Document:

EX-10.4

 Exhibit 10.4 
 AMBIT BIOSCIENCES CORPORATION 

2013 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN 

ADOPTED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
FEBRUARY 12, 2013 
 APPROVED BY THE
STOCKHOLDERS:             , 2013 
  

	1.	GENERAL; PURPOSE. 

 (a) The Plan provides a means by which Eligible Employees of the Company and certain designated Related Corporations may be given an opportunity to purchase shares of Common Stock. The Plan permits
the Company to grant a series of Purchase Rights to Eligible Employees under an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. 
 (b) The
Company, by means of the Plan, seeks to retain the services of such Employees, to secure and retain the services of new Employees and to provide incentives for such persons to exert maximum efforts for the success of the Company and its Related
Corporations. 
  

	2.	ADMINISTRATION. 

 (a) The Board will administer the Plan unless and until the Board delegates administration of the Plan to a Committee or Committees, as provided in Section 2(c). 

(b) The Board will have the power, subject to, and within the limitations of, the express provisions of the Plan: 

(i) To determine how and when Purchase Rights will be granted and the provisions of each Offering (which need not be identical).

 (ii) To designate from time to time which Related Corporations of the Company will be eligible to participate in the
Plan. 
 (iii) To construe and interpret the Plan and Purchase Rights, and to establish, amend and revoke rules and
regulations for its administration. The Board, in the exercise of this power, may correct any defect, omission or inconsistency in the Plan, in a manner and to the extent it deems necessary or expedient to make the Plan fully effective. 

(iv) To settle all controversies regarding the Plan and Purchase Rights granted under the Plan. 

(v) To suspend or terminate the Plan at any time as provided in Section 12. 

(vi) To amend the Plan at any time as provided in Section 12. 

  
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 (vii) Generally, to exercise such powers and to perform such acts as it deems
necessary or expedient to promote the best interests of the Company and its Related Corporations and to carry out the intent that the Plan be treated as an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. 

(viii) To adopt such procedures and sub-plans as are necessary or appropriate to permit participation in the Plan by Employees who
are foreign nationals or employed outside of the United States. 
 (c) The Board may delegate some or all of the
administration of the Plan to a Committee or Committees. If administration is delegated to a Committee, the Committee will have, in connection with the administration of the Plan, the powers theretofore possessed by the Board that have been
delegated to the Committee, including the power to delegate to a subcommittee any of the administrative powers the Committee is authorized to exercise (and references in this Plan to the Board will thereafter be to the Committee or subcommittee),
subject, however, to such resolutions, not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan, as may be adopted from time to time by the Board. The Board may retain the authority to concurrently administer the Plan with the Committee and may, at any
time, revest in the Board some or all of the powers previously delegated. Whether or not the Board has delegated administration of the Plan to a Committee, the Board will have the final power to determine all questions of policy and expediency that
may arise in the administration of the Plan. 
 (d) All determinations, interpretations and constructions made by the
Board in good faith will not be subject to review by any person and will be final, binding and conclusive on all persons. 
  

	3.	SHARES OF COMMON STOCK SUBJECT TO THE PLAN.

 (a) Subject to the provisions of Section 11(a) relating to Capitalization
Adjustments, the maximum number of shares of Common Stock that may be issued under the Plan will not exceed 125,000 shares of Common Stock, plus the number of shares of Common Stock that are automatically added on January 1st of each year for a
period of up to ten years, commencing on the first January 1 following the IPO Date and ending on (and including) January 1, 2023 , in an amount equal to the lesser of (i) 1% of the total number of shares of Capital Stock outstanding
on December 31st of the preceding calendar year, and (ii) 166,666 shares of Common Stock. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board may act prior to the first day of any calendar year to provide that there will be no January 1st increase in the share reserve for such calendar year or that the
increase in the share reserve for such calendar year will be a lesser number of shares of Common Stock than would otherwise occur pursuant to the preceding sentence. 
 (b) If any Purchase Right granted under the Plan terminates without having been exercised in full, the shares of Common Stock not purchased under such Purchase Right will again become available for
issuance under the Plan. 
 (c) The stock purchasable under the Plan will be shares of authorized but unissued or
reacquired Common Stock, including shares repurchased by the Company on the open market. 

