sdgr-def14a_20220615.htm

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DEF 14A 1 sdgr-def14a_20220615.htm DEF 14A sdgr-def14a_20220615.htm

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

(Amendment No. )

Filed by the Registrant ☒ Filed by a Party other than the Registrant ☐

Check the appropriate box:



☐		Preliminary Proxy Statement
☐		Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
☒		Definitive Proxy Statement
☐		Definitive Additional Materials
☐		Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12

SCHRÖDINGER, INC.

(Name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(Name of person(s) filing proxy statement, if other than the registrant)

Payment of Filing Fee (Check all boxes that apply):

1540 Broadway, 24^th Floor

New York, New York 10036

NOTICE OF 2022 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

To Be Held on Wednesday, June 15, 2022

Dear Stockholders:

You are cordially invited to virtually attend the 2022 annual meeting of stockholders, or the Annual Meeting, of Schrödinger, Inc. To continue to support the health and well-being of our stockholders, employees and directors in light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Annual Meeting will be held via the Internet at a virtual audio web conference at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/SDGR2022 on Wednesday, June 15, 2022, at 10:00 a.m., Eastern time.

At the Annual Meeting, the stockholders will consider and vote on the following matters:

Election of three Class II directors, Jeffrey Chodakewitz, Michael Lynton and Nancy A. Thornberry, each to serve for a three-year term expiring at the 2025 annual meeting of stockholders and until his or her respective successor has been duly elected and qualified;

Approval of an advisory vote on executive compensation;

Holding an advisory vote on the frequency of future executive compensation advisory votes;

Approval of the Schrödinger, Inc. 2022 Equity Incentive Plan;

Ratification of the appointment of KPMG LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022; and

Transaction of any other business that may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

Our Annual Meeting will be a “virtual meeting” of stockholders, which will be conducted exclusively via the Internet at a virtual web conference. There will not be a physical meeting location, and stockholders will not be able to attend the Annual Meeting in person. This means that you can attend the Annual Meeting online, vote your shares during the online meeting and submit questions during the online meeting. We believe that hosting a “virtual meeting” will enable greater stockholder attendance and participation from any location around the world.

You can find more information, including the nominees for director, in the proxy statement for the Annual Meeting, which is available for viewing, printing and downloading at www.proxyvote.com. The board of directors recommends that you vote “FOR” each of the Class II directors (Proposal No. 1), “FOR” the approval of the advisory vote on executive compensation, commonly referred to as the “say-on-pay” vote (Proposal No. 2), for the approval, on an advisory basis, of holding future executive compensation advisory votes every ONE YEAR, commonly referred to as the “say-on-frequency” vote (Proposal No. 3), “FOR” the approval of the Schrödinger, Inc. 2022 Equity Incentive Plan (Proposal No. 4), and “FOR” the ratification of the appointment of our independent registered public accounting firm (Proposal No. 5) as outlined in the attached proxy statement.

We are pleased to comply with the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission that allow companies to distribute their proxy materials over the Internet under the “notice and access” approach. As a result, we plan to send to our stockholders a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, or the Notice of Availability, instead of a paper copy of the proxy statement and our annual report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, or the 2021 Annual Report. We plan to mail the Notice of Availability on or about April 28, 2022, and the Notice of Availability contains instructions on how to access our proxy materials over the Internet. The Notice

of Availability also contains instructions on how each of our stockholders can request a paper copy of our proxy materials, including the proxy statement, our 2021 Annual Report, and a form of proxy card.

Stockholders of record at the close of business on April 19, 2022, the record date for the Annual Meeting, are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

Your vote is important to us regardless of the number of shares you own. Whether or not you expect to virtually attend the Annual Meeting online, please vote your shares to ensure your representation and the presence of a quorum at the Annual Meeting. If you are a stockholder of record, you may vote your shares prior to the Annual Meeting on the Internet by visiting www.proxyvote.com, by telephone by calling 1-800-690-6903 and following the recorded instructions, or by completing, signing, dating, and returning a proxy card. If you mail your proxy card or vote by telephone or the Internet and then decide to attend the Annual Meeting and vote your shares online during the Annual Meeting, you may still do so. Your proxy is revocable in accordance with the procedures set forth in the proxy statement.

If your shares are held in “street name,” that is, held for your account by a bank, broker or other nominee, you will receive instructions from the bank, broker or other nominee that you must follow for your shares to be voted.

If you have any questions or require any assistance with voting your shares, please contact our proxy solicitor:

Georgeson LLC

1290 Avenue of the Americas, 9^th Floor, New York, NY 10104

(800) 561-3947 (toll-free in North America)

+1 (781) 575-2137 (outside of North America)

A list of stockholders as of the close of business on the record date will be available for examination by our stockholders during the Annual Meeting. Further information about how to attend the Annual Meeting online, vote your shares and submit questions is included in the accompanying proxy statement.

