EX-10.3



 Exhibit 10.3 

AERPIO PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. 

2017 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN 

The purpose of the Aerpio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 2017 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“the Plan”) is to provide eligible employees of
Aerpio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Company”) and each Designated Subsidiary (as defined in Section 11) with opportunities to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common
Stock”). 300,000 shares of Common Stock in the aggregate have been approved and reserved for this purpose, plus on January 1, 2018, and each January 1 thereafter through January 1, 2027, the number of shares of Common Stock
reserved and available for issuance under the Plan shall be cumulatively increased by the lesser of (i) one percent (1%) of the number of shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding on the immediately preceding December 31st or (ii) such number of shares of Common Stock as determined by the Board (as defined below). The Plan is intended to constitute an “employee stock purchase plan” within the meaning of
Section 423(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and shall be interpreted in accordance with that intent. 

1. Administration. The Plan will be administered by the person or persons (the “Administrator”) appointed by the
Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) for such purpose. The Administrator has authority at any time to: (i) adopt, alter and repeal such rules, guidelines and practices for the administration of the Plan and for its own acts
and proceedings as it shall deem advisable; (ii) interpret the terms and provisions of the Plan; (iii) make all determinations it deems advisable for the administration of the Plan; (iv) decide all disputes arising in connection with
the Plan; and (v) otherwise supervise the administration of the Plan. All interpretations and decisions of the Administrator shall be binding on all persons, including the Company and the Participants. No member of the Board or individual
exercising administrative authority with respect to the Plan shall be liable for any action or determination made in good faith with respect to the Plan or any option granted hereunder. 







 2. Offerings. The Company will make one or more offerings to eligible employees to
purchase Common Stock under the Plan (“Offerings”). Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator, an Offering will begin on the first business day occurring on or after each January 1 and July 1 and will end on the last
business day occurring on or before the following June 30 and December 31, respectively. The Administrator may, in its discretion, designate a different period for any Offering, provided that no Offering shall exceed one year in duration
or overlap any other Offering. 
 3. Eligibility. All individuals classified as employees on the payroll records of the Company and
each Designated Subsidiary are eligible to participate in any one or more of the Offerings under the Plan, provided that as of the first day of the applicable Offering (the “Offering Date”) they are customarily employed by the Company or a
Designated Subsidiary for more than 20 hours a week and have completed at least 30 days of employment. Notwithstanding any other provision herein, individuals who are not contemporaneously classified as employees of the Company or a Designated
Subsidiary for purposes of the Company’s or applicable Designated Subsidiary’s payroll system are not considered to be eligible employees of the Company or any Designated Subsidiary and shall not be eligible to participate in the Plan. In
the event any such individuals are reclassified as employees of the Company or a Designated Subsidiary for any purpose, including, without limitation, common law or statutory employees, by any action of any third party, including, without
limitation, any government agency, or as a result of any private lawsuit, action or administrative proceeding, 

  
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such individuals shall, notwithstanding such reclassification, remain ineligible for participation. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the exclusive means for individuals who are not
contemporaneously classified as employees of the Company or a Designated Subsidiary on the Company’s or Designated Subsidiary’s payroll system to become eligible to participate in this Plan is through an amendment to this Plan, duly
executed by the Company, which specifically renders such individuals eligible to participate herein. 
 4. Participation. 

(a) An eligible employee who is not a Participant in any prior Offering may participate in a subsequent Offering by submitting an enrollment
form to his or her appropriate payroll location at least 15 business days before the Offering Date (or by such other deadline as shall be established by the Administrator for the Offering). 

(b) Enrollment. The enrollment form will (a) state a whole percentage or amount to be deducted from an eligible employee’s
Compensation (as defined in Section 11) per pay period, (b) authorize the purchase of Common Stock in each Offering in accordance with the terms of the Plan and (c) specify the exact name or names in which shares of Common Stock
purchased for such individual are to be issued pursuant to Section 10. An employee who does not enroll in accordance with these procedures will be deemed to have waived the right to participate. Unless a Participant files a new enrollment form
or withdraws from the Plan, such Participant’s deductions and purchases will continue at the same percentage or amount of Compensation for future Offerings, provided he or she remains eligible. 

(c) Notwithstanding the foregoing, participation in the Plan will neither be permitted nor be denied contrary to the requirements of the Code.