  
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	4.	GRANT OF PURCHASE RIGHTS; OFFERING. 

(a) The Board may from time to time grant or provide for the grant of Purchase Rights to Eligible Employees under an Offering
(consisting of one or more Purchase Periods) on an Offering Date or Offering Dates selected by the Board. Each Offering will be in such form and will contain such terms and conditions as the Board will deem appropriate, and will comply with the
requirement of Section 423(b)(5) of the Code that all Employees granted Purchase Rights will have the same rights and privileges. The terms and conditions of an Offering shall be incorporated by reference into the Plan and treated as part of
the Plan. The provisions of separate Offerings need not be identical, but each Offering will include (through incorporation of the provisions of the Plan by reference in the document comprising the Offering or otherwise) the period during which the
Offering will be effective, which period will not exceed 27 months beginning with the Offering Date, and the substance of the provisions contained in Sections 5 through 8, inclusive. 

(b) If a Participant has more than one Purchase Right outstanding under the Plan, unless he or she otherwise indicates in forms
delivered to the Company: (i) each form will apply to all of the Participant’s Purchase Rights under the Plan, and (ii) a Purchase Right with a lower exercise price (or an earlier-granted Purchase Right, if different Purchase Rights
have identical exercise prices) will be exercised to the fullest possible extent before a Purchase Right with a higher exercise price (or a later-granted Purchase Right if different Purchase Rights have identical exercise prices) will be exercised.

 (c) The Board will have the discretion to structure an Offering so that if the Fair Market Value of a share of Common
Stock on any Offering Date of an Offering (the “New Offering”) is less than or equal to the Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock on the Offering Date for an ongoing Offering, then (i) such ongoing Offering will
terminate immediately following the purchase of shares of Common Stock on the Purchase Date immediately preceding the New Offering, and (ii) the Participants in such terminated ongoing Offering will be automatically enrolled in the New
Offering. 
  

	5.	ELIGIBILITY. 

 (a) Purchase Rights may be granted only to Employees of the Company or, as the Board may designate in accordance with Section 2(b), to Employees of a Related Corporation. Except as provided in
Section 5(b), an Employee will not be eligible to be granted Purchase Rights unless, on the Offering Date, the Employee has been in the employ of the Company or the Related Corporation, as the case may be, for such continuous period preceding
such Offering Date as the Board may require, but in no event will the required period of continuous employment be equal to or greater than two years. In addition, the Board may provide that no Employee will be eligible to be granted Purchase Rights
under the Plan unless, on the Offering Date, such Employee’s customary employment with the Company or the Related Corporation is more than 20 hours per week and more than five months per calendar year or such other criteria as the Board may
determine consistent with Section 423 of the Code. 

  
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 (b) The Board may provide that each person who, during the course of an Offering,
first becomes an Eligible Employee will, on a date or dates specified in the Offering which coincides with the day on which such person becomes an Eligible Employee or which occurs thereafter, receive a Purchase Right under that Offering, which
Purchase Right will thereafter be deemed to be a part of that Offering. Such Purchase Right will have the same characteristics as any Purchase Rights originally granted under that Offering, as described herein, except that: 

(i) the date on which such Purchase Right is granted will be the “Offering Date” of such Purchase Right for all
purposes, including for purposes of determining the exercise price of such Purchase Right; 
 (ii) the period of the
Offering with respect to such Purchase Right will begin on its Offering Date and end coincident with the end of such Offering; and 
 (iii) the Board may provide that if such person first becomes an Eligible Employee within a specified period of time before the end of the Offering, he or she will not receive any Purchase Right
under that Offering. 
 (c) No Employee will be eligible for the grant of any Purchase Rights if, immediately after any
such Purchase Rights are granted, such Employee owns stock possessing 5% or more of the total combined voting power or value of all classes of stock of the Company or of any Related Corporation. For purposes of this Section 5(c), the rules of
Section 424(d) of the Code will apply in determining the stock ownership of any Employee, and stock which such Employee may purchase under all outstanding Purchase Rights and options will be treated as stock owned by such Employee. 

