Company: DARE
Filing Date: 2025-04-24
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0001401914-25-000014
Chunk: 29

Company: Dare Bioscience, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-04-24
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 29
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 company value and by promoting commitment to long-term success. As a biopharmaceutical company, these objectives are accomplished primarily by positioning us to successfully execute our product development and regulatory approval efforts and to translate those efforts, over time, into greater value for our stockholders through revenue and income from commercialization of, or strategic collaborations with collaborators for, our products and product candidates.

Our executive compensation program primarily consists of (1) base salary, (2) annual performance-based incentive compensation, and (3) long-term equity incentive compensation exclusively in the form of stock options with the goal of aligning the long-term interests of executive officers with those of our stockholders and otherwise encouraging the achievement of superior results over an extended time period.

#### Compensation Determination Process
In the early part of each year, the Compensation Committee deliberates and makes decisions regarding the components of our executive compensation program for that year, as well as performance-based compensation payouts for the prior fiscal year. In setting compensation for our executive officers, the Compensation Committee solicits input from our Chief Executive Officer. Our Chief Executive Officer recommends to the Compensation Committee the proposed base salary and target annual performance-based incentive compensation for our executive officers and other employees, other than herself, for the new year. She also provides to the Compensation Committee management's assessment of the level of achievement of the performance goals for the prior fiscal year. The Compensation Committee is responsible for determining the compensation of our executive officers (other than for our Chief Executive Officer) or recommending the same to our Board for its approval. The Compensation Committee recommends to our Board the compensation for our Chief Executive Officer, and our Board is solely responsible for determining the compensation of our Chief Executive Officer. None of our executive officers, including our Chief Executive Officer, are present during discussions of their respective compensation packages nor do they participate in approving any portion of their own or other executive officer compensation packages.

The Compensation Committee considers a variety of factors, which may vary from year to year, to set the compensation of our executive officers at levels that the Compensation Committee considers to be competitive and appropriate for each executive, based on the Compensation Committee’s professional experience and judgment. Such factors, which are balanced against our financial position and capital resources, include:

• Market data provided by the independent compensation consultant to the Compensation Committee

• The recommendations of our Chief Executive Officer (other than for herself), based on her direct knowledge of employee performance and her industry experience

• The recommendations of the independent compensation consultant to the Compensation Committee

• Internal pay equity among individuals and positions

• Criticality