourned or postponed, we will give you a ballot when you arrive. However, if your shares are held in the name of your broker, bank or other nominee, you must bring a power of attorney executed by the broker, bank or other nominee that owns the shares of record for your benefit and authorizing you to vote the shares.

MAY I REVOKE MY PROXY?

If you give a proxy, you may revoke it at any time before it is exercised. You may revoke your proxy in three ways:

1.

1.

You may send in another proxy with a later date.

2.

2.

You may notify us in writing (or if the stockholder is a corporation, under its corporate seal, by an officer or attorney of the corporation) at our principal executive offices before the Annual Meeting that you are revoking your proxy.

3.

3.

You may vote in person at the Annual Meeting.

WHAT VOTE IS REQUIRED TO APPROVE EACH PROPOSAL?

Proposal 1: Election of Directors.

A plurality of the eligible votes cast is required to elect director nominees, and as such, the fourfive nominees who receive the greatest number of “For” votes cast by stockholders, entitled to vote at the meeting, will be elected. A nominee who receives a plurality means he or she has received more “For” votes than any other nominee for the same director’s seat. Broker non-votes will have no effect on this proposal.


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Proposal 2: Ratification of Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.

The approval of Proposal 2 requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote on the matter. Broker non-votes will not be taken into account in determining the outcome of the proposal, and abstentions will be counted as votes against the proposal.

Proposal 3: Approval of an amendment to

Other Business That Is Properly Brought Before the Company’s Certification of Incorporation to effect a reverse stock split as determined by the Board of Directors in its sole discretion.Annual Meeting

The approval of Proposal 3 requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the Company’s outstanding shares entitled to vote on the matter. Broker non-votes and abstentions will be counted as votes against the proposal.

Proposal 4: Authorization of an adjournment of the Special Meeting.

The approval of Proposal 4 requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote on the matter. Broker non-votes will not be taken into account in determining the outcome of the proposal, and abstentions will be counted as votes against the proposal.

If you do not give instructions to your bank or brokerage firm, it will nevertheless be entitled to vote your shares in its discretion on “routineroutine matters. However, absent your instructions, the record holder will not be permitted to vote your shares on a non-routine matter, which are referred to as “broker non-votes,”"broker non-votes", properly brought before the meeting. Broker non-votes (shares held by brokers that do not have discretionary authority to vote on the matter and have not received voting instructions from their clients) are not counted or deemed to be present or represented for the purpose of determining whether stockholders have approved that proposal, but will be counted in determining whether there is a quorum present.

ARE THERE ANY RIGHTS OF APPRAISAL?

The Board of Directors is not proposing any action for which the laws of the State of Delaware, our certificate of incorporation or our bylaws provide a right of a stockholder to obtain appraisal of or payment for such stockholder’s shares.

WHO BEARS THE COST OF SOLICITING PROXIES?

We will bear the cost of soliciting proxies in the accompanying form and will reimburse brokerage firms and others for expenses involved in forwarding proxy materials to beneficial owners or soliciting their execution.

WHERE ARE MOLECULIN’SMOLECULINS PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES?

The principal executive offices of Moleculin are located at 2575 West Bellfort,5300 Memorial Drive, Suite 333,950, Houston, TX 7705477007 and our telephone number is (713) 300-5160.

HOW CAN I OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT MOLECULIN?

We are subject to the informational requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which requires that we file reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding companies, including Moleculin, that file electronically with the SEC. The SEC’s website address iswww.sec.gov. www.sec.gov. In addition, our filings may be inspected and copied at the public reference facilities of the SEC located at 100 F Street, N.E. Washington, DC 20549.


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STOCK OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

The following table sets forth information, as of April 26, 2017,March 29, 2021, regarding beneficial ownership of our common stock by:

•     each of our directors;

•     each of our executive officers;

•     all directors and executive officers as a group; and

•     each person, or group of affiliated persons, known by us to beneficially own more than five percent of our shares of common stock.

2

Beneficial ownership is determined according to the rules of the SEC, and generally means that person has beneficial ownership of a security if he or she possesses sole or shared voting or investment power of that security and includes options that are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days. Each director or officer, as the case may be, has furnished us with information with respect to beneficial ownership. Except as otherwise indicated, we believe that the beneficial owners of common stock listed below, based on the information each of them has given to us, have sole investment and voting power with respect to their shares, except where community property laws may apply. Except as otherwise noted below, the address for each person or entity listed in the table is c/o Moleculin Biotech, Inc., 2575 West Bellfort,5300 Memorial Drive, Suite 333,950, Houston, Texas 77054.77007.

  
 Shares
beneficially
owned prior to
Offering
 Percent of Class(1)
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner
          
Walter V. Klemp  2,480,724%(2)   14.4
Donald Picker  1,098,635%(3)   6.4
Jonathan Foster      
Louis Ploth  50,000(4)   
Robert Shepard      
Robert George      
Michael Cannon      
Jacqueline Northcut      
Directors and Named Executive Officers as a Group (7 persons)  3,579,359%(6)   20.8
5% or greater shareholders
          
Waldemar Priebe  4,140,573%(3)(5)   24.1
AnnaMed, Inc.  1,425,000%(2)   8.3

 

 

As of March 29, 2021 

 

 

Shares beneficially

owned

 

 

 

Percent of Class (1)

Name of Beneficial Owner

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walter V. Klemp

 

501,664

 

 

(2)

 

1.8

%

Donald Picker

 

196,090

 

 

(3)

 

Less than 1%

Jonathan P. Foster

 

124,669

 

 

(4)

 

Less than 1%

Robert George

 

14,266

 

 

(5)

 

Less than 1%

Michael Cannon

 

14,099

 

 

(6)

 

Less than 1%

John Climaco

 

11,599

 

 

(6)

 

Less than 1%

Elizabeth Cermak -    Less than 1%

Directors and Named Executive Officers as a Group (7 persons)

 

862,387

 

 

(7)

 

3.0

%

*Less than 1%.
(1)Based on 17,756,872 shares of common stock outstanding as of April 26, 2017.
(2)The 1,425,000 shares held by AnnaMed, Inc. have been included in the amount for Mr. Klemp. Mr. Klemp has voting and dispositive power over the shares held by AnnaMed, Inc.
(3)Of the amount in the table, 630,000 shares held by IntertechBio Corp. have been included in the amounts for Drs. Picker and Priebe. Drs. Picker and Priebe have voting and dispositive power over the shares held by IntertechBio Corp.
(4)

(1) Based on 28,444,425 shares of common stock outstanding as of March 29, 2021.

(2) Includes 238,500 shares held by AnnaMed, Inc. that have been included in the amount for Mr. Klemp. Mr. Klemp has voting and dispositive power over the shares held by AnnaMed, Inc. Includes 107,862 shares underlying options exercisable within 60 days of March 29, 2021.

(3) Of the amount in the table, 105,000 shares held by IntertechBio Corp. have been included in the amounts for Dr. Picker. Dr. Picker shares voting and dispositive power over the shares held by IntertechBio Corp. Includes 17,917 shares underlying options exercisable within 60 days of March 29, 2021.

(4) Includes 123,002 shares underlying options exercisable within 60 days of March 29, 2021.

(5) Includes 14,099 shares underlying options exercisable within 60 days of March 29, 2021.

(6) Consists solely of shares underlying options exercisable within 60 days of March 29, 2021.

(7) Consists of shares underlying options.

(5)Of the amount in the table, 629,000 shares held by Houston Pharmaceuticals, Inc. have been included in the amount for Dr. Priebe. Dr. Priebe has voting and dispositive power over the shares held by Houston Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
(6)Does not include shares underlying options held by Mr. Ploth who resigned from the company in August 2016.

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SECTION 16(A) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE

Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, requires our executive officers and directors, and persons who own more than ten percent of our common stock, to file reports of ownership and changesshares identified in ownership of our common stock with the SEC. Officers, directors, and greater-than-ten-percent stockholders are required by the SEC’s regulations to furnish us with copies of all Section 16(a) forms that they file. Based solely upon a review of the Section 16(a) forms furnished to us during the most recent fiscal year, we believe that all such forms required to be filed were timely filed, by the officers, directors, and security holders required to file the forms during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, except our President, Donald Picker, and 10% or greater shareholder, Waldemar Priebe, each of whose Form 3 filings was inadvertently filed late.footnotes (2)-(6).


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INFORMATION ABOUT DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

Directors and Executive Officers

The following table sets forth the names and ages of all of our directors and executive officers as of April 26, 2017.March 6, 2021. Our officers are appointed by, and serve at the pleasure of, the Board of Directors.

Name

Age

Position

NameAgePosition

Walter V. Klemp

56

61

Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer

Jonathan P. Foster

53

57

Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President

Donald Picker

75

Chief Scientific Officer

Robert Shepard

68

Chief Medical Officer - Annamycin

Sandra L. Silberman

66

Chief Medical Officer - New Products

Robert E. George

70

Director

Michael D. Cannon

75

Director

John Climaco

52

Director

Elizabeth A. Cermak 70President and Chief Operating Officer
Robert Shepard64Chief Medical Officer
Robert E. George67Director
Michael D. Cannon71Director
Jacqueline Northcut5563 Director

Set forth below is biographical information about each of the individuals named in the tables above:

Walter V. Klemp - Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer.  

Mr. Klemp is a co-founder of our company, and has served as our chairman of the board and chief executive officer since July 2015.2015 and as president since August 2017. Since 2006,July 2018, Mr. Klemp has served as executive chairman on the chairman, co-founder and part-time chief executive officerboard of Moleculin, LLC. Since November 2011, Mr. Klemp has also served as chief executive officerdirectors of Soliton, Inc., a medical device company focused on developing new technology for use in aesthetics, and as such,aesthetics. From November 2011 to July 2018, Mr. Klemp is currently devoting only partserved as chief executive officer of his work time to us.Soliton. Mr. Klemp served as president and chief executive officer of Zeno Corporation from 2004 to April 2011, where he developed and marketed dermatology devices and drugs from concept through FDA approval and market launch. From 1987 to 2000, Mr. Klemp served as chief executive officer and chairman of Drypers Corporation, a publicly traded multinational consumer products company that was listed as #1 on the INC 500 List of America’s Fastest Growing Companies. We believe that Mr. Klemp’s history with our company and background, coupled with his extensive experience in the medical field, provide him with the qualifications to serve as a Chairman of the Board and CEO.

Jonathan P. Foster - Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President.  

Mr. Foster has served as our chief financial officer and executive vice president since August 2016. Mr. Foster brings more than 30 years in financial experience holding a variety of executive and senior financial positions with public, private, start-up to large corporate and international companies. From February 2012 to August 2016, Mr. Foster served as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of InfuSystem Holdings, Inc., a national provider of infusion pumps and related services to the healthcare industry. From May 2011 to January 2012, Mr. Foster served as a consultant to the Chief Financial Officer of LSG Sky Chefs, USA, Inc., a subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa AG.

3

Prior to that Mr. Foster served in various C-suite capacities with public and private companies with his start beginning as Manager at Deloitte & Touche, LLP. Mr. Foster served on the Board of Financial Institutions for the State of South Carolina from 2006 to 2012.2012 and since June 2018 serves on the Board of Directors of Soliton, Inc., a medical device company focused on developing new technology for use in aesthetics, where he is the current chair of the Audit and Compensation Committees and is the past chair of the Nominating & Governance Committee. Mr. Foster is a Certified Public Accountant (South Carolina) and holds the designation of Chartered Global Management Accountant from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He received his BS in Accounting from Clemson University in 1985.

Donald Picker, PhD — President and- Chief Operating Officer.  Scientific Officer

Dr. Picker joined Moleculin, LLC in 2007 as its chief executive officer and has served as our chief scientific officer since August 2017 after serving as our chief operating officer sincefrom July 2015 until August 2017 and as our president sincefrom January 2016. In 2007, Dr. Picker became the chief executive officer of IntertechBio.2016 to August 2017. From 2006 through 2007, Dr. Picker was the President of Tapestry Pharmaceuticals. From 1998 to 2003, Dr. Picker was CEO of Synergy Pharmaceuticals. Synergy was merged into Callisto Pharmaceuticals where he was vice presentpresident of research and development until 2006. Dr. Picker led the development of carboplatin and cisplatin from concept to FDA approval. From 2018 to 2019, Dr. Picker served on the board of directors of CNS Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Dr. Picker currently serves as the Chief Science Officer of CNS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. on a part-time basis. Dr. Picker received his BS degree from Brooklyn Polytechnic University and his PhD from SUNY Albany in 1975. Dr. Picker is currently devoting only part of his work time to us, and provides services as needed to us.

Robert Shepard, MD, FACP Chief Medical Officer.  Officer - Annamycin

Dr. Shepard has served as our chief medical officer, on a part-time basis, since June 2016. From 2013 until 2014, Dr. Shepard served as vice president of scientific and medical affairs for Accelovance. Dr. Shepard has extensive research credentials in hematology and oncology and is board certified in oncology, hematology and internal medicine. He has a wide array of experience in translational


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medicine and clinical research and has been actively involved in oncology research since 1970, responsible for the clinical development of several drugs and immune therapies for biopharmaceutical companies, including serving as the consulting Chief Medical Officer for six companies. Dr. Shepard is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Harvard University in biochemical sciences and molecular biophysics and studied in the Harvard-M.I.T. Health Sciences program. He held fellowships in hematology and oncology at the Tufts-New England Medical Center where he conducted laboratory research in leukemias, myeloma and myelodysplasia, as well as fellowship in pharmacology and molecular genetics at the Dana-Farber Cancer Center and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Shepard holds academic appointments at Harvard University, Tufts University and the University of Virginia. Dr. Shepard is currently devoting only part of his work time to us, and provides services as needed to us.

Sandra L. Silberman, MD PhD - Chief Medical Officer - New Products

Dr. Silberman has served as our chief medical officer, on a part-time basis, for new products since November 2017. Dr. Silberman has served as chief medical officer of CNS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. since December 2017 on a part-time basis. Dr. Silberman advanced several original, proprietary compounds into Phases I through III during her work with leading biopharmaceutical companies, including Bristol­Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca, Imclone and Roche. Dr. Silberman is a Hematologist/Oncologist who earned her B.A., Sc.M. and Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins University School of Arts and Sciences, School of Public Health and School of Medicine, respectively, and her M.D. from Cornell University Medical College, and then completed both a clinical fellowship in Hematology/Oncology as well as a research fellowship in tumor immunology at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA. Dr. Silberman is currently devoting only part of her work time to us, and provides services as needed to us.

Robert E. George —  - Director.  