(d) As specified by Section 423(b)(8) of the Code, an Eligible Employee may be granted Purchase Rights only if such Purchase
Rights, together with any other rights granted under all Employee Stock Purchase Plans of the Company and any Related Corporations, do not permit such Eligible Employee’s rights to purchase stock of the Company or any Related Corporation to
accrue at a rate which exceeds $25,000 of the Fair Market Value of such stock (determined at the time such rights are granted, and which, with respect to the Plan, will be determined as of their respective Offering Dates) for each calendar year in
which such rights are outstanding at any time. 
 (e) Officers of the Company and any designated Related Corporation, if
they are otherwise Eligible Employees, will be eligible to participate in Offerings under the Plan. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board may provide in an Offering that Employees who are highly compensated Employees within the meaning of
Section 423(b)(4)(D) of the Code will not be eligible to participate in Offerings under the Plan. 
  

	6.	PURCHASE RIGHTS; PURCHASE PRICE. 

(a) On each Offering Date, each Eligible Employee will be granted a Purchase Right under the applicable Offering to purchase up to
that number of shares of Common Stock purchasable either with a percentage or with a maximum dollar amount, as designated by the 

  
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Board, but in either case not exceeding 15% of such Employee’s earnings (as defined by the Board in each Offering) during the period that begins on the Offering Date (or such later date as
the Board determines for a particular Offering) and ends on the date stated in the Offering, which date will be no later than the end of the Offering. 
 (b) The Board will establish one or more Purchase Dates during an Offering on which Purchase Rights granted for that Offering will be exercised and shares of Common Stock will be purchased in
accordance with such Offering. 
 (c) In connection with each Offering made under the Plan, the Board may specify
(i) a maximum number of shares of Common Stock that may be purchased by any Participant on any Purchase Date during such Offering, (ii) a maximum aggregate number of shares of Common Stock that may be purchased by all Participants pursuant
to such Offering and/or (iii) a maximum aggregate number of shares of Common Stock that may be purchased by all Participants on any Purchase Date under the Offering. If the aggregate purchase of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of
Purchase Rights granted under the Offering would exceed any such maximum aggregate number, then, in the absence of any Board action otherwise, a pro rata (based on each Participant’s accumulated Contributions) allocation of the shares of Common
Stock available will be made in as nearly a uniform manner as will be practicable and equitable. 
 (d) The purchase
price of shares of Common Stock acquired pursuant to Purchase Rights will be not less than the lesser of: 
 (i) an
amount equal to 85% of the Fair Market Value of the shares of Common Stock on the Offering Date; and 
 (ii) an amount
equal to 85% of the Fair Market Value of the shares of Common Stock on the applicable Purchase Date. 
  

	7.	PARTICIPATION; WITHDRAWAL; TERMINATION. 

(a) An Eligible Employee may elect to authorize payroll deductions as the means of making Contributions by completing and
delivering to the Company, within the time specified in the Offering, an enrollment form provided by the Company. The enrollment form will specify the amount of Contributions not to exceed the maximum amount specified by the Board. Each
Participant’s Contributions will be credited to a bookkeeping account for such Participant under the Plan and will be deposited with the general funds of the Company except where applicable law requires that Contributions be deposited with a
third party. If permitted in the Offering, a Participant may begin such Contributions with the first payroll date occurring on or after the Offering Date (or, in the case of a payroll date that occurs after the end of the prior Offering but before
the Offering Date of the next new Offering, Contributions from such payroll period will be included in the new Offering). If permitted in the Offering, a Participant may thereafter reduce (including to zero) or increase the Participant’s
Contributions. If specifically provided in the Offering, in addition to making Contributions by payroll deductions, a Participant may make Contributions through the payment by cash or check prior to a Purchase Date. 

