EX-10.30



 Exhibit 10.30 

AKEBIA THERAPEUTICS, INC. 

2014 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN 
  

	Section 1.	Defined Terms 

 Exhibit A, which is incorporated by reference, defines the terms used in
the Plan and sets forth certain operational rules related to those terms. 
  

	Section 2.	Purpose of Plan 

 The Plan is intended to enable Eligible Employees of the Company and
its Designated Subsidiaries to use payroll deductions to purchase shares of Stock, and thereby acquire an interest in the future of the Company. The Plan is intended to qualify as an “employee stock purchase plan” under Section 423
and to be exempt from the application and requirements of Section 409A of the Code, and is to be construed accordingly. 
  

	Section 3.	Options to Purchase Stock 

 Subject to adjustment pursuant to Section 16 of the
Plan, the maximum aggregate number of shares of Stock available for purchase pursuant to the exercise of Options granted under the Plan to Eligible Employees will be the lesser of (a) 150,000 shares increased on each anniversary of the adoption
of the Plan by one percent (1%) of the total shares of Stock then outstanding and (b) 422,635 shares of Stock (which is five percent (5%) of the total shares of Stock outstanding on a fully-diluted, as-converted basis on the date of
adoption of the Plan). The shares of Stock to be delivered upon exercise of Options under the Plan may be either shares of authorized but unissued Stock, treasury Stock, or Stock acquired in an open-market transaction. If any Option granted under
the Plan expires or terminates for any reason without having been exercised in full or ceases for any reason to be exercisable in whole or in part, the unpurchased shares of Stock subject to such Option will again be available for purchase pursuant
to the exercise of Options under the Plan. If, on an Exercise Date, the total number of shares of Stock that would otherwise be subject to Options granted under the Plan exceeds the number of shares then available under the Plan (after deduction of
all shares for which Options have been exercised or are then outstanding), the Administrator shall make a pro rata allocation of the shares remaining available for the Option grants in as uniform a manner as shall be practicable and as it shall
determine to be equitable. In such event, the Administrator shall give written notice to each Participant of such reduction of the number of Options affected thereby and shall similarly reduce the rate of payroll deductions, if necessary. 

 

	Section 4.	Eligibility 

 Subject to Section 13 of the Plan, and any exceptions and limitations
set forth in Section 6 of the Plan, or as may be provided elsewhere in the Plan, each Employee who (a) has been continuously employed by the Company or a Designated Subsidiary, as applicable, for at least twenty (20) business days as
of the first day of any Option Period, (b) customarily works twenty (20) hours or more per week, (c) customarily works for more than 5 months in any calendar year and (d) satisfies the requirements set forth in the Plan, will be
an Eligible Employee. In no 







 
event, however, may an Employee be granted an Option under the Plan if, immediately after the Option is granted, the Employee would own (or pursuant to Section 424(d) of the Code would be
deemed to own) stock possessing five percent (5%) or more of the total combined voting power or value of all classes of stock of the Company or of its Parent or Subsidiaries, if any. The Administrator may, for Option Periods that have not yet
commenced, establish additional eligibility requirements not inconsistent with Section 423. 
  

	Section 5.	Option Periods 

 The Plan will generally be implemented by a series of “Option
Periods”. Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator, the Option Periods will be the six-month periods commencing on the first trading days of January and July and ending on the last trading days of June and December, respectively, of
each year. The last day of each such Option Period will be an “Exercise Date”. The Administrator may change the Exercise Date (including the number of Exercise Dates within each Option Period) and the commencement date, ending date
and duration of the Option Periods to the extent permitted by Section 423, provided that no Exercise Date will be later than 7 business days after the end of the applicable Option Period. 

 

	Section 6.	Option Grant 

 Subject to the limitations set forth in Section 4 and Section 10
of the Plan and the Maximum Share Limit, on the first day of an Option Period, each Participant automatically will be granted an Option to purchase shares of Stock on the Exercise Date; provided, however, that no Participant will be
granted an Option under the Plan that permits the Participant’s right to purchase shares of Stock under the Plan and under all other employee stock purchase plans of the Company and its Parent and Subsidiaries, if any, to accrue at a rate that
exceeds $25,000 in Fair Market Value (or such other maximum as may be prescribed from time to time by the Code) for each calendar year during which any Option granted to such Participant is outstanding at any time, as determined in accordance with
Section 423(b)(8) of the Code and the regulations promulgated thereunder. 
  