By Order of the Board of Directors,

/s/ Yvonne Tran

Yvonne Tran

Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary

New York, New York

April 28, 2022

Important Notice Regarding Internet Availability of Proxy Materials for the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on June 15, 2022: The attached proxy statement and our 2021 annual report to stockholders, which includes our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, are available for viewing, printing and downloading at www.proxyvote.com. These documents are also available to any stockholder who wishes to receive a paper copy upon written request to Schrödinger, Inc., 1540 Broadway, 24^th Floor, New York, New York 10036, Attention: Investor Relations. The proxy statement and our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 are also available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INFORMATION CONCERNING SOLICITATION AND VOTING1

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING AND VOTING2

PROPOSAL NO. 1—ELECTION OF THREE CLASS II DIRECTORS7

PROPOSAL NO. 2—ADVISORY VOTE ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION11

PROPOSAL NO. 3—ADVISORY VOTE ON THE FREQUENCY OF FUTURE EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION ADVISORY VOTES12

PROPOSAL NO. 4—APPROVAL OF THE SCHRÖDINGER, INC. 2022 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN13

PROPOSAL NO. 5—RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF KPMG LLP AS OUR INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 202224

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE25

EXECUTIVE AND DIRECTOR COMPENSATION32

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION TABLES47

TRANSACTIONS WITH RELATED PERSONS57

PRINCIPAL STOCKHOLDERS61

REPORT OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS63

STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS FOR OUR 2023 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS64

STOCKHOLDERS SHARING THE SAME ADDRESS65

OTHER MATTERS66

APPENDIX AA-1

1540 Broadway, 24^th Floor

New York, New York 10036

(212) 295-5800

PROXY STATEMENT

2022 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

To Be Held on Wednesday, June 15, 2022

INFORMATION CONCERNING SOLICITATION AND VOTING

This proxy statement contains information about the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Schrödinger, Inc., or the Annual Meeting, to be held on Wednesday, June 15, 2022, at 10:00 a.m., Eastern time. To continue to support the health and well-being of our stockholders, employees and directors in light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Annual Meeting will be held via the Internet at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/SDGR2022. There will not be a physical meeting location, and stockholders will not be able to attend the Annual Meeting in person. Further information about how to attend the Annual Meeting online is included in this proxy statement.

The board of directors of Schrödinger, Inc. is using this proxy statement to solicit proxies for use at the Annual Meeting and at any adjournment or postponement of that meeting. In this proxy statement, unless expressly stated otherwise or the context otherwise requires, references to “Schrödinger,” “the Company,” “we,” “us,” “our” and similar terms refer to Schrödinger, Inc. References to our website are inactive textual references only and the contents of our website are not incorporated by reference into this proxy statement.

All properly submitted proxies will be voted in accordance with the instructions contained in those proxies. If no instructions are specified, the shares represented by the proxies will be voted in accordance with the recommendations of our board of directors.

Instead of mailing a paper copy of our proxy materials to all of our stockholders, we are providing access to our proxy materials over the Internet under the Securities and Exchange Commission’s “notice and access” rules. As a result, we are mailing to our stockholders a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, or the Notice of Availability, instead of a paper copy of this proxy statement and our annual report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, or the 2021 Annual Report. We plan to mail the Notice of Availability on or about April 28, 2022, and the Notice of Availability contains instructions on how to access our proxy materials over the Internet. The Notice of Availability also contains instructions on how each of our stockholders can request a paper copy of our proxy materials, including this proxy statement, our 2021 Annual Report, and a form of proxy card.

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for

the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be Held on June 15, 2022:

This proxy statement and our 2021 Annual Report are

available for viewing, printing and downloading at www.proxyvote.com.

A copy of our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, except for exhibits, will be furnished without charge to any stockholder upon written request Schrödinger, Inc., 1540 Broadway, 24^th Floor, New York, New York 10036, Attention: Investor Relations. This proxy statement and our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 are also available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING AND VOTING

Q: What is the Purpose of the Annual Meeting?

A: At the Annual Meeting, our stockholders will consider and vote on the following matters:

Approval of an advisory vote on executive compensation;

Holding an advisory vote on the frequency of future executive compensation advisory votes;

Approval of the Schrödinger, Inc. 2022 Equity Incentive Plan;

Ratification of the appointment of KPMG LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022; and

Transaction of any other business that may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

As of the date of this proxy statement, we are not aware of any business to come before the meeting other than the first five items noted above.

Q: How Does the Board of Directors Recommend that I Vote on the Proposals?

A: Our board of directors unanimously recommends that you vote:

FOR the election of the three nominees to serve as Class II directors on our board of directors, each for a three-year term expiring at the 2025 annual meeting of stockholders and until his or her respective successor has been duly elected and qualified;

FOR the approval of the advisory vote on executive compensation;

FOR the approval, on an advisory basis, of holding future executive compensation advisory votes every ONE YEAR;

FOR the approval of the Schrödinger, Inc. 2022 Equity Incentive Plan; and

FOR the ratification of the appointment of KPMG LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022.

How Can I Access the Proxy Materials?

The proxy materials, including this proxy statement, a proxy card and our 2021 Annual Report are available for viewing, printing and downloading on the Internet at www.proxyvote.com. If you would like to receive a paper copy of our proxy materials, you should follow the instructions for requesting paper materials in the Notice of Availability.

Q: Who Can Vote at the Annual Meeting?

A: Only stockholders at the close of business on the record date of April 19, 2022 are entitled to receive notice of the Annual Meeting and to vote the shares of our common stock and/or limited common stock that they held on that date. As of April 19, 2022, there were 61,973,968 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding and 9,164,193 shares of our limited common stock issued and outstanding. Each share of common stock is entitled to one vote on each matter properly brought before the Annual Meeting. Each share of limited common stock is entitled to one vote on each matter properly brought before the Annual Meeting, except for the election or removal of directors. Accordingly, each share of limited common stock is not entitled to vote on Proposal No. 1, but may vote on Proposal No. 2, Proposal No. 3, Proposal No. 4 and Proposal No. 5.

Q: What is the Difference Between a “Stockholder of Record” and a Beneficial Owner of Shares Held in “Street Name”?

A: Stockholder of Record. If your shares are registered directly in your name with our transfer agent, Computershare Trust Company, N.A., then you are considered the “stockholder of record” of those shares. In this case, your Notice of Availability has been sent to you directly by us. You may vote your shares by proxy prior to the Annual Meeting by following the instructions contained in the Notice of Availability and in the section titled “How Do I Vote?” below.