Mr. George joined our board of directors upon our IPO. He was a partner with the international accounting firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) for 27 years until 2010, where his client service sectors included healthcare, among others. Mr. George currently serves as Chairman of the Audit Committee for The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and, since June 2011, has been a member of The University of Texas at Austin, McCombs Graduate School of Business accounting faculty. Since January 2014, he also has been the Director of Energy Programs and Conferences for the Professional Development Institute. Mr. George graduated with accounting honorshas a B.B.A. - Accounting (cum laude) from the University of North Texas. We believe Mr. George’s deep and broad level of expertise in financial accounting and reporting matters, particularly in the healthcare sector, as a former audit partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers provide him with the qualifications to serve as a director.

Michael D. Cannon - Director.  

Mr. Cannon joined our board of directors upon our IPO. Between 1997 and 2004, Mr. Cannon was the Chief Science Officer, EVP and a Director of SICOR, Inc., a U.S. public pharmaceutical company, until its acquisition by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc. SICOR focused on generic finished dosage injectable pharmaceuticals, active pharmaceutical ingredients and generic biopharmaceuticals. While at SICOR, he oversaw the acquisition and development of the biological business, including initiation and management of international partnerships, as well as on the design, construction, and licensure of protein manufacturing facilities. From July 2005 to December 2009, Mr. Cannon was a member of the scientific advisory board of Trevi Health Ventures LP, a New York investment fund specializing in health care investments. From May 2005 until December 2011, Mr. Cannon was a partner in a private partnership formed to evaluate and perform preliminary development of intellectual property in the healthcare sector. Since 2005, Mr. Cannon has served as a board member for several private companies. Mr. Cannon currently serves on the boards of directors of three privately held biotech companies. He previously served on the board of directors of 4 privately held biotech companies, including 2 focusedAthenex, Inc., a public company traded on cancer-related treatments, and has been a partner and advisor in several biotech venture firms.the NASDAQ. Mr. Cannon has a degree in chemistry from Fordham College. We believe Mr. Cannon’s distinguished career in the biotechnology field, particularly as Chief Science Officer, EVP and a Director of SICOR, a publicly traded company, provide him with the qualifications to serve as a director.

Jacqueline Northcut —John M. Climaco, Esq. - Director.  Ms. Northcut

Mr. Climaco joined our board of directors upon our IPO. Ms. Northcutin July 2017. Mr. Climaco has served as the chief executive officer of CNS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. since September 2017. Mr. Climaco has served in leadership roles in a variety of healthcare companies. From 2014 until 2017, Mr. Climaco served as the Executive Vice ­President of Perma­Fix Medical S.A. From 2002 until 2012, Mr. Climaco served as President and CEO of BioHouston from 2002 until 2015. BioHouston,Axial Biotech, Inc. is, a non-profit organization founded by Houston, Texas area academic/research institutionsDNA diagnostics company. Mr. Climaco previously served as a director of Digirad, Inc., a leading national provider of imaging services; PDI, Inc., a provider of outsourced commercial services to assistpharma companies; InfuSystem Holdings, Inc., the largest supplier of infusion services to oncologists in the commercialization effortsUnited States; and Birner Dental Management Services, Inc., a provider of development stage life sciencepractice management services to the dental industry. Mr. Climaco obtained his Juris Doctorate Degree from University of California Hastings College of Law, San Francisco, CA and biotechnology companies. During this same period, Ms. Northcut becamea Bachelors of Philosophy from Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT. Mr. Climaco is active with the founder and CEOState Bar of the Texas BioAlliance, an organization created to further assist with development efforts of biotechnology and medical device companies in the state of Texas. In these capacities she organized the Texas Life Science Forum and the Texas Life Science CEO Summit, helping connect biotech CEOs with funding, technical, regulatory and other resources. Ms. Northcut was previously a Partner in the international accounting firm of Arthur Andersen & Co., where she worked from 1984 to 2002. Ms. Northcut received her BBS from Harding University in 1984. Ms. Northcut currently serves on the board of directors of one privately held biotech company focused on cancer-related treatments.Utah. We believe Ms. Northcut’sMr. Climaco’s vast experience with development stage life sciencecompanies and biotechnology companies as President and CEO of BioHouston and her expertise in financial accounting and reporting mattershis legal background provides him with the qualifications to serve as a former audit partnerdirector.

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Elizabeth Cermak - Director

Ms. Cermak joined our board of directors in October 2020. Ms. Cermak has held numerous board positions in the healthcare space, including currently at Arthur Andersen,both Que Oncology and Clarus Therapeutics, Inc., where she serves as an Independent Board Director. In addition, Ms. Cermak was formerly an Independent Board Director at SteadyMed Therapeutics. From 2009 to 2013, Ms. Cermak was the Chief Commercial Officer and Executive Vice President at POZEN, now Aralez Pharmaceuticals. As Chief Commercial Officer at POZEN, Ms. Cermak developed the commercial strategy and launch Plans for the Company's first self-marketed product, and signed licensing deals with Johnson & Johnson, Desitin, and Sanofi. Prior to joining POZEN, Ms. Cermak worked at Johnson & Johnson for 25 years, serving most recently as World-Wide Vice President Personal Products Franchise and Vice President Professional Sales & Marketing. We believe Ms. Cermak’s extensive experience in the healthcare industry provides her with the qualifications to serve as a director.

No director is related to any other director or executive officer of our company or our subsidiaries, and, there are no arrangements or understandings between a director and any other person pursuant to which such person was elected as director.


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GOVERNANCE OF THE COMPANY

Our Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors oversees the business affairs of Moleculin and monitors the performance of management. Pursuant to our Bylaws, the Board of Directors shall consist of no less than one director. Members of the Board of Directors discussed various business matters informally on numerous occasions throughout the year 2016.2020. The Board held three21 meetings during 2016.2020. In addition to meetings of the full Board of Directors, our Board has established an Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. During 2020, these Board committees held an additional 28 meetings during the year. Specifically, the breakdown of the committee meetings for 2020 are as follows: 7 for the Audit Committee, 13 for the Compensation Committee, and 8 for the Governance Committee. We believe that such interaction between fellow Board members and with management provided proper oversight of the Company. Each incumbent director attended at least 75% of the total number of meetings of the Board of Directors and committee meetings of which such director was a member (held during the period for which such director was in office).

Director Independence

The rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market, or the Nasdaq Rules, require a majority of a listed company’s board of directors to be composed of independent directors. In addition, the Nasdaq Rules require that, subject to specified exceptions, each member of a listed company’s audit, compensation and nominating and governance committees be independent. Under the Nasdaq Rules, a director will only qualify as an independent director if, in the opinion of our boardBoard of directors,Directors, that person does not have a relationship that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. The Nasdaq Rules also require that audit committee members satisfy independence criteria set forth in Rule 10A-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. In order to be considered independent for purposes of Rule 10A-3, a member of an audit committee of a listed company may not, other than in his or her capacity as a member of the audit committee, the board of directors, or any other board committee, accept, directly or indirectly, any consulting, advisory, or other compensatory fee from the listed company or any of its subsidiaries or otherwise be an affiliated person of the listed company or any of its subsidiaries. In considering the independence of compensation committee members, the Nasdaq Rules require that our board of directors must consider additional factors relevant to the duties of a compensation committee member, including the source of any compensation we pay to the director and any affiliations with our company.

Our board of directors undertook a review of the composition of our board of directors and its committees and the independence of each director. Based upon information requested from and provided by each director concerning his background, employment and affiliations, including family relationships, our board of directors has determined that each of our directors, with the exception of Mr. Klemp, are independent as defined under the Nasdaq Rules.

Board Committees

Upon the completion of our IPO in May 2016, we

We established a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, an Audit Committee and a Compensation Committee. Our Board of Directors has adopted and approved a charter for each of these standing committees. The charters, which include the functions and responsibilities of each of the committees, can be found in the “Investors - Corporate Governance” section on our web site atwww.moleculin.com. www.moleculin.com.

Audit Committee. The members of the Audit Committee are Robert George (Chairperson), Jacqueline NorthcutMichael Cannon, John Climaco, and Michael Cannon.Elizabeth Cermak. Each member of the Audit Committee is independent as defined by the Nasdaq Rules. In addition, each member of the Audit Committee satisfies the additional requirements of the SEC and Nasdaq Rules for audit committee membership, including the additional independence requirements and the financial literacy requirements. The Board has determined that at least two membersone member of the Audit Committee, Mr. George, and Ms. Northcut, areis an “audit committee financial experts”expert” as defined in the SEC’s rules and regulations. The primary purpose of the Audit Committee is to oversee the quality and integrity of our accounting and financial reporting processes and the audit of our financial statements. The Audit Committee is responsible for selecting, compensating, overseeing and terminating the selection of our independent registered public accounting firm.


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Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. The members of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee are Robert George (Chairperson), Jacqueline NorthcutMichael Cannon, John Climaco, and Michael Cannon.Elizabeth Cermak. Each member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is independent as defined by Nasdaq Rules. The primary functions and responsibilities of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee are to: (a) determine the qualifications, qualities, skills, and other expertise required to be a director; (b) identify and screen individuals qualified to become members of the Board; (c) make recommendations to the Board regarding the selection and approval of the nominees for director; and (d) review and assess the adequacy of our corporate governance policies and procedures.

Compensation Committee. The members of the Compensation Committee are Jacqueline NorthcutMichael Cannon (Chairperson), Michael CannonRobert George, John Climaco, and Robert George.Elizabeth Cermak. Each member of the Compensation Committee is independent as defined by Nasdaq Rules.

5

The Compensation Committee is responsible for, among other things, reviewing and making recommendations to the Board of Directors with respect to the annual compensation for our Chief Executive Officer. The Compensation Committee also is responsible for reviewing and making recommendations to the Board of Directors the annual compensation and benefits for our other executive officers. The Compensation Committee also, among other things, reviews compensation of the Board, reviews and makes recommendations on all new executive compensation programs that are proposed for adoption and administers the Company’s equity incentive plans. The Compensation Committee is responsible for, among other things, reviewing directorand making recommendations to the Board of Directors with respect to the annual compensation for service on the Boardour Chief Executive Officer and Board committees at least once a year and to recommend any changes to the Board.Chief Financial Officer.

Our Chief Executive Officer reviewsand Chief Financial Officer review the performance of our other executive officers (other than himself) and, based on that review, our Chief Executive Officer makesthey then make recommendations to the Compensation Committee about the compensation of executive officers (other than himself)themselves). Our Chief Executive Officer does not participate in any deliberations or approvals by the Board or the Compensation Committee with respect to his own compensation.

Board Member Attendance at Annual Meetings

We do not have a formal policy regarding Board attendance at our annual meetings. This ismeetings, however, all of our firstdirectors are invited to the annual meeting since becoming a public company.and all of our directors at the time attended our prior annual meeting.

Board Leadership Structure and Role in Risk Oversight

Walter V. Klemp serves as both our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. Our Board of Directors has no policy with regard to the separation of the offices of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, and believes, given the size of our company, it is appropriate for Mr. Klemp to serve in both roles.

John Climaco serves as the Lead Independent Director of our Board. As Lead Independent Director, Mr. Climaco is responsible for, among other things,

• 

leading executive sessions of the Board’s independent directors;

• 

serving as the principal liaison between the Chairman and the independent directors; and

• 

approving all information sent to the Board of Directors and approving the agendas for all Board meetings.

Our Board believes that by maintaining a Lead Independent Director position, it has designed a governance structure that best advances Moleculin’s objectives, while maintaining proper checks and balances on senior management, and providing the independent members of the Board with open and transparent communication regarding our strategic planning activities.

Our management is responsible for managing risks in our business, including developing processes to manage and monitor risks. The Board views its role as one of oversight. The Board focuses on understanding management’s risk management systems, the effectiveness of those systems, and the way in which management proactively manages risks. In addition, the Board utilizes the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, the Audit Committee and the Compensation Committee to manage risks that arise under each committee’s area of focus.

Nomination of Director Candidates

We receive suggestions for potential director nominees from many sources, including members of the Board, advisors, and stockholders. Any such nominations, together with appropriate biographical information, should be submitted to the Chairperson of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee in the manner discussed below. Any candidates submitted by a stockholder or stockholder group are reviewed and considered in the same manner as all other candidates.

Qualifications for consideration as a Board nominee may vary according to the particular areas of expertise being sought as a complement to the existing board composition. However, minimum qualifications include high level leadership experience in business activities, breadth of knowledge about issues affecting the


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Company, experience on other boards of directors, preferably public company boards, and time available for meetings and consultation on Company matters. Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee does not have a formal policy with regard to the consideration of diversity in identifying director candidates, but seeks a diverse group of candidates who possess the background, skills and expertise to make a significant contribution to the Board, to the Company and our stockholders. Candidates whose evaluations are favorable are recommended by our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee to the full Board for consideration. The full Board selects and recommends candidates for nomination as directors for stockholders to consider and vote upon at the annual meeting.

A stockholder wishing to nominate a candidate for election to our Board of Directors at any annual meeting at which the Board of Directors has determined that one or more directors will be elected must submit a written notice of his or her nomination of a candidate to the Chairperson of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (c/o the Corporate Secretary), providing the candidates name, biographical data and other relevant information together with a consent from the nominee. Pursuant to our Bylaws, the submission must be received at our principal executive offices 120 days prior to the anniversary date of the mailing date of our previous year’s proxy statement so as to permit the Board of Directors time to evaluate the qualifications of the nominee.

We

During 2020, our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee retained a third-party search firm to conduct a search to recruit a director. Ms. Cermak was recommended to our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee by the third-party search firm. Except as set forth above, we have not employed an executive search firm, or paid a fee to any other third party, to locate qualified candidates for director positions.

Stockholder Communications with Directors

Persons wishing to write to our Board of Directors, or to a specified director or committee of the Board, should send correspondence to the Corporate Secretary at 2575 West Bellfort,5300 Memorial Drive, Suite 333,950, Houston, TX, 77054.Texas 77007. Electronic submissions of stockholder correspondence will not be accepted.

The Corporate Secretary will forward to the directors all communications that, in his or her judgment, are appropriate for consideration by the directors. Examples of communications that would not be appropriate for consideration by the directors include commercial solicitations and matters not relevant to the stockholders, to the functioning of the Board or to the affairs of Moleculin. Any correspondence received that is addressed generically to the Board of Directors will be forwarded to the Chairman of the Board.

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Anti-Hedging Policy

Our policies prohibit directors, officers and other employees from purchasing financial instruments (including prepaid variable forward contracts, equity swaps, collars, and exchange funds), or otherwise engaging in transactions, that hedge or offset, or are designed to hedge or offset, any decrease in the market value of our equity securities without our prior approval.