	Section 7.	Method of Participation 

 To participate in an Option Period, an Eligible Employee must
execute and deliver to the Administrator a payroll deduction and participation authorization form in accordance with the procedures prescribed by and in a form acceptable to the Administrator and, in so doing, the Eligible Employee will thereby
become a Participant as of the first day of such Option Period. Such an Eligible Employee will remain a Participant with respect to subsequent Option Periods until his or her participation in the Plan is terminated as provided herein. Eligible
Employees may only participate in one Option Period at a time. Such payroll deduction and participation authorization must be delivered no later than ten (10) business days prior to the first day of an Option Period, or such other time as
specified by the Administrator. 
 A Participant’s authorization will remain in effect for subsequent Option Periods unless the
Participant files a new authorization within ten (10) business days prior to the first day of such new Option Period (or such other time as specified by the Administrator) or the Participant’s Option is cancelled pursuant to
Section 13 or Section 14 of the Plan. During an 

  
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Option Period, payroll deduction authorizations may not be increased and may be decreased only once. To decrease a payroll deduction authorization during an Option Period, a Participant must
submit a new authorization, which will become effective as to future pay dates as soon as administratively practicable after such authorization is submitted. For the avoidance of doubt, a Participant may terminate his or her payroll deduction
authorization by canceling his or her Option in accordance with Section 13 of the Plan. 
 Each payroll deduction authorization will
request payroll deductions in a whole percentage amount between 1% and 15% of the employee’s base pay or salary per payroll period. For the avoidance of doubt, no payroll deductions will be taken pursuant to this Section 7 from any cash
compensation other than base pay or salary, including, without limitation, overtime, cash bonuses or commissions. 
 All payroll deductions
made pursuant to this Section 7 will be credited to the Participant’s Account. Amounts credited to a Participant’s Account will not be required to be set aside in trust or otherwise segregated from the Company’s general assets.

  

	Section 8.	Method of Payment 

 A Participant must pay for shares of Stock purchased upon the
exercise of an Option with accumulated payroll deductions credited to the Participant’s Account or such other method as authorized by the Administrator. 
  

	Section 9.	Purchase Price 

 The Purchase Price of shares of Stock issued pursuant to the
exercise of an Option on each Exercise Date will be eighty-five percent (85%) (or such greater percentage specified by the Administrator to the extent permitted under Section 423) of the lesser of (a) the Fair Market Value of a share
of Stock on the date on which the Option was granted pursuant to Section 6 of the Plan (i.e., the first day of the Option Period) and (b) the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the date on which the Option is deemed exercised
pursuant to Section 10 of the Plan (i.e., the Exercise Date).  
  

	Section 10.	Exercise of Options 

 Subject to the limitations set forth in Section 6 of the Plan
and this Section 10, with respect to each Option Period, on the applicable Exercise Date, each Participant will be deemed to have exercised his or her Option and the accumulated payroll deductions in the Participant’s Account and such
other amounts credited to the Participant’s Account in such other method as authorized by the Administrator pursuant to Section 8 above will be applied to purchase the greatest number of whole shares of Stock (rounded down to the nearest
whole share) that can be purchased with such Account balance at the applicable Purchase Price; provided, however, that no more than 1,500 shares of Stock may be purchased by a Participant on any Exercise Date, or such lesser number as the
Administrator may prescribe in accordance with Section 423 (the “Maximum Share Limit”). As soon as practicable thereafter, shares of Stock so purchased will be placed, in book-entry form, into a record keeping account in the
name of the Participant. No fractional shares will be purchased; any payroll deductions accumulated in a Participant’s Account that are not sufficient to purchase a full share will be retained in the Participant’s Account for the
subsequent Option Period, subject to earlier withdrawal by the Participant as provided in Section 13 of the Plan. 