Beneficial Owner of Shares Held in Street Name. If your shares are held by a bank, broker or other nominee, then you are considered the beneficial owner of those shares, which are held in “street name.” In this case, your Notice of Availability will be sent to you by that organization. The organization holding your shares is considered the stockholder of record for purposes of voting at the Annual Meeting. As the beneficial owner, you have the right to instruct that organization as to how to vote the shares held in your account by following the instructions contained on the voting instruction form provided to you by that organization.

Q: Why Did I Receive a Notice in the Mail Regarding the Internet Availability of Proxy Materials Instead of a Full Set of Proxy Materials?

A: We are pleased to comply with the SEC rules that allow companies to distribute their proxy materials over the Internet under the “notice and access” approach. As a result, we plan to mail to our stockholders and beneficial owners of our capital stock a copy of the Notice of Availability instead of paper copies of this proxy statement, our proxy card, and our 2021 Annual Report. We are sending the Notice of Availability on or about April 28, 2022. Detailed instructions on how to access these materials via the Internet may be found in the Notice of Availability. This proxy statement and our 2021 Annual Report are available for viewing, printing and downloading on the Internet at www.proxyvote.com.

Q: Why is the Annual Meeting a Virtual, Online Meeting?

A: To support the health and well-being of our stockholders, employees and directors in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, our Annual Meeting will be a virtual meeting of stockholders where stockholders will participate by accessing a website using the Internet. There will not be a physical meeting location. We believe that hosting a virtual meeting will facilitate stockholder attendance and participation at our Annual Meeting by enabling stockholders to safely participate from any location around the world. Our virtual meeting will be governed by our Rules of Conduct and Procedures which will be posted and accessible during the Annual Meeting at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/SDGR2022. We have designed the virtual annual meeting to provide stockholders with the same rights and opportunities to participate as stockholders would have had at an in person meeting, including the right to vote and ask questions through the virtual meeting platform.

Q: How Do I Virtually Attend the Annual Meeting?

A: The Annual Meeting will be a virtual meeting and you may not attend in person. The Annual Meeting will start at 10:00 a.m., Eastern time, on June 15, 2022.

You may log on to the virtual meeting at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/SDGR2022 starting 30 minutes before it begins. We will have technicians standing by and ready to assist you with any technical difficulties you may have accessing the virtual meeting starting at 9:45 a.m., Eastern time, on June 15, 2022. If you encounter any difficulties accessing the virtual Annual Meeting, please contact technical support by following the instructions and technical support contact information, which will be provided to you at the virtual meeting website listed above.

Q: How Do I Vote?

A: If you are the stockholder of record of your shares, you can vote your shares by proxy prior to the Annual Meeting or online during the Annual Meeting. If you choose to vote by proxy prior to the Annual Meeting, you may do so by telephone, via the Internet or by mail as follows:

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By Telephone Prior to the Annual Meeting. You may transmit your proxy over the phone by calling 1-800-690-6903 and following the instructions provided in the Notice of Availability and on the proxy card. You will need to have your Notice of Availability or proxy card in hand when you call.

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Via the Internet Prior to the Annual Meeting. You may transmit your proxy via the Internet by following the instructions provided in the Notice of Availability and on the proxy card. You will need to have your Notice of Availability or proxy card in hand when you access the website. The website for voting is available at www.proxyvote.com.

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By Mail Prior to the Annual Meeting. If you requested printed copies of proxy materials, you can vote by mailing your proxy card as described in the proxy materials.

Telephone and Internet voting for stockholders of record will be available until 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on June 14, 2022, and mailed proxy cards must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on June 14, 2022, in order to be counted at the Annual Meeting. If the Annual Meeting is adjourned or postponed, these deadlines may be extended.

If you choose to vote online during the Annual Meeting, you may vote your shares electronically while virtually attending the Annual Meeting by following the instructions found on your Notice of Availability, proxy card and/or voting instruction form. If you vote by proxy prior to the Annual Meeting and choose to attend the Annual Meeting online, there is no need to vote again during the Annual Meeting unless you wish to change your vote.

If your shares are held in street name, your bank, broker or other nominee is required to vote the shares it holds on your behalf according to your instructions. The proxy materials, as well as voting and revocation instructions, will be forwarded to you by the bank, broker or other nominee that holds your shares. In order to vote your shares you will need to follow the instructions that your bank, broker or other nominee provides you. The voting deadlines and availability of telephone and Internet voting for beneficial owners of shares held in “street name” will depend on the voting processes of the bank, broker or other nominee that holds your shares. Therefore, we urge you to carefully review and follow the voting instruction form and any other materials that you receive from that organization.

Even if you plan to attend the Annual Meeting online, we urge you to vote your shares by proxy in advance of the Annual Meeting so that, if you become unable to attend the Annual Meeting, your shares will be voted as directed by you.

Q: Can I Vote My Shares by Filling Out and Returning the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials?

A: No. The Notice of Availability and proxy card contain instructions on how to vote by proxy via the Internet, by telephone, by requesting and returning a paper proxy card, or by voting online while virtually attending the Annual Meeting.

Q: How Do I Submit a Question for the Annual Meeting?