Code of Ethics

We have adopted a written code of ethics that applies to our directors, principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller and any persons performing similar functions. The code of ethics is on the “Investors - Corporate Governance - Governance Documents” section of our web site atwww.moleculin.com. www.moleculin.com. We intend to disclose any future amendments to, or waivers from, the code of ethics within four business days of the waiver or amendment through a website posting or by filing a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC.


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COMPENSATION OF DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

Executive Officer Compensation

We were formed in July 2015. To provide you with a complete picture of the compensation paid to our

Our named executive officers for the fiscal years ended December 31, 20162020 and 2015 when they acted2019, which consist of our principal executive officer and our two other most highly compensated executive officers, are: (i) Walter V. Klemp, our chairman, president and chief executive officer; (ii) Jonathan P. Foster, our chief financial officer and executive vice president; and (ii) Donald Picker, our chief scientific officer.

Name and Principal Position

 

Year

 

Salary ($)

 

Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation ($)

 

Stock Awards ($) (5)

 

Option

awards

($) (1)

 

All other

compensation

($) (2)

 

Total ($)

Walter V. Klemp, Chairman, President - Chief Executive Officer (3)(4)

 

2020

 

500,000

 

 

242,500

 

 

327,783

 

 

410,852

 

 

35,644

 

 

1,516,779

 

 

 

2019

 

625,000

 

 

215,380

 

 

415,148

 

 

525,000

 

 

21,188

 

 

1,801,716

 

Jonathan P. Foster, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

 

2020

 

375,000

 

 

145,500

 

 

 

 

377,982

 

 

48,112

 

 

946,594

 

 

 

2019

 

360,417

 

 

121,040

 

 

 

 

330,750

 

 

26,734

 

 

838,941

 

Donald Picker, Chief Scientific Officer

 

2020

 

300,000

 

 

117,875

 

 

 

 

82,171

 

 

20,281

 

 

520,327

 

 

 

2019

 

289,583

 

 

100,125

 

 

 

 

105,000

 

 

27,481

 

 

522,189

 

(1)         Represents the full grant date fair value of the option grant calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. These amounts do not necessarily correspond to the actual value that may be realized by the named executive capacities for Moleculin, LLCofficer. For a summary of the assumptions made in the valuation of the awards, please see Note 6 to our financial statements as of and for Moleculin, the following tableperiod ended December 31, 2020 included in the Form 10-K provided to you along with this proxy statement.

(2)          Represents payments made by us for medical coverage, term life, dental vision, short and long-term disability, voluntary AD&D and Voluntary life.

(3)          Mr. Klemp’s employment agreement provided that Mr. Klemp would defer 50% of his salary for 12 months, or until June 1, 2017, which deferred salary was payable upon the earlier of Mr. Klemp’s termination or on June 1, 2019. The deferred compensation of $150,000 was paid in 2019.

(4)         Mr. Klemp's equity awards in 2020 consisted of 83,334 stock options with a grant date fair value of $410,852, and 58,869 restricted stock units with a grant date fair value of $327,783. Mr. Klemp’s equity awards in 2019 consisted of 83,334 stock options with a grant date fair value of $525,000, and 52,818 restricted stock units, with a grant date fair value of $415,148.

(5)          Represents the full grant date fair value of the restricted stock unit calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. These amounts do not necessarily correspond to the actual value that may be realized by the named executive officer. For a summary of the assumptions made in the valuation of the awards, please see Note 6 to our financial statements as of and for the period ended December 31, 2020 included in the Form 10-K provided to you along with this proxy statement.

Narrative to Summary Compensation Table

During 2017, we established for compensation purposes a compensation year from June 1 until May 31 of each year. In June of each year, our compensation committee completes its annual review of executive compensation and determines, after researching comparable companies and using a leading industry survey, the compensation arrangements for the next compensation year.

We review compensation annually for all employees, including our executives. In setting executive base salaries and bonuses and granting equity incentive awards, we consider compensation for comparable positions in the market, the individual executive’s performance as compared to our expectations and objectives, our desire to motivate our employees to achieve short and long-term results that are in the best interests of our stockholders and a long-term commitment to our company. We do not target a specific competitive position or a specific mix of compensation among base salary, bonus or long-term incentives. Our Compensation Committee typically reviews and discusses management’s proposed compensation with the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer for all executives other than the Chief Executive Officer. Based on those discussions and its discretion, the Compensation Committee then determines the compensation for each executive officer. Our Compensation Committee, without members of management present, discusses and ultimately approves the compensation of our executive officers. In April 2018, the Compensation Committee retained Pay Governance, a compensation consulting firm, to evaluate our executive compensation program. Pay Governance’s engagement included assisting the Compensation Committee with the selection of a peer group of companies for benchmarking purposes, and an analysis of our existing executive compensation. The consultant serves at the pleasure of the Compensation Committee rather than us, and the related notes set forth information relatingconsultant’s fees are approved by the Compensation Committee.

Annual Base Salary

For the 2019/2020 compensation year, the base salaries for Mr. Klemp, Mr. Foster, and Dr. Picker were $500,000, $375,000, and $300,000, respectively. No change was made to the base salaries for the 2020/2021 compensation year for Mr. Klemp, Mr. Foster, and Dr. Picker. 

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Annual Bonus and Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation

We seek to motivate and reward our executives for achievements relative to our corporate goals and objectives, and with respect to their respective individual goals, for each fiscal year. For the 2019/2020 compensation year, the target bonus for Mr. Klemp, Mr. Foster and Dr. Picker were 50%, 40%, and 38.3%, respectively, of their base salary. For the 2020/2021 compensation year, the target bonus for Mr. Klemp, Mr. Foster and Dr. Picker are 71%, 51%, and 51%, respectively, of their base salary.

The actual performance-based annual bonus paid is calculated by multiplying the executive’s annual base salary, target bonus percentage, the percentage attainment of the corporate goals established by the Board for such year, which represents 100% of the potential bonus payable to our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, and the percentage attainment of the individual goals approved by our Compensation Committee, which represents 25% of the potential bonus payable to our other officers. However, the Compensation Committee is not required to calculate bonuses in this manner and retains discretion in the amounts it awards and the factors it takes into consideration in determining bonus amounts. At the end of the year, the Compensation Committee reviews our performance against our goals and objectives and approves the extent to which we achieved each of our corporate and individual goals and objectives, and, for each named executive officer, the amount of the bonus awarded.

For the 2019/2020 compensation year, bonuses were awarded based on our achievement of specified corporate goals, including the progress of our clinical trials, the improvement of our internal controls and our ability to maintain sufficient funding, and individual goals, as applicable. Based on the level of achievement, our Compensation Committee awarded Mr. Klemp, Mr. Foster and Dr. Picker 97%, 97%, and 103%, respectively, of their potential bonuses for the 2019/2020 compensation year. These actual bonus amounts are reflected in the "Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation" column of the Summary Compensation Table above.

For the 2020/2021 compensation year, bonuses will be awarded based on our achievement of specified corporate goals, including the progress of our clinical trials, the improvement of our internal controls and our ability to maintain sufficient funding, and individual goals, as applicable.

Long-Term Incentives

Our 2015 Stock Plan provides for the grant of stock options, stock awards, stock unit awards and stock appreciation rights to key employees, non-employee directors and consultants.

Each year our Compensation Committee establishes a value for the expected equity grant issuable to each of theour named executive officersofficers. For the 2019/2020 compensation year, the fair value of the equity grants for Mr. Klemp, Mr. Foster and Dr. Picker were $900,000, $470,000 and $100,000, respectively. For the 2020/2021 compensation year, the fair value of the equity grants for Mr. Klemp, Mr. Foster and Dr. Picker were established at $955,000, $430,000 and $150,000, respectively, although the final determination for any equity grants remain at the discretion of the Compensation Committee. For options, we set forth below (the “named executive officers”) by Moleculin, LLCthe option exercise price, and Moleculin.grant date fair value based on the closing price of our common stock on Nasdaq on the date of grant. The shares underlying options typically vest in four equal annual installments. For other equity awards, the grant date fair value is based on the closing price of our common stock on Nasdaq on the date of grant.

     
Name and Principal Position Year Salary
($)
 Option
awards
($)(1)
 All other
compensation
($)(2)
 Total
($)
Moleculin, LLC:
                         
Walter V. Klemp,
Chairman and Acting Chief Executive Officer
  2016               
  2015   40,650           40,650 
Donald Picker,
President and Chief Operating Officer
  2016               
  2015   47,425           47,425 
MBI:
                         
Walter V. Klemp,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
  2016   175,000(3)           175,000 
  2015               
Donald Picker,
President and Chief Operating Officer
  2016   131,250           131,250 
  2015               
Jonathan P. Foster,
Chief Financial Officer and Executive
Vice President(4)
  2016   97,717   1,506,909   7,199   1,611,825 
                         
Louis Ploth, Jr.,
Former Chief Financial Officer(5)
  2016   111,009        7,485   118,494 
  2015   44,141(6)   27,390        71,531 

(1)Represents the full grant date fair value of the option grant calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. These amounts do not necessarily correspond to the actual value that may be realized by the named executive officer. For a summary of the assumptions made in the valuation of the awards, please see Note 5 to our financial statements as of and for the period ended December 31, 2016 included in Form 10-K provided to you along with this proxy statement.
(2)Represents payments made for medical coverage.
(3)Mr. Klemp’s employment agreement provided that Mr. Klemp would defer 50% of his salary for 12 months, which deferred salary will be payable upon Mr. Klemp’s termination or on June 1, 2019. Of the foregoing $175,000 amount, $87,500 was paid during the year and $87,500 represents the deferred portion of Mr. Klemp’s salary.
(4)Mr. Foster became our chief financial officer in August 2016.
(5)Mr. Ploth resigned as our chief financial officer in August 2016.
(6)Includes $7,000 of consulting fees paid during the year.

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Equity Awards

The following table sets forth certain information concerning our outstanding optionsequity awards for our named executive officers at December 31, 2016.2020.

Outstanding Equity Awards At Fiscal Year-End — 2016

  Option Awards Stock Awards

Name

 

Grant

Date of

Equity

Award

 

Number of

Securities

Underlying

Unexercised

Options

(#)

Exercisable (1)

 

Number of

Securities

Underlying

Unexercised

Options

(#)

Unexerciseable (1)

 

Option

Exercise  Price

($)

 

Option

Expiration 

Date

 

Number of

shares or

units of stock

that have

not vested (#)

 

Market value

of shares of

units of stock

that have

not vested ($) (3)

Walter V. Klemp, Chairman, President - Chief Executive Officer (2) 7/2/2020   83,334  5.56  7/2/2030 58,869  281,394 

 

 

7/11/2019

 

20,834

 

 

62,500

 

 

7.86

 

 

7/11/2029

 

39,613

 

 

189,350

 

 

 

6/6/2018

 

44,527

 

 

38,806

 

 

10.92

 

 

6/6/2028

 

 

 

 

 

 

10/3/2017

 

42,501

 

 

14,166

 

 

14.94

 

 

10/3/2027

 

 

 

 

Jonathan P. Foster, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President 7/2/2020   76,667  5.56  7/2/2030    

 

 

7/11/2019

 

13,125

 

 

39,375

 

 

7.86

 

 

7/11/2029

 

 

 

 

 

 

6/6/2018

 

25,084

 

 

25,083

 

 

10.92

 

 

6/6/2028

 

 

 

 

 

 

10/3/2017

 

18,126

 

 

6,041

 

 

14.94

 

 

10/3/2027

 

 

 

 

 

 

8/19/2016

 

66,667

 

 

 

 

35.10

 

 

8/19/2026

 

 

 

 

Donald Picker, Chief Scientific Officer 7/2/2020   16,667  5.56  7/2/2030    

 

 

7/11/2019

 

4,167

 

 

12,500

 

 

7.86

 

 

7/11/2029

 

 

 

 

 

 

6/6/2018

 

6,250

 

 

6,250

 

 

10.92

 

 

6/6/2028

 

 

 

 

 

 

10/3/2017

 

7,500

 

 

2,500

 

 

14.94

 

 

10/3/2027

 

 

 

 

    
Name Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
Exercisable
 Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
Unexercisable
 Option
Exercise
Price
($)
 Option
Expiration
Date
Walter V. Klemp            
Donald Picker            
Jonathan P. Foster     400,000(1)   5.85   8/19/2026 
Louis Ploth(2)     200,000(2)   0.20   12/10/2025 
8

(1)The unvested shares underlying the option vest in equal annual installments over a four-year period commencing August 2017, provided Mr. Foster continues as our chief financial officer on each vesting date.
(2)The unvested shares underlying the option vested in equal annual installments over a four-year period commencing December 2017, provided Mr. Ploth was employed on each vesting date. Mr. Ploth resigned as our chief financial officer in August 2016. Pursuant to a separation agreement we entered into with Mr. Ploth, Mr. Ploth will be permitted to exercise 25% of the options to purchase common stock granted in December 2015, or 50,000 shares, until May 2020. The remaining options to purchase 150,000 shares were cancelled.

(1)         The shares underlying the options vest in equal annual installments over a four-year period (i.e., one-quarter of each grant vests on the first, second, third and fourth anniversary of the grant date).

(2)         Restricted stock unit award vests in four equal annual installments through July 2, 2024, subject to continued service with us through each applicable vesting date.

(3)         Based on the closing price of our common stock on December 31, 2020 of $4.78.

Employment Agreements

Klemp Employment Agreement

On October 13, 2016, we entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Walter V. Klemp pursuant to which Mr. Klemp agreed to serve as our Chief Executive Officer commencing on such date. The agreement providesprovided for an initial annual salary of $300,000, provided that Mr. Klemp has agreed to defer 50% of his salary for 12 months, which is reviewed. We paid the deferred salary will be payable upon Mr. Klemp’s termination or on June 1, 2019. If Mr. Klemp’s employment is terminated at our election without “cause” (as defined in the agreement), which requires 30 days advanced notice, or by Mr. Klemp for “good reason” (as defined in the agreement), Mr. Klemp shall be entitled to receive severance payments equal to the greater of 12 months of Mr. Klemp’s base salary or the base salary Mr. Klemp would have received had he remained employed through the third anniversary of the date of the agreement.salary. Mr. Klemp has agreed not to compete with us for 12 months after the termination of his employment. If we determine to retain a new chief executive officer during the term of the agreement, we have the option, at our discretion, to convert Mr. Klemp into a consultant on the same terms as set forth above.