  
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 (b) During an Offering, a Participant may cease making Contributions and withdraw
from the Offering by delivering to the Company a withdrawal form provided by the Company. The Company may impose a deadline before a Purchase Date for withdrawing. Upon such withdrawal, such Participant’s Purchase Right in that Offering will
immediately terminate and the Company will distribute to such Participant all of the Participant’s accumulated but unused Contributions and such Participant’s Purchase Right in that Offering shall thereupon terminate. A Participant’s
withdrawal from that Offering will have no effect upon the Participant’s eligibility to participate in any other Offerings under the Plan, but such Participant will be required to deliver a new enrollment form to participate in subsequent
Offerings. 
 (c) Purchase Rights granted pursuant to any Offering under the Plan will terminate immediately if the
Participant either (i) is no longer an Employee for any reason or for no reason (subject to any post-employment participation period required by law) or (ii) is otherwise no longer eligible to participate in the Offering or the Plan. The
Company will distribute to such individual all of the Participant’s accumulated but unused Contributions. 
 (d)
During a Participant’s lifetime, Purchase Rights will be exercisable only by such Participant. Purchase Rights are not transferable by a Participant, except by will, by the laws of descent and distribution, or, if permitted by the Company,
by a beneficiary designation as described in Section 10. 
 (e) Unless otherwise specified in the Offering, the
Company will have no obligation to pay interest on Contributions. 
  

	8.	EXERCISE OF PURCHASE RIGHTS. 

(a) On each Purchase Date, each Participant’s accumulated Contributions will be applied to the purchase of shares of Common
Stock, up to the maximum number of shares of Common Stock permitted by the Plan and the applicable Offering, at the purchase price specified in the Offering. No fractional shares will be issued unless specifically provided for in the Offering.

 (b) If any amount of accumulated Contributions remains in a Participant’s account after the purchase of shares of
Common Stock and such remaining amount is less than the amount required to purchase one share of Common Stock on the final Purchase Date of an Offering, then such remaining amount will be held in such Participant’s account for the purchase of
shares of Common Stock under the next Offering under the Plan, unless such Participant withdraws from or is not eligible to participate in such Offering, in which case such amount will be distributed to such Participant after the final Purchase
Date, without interest. If the amount of Contributions remaining in a Participant’s account after the purchase of shares of Common Stock is at least equal to the amount required to purchase one whole share of Common Stock on the final Purchase
Date of an Offering, then such remaining amount will not roll over to the next Offering and will instead be distributed in full to such Participant after the final Purchase Date of such Offering without interest. 

  
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 (c) No Purchase Rights may be exercised to any extent unless the shares of Common
Stock to be issued upon such exercise under the Plan are covered by an effective registration statement pursuant to the Securities Act and the Plan is in material compliance with all applicable federal, state, foreign and other securities and other
laws applicable to the Plan. If on a Purchase Date the shares of Common Stock are not so registered or the Plan is not in such compliance, no Purchase Rights will be exercised on such Purchase Date, and the Purchase Date will be delayed until the
shares of Common Stock are subject to such an effective registration statement and the Plan is in material compliance with applicable laws, except that the Purchase Date will in no event be more than 27 months after the Offering Date. If, on the
Purchase Date, as delayed to the maximum extent permissible, the shares of Common Stock are not registered and the Plan is not in material compliance with all applicable laws, no Purchase Rights will be exercised and all accumulated but unused
Contributions will be distributed to the Participants without interest. 
  