A: Questions may be submitted prior to the Annual Meeting at www.proxyvote.com or you may submit questions in real time during the Annual Meeting using our Annual Meeting platform at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/SDGR2022. Our virtual meeting will be governed by our Rules of Conduct and Procedures which will be posted and accessible during the Annual Meeting at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/SDGR2022. The Rules of Conduct and Procedures will address the ability of stockholders to ask questions during the meeting, including rules on permissible topics, and rules for how questions and comments will be recognized and disclosed to meeting participants. We will answer appropriate questions that are pertinent to the matters to be voted on by the stockholders at the annual meeting. Because time is limited at the annual meeting, we may not be able to answer all questions that are submitted. If there are any matters of individual concern to a stockholder and not of general concern to all stockholders, or if a question was not otherwise answered, such matters may be raised separately after the annual meeting by contacting Investor Relations at ir@schrodinger.com. To promote fairness and the efficient use of our resources and to address all stockholder questions, we will limit each stockholder to two questions, which should each be succinct and should cover only one topic. Questions from multiple stockholders on the same topic or that are otherwise related may be grouped, summarized and answered together.

Q: May I See a List of Stockholders Entitled to Vote as of the Record Date?

A: A list of stockholders as of the close of business on the record date will be available for examination by the stockholders during the Annual Meeting at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/SDGR2022.

Q: How Many Shares Must Be Represented to Have a Quorum and Hold an Annual Meeting of Stockholders?

A: A quorum of stockholders is necessary to hold a valid meeting. Our amended and restated bylaws provide that a quorum will exist if stockholders holding a majority in voting power of the shares of capital stock issued and outstanding and entitled to vote at the meeting are present at the meeting in person, present by means of remote communication or represented by proxy. Where a separate vote by a class of capital stock is required by law or our restated certificate of incorporation, the holders of a majority in voting power of the shares of such class of the capital stock issued and outstanding and entitled to vote on such matter, present in person, present by means of remote communication or represented by proxy, shall constitute a quorum entitled to take action with respect to the vote on such matter. Shares present virtually during the Annual Meeting will be considered shares present by means of remote communication at the meeting. Our board of directors has authorized the means of remote communication by which we plan to conduct the Annual Meeting. If a quorum is not present, we expect to adjourn the Annual Meeting until a quorum is obtained.

Abstentions and broker non-votes count as present for establishing a quorum but will not be counted as votes cast. Broker non-votes occur when your bank, broker or other nominee submits a proxy for your shares (because the bank, broker or other nominee has received instructions from you on one or more proposals, but not all proposals, or has not received instructions from you but is entitled to vote on a particular “discretionary” matter) but does not indicate a vote for a particular proposal because the bank, broker or other nominee either does not have the authority to vote on that proposal and has not received voting instructions from you or has discretionary authority but chooses not to exercise it.

Q: What Ballot Measures are Considered “Discretionary” versus “Non-Discretionary”?

A: The election of directors (Proposal No. 1), the advisory vote on executive compensation (Proposal No. 2), the advisory vote on the frequency of future executive compensation advisory votes (Proposal No. 3) and the approval of the Schrödinger, Inc. 2022 Equity Incentive Plan (Proposal No. 4) are matters considered non-discretionary under applicable rules. A bank, broker or other nominee cannot vote without instructions on non-discretionary matters, and therefore there may be broker non-votes on Proposal Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4.

The ratification of the appointment of KPMG LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022 (Proposal No. 5) is a matter considered discretionary under applicable rules. A bank, broker or other nominee generally may exercise discretionary authority and vote on discretionary matters if no voting instructions have been provided. If they exercise this discretionary authority, no broker non-votes are expected in connection with Proposal No. 5.

Q: What Vote is Required to Approve Each Proposal?

A: A nominee will be elected as a director in an uncontested election if the votes cast “for” such nominee’s election by the stockholders entitled to vote exceed the votes cast “against” the nominee’s election (Proposal No. 1). Stockholders are not entitled to vote any shares of limited common stock in an election of directors. Abstentions and broker non-votes will not be counted as votes “for” or “against” such nominee’s election. Accordingly, abstentions and broker non-votes will have no effect on the voting on Proposal No. 1.

The affirmative vote of the holders of shares of capital stock having a majority in voting power of the votes cast by the holders of all of the shares present or represented by proxy and voted “for” or “against” such matter will be required for: approval of the advisory vote on executive compensation (Proposal No. 2); approval of one of the three frequency options (one year, two years or three years) under the advisory vote on the frequency of future executive compensation advisory votes (Proposal No. 3); approval of the Schrödinger, Inc. 2022 Equity Incentive Plan (Proposal No. 4) and the ratification of the appointment of KPMG LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022 (Proposal No. 5). Abstentions and broker non-votes will not be counted as votes cast or voted on Proposal Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 5. Accordingly, abstentions and broker non-votes will have no effect on the voting on Proposal Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 5.

As described in more detail in Proposal No. 2, because this proposal is non-binding, our board of directors may decide that it is in our and our stockholders’ best interests to compensate our named executive officers in an amount or manner that differs from that which is approved by our stockholders.

With respect to Proposal No. 3, if none of the three frequency options receives the affirmative vote of the holders of shares of capital stock having a majority in voting power of the votes cast, we will consider the frequency option (one year, two years or three years) receiving the highest number of votes cast by stockholders to be the frequency that has been recommended by stockholders. However, as described in more detail in Proposal No. 3, because this proposal is non-binding, our board of directors may decide that it is in our and our stockholders’ best interests to hold future executive compensation advisory votes more or less frequently than the option approved by our stockholders.

Q: What Happens if an Incumbent Director Nominee Fails to Receive More “For” Votes than “Against” Votes in an Uncontested Election?

