Document:

Exhibit 10.6

  

   

  

  
    	
            

          	
            11975 El Camino Real, Suite 101 ♦ San Diego, CA  92130

             O: 858.299.4699 ♦ F: 858.299.4204

          
	 	 

  

  
    

    

    

    

    November 9, 2020

    

    

    Mark Meltz

    c/o Kinnate Biopharma Inc.

    11975 El Camino Real Suite 101

    San Diego, CA 92130

    

    

    Re: Confirmatory Employment Letter

    

    

    Dear Mark:

    

    

    This confirmatory employment letter agreement (the “Agreement”) is entered into between you and Kinnate Biopharma Inc. (the “Company” or “we”), effective as of the effective date
      of the Company’s registration statement relating to the Company’s initial public offering (the “Effective Date”), to confirm the terms and conditions of your employment with the Company as of the Effective Date.

    

    

    1.

    Title; Position.  You will continue to serve as the Company’s Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel.  You also will continue to report to the Company’s Chief
      Executive Officer and will perform the duties and responsibilities customary for such position and such other related duties as are reasonably assigned by the Company’s Chief Executive Officer.  While you render services to the Company, you will not
      engage in any other employment, occupation, or consulting activity for any direct or indirect remuneration or otherwise without the prior written approval of the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”).  You may engage in charitable and
      community activities as well as own, as a passive investment, less than two percent (2%) of the capital stock of any corporation listed on the national securities exchange or publicly traded in the over-the-counter market, as long as such activities
      do not interfere with the performance of your duties under this Agreement.  By signing this Agreement, you confirm that you have no contractual commitments or other legal obligations that would prohibit you from performing your duties for the
      Company.

    

    

    2.

    Location.  You will perform your duties from the San Francisco, CA area but will be expected to maintain a substantial presence at the Company’s San Diego site as
      required to fulfill your responsibilities as Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel (with the exception of the period during which any shelter-in-place order, quarantine order, or similar work-from-home requirement affecting your ability to work
      at the Company’s corporate offices remains in effect), subject to customary travel as reasonably required by the Company and necessary to perform your job duties.

    

    

    
      
        

    

    
    

    

    3.

    Base Salary.  As of the Effective Date, your annual base salary will be $435,000 (“Salary”), which will be payable, less any applicable withholdings, in
      accordance with the Company’s normal payroll practices. Your Salary will be subject to review and adjustment from time to time by our Board or its Compensation Committee (the “Committee”), as applicable, in its sole discretion.

    

    

    4.

    Annual Bonus.  For each fiscal year of the Company, you will have the opportunity to earn a target annual cash bonus equal to thirty five percent (35%) (increasing to
      forty percent (40%) effective beginning for the Company’s fiscal 2021 bonus period) of your annual base salary earned during the fiscal year, based on achieving performance objectives established by the Board or the Committee, as applicable, in its
      sole discretion and payable upon achievement of those objectives as determined by the Committee.  Unless determined otherwise by the Board or Committee, as applicable, (i) any such bonus will be subject to your continued employment through and until
      the date of payment and (ii) any bonus for the fiscal year in which you commence employment with the Company will be prorated based on the period during such fiscal year that you are employed with the Company.  Any such bonus amounts paid will be
      subject to any applicable withholdings.  Your annual bonus opportunity and the applicable terms and conditions may be adjusted from time to time by our Board or the Committee, as applicable, in its sole discretion.

    

    

    5.

    Equity Awards.  You will be eligible to receive awards of stock options or other equity awards pursuant to any plans or arrangements the Company may have in effect from
      time to time.  The Board or Committee, as applicable, will determine in its sole discretion whether you will be granted any such equity awards and the terms of any such award in accordance with the terms of any applicable plan or arrangement that may
      be in effect from time to time.

    

    

    6.

    Employee Benefits.  You will continue to be eligible to participate in the benefit plans and programs established by the Company for its employees from time to time,
      subject to their applicable terms and conditions, including without limitation any eligibility requirements.  The Company will reimburse you for reasonable travel or other expenses incurred by you in the furtherance of or in connection with the
      performance of your duties under this Agreement, pursuant to the terms of the Company’s expense reimbursement policy as may be in effect from time to time.  The Company reserves the right to modify, amend, suspend or terminate the benefit plans,
      programs, and arrangements it offers to its employees at any time.

    

    

    7.