	9.	COVENANTS OF THE COMPANY. 

The Company will seek to obtain from each federal, state, foreign or other regulatory commission or agency having jurisdiction over the
Plan such authority as may be required to grant Purchase Rights and issue and sell shares of Common Stock thereunder. If, after commercially reasonable efforts, the Company is unable to obtain the authority that counsel for the Company deems
necessary for the grant of Purchase Rights or the lawful issuance and sale of Common Stock under the Plan, and at a commercially reasonable cost, the Company will be relieved from any liability for failure to grant Purchase Rights and/or to issue
and sell Common Stock upon exercise of such Purchase Rights. 
  

	10.	DESIGNATION OF BENEFICIARY. 

 (a) The Company may, but is not obligated to, permit a Participant to submit a form designating a beneficiary who will receive any shares of Common Stock and/or Contributions from the
Participant’s account under the Plan if the Participant dies before such shares and/or Contributions are delivered to the Participant. The Company may, but is not obligated to, permit the Participant to change such designation of beneficiary.
Any such designation and/or change must be on a form approved by the Company. 
 (b) If a Participant dies, in the
absence of a valid beneficiary designation, the Company will deliver any shares of Common Stock and/or Contributions to the executor or administrator of the estate of the Participant. If no executor or administrator has been appointed (to the
knowledge of the Company), the Company, in its sole discretion, may deliver such shares of Common Stock and/or Contributions to the Participant’s spouse, dependents or relatives, or if no spouse, dependent or relative is known to the Company,
then to such other person as the Company may designate. 
  

	11.	ADJUSTMENTS UPON CHANGES IN COMMON STOCK; CORPORATE
TRANSACTIONS. 

 (a) In the event of a Capitalization Adjustment, the Board will
appropriately and proportionately adjust: (i) the class(es) and maximum number of securities subject to the Plan 

  
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pursuant to Section 3(a), (ii) the class(es) and maximum number of securities by which the share reserve is to increase automatically each year pursuant to Section 3(a),
(iii) the class(es) and number of securities subject to, and the purchase price applicable to outstanding Offerings and Purchase Rights, and (iv) the class(es) and number of securities that are the subject of the purchase limits under each
ongoing Offering. The Board will make these adjustments, and its determination will be final, binding and conclusive. 
 (b)
In the event of a Corporate Transaction, then: (i) any surviving corporation or acquiring corporation (or the surviving or acquiring corporation’s parent company) may assume or continue outstanding Purchase Rights or may substitute
similar rights (including a right to acquire the same consideration paid to the stockholders in the Corporate Transaction) for outstanding Purchase Rights, or (ii) if any surviving or acquiring corporation (or its parent company) does not
assume or continue such Purchase Rights or does not substitute similar rights for such Purchase Rights, then the Participants’ accumulated Contributions will be used to purchase shares of Common Stock within ten business days prior to the
Corporate Transaction under the outstanding Purchase Rights, and the Purchase Rights will terminate immediately after such purchase. 
  

	12.	AMENDMENT, TERMINATION OR SUSPENSION OF THE PLAN.

 (a) The Board may amend the Plan at any time in any respect the Board deems necessary or advisable.
However, except as provided in Section 11(a) relating to Capitalization Adjustments, stockholder approval will be required for any amendment of the Plan for which stockholder approval is required by applicable law or listing requirements,
including any amendment that either (i) materially increases the number of shares of Common Stock available for issuance under the Plan, (ii) materially expands the class of individuals eligible to become Participants and receive Purchase
Rights, (iii) materially increases the benefits accruing to Participants under the Plan or materially reduces the price at which shares of Common Stock may be purchased under the Plan, (iv) materially extends the term of the Plan, or
(v) expands the types of awards available for issuance under the Plan, but in each of (i) through (v) above only to the extent stockholder approval is required by applicable law or listing requirements. 