A: Under our majority vote standard for the election of directors, the votes cast “for” a nominee must exceed the votes cast “against” that nominee. Our Corporate Governance Guidelines set forth a process that takes effect if an incumbent director nominee receives more “against” votes than “for” votes in an uncontested election. Upon such an occurrence, the affected director is expected, promptly following certification of the stockholder vote, to submit to the board of directors his or her offer to resign from the board. Such incumbent director shall continue to serve as a director while our nominating and corporate governance committee decides whether to

accept or reject resignation offer. The nominating and corporate governance committee will promptly consider the resignation offer submitted by such incumbent director and recommend to the board of directors the action to be taken with respect to such resignation offer. Such action may range from accepting the resignation, to maintaining such incumbent director but addressing what the nominating and corporate governance committee believes to be the underlying cause of the votes “against” the director, to resolving that such incumbent director will not be re-nominated for election in the future, to rejecting the resignation, to such other action that the nominating and corporate governance committee determines to be in the best interests of our company and our stockholders. In reaching its recommendation, the nominating and corporate governance committee will consider all factors it deems relevant. The board of directors will then act on the nominating and corporate governance committee’s recommendation, considering the factors considered by the nominating and corporate governance committee and such additional factors the board of directors believes to be relevant. After the board’s determination, we will promptly publicly disclose the board’s decision regarding the action to be taken with respect to such incumbent director’s resignation. If the board’s decision is to not accept the resignation, such disclosure will include the reasons for not accepting the resignation. If the director’s resignation is accepted, then the board of directors may fill the resulting vacancy in accordance with our amended and restated bylaws or may decrease the size of our board of directors. Our Corporate Governance Guidelines are posted on our website at www.schrodinger.com.

Q: How Are the Votes Counted?

A: Votes cast online during the Annual Meeting or by proxy by mail, via the Internet or by telephone will be tabulated by the inspector of election appointed for the Annual Meeting, who will also determine whether a quorum is present.

Q: Can I Revoke My Proxy and Can I Change My Vote?

A: If you are a stockholder of record, you may revoke your proxy before the vote is taken at the Annual Meeting:

•

by submitting by submitting a new proxy with a later date before the applicable deadline either signed and returned by mail or transmitted using the telephone or Internet voting procedures described in the “How Do I Vote?” section above;

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by voting online at the Annual Meeting using the procedures described in the “How Do I Vote?” section above; or

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by filing a written revocation with our corporate secretary.

If your shares are held in “street name,” you may submit new voting instructions by contacting your bank, broker or other nominee holding your shares. You may also vote online during the Annual Meeting, which will have the effect of revoking any previously submitted voting instructions.

Your virtual attendance at the Annual Meeting, without voting online during the Annual Meeting, will not automatically revoke your proxy.

Q: What are the Costs of Proxy Solicitation?

A: We will bear the costs of soliciting proxies. Our directors, officers and regular employees, without additional remuneration, may solicit proxies by mail, telephone, facsimile, email, personal interviews and other means.

We have retained Georgeson LLC, a proxy solicitation firm (the “Proxy Solicitor”), to solicit proxies in connection with the Annual Meeting at a cost of approximately $15,000, plus reimbursement of certain expenses and fees for additional services requested. We will also indemnify the Proxy Solicitor against losses arising out of its provisions of these services on our behalf. Proxies will be solicited by the Proxy Solicitor by mail, telephone, e-mail and in person.

Q: Where Can I Find the Voting Results?

A: We plan to announce preliminary voting results at the Annual Meeting and will publish final results in a Current Report on Form 8-K to be filed with the SEC within four business days following the Annual Meeting.

PROPOSAL NO. 1—ELECTION OF THREE CLASS II DIRECTORS

Our board of directors currently consists of eight members. In accordance with the terms of our restated certificate of incorporation, our board of directors is divided into three classes (Class I, Class II and Class III), with members of each class serving staggered three-year terms. The members of the classes are divided as follows:

•

the Class I directors are Ramy Farid and Gary Ginsberg, and their term expires at the annual meeting of stockholders to be held in 2024;

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the Class II directors are Jeffrey Chodakewitz, Michael Lynton and Nancy A. Thornberry, and their term expires at the Annual Meeting; and

•

the Class III directors are Richard A. Friesner, Rosana Kapeller-Libermann and Gary Sender, and their term expires at the annual meeting of stockholders to be held in 2023.

Upon the expiration of the term of a class of directors, directors in that class will be eligible to be elected for a new three-year term at the annual meeting of stockholders in the year in which their term expires.

Our restated certificate of incorporation provides that the authorized number of directors may be changed only by resolution of our board of directors. Our restated certificate of incorporation also provides that our directors may be removed only for cause and only by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of common stock, and that any vacancy on our board of directors, including a vacancy resulting from an enlargement of our board of directors, may be filled only by vote of a majority of our directors then in office. Upon the recommendation of our nominating and corporate governance committee, our board of directors has nominated Jeffrey Chodakewitz, Michael Lynton and Nancy A. Thornberry for election as Class II directors at the Annual Meeting. Dr. Chodakewitz, Mr. Lynton and Ms. Thornberry are all presently directors, and have indicated a willingness to continue to serve as directors, if elected.

Our Corporate Governance Guidelines provide that the value of diversity should be considered and that director nominees should represent a diverse array of personal and professional characteristics, backgrounds, experiences and skills, including gender, racial or ethnic identity, international experience and/or expertise in a particular discipline or field. Our priority in selection of board members is identification of members who will further the interests of our stockholders through their established records of professional accomplishment, the ability to contribute positively to the collaborative culture among our board members, knowledge of our business, understanding of the competitive landscape in which we operate and adherence to high ethical standards. Certain individual qualifications and skills of our directors that contribute to our board of directors’ effectiveness as a whole are described in the following paragraphs.