  
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 Except as provided above with respect to fractional shares, any amount of payroll deductions in a
Participant’s Account that are not used for the purchase of shares of Stock, whether because of the Participant’s withdrawal from participation in an Option Period or for any other reason, will be returned to the Participant or his or her
designated beneficiary or legal representative, as applicable, without interest, as soon as administratively practicable after such withdrawal or other event, as applicable. 

If the Participant’s accumulated payroll deductions on the Exercise Date would otherwise enable the Participant to purchase shares of
Stock in excess of the Maximum Share Limit or the maximum Fair Market Value set forth in Section 6 of the Plan, the excess of the amount of the accumulated payroll deductions over the aggregate Purchase Price of the shares of Stock actually
purchased will be returned to the Participant, without interest, as soon as administratively practicable after such Exercise Date. 

Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary, no Option may be exercised after 27 months from its grant date. 

 

	Section 11.	Interest 

 No interest will be payable on any amount held in the Account of any
Participant. 
  

	Section 12.	Taxes 

 Payroll deductions will be made on an after-tax basis. The Administrator will
have the right, as a condition to exercising an Option, to make such provision as it deems necessary to satisfy its obligations to withhold federal, state, local income or other taxes incurred by reason of the purchase or disposition of shares of
Stock under the Plan. In the Administrator’s discretion and subject to applicable law, such tax obligations may be paid in whole or in part by delivery of shares of Stock to the Company, including shares of Stock purchased under the Plan,
valued at Fair Market Value, but not in excess of the minimum statutory amounts required to be withheld. 
  

	Section 13.	Cancellation and Withdrawal 

 A Participant who holds an Option under the Plan may cancel
all (but not less than all) of his or her Option and terminate his or her payroll deduction authorization by revoking such authorization by written notice delivered to the Administrator, which, to be effective with respect to an upcoming Exercise
Date, must be delivered not later than ten (10) business days prior to such Exercise Date (or such other time as specified by the Administrator). Upon such termination and cancellation, the balance in the Participant’s Account will be
returned to the Participant, without interest, as soon as administratively practicable thereafter. For the avoidance of doubt, a Participant who reduces his or her withholding rate for future payroll periods to zero pursuant to Section 7 of the
Plan, will be deemed to have revoked his or her payroll deduction authorization and canceled his or her Option. 

  
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 A Participant who makes a hardship withdrawal from a 401(k) Plan will be deemed to have
terminated his or her payroll deduction authorization for subsequent payroll dates relating to the then current Option Period as of the date of such hardship withdrawal and amounts accumulated in the Participant’s Account as of such date will
be returned to the Participant, without interest, as soon as administratively practicable thereafter. An Employee who has made a hardship withdrawal from a 401(k) Plan will not be permitted to participate in Option Periods commencing after the date
of his or her hardship withdrawal until the first Option Period that begins at least six months after the date of his or her hardship withdrawal. 
  

	Section 14.	Termination of Employment; Death of Participant 

 Upon the termination of a
Participant’s employment with the Company (or a Designated Subsidiary, as applicable) for any reason or the death of a Participant during an Option Period prior to an Exercise Date or in the event the Participant ceases to qualify as an
Eligible Employee, the Participant will cease to be a Participant, any Option held by him or her under the Plan will be deemed canceled, the balance in the Participant’s Account will be returned to the Participant (or his or her estate or
designated beneficiary in the event of the Participant’s death), without interest, as soon as administratively practicable thereafter, and the Participant will have no further rights under the Plan. 

 

	Section 15.	Equal Rights; Participant’s Rights Not Transferable 

 All Participants granted
Options under the Plan will have the same rights and privileges consistent with the requirements set forth in Section 423. Any Option granted under the Plan will be exercisable during the Participant’s lifetime only by him or her and may
not be sold, pledged, assigned, or transferred in any manner. In the event any Participant violates or attempts to violate the terms of this Section 15, as determined by the Administrator in its sole discretion, any Options held by him or her
may be terminated by the Company and, upon the return to the Participant of the balance of his or her Account, without interest, all of the Participant’s rights under the Plan will terminate. 