    Severance.  You will be eligible to enter into a Change in Control and Severance Agreement (the “Severance Agreement”) applicable to you based on your position
      within the Company.  Any Severance Agreement will become effective as of the Effective Date.  The Severance Agreement will specify the severance payments and benefits you may become entitled to receive in connection with a change in control of the
      Company as well as certain qualifying terminations of your employment with the Company.  For purposes of clarity, other than any vesting acceleration benefits set forth in the Company’s 2018 Equity Incentive Plan and the award agreements thereunder
      governing the terms of your stock options to purchase shares of Company common stock granted thereunder (to the extent not modified or superseded by your Severance Agreement), any severance payments, benefits and arrangements that may have applied to
      you before the Effective Date no longer will apply, and you will have no rights or entitlements under any such plans, programs, agreements or arrangements.

    

    

    
      2

      
        

    

    

    

    8.

    Confidentiality Agreement.  As an employee of the Company, you will continue to have access to certain confidential information of the Company and you may, during the
      course of your employment, develop certain information or inventions that will be the property of the Company.  To protect the interests of the Company, your acceptance of this Agreement confirms that the terms of the Company’s At-Will Employment,
      Confidential Information, Invention Assignment and Arbitration Agreement entered into between you and the Company (the “Confidentiality
          Agreement”) still apply.

    

    

    9.

    At-Will Employment.  This Agreement does not imply any right to your continued employment for any period with the Company or any parent, subsidiary, or affiliate of the
      Company.  Your employment with the Company is and will continue to be at‐will, as defined under applicable law.  This Agreement and any provisions under it will not interfere with or limit in any way your or the Company’s right to terminate your
      employment relationship with the Company at any time, with or without cause, to the extent permitted by applicable laws. You should note that the Company may modify your position, duties, goals, reporting relationship, work location, compensation and
      benefits from time to time as it deems necessary or advisable, subject to any rights you have under the Severance Agreement or otherwise.

    

    

    10.

    Protected Activity Not Prohibited.  The Company and you acknowledge and agree that nothing in this Agreement limits or prohibits you from filing and/or pursuing a charge
      or complaint with, or otherwise communicating or cooperating with or participating in any investigation or proceeding that may be conducted by, any federal, state or local government agency or commission, including the Securities and Exchange
      Commission, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the National Labor Relations Board (“Government Agencies”), including disclosing documents or other information as permitted by
      law, without giving notice to, or receiving authorization from, the Company.  In addition, nothing in this Agreement is intended to limit employees’ rights to discuss the terms, wages, and working conditions of their employment, nor to deny employees
      the right to disclose information pertaining to sexual harassment or any unlawful or potentially unlawful conduct, as protected by applicable law.  You further understand that you are not permitted to disclose the Company’s attorney-client privileged
      communications or attorney work product.  In addition, you acknowledge that the Company has provided you with notice in compliance with the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 regarding immunity from liability for limited disclosures of trade secrets. 
      The full text of the notice is attached in Appendix A.

    

    

    11.

    Miscellaneous.  This Agreement, together with the Confidentiality Agreement, the Severance Agreement and the stock options granted to you
        by the Company under its 2018 Equity Incentive Plan and the applicable award agreements thereunder, constitute the entire agreement between you and the Company regarding the material terms and conditions of your employment, and they
      supersede and replace all prior negotiations, representations or agreements between you and the Company.  This Agreement will be governed by the laws of the State of California but without regard to the conflict of law provision.  This Agreement may
      be modified only by a written agreement signed by a duly authorized officer of the Company (other than yourself) and you.

    

    

    [Signature page follows]

    

    

    
      3

      
        

    

    

    

    To confirm the current terms and conditions of your employment, please sign and date in the spaces indicated and return this Agreement to the undersigned.

    

    

    	 	
            Sincerely,

          
	 	 	 
	 	
            KINNATE BIOPHARMA INC.

          
	 	 	 
	 	
            By:

          	/s/ Nima Farzan

          
	 	 	
            Name: Nima Farzan

          
	 	 	
            Title: Chief Executive Officer

          
	 	 	 
	 	
            Date:

          	November 9, 2020

          

    

    

    	
            Agreed to and accepted:

          	 
	 	 	 
	/s/ Mark Meltz

          	 
	
            Mark Meltz

          	 
	 	 	 
	
            Date:

          	November 9, 2020

          	 

    

    

    

    

    

    

    
      4

      
        

    

    

    

    Appendix A

    

    

    Section 7 of the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016

    

    

    “ . . . An individual shall not be held criminally or civilly liable under any Federal or State trade secret law for the disclosure of a trade secret that—(A) is made—(i) in confidence to a Federal, State, or local
      government official, either directly or indirectly, or to an attorney; and (ii) solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law; or (B) is made in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding,
      if such filing is made under seal. . . . An individual who files a lawsuit for retaliation by an employer for reporting a suspected violation of law may disclose the trade secret to the attorney of the individual and use the trade secret information
      in the court proceeding, if the individual—(A) files any document containing the trade secret under seal; and (B) does not disclose the trade secret, except pursuant to court order.”