Foster Employment Agreement

On August 19, 2016, we entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Jonathan P. Foster pursuant to which Mr. Foster agreed to serve as our Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President commencing on such date for an initial term of three years, which will beis automatically renewed for additional one-year terms unless either party chooses not to renew the agreement. The agreement providesprovided for an initial annual salary of $250,000.$250,000, which is reviewed annually. Mr. Foster may receive an annual bonus, provided that the final determination on the amount of the annual bonus, if any, will be made by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors, based on criteria established by the Compensation Committee.

Under the agreement, Mr. Foster was granted a ten-year option to purchase 400,00066,667 shares at an exercise price per share equal to the closing price of our common stock on the date of execution of his employment agreement, which was $5.85.$35.10. The option vestsvested in four equal installments (or 100,000 shares each installment) on each of the succeeding four anniversary dates of the execution of the agreement, provided Mr. Foster iswas Chief Financial Officer on such vesting date. In the event of a “change of control” (as defined in the


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agreement) prior to the final vesting of all of the options, all of the unvested options shall immediately vest; provided, however, in the event the acquiring party desires to replace the unvested options with a substitute grant of equal or greater value, such proposed substitution shall be submitted to the Compensation Committee, and the Compensation Committee shall decide whether to allow the unvested options to vest or whether to cancel the unvested options and replace them with the substitute grant proposed by the acquiring party.

If Mr. Foster’s employment is terminated at our election without “cause” (as defined in the agreement), which requires 90 days advance notice, or by Mr. Foster for “good reason” (as defined in the agreement), Mr. Foster shall be entitled to receive severance payments equal to nine months of Mr. Foster’s base salary and a pro rata portion of the target bonus, if any, for the year in which such termination occurs. In addition, if Mr. Foster’s employment is terminated prior to the end of the term of the agreement by us without cause or by Mr. Foster for good reason, and such termination occurs within three months prior to a change in control, in contemplation of a change in control or within six months after a change in control, Mr. Foster shall be entitled to receive, in addition to the severance discussed above, an acceleration of the vesting of the option grant described in the prior paragraph. Mr. Foster agreed not to compete with us until nine months after the termination of his employment.

Director Compensation

On September 23, 2016,

Our compensation committee has engaged Pay Governance LLC, an independent compensation consultant, to advise them on matters relating to our board, after receiving the recommendationnon-employee director compensation program. Based on a review of thea compensation study prepared by Pay Governance, our compensation committee recommended to our Board and our Board approved the following policy for compensating non-employee members of the board:Board:

•     Each non-employee director receivesshall receive annual cash compensation of $30,000.$40,000. In addition, the chairperson of the audit committee, compensation committeeAudit Committee, Compensation Committee and nominatingNominating and governance committee receivesGovernance Committee shall receive an annual paymentcompensation of $15,000, $10,000 and $7,500, respectively, andrespectively; the other members of such committees shall receive an annual paymentcompensation of $7,500, $5,000 and $3,750, respectively.

respectively; and the Lead Independent Director shall receive an annual compensation of $15,000. All payments will be made within 15 days after calendar quarter end.

•     Upon the initial appointment (or election) of non-employee directors to the board,Board, the director will be issued a 10-year option to purchase 20,0006,667 shares of our common stock, under the Company’sour 2015 Stock Plan, with 3-year annual vesting and an exercise price equal the closing price of our common stock on the date of the appointment (or election). All non-employee directors serving as of September 23, 2016, the date of the initial adoption of the policy, received the foregoing initial stock option grant as of such date.

•     Annually, on the date of our annual meeting, each non-employee director that is re-elected at the annual meeting will be issued, upon a motion and approval of the Board of Directors, a 10-year option to purchase 15,0003,334 shares of our common stock, under the Company’sour 2015 Stock Plan, with 3-year1-year annual vesting and an exercise price equal the closing price of our common stock on the date of the annual meeting.

The following table sets forth the total compensation earned by our non-employee directors in 2016:2020 (Mr. Klemp does not earn additional compensation for his services on the Board, and his compensation is fully reflected in the “-Summary Compensation Table” above): 

Name

 

Year

 

Fees earned or paid in cash ($)

 

Option awards ($) (1)

 

Total ($)

Michael D. Cannon

 

2020

 

$

59,039

 

 

$

14,910

 

 

$

73,949

 

Robert E. George

 

2020

 

$

65,297

 

 

$

14,910

 

 

$

80,207

 

John Climaco

 

2020

 

$

69,051

 

 

$

14,910

 

 

$

83,961

 

Elizabeth Cermak 2020 $14,139  $28,183  $42,322 

   
Name Fees earned or paid
in cash
($)
 Option
awards
($)(1)
 Total
($)
Michael D. Cannon  27,116   72,714   99,830 
Robert E. George  33,712   72,714   106,426 
Jacqueline Northcut  30,047   72,714   102,761 
9

(1)Represents the full grant date fair value of the 20,000 share option award our board approved and granted to each non-employee director on September 23, 2016, calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. These amounts do not necessarily correspond to the actual value that may be realized by the director. For a summary of the assumptions made in the valuation of the awards made in 2016, please see Note 5 to our financial statements as of and for the period ended December 31, 2016 included in Form 10-K provided to you along with this proxy statement. As of December 31, 2016, the foregoing ten-year option to purchase 20,000 shares at an exercise price of $5.71 per share represented the sole option or stock award outstanding for each the non-employee directors.


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(1)          Represents the full grant date fair value of the option award our board approved and granted to each non-employee director, calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. These amounts do not necessarily correspond to the actual value that may be realized by the director. For a summary of the assumptions made in the valuation of the awards, please see Note 6 to our financial statements as of and for the period ended December 31, 2020 included in the Form 10-K provided to you along with this proxy statement. As of December 31, 2020, the aggregate number of shares outstanding under all options to purchase our common stock held by our non-employee directors were: Mr. Cannon - 16,668 shares; Mr. George - 16,668 shares;  Mr. Climaco - 14,168 shares, and Ms. Cermak - 6,667 shares. None of our non-employee directors held stock awards other than options as of December 31, 2020.

Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans

The following table sets forth information regarding our equity compensation plans at December 31, 2020: 

Plan category    

Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights

(a)

Weighted-average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights

(b)

Number of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column (a))

(c)

Equity compensation plans approved by security holders (1)

903,487$11.24726,493

Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders (2)

109,639$17.32

(1) Represents shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding stock options under our current 2015 Stock Plan.

(2) Consists of warrants issued to consultants for services.

Scientific Advisory Board

Our executive team is supported by our scientific advisory board, the members of which include scientists experienced in the fields in which we pursue.

Dr. Waldemar Priebe, Ph.D, Chair of Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Waldemar Priebe is a founder of and one of the founding scientists at Moleculin, LLC and serves as Chairman of our Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Priebe is also a Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the Department of Experimental Therapeutics at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Priebe led the discovery of the molecules that form the basis for our lead drug candidates. As a founder or founding scientist at a number of successful biotechnology firms such as Aronex Pharmaceuticals, Houston Pharmaceuticals, Reata Pharmaceuticals, and IntertechBio, Dr. Priebe has been integral in advancing several drugs through the pipeline, three of which are currently in clinical development. He has also developed several new small molecule compounds that have been licensed as potential drugs.

Dr. Madeleine, Duvic, M.D., SAB Member.  Dr. Duvic is Professor of Internal Medicine and Dermatology and Deputy Chairman of the Department of Dermatology at MD Anderson, a former board member of the American Academy of Dermatology and recent Vice President of the Society for Investigative Dermatology. Elected to the ADA, Dr. Duvic is also a Founder and board member of the United States Consortium for Cutaneous Lymphomas, performs translational research in CTCL, and has been engaged in the design and conduct of clinical trials that resulted in new therapies for CTCL. Dr. Duvic also serves on Medical and Scientific Boards of the National Alopecia Areata Foundation and Cutaneous Lymphoma Foundation. She is the Principal Investigator of the NAAF funded Alopecia Areata Registry.

Dr. John Paul Waymack, M.D., ScD, SAB Member. Dr. Waymack has served as CMOChairman of the Board of Directors, and Chief Medical Officer of Kitov Pharmaceuticals since July 2013.from its founding in 2013 through his retirement in 2019. Dr. Waymack brings over 20 years’years' experience in the biopharma field. A former academic transplant surgeon and FDA medical officer, he has over 20 years’20+ years' experience as a drug development consultant for major pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, Roche, Pharmacia, Warner Lambert and Searle. During his 10-year academic career, Dr. Waymack published over 100 scientific essays, mainly in the fields of prostaglandins and immunology. In addition, he was commissioned and served as a Major in the US Army Medical Corps in the position of Chief of Surgical Research at the Institute for Surgical Research. Dr. Waymack was also an Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch and at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

Dr. Sandra Silberman,Jorge Cortes, M.D., Ph.DSAB Member.. Dr. Silberman’s careerCortes is Director of the Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University after serving for 23 years in clinical development beganthe Department of Leukemia at Pfizer, Inc.,MD Anderson Cancer Center where she oversaw the initiation of Tarceva (TM) clinical trials. Dr. Silberman then led the global development of Gleevec (TM) at Novartis. Dr. Silberman was a Vice President and Global Therapeutic Area Head in Oncology at Eisai. Subsequently, shehe served as deputy chair and directed the CML and AML Programs. Dr. Cortes received his medical degree in 1986 from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, and completed his medical oncology fellowship at MD Anderson. Dr. Cortes, whose clinical interest focuses on new drug development and the management of patients with myelodysplatic syndromes, acute and chronic leukemias, and myeloproliferative disorders has authored over 1000 peer-reviewed medical publications in top-tier journals including New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet Oncology, Lancet Hematology, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Leukemia, Blood and many others. He has authored several books and book chapters in prestigious publications such as Cancer Medicine and Harrisonís Principles of Internal Medicine. He has received numerous awards including the Faculty Scholar Award from MD Anderson in 2003, the Annual Celgene Young Investigator Achievement Award for Clinical Research in Hematology in 2005, The Dr. John J. Kenny Award from The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in 2007, the Otis W. and Pearl L. Walters Faculty Achievement Award in Clinical Research from MD Anderson in 2007, The Professor David Galton Lecture from the Imperial College of London Hammersmith Hospital in London, UK in 2011, the William Randolph Hearst Foundations Faculty Achievement Award in Education in 2013, and The Gerald P. Bodey Award for Excellence in Education in 2014. He is currently the Cecil F. Whitaker Jr. Georgia Research Academy Eminent Scholar Chair in Cancer.

Dr. Elihu Estey, M.D., SAB Member. Dr. Estey is a senior advisor to a numberProfessor of biopharmaceutical companies, and numerous biotech companies as an independent industry consultant. She joined Quintiles in 2009 as the Vice President of Oncology and Global Head of Translational Medicine in the Division of Hematology at the University of Washington School of Medicine and a Full Member and Director of AML Clinical Research (non-transplant) Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Dr. Estey has built a distinguished career in cancer research approaching 40 years of active clinical practice with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (“AML”) patients, providing mentorships for many physicians that have risen to prominence in AML, lectured globally to professional audiences on cancer research and published more than 700 articles on hematologic malignancies, specifically on AML. Additionally, Dr. Estey serves on the European Leukemia Net (ELN) guidelines committee for AML and has served as an advisor for AML studies to the Oncology Drugs Advisory Committee (“ODAC”) of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Estey’s contribution to science include: developed ATRA and Arsenic without chemotherapy for APL newly formed Innovation division, overseeing drug developmentdiagnosed patients, at MD Anderson; subsequently found to be superior to chemotherapy +ATRA, and novel technologiesnow the widely accepted treatment for new partnershipsthe disease; the first to develop and use FLAG-IDA (fludarabine containing regimen) in AML; and extensive reviewer of AML publications (Blood and JCO) and current Associate Editor of Leukemia. Dr. Estey’s education includes an A.B. in Mathematics from Yale University in 1968 and an M.D. from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD in 1972. Additionally, Dr. Estey’s training includes serving as an Intern in Medicine, New York University, Bellevue Medical Center, New York, NY from 1972-73; a Resident in Medicine, New York University, Bellevue Medical Center, New York, NY from 1973-76; a Chief Resident in Neurology, New York University, Bellevue Medical Center, New York, NY from 1976-78; and as a Fellow, Department of Developmental Therapeutics, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Hospital, Houston, TX from 1978-80.

Dr. James L. Abbruzzese, M.D., SAB Member. Dr. Abbruzzese is the Chief of the Division of Medical Oncology at Duke University, and Member of the Duke Cancer Institute at Durham, North Carolina. Abbruzzese earned his medical degree with honors from the pharmaceuticalUniversity of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and biotechnology industries. Dr. Silberman earned her B.A., Sc.M. and Ph.D. fromcompleted his residency in Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He also completed clinical fellowships in Infectious Diseases at the Johns Hopkins and in Medical Oncology and Medical Oncology Research Laboratory of Neoplastic Disease Mechanisms at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute of Harvard Medical School.

10

Abbruzzese has spent most of his professional career at M.D. Anderson, where he rose through the ranks to his current leadership positions as Chairman of the Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology and Associate Vice-Provost for Clinical Research. Among his many accomplishments, Abbruzzese is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. He has co-authored more than 400 research publications and currently serves as Chair of the Clinical Trials and Translational Research Advisory Committee of the National Cancer Institute.

Dr. Hongbo Zhai, SAB Member. Dr. Zhai former Senior Faculty and Supervisor of Postdoctoral Fellows at University School of ArtsCalifornia San Francisco, has joined Moleculin's Science Advisory Board. Dr. Zhai has over 20 years research and Sciences, Schooldevelopment experience in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. He has worked in oncology, dermatology and virology within China for three drug technologies. Dr. Zhai has contributed to the development of Public Healthproducts in collaboration with global Fortune 500 companies such as Procter & Gamble, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, 3M Pharmaceuticals, and L'Oreal and has published more than 120 scientific articles in his research areas.

Prof. Dominique Schols, Ph.D. - Since 2013 Dr. Schols has been Head of the Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, KULeuven; Head of the subdivision Rega General and head of the Subdivision Chemotherapy. Chairman of the Rega Foundation. Dr. Schols is also a member of the board of directors of the Rega Institute; member of the board and the council of the Department Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation. His main research interests: Chemotherapy of retroviral diseases with special emphasis on HIV/AIDS; Cellular (chemokine) receptors as targets for specific and broad-spectrum anti-viral therapy for HIV, herpes virus, dengue virus and zika virus; Molecular mechanisms of antiviral drug resistance and viral escape mechanisms; Potential role of modified chemokines/ chemokine receptor inhibitors in diseases such HIV, cancer, inflammation and imaging applications; Development of microbicidal agents to inhibit sexual transmission of HIV and herpes virus. Prof. Dominique Schols is author or co-author of ~480 publications in peer-reviewed journals and according to the ISI Web of Science > 10,100 times cited with an h-index of 73.