 

	Section 16.	Change in Capitalization; Merger 

 In the event of any change in the outstanding Stock by
reason of a stock dividend, split-up, recapitalization, merger, consolidation, reorganization, or other capital change, the aggregate number and type of shares of Stock available under the Plan, the number and type of shares of Stock granted under
any outstanding Options, the maximum number and type of shares of Stock purchasable under any outstanding Option, and the purchase price per share of Stock under any outstanding Option will be appropriately adjusted; provided, that any such
adjustment shall be made in a manner that complies with Section 423. 
 In the event of a sale of all or substantially all of the Stock
or a sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, or a merger or similar transaction in which the Company is not the surviving corporation or that results in the acquisition of the Company by another person, the Administrator may,
in its discretion, (a) if the Company is merged with or acquired by another corporation, provide that each outstanding Option will be assumed or exchanged for a substitute Option granted by the acquiror or successor corporation or by a parent
or subsidiary of the 

  
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acquiror or successor corporation, (b) cancel each outstanding Option and return the balances in Participants’ Accounts to the Participants, and/or (c) pursuant to Section 18
of the Plan, terminate the Option Period on or before the date of the proposed sale, merger or similar transaction. 
  

	Section 17.	Administration of Plan 

 The Plan will be administered by the Administrator, which will
have the authority to interpret the Plan, determine eligibility under the Plan, prescribe forms, rules and procedures relating to the Plan and otherwise do all things necessary or appropriate to carry out the purposes of the Plan. All determinations
and decisions by the Administrator regarding the interpretation or application of the Plan will be final and binding on all Participants. 

The Administrator may specify the manner in which Employees are to provide notices and payroll deduction authorizations. Notwithstanding any
requirement of “written notice” herein, the Administrator may permit Employees to provide notices and payroll deduction authorizations electronically. 
  

	Section 18.	Amendment and Termination of Plan 

 The Board reserves the right at any time or times to
amend the Plan to any extent and in any manner it may deem advisable; provided, that any amendment that would be treated as the adoption of a new plan for purposes of Section 423 will have no force or effect unless approved by the
shareholders of the Company within 12 months before or after its adoption. 
 The Board reserves the right at any time or times to suspend
or terminate the Plan. In connection therewith, the Board may provide, in its sole discretion, either that outstanding Options will be exercisable either at the Exercise Date for the applicable Option Period or on such earlier date as the Board may
specify (in which case such earlier date will be treated as the Exercise Date for the applicable Option Period), or that the balance of each Participant’s Account will be returned to the Participant, without interest. 

 

	Section 19.	Approvals 

 Shareholder approval will be obtained prior to the date that is 12 months
after the date of Board approval. In the event that the Plan has not been approved by the shareholders of the Company by such date, all Options to purchase shares of Stock under the Plan will be cancelled and become null and void. 

Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the obligation of the Company to issue and deliver shares of Stock under the Plan will be
subject to the approval required of any governmental authority in connection with the authorization, issuance, sale or transfer of such shares of Stock and to any requirements of any national securities exchange applicable thereto, and to compliance
by the Company with other applicable legal requirements in effect from time to time. 

  
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	Section 20.	Participants’ Rights as Shareholders and Employees 

 A Participant will have no
rights or privileges as a shareholder of the Company and will not receive any dividends in respect of any shares of Stock covered by an Option granted hereunder until such Option has been exercised, full payment has been made for such shares of
Stock, and the shares of Stock have been issued to the Participant. 
 Nothing contained in the provisions of the Plan will be construed as
giving to any Employee the right to be retained in the employ of the Company or any Designated Subsidiary or as interfering with the right of the Company or any Designated Subsidiary to discharge, promote, demote or otherwise re-assign any Employee
from one position to another within the Company or any Designated Subsidiary at any time. 
  

	Section 21.	Information Regarding Disqualifying Dispositions. 