(b) The Board may suspend or terminate the Plan at any time. No Purchase Rights may be granted under the Plan while the Plan is
suspended or after it is terminated. 
 (c) Any benefits, privileges, entitlements and obligations under any outstanding
Purchase Rights granted before an amendment, suspension or termination of the Plan will not be materially impaired by any such amendment, suspension or termination except (i) with the consent of the person to whom such Purchase Rights were
granted, (ii) as necessary to comply with any laws, listing requirements, or governmental regulations (including, without limitation, the provisions of Section 423 of the Code and the regulations and other interpretive guidance issued
thereunder relating to Employee Stock Purchase Plans) including, without limitation, any such regulations or other guidance that may be issued or amended after the Effective Date, or (iii) as necessary to obtain or maintain favorable tax,
listing, or regulatory treatment. To be clear, the Board may amend outstanding Purchase Rights without a Participant’s consent if such amendment is necessary to ensure that the Purchase Right and/or the Plan complies with the requirements of
Section 423 of the Code. 

  
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	13.	EFFECTIVE DATE OF PLAN. 

The Plan will become effective on the IPO Date. No Purchase Rights will be exercised unless and until the Plan has been approved by the
stockholders of the Company, which approval must be within 12 months before or after the date the Plan is adopted (or if required under Section 12(a) above, materially amended) by the Board. 

 

	14.	MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS. 

 (a) Proceeds from the sale of shares of Common Stock pursuant to Purchase Rights will constitute general funds of the Company. 

(b) A Participant will not be deemed to be the holder of, or to have any of the rights of a holder with respect to, shares of
Common Stock subject to Purchase Rights unless and until the Participant’s shares of Common Stock acquired upon exercise of Purchase Rights are recorded in the books of the Company (or its transfer agent). 

(c) The Plan and Offering do not constitute an employment contract. Nothing in the Plan or in the Offering will in any way alter
the at-will nature of a Participant’s employment or be deemed to create in any way whatsoever any obligation on the part of any Participant to continue in the employ of the Company or a Related Corporation, or on the part of the Company or a
Related Corporation to continue the employment of a Participant. 
 (d) The provisions of the Plan will be governed by
the laws of the State of California without regard to that state’s conflicts of laws rules. 
  

	15.	DEFINITIONS. 

 As used in the Plan, the following definitions will apply to the capitalized terms indicated below: 
 (a) “Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company. 
 (b) “Capital Stock” means each and every class of common stock of the Company, regardless of the number of votes per share. 

(c) “Capitalization Adjustment” means any change that is made in, or other events that occur with respect
to, the Common Stock subject to the Plan or subject to any Purchase Right after the Effective Date without the receipt of consideration by the Company through merger, consolidation, reorganization, recapitalization, reincorporation, stock dividend,
dividend in property other than cash, large nonrecurring cash dividend, stock split, liquidating dividend, combination of shares, exchange of shares, change in corporate structure or other similar equity restructuring transaction, as that term is
used in Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718 (or any successor thereto). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the conversion of any convertible securities of the Company will not be treated as a Capitalization
Adjustment. 

  
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 (d) “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as
amended, including any applicable regulations and guidance thereunder. 
 (e) “Committee” means a
committee of one or more members of the Board to whom authority has been delegated by the Board in accordance with Section 2(c). 
 (f) “Common Stock” means, as of the IPO Date, the common stock of the Company, having one vote per share. 

(g) “Company” means Ambit Biosciences Corporation, a Delaware corporation. 