Dr. Martin Tallman - Dr. Tallman is a board-certified hematologist and oncologist and Chief of the Leukemia Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Before joining Memorial Sloan Kettering, Dr. Tallman was on the faculty of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine respectively. Herand the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center for more than 20 years. There he directed the Leukemia Program, was Co-Director of the Hematologic Malignancy Program at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, and was Associate Chief of the Division of Hematology-Oncology. Dr. Tallman completed fellowship training at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and University of Washington at Seattle. Dr. Tallman is an Associate Editor for the journal Blood, the major focusperiodical publishing new information regarding leukemias and other blood disorders. He is currently Chair of investigation and doctoral thesis wasthe Leukemia Committee of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG), one of only three large cooperative oncology groups in the burgeoning areaUS responsible for coordinating large clinical trials of tumor immunology. Dr. Silberman received hernew therapies for patients with all of the acute and chronic leukemias, myelodysplastic syndromes, and myeloproliferative neoplasms. The ECOG, in collaboration with other cooperative oncology groups in the US and around the world, has carried out many important clinical trials which have set the standard of care for the most effective treatment of many of the leukemias and related disorders.

Richard Whitley, M.D. from Cornell University Medical College, completingRichard Whitley, M.D., is a postdoctoral trainingDistinguished Professor of Pediatrics, Professor of Microbiology, Medicine and her fellowshipNeurosurgery; Loeb Eminent Scholar Chair in hematology/oncologyPediatrics; Co-Director, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases; Vice-Chair, Department of Pediatrics; Senior Scientist, Department of Gene Therapy; Scientist, Cancer Research and Training Center; Faculty, Gene Therapy Center; Associate Director for Drug Discovery and Development and Senior Leader, Pediatric Oncology Program, O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at the Brigham & Women’sUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB); and Co-Founder and Co-Director, Alabama Drug Discovery Alliance. Dr. Whitley is responsible for the Dana Farber CancerNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Collaborative Antiviral Study Group whose role is to perform clinical trials of antiviral therapies directed against medically important viral diseases of children and adults including viruses considered as threats to human health. He has published more than 347 articles. He participates in Boston. Dr. Silbermannumerous Data Safety and Monitoring Boards for ongoing clinical studies. He is currently an attending physiciana past President of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and received the UAB President’s Medal in 2007. In 2013, he was named as the Hematology/Oncology clinicinaugural recipient of the Distinguished Clinical Research Scholar and Educator in Residence at the Duke VA in Durham, NC.NIH Clinical Center.

We intend to compensate the members of our Scientific Advisory Board, or SAB, based on our utilization of their time. As of the date hereof, we have entered into compensatory agreements with Drs. Waymack, Estey, Cortes, Abbruzzese, and SilbermanTallman pursuant to which we (i) agreed to pay the scientific advisors $4,000 per month, and (ii) made a one-time grant of a 10-year option to purchase 10,0001,667 shares of our common stock, under the Company’sCompany's 2015 Stock Plan, with 3-year4-year annual vesting and an exercise price equal to the closing price of our common stock on the date of the grant, which was $2.31 per share. We currently do not have any compensatory arrangements with Drs. Priebe or Duvic.


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Other Executive Agreements

On August 21, 2016, we accepted the resignation of Mr. Louis Ploth from his position as our Chief Financial Officer effective immediately. On October 7, 2016, we entered into a separation agreement with Mr. Ploth, pursuant to which, among other items, Mr. Ploth generally released us from any claims he may have against us or our affiliates, andgrant. In addition, we agreed to pay Mr. PlothDr. Waymack a severance paymentfee of $100,000 over$4,000 per month. We entered into a 12-month period and to pay Mr. Ploth’s medical insurance premiums until August 31, 2017. Pursuant toSAB agreement with Dr. Priebe in March 2020, as described in the separation agreement, Mr. Ploth will be permitted to exercise 25%"Related Party Transactions" section below.

RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

In connection with the acquisition of the options to purchase common stock granted to Mr. Ploth in December 2015, or 50,000 shares, until May 2020.

2015 Stock Plan

We have adopted a 2015 Stock Plan (the “Plan”). The Plan is a stock-based compensation plan that provides for discretionary grants of stock options, stock awards and stock unit awards to key employees and non-employee directors. The purpose of the Plan is to recognize contributions made to our company and its subsidiaries by key employees and non-employee directors and to provide them with additional incentive to achieve the objectives of our company. The following is a summary of the Plan.

Administration.  The Plan is administered by our Compensation Committee of the board of directors (we refer to body administering the Plan as the “Committee”). The Committee has full authority to select the individuals who will receive awards under the Plan, determine the form and amount of each of the awards to be granted and establish the terms and conditions of awards.

Number of Shares of Common Stock.  The number of shares of the common stock that may be issued under the Plan is 2,500,000. Shares issuable under the Plan may be authorized but unissued shares or treasury shares. If there is a lapse, forfeiture, expiration, termination or cancellation of any award made under the Plan for any reason, the shares subject to the award will again be available for issuance. Any shares subject to an award that are delivered to us by a participant, or withheld by usMoleculin, LLC, we also negotiated on behalf of a participant, as payment for an award or payment of withholding taxes due in connectionMoleculin, LLC two agreements with an award will not again be available for issuance, and all such shares will count toward the number of shares issued under the Plan. The number of shares of common stock issuable under the Plan is subject to adjustment, in the event of any reorganization, recapitalization, stock split, stock distribution, merger, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, combination, subdivision, consolidation or exchange of shares, any change in the capital structure of the company or any similar corporate transaction. In each case, the Committee has the discretion to make adjustments it deems necessary to preserve the intended benefits under the Plan. No award granted under the Plan may be transferred, except by will, the laws of descent and distribution.

Eligibility.  All employees designated as key employees for purposes of the Plan and all non-employee directors are eligible to receive awards under the Plan. As of March 31, 2017, six employees and all non-employee directors were eligible to participate in the Plan.

Awards to Participants.  The Plan provides for discretionary awards of stock options, stock awards and stock unit awards to participants. Each award made under the Plan will be evidenced by a written award agreement specifying the terms and conditions of the award as determined by the Committee in its sole discretion, consistent with the terms of the Plan.

Stock Options.  The Committee has the discretion to grant non-qualified stock options or incentive stock options to participants and to set the terms and conditions applicable to the options, including the type of option, the number of shares subject to the option and the vesting schedule; provided that the exercise price of each stock option will be the closing price of the common stock on the date on which the option is granted (“fair market value”), each option will expire ten years from the date of grant and no dividend equivalents may be paid with respect to stock options. It is intended that stock options qualify as “performance-based compensation” under Section 162(m) of the Code and thus be fully deductible by us for federal income tax purposes, to the extent permitted by law.

In addition, an incentive stock option granted to a key employee is subject to the following rules: (i) the aggregate fair market value (determined at the time the option is granted) of the shares of common stock with respect to which incentive stock options are exercisable for the first time by a key employee during any calendar year (under all incentive stock option plans of the company and its subsidiaries) cannot exceed


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$100,000, and if this limitation is exceeded, that portion of the incentive stock option that does not exceed the applicable dollar limit will be an incentive stock option and the remainder will be a non-qualified stock option; (ii) if an incentive stock option is granted to a key employee who owns stock possessing more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all class of stock of the company, the exercise price of the incentive stock option will be 110% of the closing price of the common stock on the date of grant and the incentive stock option will expire no later than five years from the date of grant; and (iii) no incentive stock option can be granted after ten years from the date the Plan was adopted.

Stock Awards.  The Committee has the discretion to grant stock awards to participants. Stock awards will consist of shares of common stock granted without any consideration from the participant or shares sold to the participant for appropriate consideration as determined by the Board. The number of shares awarded to each participant, and the restrictions, terms and conditions of the award, will be at the discretion of the Committee. Subject to the restrictions, a participant will be a shareholder with respect to the shares awarded to him or her and will have the rights of a shareholder with respect to the shares, including the right to vote the shares and receive dividends on the shares; provided that dividends otherwise payable on any performance-based stock award will be held by us and will be paid to the holder of the stock award only to the extent the restrictions on such stock award lapse, and the Committee in its discretion can accumulate and hold such amounts payable on any other stock awards until the restrictions on the stock award lapse.

Stock Units.  The Committee has the discretion to grant stock unit awards to participants. Each stock unit entitles the participant to receive, on a specified date or event set forth in the award agreement, one share of common stock or cash equal to the fair market value of one share on such date or event, as provided in the award agreement. The number of stock units awarded to each participant, and the terms and conditions of the award, will be at the discretion of the Committee. Unless otherwise specified in the award agreement, a participant will not be a shareholder with respect to the stock units awarded to him prior to the date they are settled in shares of common stock. The award agreement may provide that until the restrictions on the stock units lapse, the participant will be paid an amount equal to the dividends that would have been paid had the stock units been actual shares; provided that dividend equivalents otherwise payable on any performance-based stock units will be held by us and paid only to the extent the restrictions lapse, and the Committee in its discretion can accumulate and hold such amounts payable on any other stock units until the restrictions on the stock units lapse.

Performance-Based Awards.  The Committee has the discretion to establish restrictions on the stock awards that qualify the awards as “performance-based compensation” under Section 162(m) of the Code so that they are fully deductible by us for federal income tax purposes. In such case, the Committee may establish performance goals for certain performance periods and targets for achievement of the performance goals, and the restrictions on the stock subject to the award will lapse if the performance goals and targets are achieved for the designated performance period. The performance goals will be based on one or more of the following criteria: (i) net earnings or net income (before or after taxes); (ii) earnings per share; (iii) net sales or revenue growth; (iv) net operating profit or income (including as a percentage of sales); (v) return measures (including, but not limited to, return on assets, capital, invested capital, equity, sales, or revenue); (vi) cash flow (including, but not limited to, operating cash flow, free cash flow, cash flow return on equity, and cash flow return on investment); (vii) earnings before or after taxes, interest, depreciation, and/or amortization; (viii) gross or operating margins; and (ix) share price (including, but not limited to, growth measures and total shareholder return). Performance goals may be absolute in their terms or measured against or in relationship to the performance of other companies or indices selected by the Committee. The performance goals may be particular to one or more lines of business or subsidiaries or may be based on our performance as a whole. The performance goals may be identical for all participants for a given performance period or, at the discretion of the Committee, may differ among participants. In addition, performance goals may be adjusted for any events or occurrences (including acquisition expenses, extraordinary charges, losses from discontinued operations, restatements and accounting charges and restructuring expenses), as may be determined by the Committee.


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Payment for Stock Options and Withholding Taxes.  The Committee may make one or more of the following methods available for payment of any award, including the exercise price of a stock option, and for payment of the minimum required tax obligation associated with an award: (i) cash; (ii) cash received from a broker-dealer to whom the holder has submitted an exercise notice together with irrevocable instructions to deliver promptly to us the amount of sales proceeds from the sale of the shares subject to the award to pay the exercise price or withholding tax; (iii) by directing us to withhold shares of common stock otherwise issuable in connection with the award having a fair market value equal to the amount required to be withheld; and (iv) by delivery of previously acquired shares of common stock that are acceptable to the Committee and that have an aggregate fair market value on the date of exercise equal to the exercise price or withholding tax, or certification of ownership by attestation of such previously acquired shares.

Provisions Relating to a “Change in Control” of the Company.  Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan or any award agreement, in the event of a “Change in Control” of the company, the Committee has the discretion to provide that all outstanding awards will become fully exercisable, all restrictions applicable to all awards will terminate or lapse, and performance goals applicable to any stock awards will be deemed satisfied at the highest target level. In addition, upon such Change in Control, the Committee has sole discretion to provide for the purchase of any outstanding stock option for cash equal to the difference between the exercise price and the then fair market value of the common stock subject to the option had the option been currently exercisable, make such adjustment to any award then outstanding as the Committee deems appropriate to reflect such Change in Control and cause any such award then outstanding to be assumed by the acquiring or surviving corporation after such Change in Control.

Amendment of Award Agreements; Amendment and Termination of the Plan; Term of the Plan.  The Committee may amend any award agreement at any time, provided that no amendment may adversely affect the right of any participant under any agreement in any material way without the written consent of the participant, unless such amendment is required by applicable law, regulation or stock exchange rule.

The Board may terminate, suspend or amend the Plan, in whole or in part, from time to time, without the approval of the shareholders, unless such approval is required by applicable law, regulation or stock exchange rule, and provided that no amendment may adversely affect the right of any participant under any outstanding award in any material way without the written consent of the participant, unless such amendment is required by applicable law, regulation or rule of any stock exchange on which the shares are listed.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, neither the Plan nor any outstanding award agreement can be amended in a way that results in the repricing of a stock option. Repricing is broadly defined to include reducing the exercise price of a stock option or cancelling a stock option in exchange for cash, other stock options with a lower exercise price or other stock awards. (This prohibition on repricing without shareholder approval does not apply in case of an equitable adjustment to the awards to reflect changes in the capital structure of the company or similar events.)

No awards may be granted under the Plan on or after the tenth anniversary of the effective date of the Plan.


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RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

We were incorporated in July 2015. In August 2015, in exchange for the issuance of 630,000 shares of common stock, we acquired the rights to the license agreement with MD Anderson covering our WP1122 Portfolio held by IntertechBio Corporation. Waldemar Priebe, chairman of our Scientific Advisory Board, and Don Picker, our president and chief operating officer, are shareholders of IntertechBio and control the voting and dispositive power over the shares held by IntertechBio.

In August 2015, in exchange for the issuance of 1,431,000 shares of common stock, we acquired the rights to the Annamycin data related to the original Annamycin IND and the development of Annamycin held by AnnaMed, Inc., a company controlled by Walter Klemp, our Chairman and chief executive officer.

Prior to our IPO, in exchange for the issuance of 629,000 shares of common stock, we, on Moleculin, LLC’s behalf, entered into an agreement with HPI whereby HPI agreed to terminate its option to sublicense certain rights to the WP1066 Portfolio and to enter into a co-development agreement with us, allowing us to benefit from HPI’s grant-funded development efforts currently under way.HPI. Waldemar Priebe and Don Picker are shareholders of HPI, and Dr. Priebe havehas the voting and dispositive power over theour shares held by HPI.