Nominees for Election as Class II Directors

Biographical information as of April 15, 2022, including principal occupation and business experience during the last five years, for our nominees for election as Class II directors at the Annual Meeting is set forth below.

Jeffrey Chodakewitz, M.D., age 66, has served as a member of our board of directors since April 2020. Dr. Chodakewitz has served as senior advisor to Blackstone Life Sciences, a life sciences fund, since March 2019. Before joining Blackstone Lifesciences, Dr. Chodakewitz served as executive vice president, clinical medicine and external innovation, at Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, or Vertex, a publicly traded pharmaceutical company, from April 2018 to March 2019. Dr. Chodakewitz served as executive vice president, global medicines development and medical affairs, and chief medical officer of Vertex from October 2014 to March 2018. Dr. Chodakewitz served as senior vice president and chief medical officer of Vertex from January 2014 to October 2014. Prior to joining Vertex, Dr. Chodakewitz spent over 20 years at Merck & Co., Inc., a pharmaceutical company, where he held a variety of roles including vice president of clinical research—infectious diseases & vaccines, vice president of clinical pharmacology/early stage development, senior vice president of late stage development, and senior vice president of global scientific strategy (infectious diseases, respiratory/immunology). Dr. Chodakewitz currently serves on the board of directors of Adicet Bio, Inc. (formerly known as resTORbio, Inc.), a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company, Freeline Therapeutics Holdings plc, a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company, and Praxis Precision Medicines, Inc., a publicly traded biotechnology company. Dr. Chodakewitz also served as a member of the board of directors of Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a then publicly-traded biopharmaceutical company, from June 2014 to July 2020. Dr. Chodakewitz received a B.S. in Biochemistry from Yale University and an M.D. from the Yale University School of Medicine. We believe that Dr. Chodakewitz’s experience with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies qualifies him to serve on our board of directors.

Michael Lynton, age 62, has served as a member of our board of directors since January 2018 and chairman of our board of directors since October 2018. Mr. Lynton served as chief executive officer of Sony Entertainment Inc., an international entertainment company, from April 2012 to August 2017, as chairman and chief executive officer of Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., from January 2004 to May 2017 and as chief executive officer of Sony Corporation of America, from March 2012 to August 2017. Mr. Lynton currently serves as chairman of the board of directors of Snap Inc., a publicly traded technology company, and Warner Music Group Corp., a publicly traded media company, and as a member of the board of directors of Ares Management Corporation, a publicly traded, global alternative asset manager, and The Boston Beer Company, Inc., a publicly traded beverage company. Mr. Lynton also served as a member of the board of directors of Pandora Media, Inc. from August 2017 to February 2019 and as a member of the board of directors of Pearson plc., a publicly traded publishing and education company, from February 2018 to June 2021. Mr. Lynton received a B.A. in History and Literature from Harvard College and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. We believe that Mr. Lynton’s public company board and management experience and his extensive business and leadership experience qualifies him to serve as chairman of our board of directors.

Nancy A. Thornberry, age 65, has served as a member of our board of directors since September 2019. Ms. Thornberry has served as chair, R&D of Kallyope, Inc., or Kallyope, a biotechnology company, since October 2021, and previously she served as chief executive officer of Kallyope from November 2015 to October 2021. Between August 2013 and October 2015, Ms. Thornberry was self-employed as a consultant to companies in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Prior to that, Ms. Thornberry spent over 30 years at Merck, a pharmaceutical company, where she held a variety of positions including senior vice president and franchise head, diabetes and endocrinology, from April 2011 to July 2013, senior vice president and franchise head, diabetes and obesity, from September 2009 to April 2011, vice president, worldwide basic research head, diabetes and obesity, from February 2007 to September 2009 and executive director, metabolic disorders, from 2004 to February 2007, among other positions. Ms. Thornberry currently serves on the board of directors of Denali Therapeutics Inc., a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company. Ms. Thornberry received a B.S. in Chemistry and Biology from Muhlenberg College. We believe Ms. Thornberry’s scientific background and experience in the life sciences industry qualifies her to serve on our board of directors.

The board of directors recommends voting “FOR” the election of Jeffrey Chodakewitz, Michael Lynton and Nancy A. Thornberry as Class II directors for a three-year term ending at the annual meeting of stockholders to be held in 2025.

Directors Continuing in Office

Biographical information as of April 15, 2022, including principal occupation and business experience during the last five years, for our directors continuing in office after the Annual Meeting is set forth below.

Class III Directors (Term Expires at 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders)

Richard A. Friesner, Ph.D., age 69, has served as a member of our board of directors since August 1990, when he co-founded us. Dr. Friesner is currently the William P. Schweitzer professor of chemistry at Columbia University, the principal investigator of the Friesner Research Group, a research laboratory within the Department of Chemistry at Columbia University, and he has served as a professor of chemistry at Columbia University since September 1990. Dr. Friesner is a Fellow of the American Academy of Sciences and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Friesner received a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. We believe that Dr. Friesner’s extensive experience in theoretical chemistry and his extensive knowledge of our company since inception, as well as his distinguished scientific record, qualifies him to serve on our board of directors.

Rosana Kapeller-Libermann, M.D., Ph.D., age 58, has served as a member of our board of directors since January 2019. Dr. Kapeller-Libermann has served as president and chief executive officer of Rome Therapeutics, Inc., a therapeutics company, since April 2019. She has also served as an entrepreneur in residence at GV, a venture capital investment arm of Alphabet Inc. since November 2018. Prior to that, Dr. Kapeller-Libermann served as founding chief scientific officer of Nimbus Therapeutics, or Nimbus, a biotechnology company, from February 2010 to March 2018. Prior to joining Nimbus, she served as vice president of research at Aileron Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, from August 2005 to September 2009. Dr. Kapeller-Libermann received an M.D. from Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro and a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Physiology from Tufts University. We believe Dr. Kapeller-Libermann’s scientific experience in the field of drug discovery and extensive experience working with life sciences companies qualifies her to serve on our board of directors.