(h) “Contributions” means the payroll deductions and other additional payments specifically provided for
in the Offering that a Participant contributes to fund the exercise of a Purchase Right. A Participant may make additional payments into the Participant’s account if specifically provided for in the Offering, and then only if the Participant
has not already had the maximum permitted amount withheld during the Offering through payroll deductions. 
 (i)
“Corporate Transaction” means the consummation, in a single transaction or in a series of related transactions, of any one or more of the following events: 

(i) a sale or other disposition of all or substantially all, as determined by the Board in its sole discretion, of the
consolidated assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries; 
 (ii) a sale or other disposition of at least 90% of the
outstanding securities of the Company; 
 (iii) a merger, consolidation or similar transaction following which the
Company is not the surviving corporation; or 
 (iv) a merger, consolidation or similar transaction following which the
Company is the surviving corporation but the shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately preceding the merger, consolidation or similar transaction are converted or exchanged by virtue of the merger, consolidation or similar transaction into
other property, whether in the form of securities, cash or otherwise. 
 (j) “Director” means a
member of the Board. 
 (k) “Eligible Employee” means an Employee who meets the requirements set
forth in the document(s) governing the Offering for eligibility to participate in the Offering, provided that such Employee also meets the requirements for eligibility to participate set forth in the Plan. 

(l) “Employee” means any person, including an Officer or Director, who is “employed” for
purposes of Section 423(b)(4) of the Code by the Company or a Related Corporation. However, service solely as a Director, or payment of a fee for such services, will not cause a Director to be considered an “Employee” for purposes of
the Plan. 

  
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 (m) “Employee Stock Purchase Plan” means a plan that grants
Purchase Rights intended to be options issued under an “employee stock purchase plan,” as that term is defined in Section 423(b) of the Code. 
 (n) “Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. 

(o) “Fair Market Value” means, as of any date, the value of the Common Stock determined as follows:

 (i) If the Common Stock is listed on any established stock exchange or traded on any established market, the Fair
Market Value of a share of Common Stock will be the closing sales price for such stock as quoted on such exchange or market (or the exchange or market with the greatest volume of trading in the Common Stock) on the date of
determination, as reported in such source as the Board deems reliable. Unless otherwise provided by the Board, if there is no closing sales price for the Common Stock on the date of determination, then the Fair Market Value will be the
closing sales price on the last preceding date for which such quotation exists. 
 (ii) In the absence of such markets
for the Common Stock, the Fair Market Value will be determined by the Board in good faith in compliance with applicable laws and in a manner that complies with Sections 409A of the Code. 

(iii) Notwithstanding the foregoing, for any Offering that commences on the IPO Date, the Fair Market Value of the shares of
Common Stock on the Offering Date will be the price per share at which shares are first sold to the public in the Company’s initial public offering as specified in the final prospectus for that initial public offering. 

(p) “IPO Date” means the date of the underwriting agreement between the Company and the underwriter(s)
managing the initial public offering of the Common Stock, pursuant to which the Common Stock is priced for the initial public offering. 
 (q) “Offering” means the grant to Eligible Employees of Purchase Rights, with the exercise of those Purchase Rights automatically occurring at the end of one or more
Purchase Periods. The terms and conditions of an Offering will generally be set forth in the “Offering Document” approved by the Board for that Offering. 

(r) “Offering Date” means a date selected by the Board for an Offering to commence. 

(s) “Officer” means a person who is an officer of the Company or a Related Corporation within the meaning
of Section 16 of the Exchange Act. 

  
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 (t) “Participant” means an Eligible Employee who holds an
outstanding Purchase Right. 
 (u) “Plan” means this Ambit Biosciences Corporation 2013 Employee
Stock Purchase Plan. 
 (v) “Purchase Date” means one or more dates during an Offering selected
by the Board on which Purchase Rights will be exercised and on which purchases of shares of Common Stock will be carried out in accordance with such Offering. 
 (w) “Purchase Period” means a period of time specified within an Offering, generally beginning on the Offering Date or on the first Trading Day following a Purchase Date,
and ending on a Purchase Date. An Offering may consist of one or more Purchase Periods. 
 (x) “Purchase
Right” means an option to purchase shares of Common Stock granted pursuant to the Plan. 
 (y)
“Related Corporation” means any “parent corporation” or “subsidiary corporation” of the Company whether now or subsequently established, as those terms are defined in Sections 424(e) and (f),
respectively, of the Code. 
 (z) “Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 (aa) “Trading Day” means any day on which the exchange(s) or market(s) on which shares of
Common Stock are listed, including but not limited to the NYSE, Nasdaq Global Select Market, the Nasdaq Global Market, the Nasdaq Capital Market or any successors thereto, is open for trading. 