Prior Under the first agreement, HPI’s option to our IPO, we merged with Moleculin, LLC. Moleculin, LLCobtain an exclusive sublicense was terminated in exchange for a payment of $100,000 and the holderissuance of the license agreement with MD Anderson covering our WP 1066 Portfolio. As a result of the merger, we issued the equity interests holders of Moleculin, LLC an aggregate of 999,931 shares of our common stock. Waldemar Priebe, Walter Klemp and Don Picker were members of Moleculin, LLC and received 6,046 shares, 22,795 shares and 6,046 shares, respectively, of our common stock as a result of the merger. In addition, Walter Klemp and Don Picker were members of the board of Moleculin, LLC.

In July and August 2015, in Messrs. Klemp, Picker and Priebe purchased 1,100,000 shares, 500,000 shares and 3,000,000104,834 shares of our common stock, respectively,valued at a purchase price of $0.001$36 per share.

On July 1, 2013, Moleculin, LLC Under the second agreement (HPI Out-Licensing Agreement), HPI received a non-exclusive technology rights and development sublicense under which it continued its ongoing work to develop the WP1066 Portfolio related to treatment of non-skin cancer. Pursuant to this HPI Out-Licensing Agreement, we agreed to reimbursemake payments to HPI totaling $750,000 over a three-year period. Of this amount, all has been paid as of December 31, 2020. We expensed such costs as incurred as research and development expense, commencing after the IPO offering in exchange for laboratoryHPI allowing us to access any data, information or know-how resulting from the research and development conducted by HPI. Pursuant to the HPI Out-Licensing Agreement, we had the right within three years of the effective date to buy-out from HPI all rights granted to HPI under the agreement for a payment of $1.0 million. The option repurchase payment was paid on April 30, 2019 for $1.0 million and, accordingly, the HPI Out-Licensing Agreement was terminated.

In August 2019, we entered into a sublease with HPI, pursuant to which we granted HPI access to our lab space usedin exchange for HPI agreeing to pay us 50% of the rent payable under our lease for such lab space. In March 2020, we entered into an agreement with HPI pursuant to which we were permitted to utilize the lab equipment owned or leased by Moleculin, LLC from January 2010 through December 2013HPI that is located in our lab space in exchange for paying $15,000 to HPI each quarter plus a one-time payment of $20,000. In March 2020, we entered into a consulting agreement, which is terminable on ten days’ notice by either party, with HPI pursuant to which HPI will continue to assist us with research and development. Pursuant to the consulting agreement, we made a one-time payment to HPI of $50,000 and we pay HPI $43,500 per quarter for services.

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In March 2020, we entered into a scientific advisory board member agreement with Dr. Priebe pursuant to which we agreed to pay Dr. Priebe an annual amount of $31,764. Moleculin, LLC stopped using the space in 2014. On September 1, 2013, Moleculin, LLC agreed to reimburse HPI for laboratory equipment used by Moleculin, LLC for the period from January 2009 through December 2013 in the amount of $35,000. Moleculin, LLC stopped using the equipment in 2014. During the year ended December 31, 2013, Moleculin, LLC paid $100,000 for laboratory services provided by HPI for the five years prior to August 1, 2013. We do not intend to utilize HPI for such services in the future.$68,500.

We currently employ LindseyLindsay Picker, the daughter of Don Picker, our president and chief operating officer, as a clinical research assistant on an at-will basis withat an annual salary of $77,251.

In February 2019, we entered into sublicense agreements with WPD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Animal Lifesciences, LLC. Dr. Priebe is $75,000.affiliated with both WPD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Animal Lifesciences, LLC. For more information on the terms of these agreements, please see Item 1 - Business-Our Licensing Agreements in the Form 10-K you received along with this proxy statement. As part of our agreement with WPD Pharmaceuticals, we have the right to appoint a member to the board of directors of WPD Pharmaceuticals. We have appointed Mr. Klemp to serve in such capacity. In addition, Dr. Picker and Dr. Silberman have in the past performed consulting work for WPD Pharmaceuticals.

In August 2018, CNS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. entered into sublicense agreements with WPD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Animal Lifesciences, LLC pursuant to which CNS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. licensed the rights to their lead drug candidate, Berubicin, an anthracycline. Mr. Climaco is the chief executive officer of CNS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Drs. Picker and Silberman are the part-time chief science officer and chief medical officer for CNS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. In addition, Dr. Picker was previously a director of CNS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Dr. Priebe is the founder of CNS Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

We have entered, and intend to continue to enter, into separate indemnification agreements with our directors and executive officers, in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws. These agreements, among other things, require us to indemnify our directors and executive officers for certain expenses, including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines and settlement amounts incurred by a director or executive officer in any action or proceeding arising out of their services as one of our directors or executive officers or as a director or executive officer of any other company or enterprise to which the person provides services at our request. We believe that these charter provisions and indemnification agreements are necessary to attract and retain qualified persons as directors and officers.

The limitation of liability and indemnification provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against directors for breach of their fiduciary duties. They may also reduce the likelihood of derivative litigation against directors and officers, even though an action, if successful, might benefit us and our stockholders. A stockholder’s investment may decline in value to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against directors and officers pursuant to these indemnification provisions.

Policies and Procedures for Related Party Transactions

Our audit committee charter provides that our audit committee is responsible for reviewing and approving in advance any related party transaction. This will cover, with certain exceptions set forth in Item 404 of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act, any transaction, arrangement or relationship, or any series of similar transactions, arrangements or relationships in which we were or are towill be a participant to, where the amount involved exceeds $120,000 and a related person had or will have a direct or indirect material interest, including, without limitation, purchases of goods or services by or from the related person or entities in which the related person has a material interest, indebtedness, guarantees of indebtedness and employment by us of a related person. All of the transactions described in this section occurred priorIn determining whether to the creation ofapprove a proposed transaction, our audit committee will consider all relevant facts and circumstances including: (i) the adoptionmateriality and character of this policy.the related party’s direct or indirect interest; (ii) the commercial reasonableness of the terms; (iii) the benefit or perceived benefit, or lack thereof, to us; (iv) the opportunity cost of alternate transactions; and (v) the actual or apparent conflict of interest of the related party.

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PROPOSAL 1:

ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Our Board of Directors currently consists of fourfive members: Walter V. Klemp, Robert George, Jacqueline NorthcutJohn Climaco, Michael Cannon, and Michael Cannon.Elizabeth Cermak. The Nominating and Governance Committee nominated and the Board approved and recommended all of the current members of our Board for re-election. All nominees have consented to being named herein and have indicated their intention to serve as our directors, if elected. The Board has no reason to believe that any nominee would be unable or unwilling to serve if elected. Unless authority to do so is withheld, the persons named as proxies will vote the shares represented by such proxies for the election of the named director nominees. In case any of the nominees becomes unavailable for election to the Board the persons named as proxies will have full discretion and authority to vote or refrain from voting for any other nominees in accordance with their judgment. The Board nominees, if elected, will serve until the next annual meeting of shareholders or until each successor is duly elected and qualified.

Biographical information for our directors is provided above in the section entitled “Information About Directors and Executive Officers.”

Vote Required and Recommendation of the Board of Directors

A plurality of the eligible votes cast is required to elect director nominees, and as such, the fourfive nominees who receive the greatest number of votes cast by stockholders, entitled to vote at the meeting, will be elected. A nominee who receives a plurality means he or she has received more votes than any other nominee for the same director’s seat. Broker non-votes will have no effect on this proposal.The Board recommends that stockholders vote FOR each of the fourfive nominees for election to our Board of Directors.

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PROPOSAL 2:

TO RATIFY THE APPOINTMENT OF
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

Our Audit Committee has selected Grant Thornton LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm to audit our financial statements for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2017.2021. Our stockholders are being asked to ratify this appointment. In the event that ratification of this selection of auditors is not approved by the stockholders, we will reassess our selection of auditors. Representatives of Grant Thornton LLP are expected to be present at the Annual Meeting, will be available to respond to appropriate questions, and will have the opportunity to make a statement at the Annual Meeting.

Change in independent registered public accounting firm

On February 21, 2017, our Audit Committee dismissed GBH CPAs, PC (“GBH”) as its independent registered public accounting firm, effective as of such date.

The report of GBH on the Company’s financial statements as of December 31, 2015 and for the period from July 28, 2015 (inception) to December 31, 2015 and the financial statements of Moleculin, LLC as of and for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 did not contain an adverse opinion or disclaimer of opinion, and was not qualified or modified as to uncertainty, audit scope, or accounting principles, other than an explanatory paragraph relating to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. During the year ended December 31, 2015 and through February 21, 2017 there were no: (1) disagreements (as defined in Item 304(a)(1)(iv) of Regulation S-K and the related instructions to Item 304 of Regulation S-K) with GBH on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure, or auditing scope or procedures, which disagreements, if not resolved to the satisfaction of GBH, would have caused GBH to make reference to the matter in its report on the financial statements for such year.

We requested that GBH furnish us with a letter addressed to the SEC stating whether it agrees with the above statements. A copy of such letter, dated February 22, 2017, was filed as exhibit 16.1 to the current report on Form 8-K we filed with the SEC on February 22, 2017.

On February 21, 2017, our Audit Committee approved the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016.

During the period from July 28, 2015 (inception) to December 31, 2015, and through February 21, 2017, neither the Company nor anyone on their behalf consulted with Grant Thornton LLP with respect to either (i) the application of accounting principles to a specific transaction, either completed or proposed, or the type of audit opinion that might be rendered on the Company’s financial statements, and neither written nor oral advice was provided to the Company that Grant Thornton LLP concluded was an important factor considered by the Company in reaching a decision as to any accounting, auditing or financial reporting issue; (ii) any matter that was either the subject of disagreement (as defined in Item 304(a)(1)(iv) of Regulation S-K and the related instructions to Item 304 of Regulation S-K) or a reportable event (as described in Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K).

Aggregate fees for professional services rendered to us by Grant Thornton, LLP for services provided for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, and GBH CPAs, PC for the respectivetheir services for the fiscal years ended December 31, 20162020 and 2015,2019, respectively, were as follows:

 

 

2020

 

2019

Audit Fees

 

$

325,200

 

 

$

346,371

 

Audit-related fees

 

 

 

 

Tax fees

 

 

 

 

All other fees

 

 

 

 

TOTAL

 

$

325,200

 

 

$

346,371

 

  
 2016 2015
Audit and Quarterly Review Fees $112,500(1)  $53,000 
Audit-related fees $41,000(2)  $7,500 
Tax fees      
All other fees $48,000(3)    
TOTAL $201,500  $60,500 

(1)For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, $112,500 of the fees in the table were paid to Grant Thornton LLP. In addition to the amounts listed in the table for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, we paid audit fees to GBH CPAs, PC of $38,500.

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(2)Represents audit-related fees for services performed by GBH CPAs, PC during 2016.
(3)Represents other fees related to the filing of Form S-1 registration statements during 2016.

Audit and Quarterly Review Fees

Audit fees represent the aggregate fees billed for professional services rendered by our independent accounting firm for the audit of our annual financial statements, review of financial statements included in our quarterly reports, review of registration statements or services that are normally provided in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements for those fiscal years.

Audit-Related Fees

Audit-related fees represent the aggregate fees billed for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of our financial statements and are not reported under Audit Fees.

Tax Fees

Tax fees represent the aggregate fees billed for professional services rendered by our principal accountants for tax compliance, tax advice, and tax planning for such years.

All Other Fees

All other fees represent the aggregate fees billed for products and services other than the services reported in the other categories.

Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures

The Audit Committee on an annual basis reviews audit and non-audit services performed by the independent auditors. All audit and non-audit services are pre-approved by the Audit Committee, which considers, among other things, the possible effect of the performance of such services on the auditors’ independence.

Vote Required and Recommendation of the Board of Directors

The approval of Proposal 2 requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote on the matter. Broker non-votes will not be taken into account in determining the outcome of the proposal, and abstentions will be counted as votes against the proposal.The Board recommends that stockholders vote FOR the ratification of the appointment of Grant Thornton, LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December31, 2017.2021.

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AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

Under

The Audit Committee assists the rules established byBoard of Directors with its oversight responsibilities regarding the SEC, we are required to provide certain information aboutCompany’s financial reporting process. The Company’s management is responsible for the preparation, presentation and integrity of the Company’s financial statements and the reporting process, including the Company’s accounting policies, internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. Grant Thornton LLP, the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, andis responsible for performing an audit of the Company’s financial statements forstatements.

We have reviewed and discussed with management and Grant Thornton LLP the Company’s audited financial statements. We discussed with Grant Thornton LLP the overall scope and plans of their audit. We met with Grant Thornton LLP, with and without management present, to discuss the results of its most recently ended fiscal year. The Audit Committeeexaminations, its evaluation of the Board is furnishingCompany’s internal controls, and the following report in fulfillmentoverall quality of the SEC’s requirements.

One of the responsibilities of the Audit Committee is to recommend that the Company’s financial statements be included in its Annual Report on Form 10-K. The Audit Committee took a number of steps in making this recommendation forreporting.

With regard to the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016. First,2020, the Audit Committee (i) reviewed and discussed with the Company’s management and Grant Thornton, the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for 2016, the Company’s audited financial statements as of December 31, 2020, and for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016. Second, the Audit Committeethen ended; (ii) discussed with Grant Thornton LLP the matters required to be discussed by Auditing Standard No. 16, as adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board or(PCAOB) and the “PCAOB,” including information regarding the scopeSecurities and results of the audit. These discussions were intended to assist the Audit Committee in overseeing the Company’s financial reporting and disclosure process. Finally, the Audit CommitteeExchange Commission; (iii) received the written disclosures and the letter from Grant Thornton LLP required by the applicable requirements of the PCAOB regarding Grant Thornton’sThornton LLP’s communications with the Audit Committee concerning independence,regarding independence; and has also(iv) discussed with Grant Thornton itsLLP their independence. Through its

Based on the review and discussions with Grant Thornton and management, including discussions with Grant Thornton and management regarding the financial statements, discussions with Grant Thornton regarding the scope and results of the audit and Grant Thornton’s independence and such other matters deemed relevant and appropriate by the Audit Committee,described above, the Audit Committee recommended to the Company’s Board of Directors that the Company’s audited financial statements be included in the Company’s 2016Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K to be filedfor the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, for filing with the SEC.Securities and Exchange Commission.