Gary Sender, age 60, has served as a member of our board of directors since July 2019. Mr. Sender previously served as chief financial officer of Nabriva Therapeutics plc, or Nabriva, a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company, from May 2016 to March 2021. Prior to joining Nabriva, Mr. Sender served as chief financial officer and executive vice president at Synergy Pharmaceuticals Inc., or Synergy, a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company, from November 2015 to May 2016. Prior to joining Synergy, from

August 2009 to June 2015, Mr. Sender served as senior vice president, finance at Shire plc., or Shire, a biopharmaceutical company since acquired by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited. Prior to joining Shire, Mr. Sender served as founding chief financial officer of Tengion, Inc., a regenerative medicine company, from August 2004 to July 2009. Mr. Sender currently serves on the board of directors of Harmony BioSciences Holdings, Inc., a publicly traded pharmaceutical company, and iBio, Inc., a publicly traded biotechnology company. Mr. Sender also spent over 15 years in several leadership roles within Merck, a pharmaceutical company. Mr. Sender received a B.S. in Finance from Boston University and an M.B.A. from Carnegie-Mellon University. We believe Mr. Sender’s extensive experience in the life sciences industry, and in particular his financial acumen, qualifies him to serve on our board of directors.

Class I Directors (Term Expires at 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders)

Ramy Farid, Ph.D., age 57, has served as our president since January 2008, our chief executive officer since January 2017 and as a member of our board of directors since December 2012. Dr. Farid has been with our company for over 20 years and served as senior vice president from January 2005 to December 2007, vice president, scientific development and product management from January 2003 to December 2004 and product manager from January 2002 to December 2002. Dr. Farid serves on the board of directors of multiple biotechnology companies co-founded by us, and previously served on the board of directors of Morphic Holding, Inc., a biotechnology company. Prior to joining our company, Dr. Farid was an assistant professor in the Chemistry Department at Rutgers University. Dr. Farid received a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Rochester and a Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology, and he was a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of Pennsylvania. We believe that Dr. Farid’s extensive knowledge of our company and current role as our president and chief executive officer qualifies him to serve on our board of directors.

Gary Ginsberg, age 59, has served as a member of our board of directors since April 2020. Mr. Ginsberg served as the senior vice president and global head of communications at SoftBank Group Corp., or Softbank, an investment bank from November 2018 until December 2020. Before joining SoftBank, Mr. Ginsberg served as executive vice president of corporate marketing and communications at Time Warner Inc., a media company, from February 2010 to August 2018. Prior to that, Mr. Ginsberg spent 11 years at News Corporation, a media company, most recently as executive vice president of global marketing and corporate affairs and a member of the office of the chairman. Mr. Ginsberg currently serves on the board of directors of Townsquare Media, Inc., a publicly traded media company. Mr. Ginsberg also served on the board of directors of Synacor, Inc. from January 2012 to June 2020. Mr. Ginsberg received an A.B. in History from Brown University and a J.D. from Columbia University School of Law. We believe that Mr. Ginsberg’s business and leadership experience qualifies to him to serve on our board of directors.

Executive Officers Who Are Not Directors

Biographical information as of April 15, 2022 for our executive officers who are not directors is listed below.

Robert Abel, Ph.D., age 40, has served as our executive vice president, chief computational scientist, and head of modeling R&D since March 2021. Dr. Abel has been with our company for over 10 years and previously served as our executive vice president, science, from January 2020 to March 2021, senior vice president, science, from April 2017 to December 2019, vice president, scientific development from January 2014 to April 2017, director of structure-based science from January 2011 to December 2013, senior principal scientist and product manager from January 2010 to December 2010 and senior scientist from March 2009 to December 2009. Dr. Abel received a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Florida and a Ph.D. in Chemical Physics from Columbia University. In graduate school, Dr. Abel was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow and a Department of Homeland Security Research Fellow and worked from May 2005 to August 2005 at Los Alamos National Laboratory under the auspices of the DHS Research Fellowship.

Karen Akinsanya, Ph.D., age 54, has served as our president, R&D therapeutics since February 2022 and previously served as our executive vice president, chief biomedical scientist, head of discovery R&D from January 2020 to February 2022 and as our senior vice president and chief biomedical scientist from April 2018 to December 2019. Dr. Akinsanya spent 12 years at Merck & Co., Inc., or Merck, a pharmaceutical company, where she held a variety of positions across Merck Research Labs, including associate vice president, early scientific assessment lead, business development & licensing from December 2013 to July 2017, collaboration lead and executive director, cardiovascular research from January 2010 to December 2013, and associate director, clinical pharmacology from October 2005 to December 2009. Prior to Merck, Dr. Akinsanya held a number of roles in drug discovery at Ferring Pharmaceuticals in the United Kingdom and the United States from 1997 to 2005. In 2007, Dr. Akinsanya founded Envision Science Group LLC, or Envision, a translational science consulting company, where she currently serves as president. Dr. Akinsanya provided consulting services on behalf of Envision to companies in the pharmaceutical industry between July 2017 and April 2018. Dr. Akinsanya received a B.Sc. in Biochemistry from Queen Mary College, University of London, a Ph.D. in Endocrine Physiology from the Imperial College and completed postdoctoral studies at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University College, London.