 By electing to participate in the
Plan, each Participant agrees to provide such information about any transfer of Stock acquired under the Plan that occurs within two years after the first day of the Option Period in which such Stock was acquired and within one year after the
acquisition of such Stock as may be requested by the Company or any Designated Subsidiary in order to assist it in complying with applicable tax laws. 
  

	Section 22.	Governing Law 

 The Plan will be governed by and interpreted consistently with the laws
of the State of Delaware, except as may be necessary to comply with applicable requirements of federal law. 
  

	Section 23.	Effective Date and Term 

 The Plan will become effective upon adoption of the Plan by the
Board and no rights will be granted hereunder after the earliest to occur of (a) the Plan’s termination by the Company, (b) the issuance of all shares of Stock available for issuance under the Plan or (c) the day before the
10-year anniversary of the date the Board approves the Plan. 

  
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 EXHIBIT A 

Definition of Terms 

The following terms, when used in the Plan, will have the meanings and be subject to the provisions set forth below: 

“401(k) Plan”: A savings plan qualifying under Section 401(k) of the Code that is sponsored by the Company for the
benefit of its employees. 
 “Account”: A payroll deduction account maintained in the Participant’s name on the books
of the Company. 
 “Administrator”: The Compensation Committee of the Board and its delegates, except that the Compensation
Committee may delegate its authority under the Plan to a sub-committee comprised of one or more of its members, to members of the Board, or to officers or employees of the Company to the extent permitted by applicable law. In each case, references
herein to the Administrator refer, as applicable, to such persons or groups so delegated to the extent of such delegation.

“Board”: The Board of Directors of the Company. 

“Code”: The U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as from time to time amended and in effect, or any successor statute as from
time to time in effect. 
 “Company”: Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. 

“Designated Subsidiary”: A Subsidiary of the Company that has been designated by the Board or the Compensation Committee of
the Board from time to time as eligible to participate in the Plan as set forth on Exhibit B to the Plan. 
 “Effective
Date”: The date set forth in Section 23 of the Plan. 
 “Eligible Employee”: Any Employee who meets the
eligibility requirements set forth in Section 4 of the Plan. 
 “Employee”: Any person who is employed by the Company
or a Designated Subsidiary. For the avoidance of doubt, independent consultants and independent contractors are not “Employees.” 

“Exercise Date”: The date set forth in Section 5 of the Plan or otherwise designated by the Administrator with respect
to a particular Option Period on which a Participant will be deemed to have exercised the Option granted to him or her for such Option Period. 

  
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 “Fair Market Value”: 

(a) If the Stock is readily traded on an established national exchange or trading system (including the NASDAQ Global Market), the closing
price of a share of Stock as reported by the principal exchange on which such Stock is traded; provided, however, that if such day is not a trading day, Fair Market Value will mean the reported closing price of a share of Stock for the
immediately preceding day that is a trading day. 
 (b) If the Stock is not traded on an established national exchange or trading system,
the average of the bid and ask prices for shares Stock where the bid and ask prices are quoted. 
 (c) If the Stock cannot be valued
pursuant to clauses (a) or (b), the value as determined in good faith by the Board in its sole discretion. 
 “Maximum Share
Limit”: The meaning set forth in Section 10 of the Plan. 
 “Option”: An option granted pursuant to the Plan
entitling the holder to acquire shares of Stock upon payment of the Purchase Price per share of Stock. 
 “Option Period”:
An offering period established in accordance with Section 5 of the Plan. 
 “Parent”: A “parent
corporation” as defined in Section 424(e) of the Code. 
 “Participant”: An Eligible Employee who elects to
enroll in the Plan. 
 “Plan”: The Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. 2014 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, as from time to time
amended and in effect. 
 “Purchase Price”: The price per share of Stock with respect to an Option Period determined in
accordance with Section 9 of the Plan. 
 “Section 423”: Section 423 of the Code and the regulations thereunder.

 “Stock”: Common stock of the Company, par value $0.001 per share. 

“Subsidiary”: A “subsidiary corporation” as defined in Section 424(f) of the Code. 

  
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 EXHIBIT B 

Designated Subsidiaries 

Designated Subsidiaries as of the date of adoption of the Plan by the Board are listed below: 

  
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