Robert George (Chairperson)
Jacqueline Northcut

Michael Cannon

John Climaco

Elizabeth Cermak

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PROPOSAL 3:
APPROVAL OF AMENDMENT TO RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION TO
EFFECT REVERSE STOCK SPLIT OF THE COMPANY’S COMMON STOCK

General

Our Board is recommending that our stockholders approve a proposed amendment to our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation in substantially the form attached hereto asAnnex A, to effect a reverse stock split of our outstanding shares of common stock at one of the following reverse stock split ratios, 1-for-5, 1-for-6, 1-for-7, 1-for-8, 1-for-9, 1-for-10, 1-for-11, 1-for-12, 1-for-13, 1-for-14, or 1-for-15, as determined by the Board of Directors in its sole discretion, at any time prior to the one-year anniversary of this Annual Meeting. If the stockholders approve and adopt the proposed amendment to effect the reverse stock split, and our Board decides to implement it, the reverse stock split will become effective on the date of the filing of the proposed amendment with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware.

The reverse stock split will be realized simultaneously for all outstanding common stock and the ratio determined by our Board will be the same for all outstanding shares of common stock. The reverse stock split will affect all holders of shares of our common stock uniformly and each stockholder will hold the same percentage of our common stock outstanding immediately following the reverse stock split as that stockholder held immediately prior to the reverse stock split, except for adjustments that may result from the treatment of fractional shares as described below. The proposed amendment will not reduce the number of authorized shares of common stock (which will remain at 75,000,000) or preferred stock (which will remain at 5,000,000) or change the par values of our common stock (which will remain at $0.001 per share) or preferred stock (which will remain at $0.001 per share).

Background

Our common stock is currently quoted on The NASDAQ Capital Market (“NASDAQ”), and we are therefore subject to its continued listing requirements, including requirements with respect to the market value of publicly-held shares, market value of listed shares, minimum bid price per share, and minimum stockholder’s equity, among others, and requirements relating to board and committee independence. If we fail to satisfy one or more of the requirements, we may be delisted from NASDAQ.

The minimum closing bid price requirement set forth in NASDAQ Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) is $1.00. If we fall below this threshold for a period of thirty consecutive business days, we will receive a notice from NASDAQ requiring we take actions to comply with the requirement within 180 days, by having the closing bid price of our common stock meet or exceed $1.00 per share for at least ten consecutive business days. If we do not regain compliance, we would then be subject to delisting.

The closing price of our common stock on April 26, 2017 was $0.88. Furthermore, since February 8, 2017 the closing price of our common stock has not exceeded $1.50, and the closing price of our common stock has been as low as $0.80 per share.

Purpose of the Proposed Reverse Stock Split

Our Board’s primary objective in proposing the reverse stock split is to raise the per share trading price of our common stock. In particular, this will help us to maintain the listing of our common stock on NASDAQ.

Delisting from NASDAQ may adversely affect our ability to raise additional financing through the public or private sale of equity securities, may significantly affect the ability of investors to trade our securities and may negatively affect the value and liquidity of our common stock. Delisting also could have other negative results, including the potential loss of employee confidence, the loss of institutional investors or interest in business development opportunities.

If we are delisted from NASDAQ and we are not able to list our common stock on another exchange, our common stock could be quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board or in the “pink sheets.” As a result, we could face significant adverse consequences including, among others:

a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;

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a determination that our common stock is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our common stock to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities;
a limited amount of news and little or no analyst coverage for us;
we would no longer qualify for exemptions from state securities registration requirements, which may require us to comply with applicable state securities laws; and
a decreased ability to issue additional securities (including pursuant to short-form registration statements on Form S-3 for which we will be eligible in June 2017) or obtain additional financing in the future.

Although we are currently in compliance with NASDAQ listing requirements, our Board believes that the proposed reverse stock split is a potentially effective means for us to maintain compliance with the listing rules of NASDAQ and to avoid, or at least mitigate, the likely adverse consequences of our common stock being delisted from the NASDAQ by producing the immediate effect of increasing the bid price of our common stock.

Increase the Market Price of our Common Stock to a Level More Appealing for Investors

We also believe that the reverse stock split could enhance the appeal of our common stock to the financial community, including institutional investors, and the general investing public. We believe that a number of institutional investors and investment funds are reluctant to invest in lower-priced securities and that brokerage firms may be reluctant to recommend lower-priced securities to their clients, which may be due in part to a perception that lower-priced securities are less promising as investments, are less liquid in the event that an investor wishes to sell its shares, or are less likely to be followed by institutional securities research firms and therefore more likely to have less third-party analysis of the Company available to investors. We believe that the reduction in the number of issued and outstanding shares of our common stock caused by the reverse stock split, together with the anticipated increased stock price immediately following and resulting from the reverse stock split, may encourage interest and trading in our common stock and thus possibly promote greater liquidity for our stockholders, thereby resulting in a broader market for the common stock than that which currently exists.

We cannot assure you that all or any of the anticipated beneficial effects on the trading market for our common stock will occur. Our Board cannot predict with certainty what effect the reverse stock split will have on the market price of our common stock, particularly over the longer term. Some investors may view a reverse stock split negatively, which could result in a decrease in our market capitalization. Additionally, any improvement in liquidity due to increased institutional or brokerage interest or lower trading commissions may be offset by the lower number of outstanding shares. We cannot provide you with any assurance that our shares will continue to qualify for listing on NASDAQ. As a result, the trading liquidity of our common stock may not improve. In addition, investors might consider the increased proportion of unissued authorized shares to issued shares to have an anti-takeover effect under certain circumstances, since the proportion allows for dilutive issuances.

Determination of Ratio

The ratio of the reverse stock split, if approved and implemented, will be a ratio of 1-for-5, 1-for-6, 1-for-7, 1-for-8, 1-for-9, 1-for-10, 1-for-11, 1-for-12, 1-for-13, 1-for-14, or 1-for-15, as determined by the Board of Directors in its sole discretion, prior to the one-year anniversary of this Annual Meeting. In determining the reverse stock split ratio, our Board will consider numerous factors, including:

the historical and projected performance of our common stock;
general economic and other related conditions prevailing in our industry and in the marketplace;
the projected impact of the selected reverse stock split ratio on trading liquidity in our common stock;
our capitalization (including the number of shares of our common stock issued and outstanding);
the prevailing trading price for our common stock and the volume level thereof; and
potential devaluation of our market capitalization as a result of a reverse stock split.

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The purpose of asking for authorization to amend the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to implement the reverse stock split at a ratio to be determined by the Board, as opposed to a ratio fixed in advance, is to give our Board the flexibility to take into account then-current market conditions and changes in price of our common stock and to respond to other developments that may be deemed relevant when considering the appropriate ratio.

Principal Effects of the Reverse Stock Split

A reverse stock split refers to a reduction in the number of outstanding shares of a class of a corporation’s capital stock, which may be accomplished, as in this case, by reclassifying and combining all of our outstanding shares of common stock into a proportionately smaller number of shares. For example, if our Board decides to implement a 1-for-5 reverse stock split of our common stock, then a stockholder holding 10,000 shares of our common stock before the reverse stock split would instead hold 2,000 shares of our common stock immediately after the reverse stock split. The reverse stock split will affect all of our stockholders uniformly and will not affect any stockholder’s percentage ownership interests in our company or proportionate voting power, except for minor adjustments due to the additional net share fraction that will need to be issued as a result of the treatment of fractional shares. No fractional shares will be issued in connection with the reverse stock split. Instead, we will issue one full share of the post-reverse stock split common stock to any stockholder who would have been entitled to receive a fractional share as a result of the process.

The principal effect of the reverse stock split will be that (i) the number of shares of common stock issued and outstanding will be reduced from 17,756,872 shares as of the Record Date to a number of shares between and including one-fifth to one-fifteenth that amount, as the case may be based on the ratio for the reverse stock split as determined by our Board, (ii) all outstanding options and warrants entitling the holders thereof to purchase shares of common stock will enable such holders to purchase, upon exercise of their options or warrants, as applicable, between and including one-fifth to one-fifteenth of the number of shares of common stock which such holders would have been able to purchase upon exercise of their options or warrants, as applicable, immediately preceding the reverse stock split at an exercise price equal to between and including five to fifteen times the exercise price specified before the reverse stock split, resulting in essentially the same aggregate price being required to be paid therefor upon exercise thereof immediately preceding the reverse stock split, as the case may be based on the ratio for the reverse stock split as determined by our Board, and (iii) the conversion price of our outstanding convertible promissory notes will increase to an amount equal to between and including five to fifteen times the conversion price before the stock split entitling the holders thereof to receive between one-fifth to one-fifteenth of the number of shares of common stock upon conversion of such notes (and accrued interest at the option of the holder) which such holders would have received upon conversion of such notes immediately preceding the reverse stock split.

The following table, which is for illustrative purposes only, illustrates the effects of the reverse stock split at certain exchange ratios within the foregoing range, without giving effect to any adjustments for fractional shares of common stock, on our outstanding shares of common stock and authorized shares of capital stock as of the Record Date.

    
 Before Reverse
Stock Split
 After Reverse Stock Split
   1-for-5 1-for-10 1-for-15
Common Stock Authorized  75,000,000   75,000,000   75,000,000   75,000,000 
Preferred Stock Authorized  5,000,000   5,000,000   5,000,000   5,000,000 
Common Stock Issued and Outstanding as of Record Date  17,756,872   3,551,374   1,775,687   1,183,791 
Common Stock Underlying Options and Warrants(1)  617,802   123,560   61,780   41,187 
Common Stock Underlying Convertible Notes (excluding accrued interest)(1)  1,821,013   364,203   182,101   121,401 
Common Stock Available for Grant under 2015 Stock Equity Plan(1)  1,990,000   398,000   199,000   132,667 
Total Common Stock Authorized but Unreserved  52,814,313   70,562,863   72,781,431   73,520,954 

(1)As of December 31, 2016.

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The amendment will not change the terms of our common stock. The shares of new common stock will have the same voting rights and rights to dividends and distributions and will be identical in all other respects to the common stock now authorized. The common stock issued pursuant to the reverse stock split will remain fully paid and non-assessable. The reverse stock split is not intended as, and will not have the effect of, a “going private transaction” covered by Rule 13e-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). We will continue to be subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Exchange Act.

Accounting Matters

The reverse stock split will not affect the par value of our common stock. As a result, on the effective date of the reverse stock split, the stated capital on our balance sheet attributable to the common stock will be reduced to between and including one-fifth to one-fifteenth of its present amount, as the case may be based on the ratio for the reverse stock split as determined by our Board, and the additional paid-in capital account shall be credited with the amount by which the stated capital is reduced. The per share net loss and net book value of our common stock will be retroactively increased for each period because there will be fewer shares of our common stock outstanding.

Effect of Authorized but Unissued Shares

The reverse stock split will have the effect of significantly increasing the number of authorized but unissued shares of common stock. The number of authorized shares of common stock will not be decreased and will remain at 75,000,000. Because the number of outstanding shares will be reduced as a result of the reverse stock split, the number of shares available for issuance will be increased. See the table above under the caption “Principal Effects of the Reverse Stock Split” that shows the number of unreserved shares of common stock that would be available for issuance at various reverse stock split ratios.

Our Board believes that we will need to raise additional capital in the ordinary course of business. In addition, we may issue shares to acquire other companies or assets or engage in business combination transactions. As of the date of this Proxy Statement, we have no specific plans, arrangements or understandings, whether written or oral, with respect to the increase in shares available for issuance as a result of the reverse stock split.

Potential Anti-Takeover and Dilutive Effects

The purpose of the reverse stock split is not to establish any barriers to a change of control or acquisition of the Company. However, because the number of authorized shares of common stock will remain at 75,000,000, this proposal, if adopted and implemented, will result in a relative increase in the number of authorized but unissued shares of our common stock as compared to the outstanding shares of our common stock and could, under certain circumstances, have an anti-takeover effect. Shares of common stock that are authorized but unissued provide our Board with flexibility to effect, among other transactions, public or private financings, mergers, acquisitions, stock dividends, stock splits and the granting of equity incentive awards. However, these authorized but unissued shares may also be used by our Board, consistent with and subject to its fiduciary duties, to deter future attempts to gain control of us or make such actions more expensive and less desirable. After implementation of the proposed amendment, our Board will continue to have authority to issue additional shares from time to time without delay or further action by the stockholders except as may be required by applicable law or the NASDAQ listing standards, assuming the Company remains listed on NASDAQ. Our Board is not aware of any attempt to take control of our business and has not considered the reverse stock split to be a tool to be utilized as a type of anti-takeover device. We currently have no plans, proposals or arrangements to issue any shares of common stock that would become newly available for issuance as a result of the reverse stock split.

In addition, if we do issue additional shares of our common stock, the issuance could have a dilutive effect on earnings per share and the book or market value of the outstanding common stock, depending on the circumstances, and would likely dilute a stockholder’s percentage voting power in the Company. Holders of common stock are not entitled to preemptive rights or other protections against dilution. Our Board intends to take these factors into account before authorizing any new issuance of shares.


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Certain Risks Associated with the Reverse Stock Split

Before voting on this proposal, you should consider the following risks associated with the implementation of the reverse stock split:

Although we expect that the reverse stock split will result in an increase in the market price of our common stock, we cannot assure you that the reverse stock split, if implemented, will increase the market price of our common stock in proportion to the reduction in the number of shares of common stock outstanding or result in a permanent increase in the market price. The effect the reverse stock split may have upon the market price of our common stock cannot be predicted with any certainty, and the history of similar reverse stock splits for companies in similar circumstances to ours is varied. The market price of our common stock is dependent on many factors, including our business and financial performance, general market conditions, prospects for future success and other factors detailed from time to time in the reports we file with the SEC. Accordingly, the total market capitalization of our common stock after the proposed reverse stock split may be lower than the total market capitalization before the proposed reverse stock split and, in the future, the market price of our common stock following the reverse stock split may not exceed or remain higher than the market price prior to the proposed reverse stock split.
The reverse stock split may result in some stockholders owning “odd lots” of less than 100 shares of our common stock on a post-split basis. These odd lots may be more difficult to sell, or require greater transaction costs per share to sell, than shares in “round lots” of even multiples of 100 shares.
While our Board believes that a higher stock price may help generate investor interest, there can be no assurance that the reverse stock split will result in a per share price that will attract institutional investors or investment funds or that such share price will satisfy the investing guidelines of institutional investors or investment funds. As a result, the trading liquidity of our common stock may not necessarily improve.

Procedure for Effecting Reverse Stock Split and Exchange of Stock Certificates

If the reverse stock split is approved by our stockholders, the reverse stock split would become effective at such time prior to the one-year anniversary of this Annual Meeting as it is deemed by our Board to be in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders and we file the amendment to our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware. Even if the reverse stock split is approved by our stockholders, our Board has discretion not to carry out or to delay in carrying out the reverse stock split. Upon the filing of the amendment, all the old common stock will be converted into new common stock as set forth in the amendment.