Patrick Lorton, age 38, has served as our executive vice president and chief technology officer since March 2021. Mr. Lorton has been with our company for over 10 years and previously served as our senior vice president and chief technology officer from April 2017 to March 2021, vice president of engineering from January 2016 to April 2017, director of software engineering from January 2015 to January 2016, associate director of software engineering from December 2012 to January 2015, project leader from January 2011 to December 2012 and scientific developer from September 2006 to December 2012. Prior to joining our company, Mr. Lorton served as a chemistry research assistant from December 2005 to September 2006 and a computer science research assistant from August 2004 to July 2006 at Indiana University Bloomington. Mr. Lorton received a B.S. in Computer Science and a B.A. in Mathematics and Chemistry from Indiana University Bloomington.

Yvonne Tran, age 51, has served as our executive vice president and chief legal officer since April 2017, and previously served as our general counsel from April 2010 to April 2017. Prior to joining our company, Ms. Tran previously served as senior corporate counsel at Oracle America, Inc., or Oracle, a technology company, from January 2008 to April 2010. Prior to joining Oracle, Ms. Tran served as outside legal consultant from January 2006 to January 2008 and deputy general counsel from April 2000 to January 2006 at DoubleClick, Inc., an advertising technology company since acquired by Google LLC. Ms. Tran received a B.A. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.

PROPOSAL NO. 2—ADVISORY VOTE ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

We are providing our stockholders the opportunity to vote to approve, on an advisory, non-binding basis, the compensation of our named executive officers as disclosed in this proxy statement in accordance with the SEC’s rules. This proposal, which is commonly referred to as “say-on-pay,” is required by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, which added Section 14A to the Exchange Act. Section 14A of the Exchange Act also requires that stockholders have the opportunity to cast an advisory vote with respect to whether future executive compensation advisory votes will be held every one, two or three years, which is the subject of Proposal No. 3.

Our executive compensation program is designed to attract, motivate, and retain our executive officers, who are critical to our success. Under this program, our named executive officers are rewarded for the achievement of our short- and long-term strategic and financial goals and for driving corporate financial performance and stability. The program contains elements of cash and equity-based compensation and is designed to align the interests of our executive officers with those of our stockholders.

The section of this proxy statement titled “Executive and Director Compensation” beginning on page 32, including “Compensation Discussion and Analysis,” describes in detail our executive compensation program and the decisions made by our compensation committee and our board of directors with respect to the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. Highlights of our executive compensation program include the following:

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Using a performance-based annual cash incentive program to link executive compensation to the achievement of long-term and short-term company goals;

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Setting challenging short-term goals for our cash incentive program;

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Providing a significant portion of our executive compensation in the form of equity with time-based vesting;

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Using market data from our peer group to set competitive compensation levels; and

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Establishing stock ownership guidelines for our executives and non-employee directors.

As we describe in greater detail in the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” section of this proxy statement, our executive compensation program embodies a pay-for-performance philosophy that supports our business strategy and aligns the interests of our executive officers with our stockholders. The board of directors and compensation committee believe this link between compensation and the achievement of our short- and long-term strategic and financial goals has helped drive our performance over time. At the same time, we believe our program does not encourage excessive risk-taking by management.

Our board of directors is asking stockholders to approve a non-binding advisory vote on the following resolution:

RESOLVED, that the compensation paid to the Company’s named executive officers, as disclosed pursuant to the compensation disclosure rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis”, the compensation tables and any related material disclosed in this proxy statement, is hereby approved.

As an advisory vote, this proposal is not binding. Neither the outcome of this advisory vote nor of the advisory vote included in Proposal No. 3 overrules any decision by the Company or the board of directors (or any committee thereof), creates or implies any change to the fiduciary duties of the Company or the board of directors (or any committee thereof), or creates or implies any additional fiduciary duties for the Company or the board of directors (or any committee thereof). However, our compensation committee and board of directors value the opinions expressed by our stockholders in their vote on this proposal and will consider the outcome of the vote when making future compensation decisions for our named executive officers.

The board of directors recommends that stockholders vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers by voting “FOR” this proposal.

PROPOSAL NO. 3—ADVISORY VOTE ON THE FREQUENCY OF FUTURE EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION ADVISORY VOTES

In Proposal No. 2, we are providing our stockholders the opportunity to vote to approve, on an advisory, non-binding basis, the compensation of our named executive officers. In this Proposal No. 3, we are asking our stockholders to cast a non-binding advisory vote regarding the frequency of future executive compensation advisory votes. Stockholders may vote for a frequency of every one, two, or three years, or may abstain.

Our board of directors will take into consideration the outcome of this vote in making a determination about the frequency of future executive compensation advisory votes. However, because this vote is advisory and non-binding, the board of directors may decide that it is in the best interests of our stockholders and the Company to hold the advisory vote to approve executive compensation more or less frequently. In the future, we will propose an advisory vote on the frequency of the executive compensation advisory vote at least once every six calendar years.

After careful consideration, the board of directors believes that an executive compensation advisory vote should be held every year, and therefore our board of directors recommends that you vote for a frequency of every ONE YEAR for future executive compensation advisory votes.

The board of directors believes that an annual executive compensation advisory vote will facilitate more direct stockholder input about executive compensation. An annual executive compensation advisory vote is consistent with our policy of reviewing our compensation program annually, as well as being accountable to our stockholders on corporate governance and executive compensation matters. We believe an annual vote would be the best governance practice for our Company at this time.

The board of directors believes that holding the executive compensation advisory vote every year is in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders and recommends voting for a frequency of every “ONE YEAR”.

SEC Form DEF 14A filed by Schrodinger Inc.