  
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 5. Employee Contributions. Each eligible employee may authorize payroll deductions at a
minimum of 1 percent up to a maximum of 15 percent of such employee’s Compensation for each pay period. The Company will maintain book accounts showing the amount of payroll deductions made by each Participant for each Offering. No
interest will accrue or be paid on payroll deductions. 
 6. Deduction Changes. Except as may be determined by the Administrator in
advance of an Offering, a Participant may not increase or decrease his or her payroll deduction during any Offering, but may increase or decrease his or her payroll deduction with respect to the next Offering (subject to the limitations of
Section 5) by filing a new enrollment form at least 15 business days before the next Offering Date (or by such other deadline as shall be established by the Administrator for the Offering). The Administrator may, in advance of any Offering,
establish rules permitting a Participant to increase, decrease or terminate his or her payroll deduction during an Offering. 
 7.
Withdrawal. A Participant may withdraw from participation in the Plan by delivering a written notice of withdrawal to his or her appropriate payroll location. The Participant’s withdrawal will be effective as of the next business day.
Following a Participant’s withdrawal, the Company will promptly refund such individual’s entire account balance under the Plan to him or her (after payment for any Common Stock purchased before the effective date of withdrawal). Partial
withdrawals are not permitted. Such an employee may not begin participation again during the remainder of the Offering, but may enroll in a subsequent Offering in accordance with Section 4. 

  
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 8. Grant of Options. On each Offering Date, the Company will grant to each eligible
employee who is then a Participant in the Plan an option (“Option”) to purchase on the last day of such Offering (the “Exercise Date”), at the Option Price hereinafter provided for, the lowest of (a) a number of shares of
Common Stock determined by dividing such Participant’s accumulated payroll deductions on such Exercise Date by the lower of (i) 85 percent of the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock on the Offering Date, or (ii) 85 percent
of the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock on the Exercise Date, (b) a number of shares of Common Stock determined by multiplying $2,083 by the number of full months in such Offering and dividing the result by the Fair Market Value of the
Common Stock on the Offering Date, or (c) such other lesser maximum number of shares as shall have been established by the Administrator in advance of the Offering; provided, however, that such Option shall be subject to the limitations set
forth below. Each Participant’s Option shall be exercisable only to the extent of such Participant’s accumulated payroll deductions on the Exercise Date. The purchase price for each share purchased under each Option (the “Option
Price”) will be 85 percent of the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock on the Offering Date or the Exercise Date, whichever is less. 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, no Participant may be granted an option hereunder if such Participant, immediately after the option was
granted, would be treated as owning stock possessing 5 percent or more of the total combined voting power or value of all classes of stock of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary (as defined in Section 11). For purposes of the preceding
sentence, the attribution rules of Section 424(d) of the Code shall apply in determining the stock ownership of a Participant, and all stock which the Participant has a contractual right to purchase shall be treated as stock owned by the
Participant. In addition, no Participant may be granted an Option which permits his or her rights to purchase stock under the Plan, and any other employee stock purchase plan of the Company and its Parents and Subsidiaries, to accrue at a rate which
exceeds $25,000 of the fair market value of such stock (determined on the option 

  
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grant date or dates) for each calendar year in which the Option is outstanding at any time. The purpose of the limitation in the preceding sentence is to comply with Section 423(b)(8) of the
Code and shall be applied taking Options into account in the order in which they were granted. 
 9. Exercise of Option and Purchase of
Shares. Each employee who continues to be a Participant in the Plan on the Exercise Date shall be deemed to have exercised his or her Option on such date and shall acquire from the Company such number of whole shares of Common Stock reserved for
the purpose of the Plan as his or her accumulated payroll deductions on such date will purchase at the Option Price, subject to any other limitations contained in the Plan. Any amount remaining in a Participant’s account at the end of an
Offering solely by reason of the inability to purchase a fractional share will be carried forward to the next Offering; any other balance remaining in a Participant’s account at the end of an Offering will be refunded to the Participant
promptly. 
 10. Issuance of Certificates. Certificates representing shares of Common Stock purchased under the Plan may be issued
only in the name of the employee, in the name of the employee and another person of legal age as joint tenants with rights of survivorship, or in the name of a broker authorized by the employee to be his, her or their, nominee for such purpose. 

11. Definitions. 
 The
term “Compensation” means the amount of base pay, prior to salary reduction pursuant to Sections 125, 132(f) or 401(k) of the Code, but excluding overtime, commissions, incentive or bonus awards, allowances and reimbursements for
expenses such as relocation allowances or travel expenses, income or gains on the exercise of Company stock options, and similar items. 

  
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 The term “Designated Subsidiary” means any present or future Subsidiary (as defined
below) that has been designated by the Board to participate in the Plan. The Board may so designate any Subsidiary, or revoke any such designation, at any time and from time to time, either before or after the Plan is approved by the stockholders.
The current list of Designated Subsidiaries is attached hereto as Appendix A. 
 The term “Fair Market Value of the Common Stock”
on any given date means the fair market value of the Common Stock determined in good faith by the Administrator; provided, however, that if the Common Stock is admitted to quotation on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated
Quotation System (“NASDAQ”), NASDAQ Global Market or another national securities exchange, the determination shall be made by reference to the closing price on such date. If there is no closing price for such date, the determination shall
be made by reference to the last date preceding such date for which there is a closing price. 
 The term “Parent” means a
“parent corporation” with respect to the Company, as defined in Section 424(e) of the Code. 
 The term
“Participant” means an individual who is eligible as determined in Section 3 and who has complied with the provisions of Section 4. 