As soon as practicable after the effective time of the reverse stock split, stockholders will be notified that the reverse stock split has been effected. If you hold shares of common stock in a book-entry form, you will receive a transmittal letter from our transfer agent as soon as practicable after the effective time of the reverse stock split with instructions on how to exchange your shares. After you submit your completed transmittal letter, a transaction statement will be sent to your address of record as soon as practicable after the effective date of the reverse stock split indicating the number of post-reverse stock split shares of common stock you hold.

Some stockholders hold their shares of common stock in certificate form or a combination of certificate and book-entry form. Our transfer agent will act as exchange agent for purposes of implementing the exchange of stock certificates, if applicable. If you are a stockholder holding pre-split shares in certificate form, you will receive a transmittal letter from our transfer agent as soon as practicable after the effective time of the reverse stock split. The transmittal letter will be accompanied by instructions specifying how you can exchange your certificate representing the pre-split shares of our common stock for a statement of holding. When you submit your certificate representing the pre-split shares of our common stock, your post-split shares of our common stock will be held electronically in book-entry form in the Direct Registration System. This means that, instead of receiving a new stock certificate, you will receive a statement of holding


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that indicates the number of post-split shares you own in book-entry form. We will no longer issue physical stock certificates unless you make a specific request for a share certificate representing your post-split ownership interest.

Stockholders should not destroy any stock certificate(s) and should not submit any certificate(s) until requested to do so.

Beginning on the effective time of the reverse stock split, each certificate representing pre-split shares will be deemed for all corporate purposes to evidence ownership of post-split shares.

Fractional Shares

No fractional shares will be issued in connection with the reverse stock split. Instead, we will issue one full share of the post-reverse stock split common stock to any stockholder who would have been entitled to receive a fractional share as a result of the process. Each common stockholder will hold the same percentage of the outstanding common stock immediately following the reverse stock split as that stockholder did immediately prior to the reverse stock split, except for minor adjustment due to the additional net share fraction that will need to be issued as a result of the treatment of fractional shares.

No Dissenter’s Rights

Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, our stockholders are not entitled to dissenter’s rights with respect to the reverse stock split or the corresponding amendment to our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to effect the reverse stock split and we will not independently provide our stockholders with any such right.

Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Reverse Stock Split

The following is a summary of important tax considerations of the reverse stock split. It addresses only stockholders who hold our common stock as capital assets. It does not purport to be complete and does not address stockholders subject to special rules, such as financial institutions, tax-exempt organizations, insurance companies, dealers in securities, foreign stockholders, stockholders who hold their pre-reverse stock split shares as part of a straddle, hedge or conversion transaction, and stockholders who acquired their pre-reverse stock split shares pursuant to the exercise of employee stock options or otherwise as compensation. This summary is based upon current law, which may change, possibly even retroactively. It does not address tax considerations under state, local, foreign and other laws. The tax treatment of a stockholder may vary depending upon the particular facts and circumstances of such stockholder. Each stockholder is urged to consult with such stockholder’s own tax advisor with respect to the tax consequences of the reverse stock split.

Generally, a reverse stock split will not result in the recognition of gain or loss for federal income tax purposes. The adjusted basis of the new shares of common stock will be the same as the adjusted basis of the common stock exchanged for such new shares. The holding period of the new, post-reverse stock split shares of the common stock resulting from implementation of the reverse stock split will include the stockholder’s respective holding periods for the pre-reverse stock split shares. Stockholders who acquired their shares of our common stock on different dates or at different prices should consult their tax advisors regarding the allocation of the tax basis of such shares. Additional information about the effects of the reverse stock split on the basis of holders of our common stock will be included in Internal Revenue Service Form 8937, Report of Organizational Actions Affecting Basis of Securities, which we will post to our website on or before the 45th day following the effective date of the reverse stock split, if effected.

The foregoing views are not binding on the Internal Revenue Service or the courts. Accordingly, each stockholder should consult with his or her own tax advisor with respect to all of the potential tax consequences to him or her of the reverse stock split.


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Vote Required and Recommendation of the Board of Directors

The approval of Proposal 3 requires the affirmative vote of a majority of our outstanding shares of common stock. Broker non-votes and abstentions will be counted as votes against the proposal.The Board recommends that stockholders vote FOR the approval of the amendment to our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to effect a reverse stock split of our outstanding shares of common stock at one of the following reverse stock split ratios, 1-for-5, 1-for-6, 1-for-7, 1-for-8, 1-for-9, 1-for-10, 1-for-11, 1-for-12, 1-for-13, 1-for-14, or 1-for-15, as determined by the Board of Directors in its sole discretion, prior to the one-year anniversary of this Annual Meeting.


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PROPOSAL 4:
AUTHORIZATION TO ADJOURN THE ANNUAL MEETING

General

If the Annual Meeting is convened and a quorum is present, but there are not sufficient votes to approve Proposal 3, one or more of our proxy holders may move to adjourn the Annual Meeting at that time in order to enable our Board to solicit additional proxies.

In this proposal, we are asking our stockholders to authorize one or more of our proxy holders to adjourn the Annual Meeting to another time and place, if necessary, to solicit additional proxies in the event that there are not sufficient votes to approve Proposal 3. If our stockholders approve this proposal, one or more of our proxy holders can adjourn the Annual Meeting and any adjourned session of the Annual Meeting to allow for additional time to solicit additional proxies, including the solicitation of proxies from our stockholders that have previously voted. Among other things, approval of this proposal could mean that, even if we had received proxies representing a sufficient number of votes to defeat Proposal 3, we could adjourn the Annual Meeting without a vote on such proposals and seek to convince our stockholders to change their votes in favor of such proposals.

If it is necessary to adjourn the Annual Meeting, no notice of the adjourned meeting is required to be given to our stockholders, other than an announcement at the Annual Meeting of the time and place to which the Annual Meeting is adjourned, so long as the meeting is adjourned for 30 days or less and no new record date is fixed for the adjourned meeting. At the adjourned meeting, we may transact any business which might have been transacted at the original meeting.

Vote Required and Recommendation of the Board of Directors

The approval of Proposal 4 requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote on the matter. Broker non-votes will not be taken into account in determining the outcome of the proposal, and abstentions will be counted as votes against the proposal.The Board recommends that stockholders vote FOR the approval to authorize the adjournment of the Annual Meeting.


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AVAILABILITY OF ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

A copy of our 20162020 Annual Report on Form 10-K has been mailed concurrently with this proxy statement to stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting, provided that we have not included the exhibits to the Form 10-K. We will provide copies of these exhibits without cost upon request by eligible stockholders, provided that we may impose a reasonable fee for providing such exhibits, which is limited to our reasonable expenses.stockholders. Requests for copies of such exhibits or the amount of the fee payable should be mailed to Moleculin Biotech,Inc., 2575 West Bellfort,5300 Memorial Drive, Suite 333,950, Houston, TX 77054,77007, Attention: Corporate Secretary.

OTHER PROPOSED ACTION

Our Board of Directors does not intend to bring any other matters before the Annual Meeting, nor does it know of any matters which other persons intend to bring before the Annual Meeting. If, however, other matters not mentioned in this proxy statement properly come before the Annual Meeting, the persons named in the accompanying form of proxy will vote thereon in accordance with the recommendation of the Board of Directors.

HOUSEHOLDING OF PROXY MATERIALS

The SEC has adopted rules that permit companies and intermediaries (e.g., brokers) to satisfy the delivery requirements for proxy materials with respect to two or more stockholders sharing the same address by delivering a single proxy statement addressed to those stockholders. This process, which is commonly referred to as “householding,” potentially means extra convenience for stockholders and cost savings for companies.

A number of brokers with account holders who are the Company’s stockholders may be “householding” our proxy materials. A single copy of the proxy materials may be delivered to multiple stockholders sharing an address unless contrary instructions have been received from the affected stockholders. Once you have received notice from your broker that they will be householding communications to your address, householding will continue until you are notified otherwise or until you revoke your consent. If, at any time, you no longer wish to participate in householding and would prefer to receive a separate copy of the proxy materials, please (1) notify your broker, or (2) direct your written request to Moleculin Biotech, Inc., 5300 Memorial Drive, Suite 950, Houston, TX 77007, Attention: Corporate Secretary. Stockholders who currently receive multiple copies of the proxy materials at their address and would like to request householding of their communications should contact their brokers. In addition, upon written request to the address set forth above, we will promptly deliver a separate copy of the proxy materials to any stockholder at a shared address to which a single copy of the documents was delivered.

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STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS AND SUBMISSIONS

In order to be eligible for inclusion in our proxy statement and form of proxy for our 20182022 Annual Meeting, a proposal of a stockholder, including the submission of a stockholder nominee for election to our Board of Directors, must be received at our principal executive offices located in Houston, Texas no later than January 1, 2018December 6, 2021 (the “Deadline”). For any proposal that a stockholder wishes to propose for consideration at the 20182022 Annual Meeting but does not wish to include in the proxy materials for that meeting, our Amended and Restated Bylaws require a notice of the proposal to be delivered not less than 120 days prior to the anniversary of the mailing date of our proxy materials for the preceding annual meeting of stockholders. The notice of the proposal also must comply with the content requirements for such notices set forth in our Amended and Restated Bylaws.

Whether or not you expect to be present at the Annual Meeting, please sign and return the enclosed proxy promptly. Your vote is important. If you are a stockholder of record and attend the Annual Meeting and wish to vote in person, you may withdraw your proxy at any time prior to the vote.

By Order of the Board of Directors
MOLECULIN BIOTECH, INC.

/s/ WALTER KLEMP

Walter Klemp
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

Houston, Texas
May 1, 2017


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Annex A

STATE OF DELAWARE
CERTIFICATE OF AMENDMENT
OF THE AMENDED AND RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION OF
MOLECULIN BIOTECH, INC.

Moleculin Biotech, Inc., a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware (the “Corporation”) for the purpose of amending its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation in accordance with the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, does hereby make and execute this Certificate of Amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, and does hereby certify that:

1. The Board of Directors of the Corporation (the “Board”), acting in accordance with the provisions of Sections 141 and 242 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, adopted resolutions amending its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Certificate of Incorporation”), so that effective upon the effective time of this Certificate of Amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware, every [5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14] and [15] shares of the Corporation’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share (hereinafter the “Common Stock”), issued and outstanding shall, automatically and without any action on the part of the respective holders thereof, be combined and converted into one share of Common Stock without increasing or decreasing the par value of each share of Common Stock (the “Reverse Stock split”) and without increasing or decreasing the authorized number of shares of Common Stock or the Corporation’s preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share (hereinafter the “Preferred Stock”); provided, however, no fractional shares of Common Stock shall be issued in connection with the Reverse Stock Split, and instead, the Corporation shall issue one full share of post-Reverse Stock Split Common Stock to any stockholder who would have been entitled to receive a fractional share of Common Stock as a result of the Reverse Stock Split. The Reverse Stock Split shall occur whether or not the certificates representing such shares of Common Stock are surrendered to the Corporation or its transfer agent.

2. Thereafter, pursuant to a resolution of the Board, a meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation was duly called and held upon notice in accordance with Section 222 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware at which meeting the necessary number of shares as required by statute were voted in favor of the foregoing amendment.

3. The foregoing amendment has been duly adopted in accordance with the provisions of Section 242 of the General Corporation law of the State of Delaware by the vote of a majority of each class of outstanding stock of the Corporation entitled to vote thereon.

4. This amendment shall be effective as of 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the date of filing of this Certificate of Amendment with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have signed this Certificate this    day of            , 201 .



Walter V. Klemp
Chief Executive Officer

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MOLECULIN BIOTECH, INC.
THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON
MAY 25, 2015

The undersigned stockholder acknowledges receipt of the Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders and the Proxy Statement, each dated May 1, 2017, and hereby appoints Walter Klemp and Jonathan Foster, or either of them, proxies for the undersigned, each with full power of substitution, to vote all of the undersigned’s shares of common stock of Moleculin Biotech, Inc. (the “Company”) at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of the Company to be held at the Hilton Garden Inn, 3201 Sage Road, Houston, Texas 77056, on May 25, 2017 at 12:30 pm, local time, and at any adjournments or postponements thereof.



1.

o For All
o Withhold All
o For All Except _________
The Board of Directors has nominated the following four persons for election as directors of the Company: Walter V. Klemp, Robert George, Jacqueline Northcut and Michael Cannon. Their term will expire at the 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, or until their successors are duly elected and qualified.

2.

o Foro Againsto Abstain
To ratify the appointment of Grant Thornton, LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2017.


3.


o Foro Againsto Abstain
To approve the amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to effect a reverse stock split at one of the following reverse stock split ratios, 1-for-5, 1-for-6, 1-for-7, 1-for-8, 1-for-9, 1-for-10, 1-for-11, 1-for-12, 1-for-13, 1-for-14, or 1-for-15, as determined by the Board of Directors in its sole discretion, prior to the one-year anniversary of this Annual Meeting.

MOLECULIN BIOTECH, INC.


4.

/s/ WALTER V. KLEMP


o Foro Againsto Abstain

Walter V. Klemp

To authorize an adjournment

Chairman of the Annual Meeting, if necessary, to solicit additional proxies if there are not sufficient votes in favor of Proposal 3.

5.Board, President and Chief Executive Officer

In their discretion, upon such other matters as may properly come before the meeting.

Houston, Texas

April 1, 2021

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The board of directors recommends a vote FOR the nominees and proposals above and if no specification is made, the shares will be voted for such nominees and proposal.

Dated ____________________________, 2017


Stockholder’s Signature


Stockholder’s Signature
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Signature should agree with name printed hereon. If stock is held in the name of more than one person, EACH joint owner should sign. Executors, administrators, trustees, guardians, and attorneys should indicate the capacity in which they sign. Attorneys should submit powers of attorney.

PLEASE SIGN, DATE AND RETURN THE PROXY IN THE ENVELOPE ENCLOSED. THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED IN THE MANNER DIRECTED HEREIN BY THE UNDERSIGNED STOCKHOLDER. IF NO DIRECTION IS MADE, THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED FOR THE NOMINEES SET FORTH IN PROPOSAL 1, FOR THE PROPOSALS SET FORTH IN ITEM 2, 3 AND 4 AND WILL GRANT DISCRETIONARY AUTHORITY PURSUANT TO ITEM 5. THIS PROXY WILL REVOKE ALL PRIOR PROXIES SIGNED BY YOU.

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