  
 12EX-10.17

 Exhibit 10.17 
 AMBIT BIOSCIENCES CORPORATION 

NON-EMPLOYEE DIRECTOR COMPENSATION POLICY 

Each member of the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Ambit Biosciences Corporation (the “Company”) who
is not also serving as an employee of the Company or any of its subsidiaries and who is designated by the Compensation Committee of the Board as eligible to receive compensation for his or her services as a member of the Board (each such member, an
“Eligible Director”) will receive the compensation described in this Non-Employee Director Compensation Policy for his or her Board service following the closing of the initial public offering of the Company’s common
stock (the “IPO”). 
 This policy will be effective upon the date of the underwriting agreement between the Company and
the underwriters managing the initial public offering of the common stock of the Company (the “Common Stock”), pursuant to which the Common Stock is priced in the IPO. This policy may be amended at any time in the sole
discretion of the Compensation Committee of the Board. 
 Annual Cash Compensation 

The annual cash compensation amount set forth below is payable in equal quarterly installments, payable in arrears on the last day of each fiscal quarter
in which the service occurred. If an Eligible Director joins the Board or a committee of the Board at a time other than effective as of the first day of a fiscal quarter, each annual retainer and fee set forth below will be pro-rated based on the
number of days served in the applicable fiscal year, with the pro-rated amount paid for the first fiscal quarter in which the Eligible Director provides the service, and regular full quarterly payments thereafter. All annual cash retainers and fees
are vested upon payment. 
  

	1.	Annual Board Service Retainer: 

  

	 	a.	All Eligible Directors: $40,000 

  

	 	b.	Chairman of the Board: $30,000 

  

	2.	Annual Committee Chair Service Fee: 

  

	 	a.	Chairman of the Audit Committee: $10,000 

  

	 	b.	Chairman of the Compensation Committee: $10,000 

  
 1. 

 Equity Compensation 
 The equity compensation set forth below will be granted under the Company’s 2013 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”), subject stockholder approval of the Plan. All stock
options granted pursuant to this policy and under the Plan will be nonstatutory stock options, with an exercise price per share equal to 100% of the Fair Market Value (as defined in the Plan) of the underlying Common Stock on the date of grant, and
will have a term of ten years from the date of grant (subject to earlier termination in connection with a termination of service as provided in the Plan) and will vest in full upon a Change in Control (as defined in the Plan). 

1. Initial Grant: On (a) the date of the closing of the IPO and (b) following the closing of the IPO, on the date of each Eligible
Director’s initial election to the Board (or, if such date is not a market trading day, the first market trading day thereafter), each Eligible Director automatically will be granted, without further action by the Board or Compensation
Committee of the Board, a stock option for 7,085 shares of Common Stock. One-third of the shares will vest on each of the first, second and third year anniversaries of the date of grant, such that the stock option is fully vested on the third
anniversary of the date of grant, subject to the Eligible Director’s Continuous Service (as defined in the Plan) through each such vesting date. An Eligible Director who, in the one year prior to his or her initial election to serve on the
Board as a non-employee director, served as an employee of the Company or one of its subsidiaries will not be eligible for an initial grant. 

2. Annual Grant: On the date of each annual Company stockholder meeting held after the effective date of the IPO, each Eligible Director
automatically will be granted, without further action by the Board or Compensation Committee of the Board, a stock option for 3,750 shares of Common Stock. The shares will vest in full on the one year anniversary of the date of grant, subject to the
Eligible Director’s Continuous Service (as defined in the Plan) through such vesting date. 

  
 2.

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