The term “Subsidiary” means a “subsidiary corporation” with respect to the Company, as defined in Section 424(f) of
the Code. 
 12. Rights on Termination of Employment. If a Participant’s employment terminates for any reason before the
Exercise Date for any Offering, no payroll deduction will be taken from any pay due and owing to the Participant and the balance in the Participant’s account will be paid to such Participant or, in the case of such Participant’s death, to
his or her designated beneficiary as if such Participant had withdrawn from the Plan under Section 7. An employee 

  
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will be deemed to have terminated employment, for this purpose, if the corporation that employs him or her, having been a Designated Subsidiary, ceases to be a Subsidiary, or if the employee is
transferred to any corporation other than the Company or a Designated Subsidiary. An employee will not be deemed to have terminated employment for this purpose, if the employee is on an approved leave of absence for military service or sickness or
for any other purpose approved by the Company, if the employee’s right to reemployment is guaranteed either by a statute or by contract or under the policy pursuant to which the leave of absence was granted or if the Administrator otherwise
provides in writing. 
 13. Special Rules. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Administrator may adopt special rules
applicable to the employees of a particular Designated Subsidiary, whenever the Administrator determines that such rules are necessary or appropriate for the implementation of the Plan in a jurisdiction where such Designated Subsidiary has
employees; provided that such rules are consistent with the requirements of Section 423(b) of the Code. Any special rules established pursuant to this Section 13 shall, to the extent possible, result in the employees subject to such rules
having substantially the same rights as other Participants in the Plan. 
 14. Optionees Not Stockholders. Neither the granting of an
Option to a Participant nor the deductions from his or her pay shall constitute such Participant a holder of the shares of Common Stock covered by an Option under the Plan until such shares have been purchased by and issued to him or her. 

15. Rights Not Transferable. Rights under the Plan are not transferable by a Participant other than by will or the laws of descent and
distribution, and are exercisable during the Participant’s lifetime only by the Participant. 

  
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 16. Application of Funds. All funds received or held by the Company under the Plan may be
combined with other corporate funds and may be used for any corporate purpose. 
 17. Adjustment in Case of Changes Affecting Common
Stock. In the event of a subdivision of outstanding shares of Common Stock, the payment of a dividend in Common Stock or any other change affecting the Common Stock, the number of shares approved for the Plan and the share limitation set forth
in Section 8 shall be equitably or proportionately adjusted to give proper effect to such event. 
 18. Amendment of the Plan.
The Board may at any time and from time to time amend the Plan in any respect, except that without the approval within 12 months of such Board action by the stockholders, no amendment shall be made increasing the number of shares approved for the
Plan or making any other change that would require stockholder approval in order for the Plan, as amended, to qualify as an “employee stock purchase plan” under Section 423(b) of the Code. 

19. Insufficient Shares. If the total number of shares of Common Stock that would otherwise be purchased on any Exercise Date plus the
number of shares purchased under previous Offerings under the Plan exceeds the maximum number of shares issuable under the Plan, the shares then available shall be apportioned among Participants in proportion to the amount of payroll deductions
accumulated on behalf of each Participant that would otherwise be used to purchase Common Stock on such Exercise Date. 
 20. Termination
of the Plan. The Plan may be terminated at any time by the Board. Upon termination of the Plan, all amounts in the accounts of Participants shall be promptly refunded. 

  
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 21. Governmental Regulations. The Company’s obligation to sell and deliver Common
Stock under the Plan is subject to obtaining all governmental approvals required in connection with the authorization, issuance, or sale of such stock. 

22. Governing Law. This Plan and all Options and actions taken thereunder shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the
laws of the State of Delaware, applied without regard to conflict of law principles. 
 23. Issuance of Shares. Shares may be issued
upon exercise of an Option from authorized but unissued Common Stock, from shares held in the treasury of the Company, or from any other proper source. 

24. Tax Withholding. Participation in the Plan is subject to any minimum required tax withholding on income of the Participant in
connection with the Plan. Each Participant agrees, by entering the Plan, that the Company and its Subsidiaries shall have the right to deduct any such taxes from any payment of any kind otherwise due to the Participant, including shares issuable
under the Plan. 
 25. Notification Upon Sale of Shares. Each Participant agrees, by entering the Plan, to give the Company prompt
notice of any disposition of shares purchased under the Plan where such disposition occurs within two years after the date of grant of the Option pursuant to which such shares were purchased or within one year after the date such shares were
purchased. 
 26. Effective Date and Approval of Shareholders. The Plan shall take effect on the later of the date it is adopted by
the Board and the date it is approved by the holders of a majority of the votes cast at a meeting of stockholders at which a quorum is present or by written consent of the stockholders. 

  
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 APPENDIX A 

Designated Subsidiaries 
 Aerpio
Therapeutics LLC 

  
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