     

    

    

    

  

  5Exhibit 10.7

      

    

    

    

    
      
        	
                

              	
                11975 El Camino Real, Suite 101 ♦ San Diego, CA  92130

                 O: 858.299.4699 ♦ F: 858.299.4204

              
	 	 

      

    

    

    

     

    

    November 9, 2020

    

    

    Eric Murphy

    c/o Kinnate Biopharma Inc.

    11975 El Camino Real Suite 101

    San Diego, CA 92130

    

    

    Re: Confirmatory Employment Letter

    

    

    Dear Eric:

    

    

    This confirmatory employment letter agreement (the “Agreement”) is entered into between you and Kinnate Biopharma Inc. (the “Company” or “we”), effective as of the effective date
      of the Company’s registration statement relating to the Company’s initial public offering (the “Effective Date”), to confirm the terms and conditions of your employment with the Company as of the Effective Date.

    

    

    1.

    Title; Position.  You will continue to serve as the Company’s Chief Scientific Officer.  You also will continue to report to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and
      will perform the duties and responsibilities customary for such position and such other related duties as are reasonably assigned by the Company’s Chief Executive Officer.  While you render services to the Company, you will not engage in any other
      employment, occupation, or consulting activity for any direct or indirect remuneration or otherwise without the prior written approval of the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”).  You may engage in charitable and community activities as
      well as own, as a passive investment, less than two percent (2%) of the capital stock of any corporation listed on the national securities exchange or publicly traded in the over-the-counter market, as long as such activities do not interfere with
      the performance of your duties under this Agreement.  By signing this Agreement, you confirm that you have no contractual commitments or other legal obligations that would prohibit you from performing your duties for the Company.

    

    

    2.

    Location.  You will perform your duties from the Company’s corporate offices located in San Diego, California (with the exception of the period during which any
      shelter-in-place order, quarantine order, or similar work-from-home requirement affecting your ability to work at the Company’s corporate offices remains in effect), subject to customary travel as reasonably required by the Company and necessary to
      perform your job duties.

    

    

    
      
        

    

    
    

    

    3.

    Base Salary.  As of the Effective Date, your annual base salary will be $410,000 (“Salary”), which will be payable, less any applicable withholdings, in
      accordance with the Company’s normal payroll practices.  Your Salary will be subject to review and adjustment from time to time by our Board or its Compensation Committee (the “Committee”), as applicable, in its sole discretion.

    

    

    4.

    Annual Bonus.  For each fiscal year of the Company, you will have the opportunity to earn a target annual cash bonus equal to thirty percent (30%) (increasing to forty
      percent (40%) effective beginning for the Company’s fiscal 2021 bonus period) of your annual base salary earned during the fiscal year, based on achieving performance objectives established by the Board or the Committee, as applicable, in its sole
      discretion and payable upon achievement of those objectives as determined by the Committee.  Unless determined otherwise by the Board or Committee, as applicable, (i) any such bonus will be subject to your continued employment through and until the
      date of payment and (ii) any bonus for the fiscal year in which you commence employment with the Company will be prorated based on the period during such fiscal year that you are employed with the Company.  Any such bonus amounts paid will be subject
      to any applicable withholdings.  Your annual bonus opportunity and the applicable terms and conditions may be adjusted from time to time by our Board or the Committee, as applicable, in its sole discretion.

    

    

    5.

    Equity Awards.  You will be eligible to receive awards of stock options or other equity awards pursuant to any plans or arrangements the Company may have in effect from
      time to time.  The Board or Committee, as applicable, will determine in its sole discretion whether you will be granted any such equity awards and the terms of any such award in accordance with the terms of any applicable plan or arrangement that may
      be in effect from time to time.

    

    

    6.

    Employee Benefits.  You will continue to be eligible to participate in the benefit plans and programs established by the Company for its employees from time to time,
      subject to their applicable terms and conditions, including without limitation any eligibility requirements.  The Company will reimburse you for reasonable travel or other expenses incurred by you in the furtherance of or in connection with the
      performance of your duties under this Agreement, pursuant to the terms of the Company’s expense reimbursement policy as may be in effect from time to time.  The Company reserves the right to modify, amend, suspend or terminate the benefit plans,
      programs, and arrangements it offers to its employees at any time.

    

    

    7.

    Severance.  You will be eligible to enter into a Change in Control and Severance Agreement (the “Severance Agreement”) applicable to you based on your position
      within the Company.  Any Severance Agreement will become effective as of the Effective Date.  The Severance Agreement will specify the severance payments and benefits you may become entitled to receive in connection with a change in control of the
      Company as well as certain qualifying terminations of your employment with the Company.  For purposes of clarity, other than any vesting acceleration benefits set forth in the Company’s 2018 Equity Incentive Plan and the award agreements thereunder
      governing the terms of your stock options to purchase shares of Company common stock granted thereunder (to the extent not modified or superseded by your Severance Agreement), any severance payments, benefits and arrangements that may have applied to
      you before the Effective Date no longer will apply, and you will have no rights or entitlements under any such plans, programs, agreements or arrangements.

    

    

    
      2

      
        

    

    

    

    8.

    Confidentiality Agreement.  As an employee of the Company, you will continue to have access to certain confidential information of the Company and you may, during the
      course of your employment, develop certain information or inventions that will be the property of the Company.  To protect the interests of the Company, your acceptance of this Agreement confirms that the terms of the Company’s At-Will Employment,
      Confidential Information, Invention Assignment and Arbitration Agreement entered into between you and the Company (the “Confidentiality
          Agreement”) still apply.

    

    

    9.

    At-Will Employment.  This Agreement does not imply any right to your continued employment for any period with the Company or any parent, subsidiary, or affiliate of the
      Company.  Your employment with the Company is and will continue to be at‐will, as defined under applicable law.  This Agreement and any provisions under it will not interfere with or limit in any way your or the Company’s right to terminate your
      employment relationship with the Company at any time, with or without cause, to the extent permitted by applicable laws.  You should note that the Company may modify your position, duties, goals, reporting relationship, work location, compensation
      and benefits from time to time as it deems necessary or advisable, subject to any rights you have under the Severance Agreement or otherwise.

    

    

    10.

    Protected Activity Not Prohibited.  The Company and you acknowledge and agree that nothing in this Agreement limits or prohibits you from filing and/or pursuing a charge
      or complaint with, or otherwise communicating or cooperating with or participating in any investigation or proceeding that may be conducted by, any federal, state or local government agency or commission, including the Securities and Exchange
      Commission, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the National Labor Relations Board (“Government Agencies”), including disclosing documents or other information as permitted by
      law, without giving notice to, or receiving authorization from, the Company.  In addition, nothing in this Agreement is intended to limit employees’ rights to discuss the terms, wages, and working conditions of their employment, nor to deny employees
      the right to disclose information pertaining to sexual harassment or any unlawful or potentially unlawful conduct, as protected by applicable law.  You further understand that you are not permitted to disclose the Company’s attorney-client privileged
      communications or attorney work product.  In addition, you acknowledge that the Company has provided you with notice in compliance with the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 regarding immunity from liability for limited disclosures of trade secrets. 
      The full text of the notice is attached in Appendix A.

    

    

    11.

    Miscellaneous.  This Agreement, together with the Confidentiality Agreement, the Severance Agreement and the stock options granted to you
        by the Company under its 2018 Equity Incentive Plan and the applicable award agreements thereunder, constitute the entire agreement between you and the Company regarding the material terms and conditions of your employment, and they
      supersede and replace all prior negotiations, representations or agreements between you and the Company.  This Agreement will be governed by the laws of the State of California but without regard to the conflict of law provision.  This Agreement may
      be modified only by a written agreement signed by a duly authorized officer of the Company (other than yourself) and you.

    

    

    [Signature page follows]

    

    

    
      3

      
        

    

    

    

    To confirm the current terms and conditions of your employment, please sign and date in the spaces indicated and return this Agreement to the undersigned.

    

    

    	 	
            Sincerely,

          
	 	 	 
	 	
            KINNATE BIOPHARMA INC.

          
	 	 	 
	 	
            By:

          	/s/ Nima Farzan

          
	 	 	
            Name: Nima Farzan

          
	 	 	
            Title: Chief Executive Officer

          
	 	 	 
	 	
            Date:

          	November 10, 2020

          

    

    

    	
            Agreed to and accepted:

          	 
	 	 	 
	/s/ Eric Murphy

          	 
	
            Eric Murphy

          	 
	 	 	 
	
            Date:

          	November 10, 2020

          	 

    

    

    
      4

      
        

    

    

    

    Appendix A

    

    

    Section 7 of the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016

    

    

    “ . . . An individual shall not be held criminally or civilly liable under any Federal or State trade secret law for the disclosure of a trade secret that—(A) is made—(i) in confidence to a Federal, State, or local
      government official, either directly or indirectly, or to an attorney; and (ii) solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law; or (B) is made in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding,
      if such filing is made under seal. . . . An individual who files a lawsuit for retaliation by an employer for reporting a suspected violation of law may disclose the trade secret to the attorney of the individual and use the trade secret information
      in the court proceeding, if the individual—(A) files any document containing the trade secret under seal; and (B) does not disclose the trade secret, except pursuant to court order.”

    

    

  

   

    

  5

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