Enliven Therapeutics, Inc. (ELVN) FY 2021 MD&A

Results of Operations

Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 2020

The following table summarizes our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020:

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses increased by approximately $6.2 million from $32.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 to $38.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase in research and development expenses was primarily attributable to the following:

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses increased by approximately $3.5 million from $9.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 to $13.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase in general and administrative expenses was primarily attributable to the following:

94

Total Other Income, Net

Total other income, net was $0.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to total other income, net of $0.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, in each case consisting primarily of interest earned on our cash, cash equivalents and investments.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Sources of Liquidity

Since our inception, we have incurred significant losses in each period and on an aggregate basis. We have not yet commercialized tovinontrine, which is in clinical development, and we do not expect to generate revenue from sales of tovinontrine or any product candidates we may develop in the future for several years, if at all. Through December 31, 2021, we have funded our operations primarily through the issuance of common stock and convertible preferred stock.

In February 2020, we raised $17.1 million in gross proceeds from the sale of 1,562,994 shares of Series B preferred stock upon a waiver of specified milestone conditions from the holders of a majority of the shares then held by the holders of Series B preferred stock.

In March 2020, we completed an IPO of our common stock and issued and sold 4,700,000 shares of common stock at a public offering price of $16.00 per share, resulting in gross proceeds of $75.2 million. In April 2020, the underwriters exercised their option in full to purchase 705,000 additional shares of common stock for aggregate gross proceeds of $11.3 million. Inclusive of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares, we received approximately $76.5 million in net proceeds from the IPO after deducting $10.0 million of underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses.

On April 1, 2021, we filed the Shelf with the SEC in relation to the registration and potential future issuance of common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants and/or units of any combination thereof in the aggregate amount of up to $200.0 million. The Shelf was declared effective on April 8, 2021.We also simultaneously entered into the Sales Agreement with Cantor, as sales agent, providing for the offering, issuance and sale by us of up to an aggregate $75.0 million of our common stock from time to time in “at-the-market” offerings under the Shelf.  As of December 31, 2021, we have issued and sold 231,291 shares of common stock under the Sales Agreement, resulting in net proceeds of $1.4 million after deducting commissions and offering expenses. The extent to which we utilize the Sales Agreement as a source of funding will depend on a number of factors, including the prevailing market price of our common stock, general market conditions, the extent to which we are able to secure funds from other sources, and restrictions on our ability to sell common stock pursuant to the Sales Agreement to the extent we are then subject to restrictions on our ability to utilize the Form S-3 shelf registration statement to sell more than one-third of the market value of our public float, meaning the aggregate market value of voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates, in any trailing 12-month period. Accordingly, we may not be able to sell shares under the Sales Agreement at prices or amounts that we deem acceptable, and there can be no assurance that we will sell any further common stock pursuant to the Sales Agreement.

On July 16, 2021, we completed a public offering of shares of our common stock and issued and sold 8,333,333 shares of common stock at a public offering price of $6.00 per share, resulting in net proceeds of $46.8 million after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses.

As of December 31, 2021, we had $90.3 million in cash, cash equivalents and investments. Based on our recurring losses and negative cash flows from operations since inception, expectation of continuing operating losses and negative cash flows from operations for the foreseeable future, and the need to raise additional capital to finance our future operations, we have concluded that there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern for at least twelve months from the date of filing this Annual Report on Form 10-K.  See Note 1 of the notes to our annual consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a further discussion of our liquidity and the conditions and events that raise substantial doubt regarding our ability to continue as a going concern.

While we do not currently expect that the COVID-19 pandemic will have a material adverse impact on our short-term or long-term liquidity, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global financial markets may reduce our ability to access capital, which could negatively impact our short-term and long-term liquidity.  See “—Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic.”

95

Cash Flows

The following table provides information regarding our cash flows for the periods indicated:

Net Cash Used in Operating Activities

Net cash used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $46.8 million primarily due to our net loss of $51.4 million, partially offset by stock-based compensation expense of $3.8 million, depreciation expense of $0.1 million, amortization of $0.2 million on our short-term investments, and net cash inflows from the change in operating assets and liabilities of $0.5 million.

Net cash used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $37.4 million primarily due to our net loss of $41.4 million, partially offset by stock-based compensation expense of $2.2 million, depreciation expense of $0.1 million, amortization of $0.1 million on our short-term investments, and net cash inflows from the change in operating assets and liabilities of $1.7 million.

Net Cash Used in Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $1.6 million primarily due to purchases of marketable securities of $47.6 million, partially offset by proceeds from sales and maturities of short-term investments of $45.9 million.

Net cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $16.7 million primarily due to purchases of marketable securities of $64.2 million, partially offset by proceeds from sales and maturities of short-term investments of $47.5 million.

Net Cash Provided by Financing Activities

Net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $49.1 million, primarily due to $46.8 million of net proceeds after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and payment of issuance costs from our July 2021 offering, $1.4 million of net proceeds after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and payment of issuance costs from the sale of common stock under the Sales Agreement with Cantor, and $0.9 million of proceeds received from the exercise of stock options.

Net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $96.9 million, primarily due to $80.4 million of net proceeds received from our IPO, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions, $17.1 million of cash inflow resulting from sale of Series B Preferred Stock in February 2020, and $1.0 million of proceeds from stock option exercises. The proceeds from our IPO were partially offset by payments of $1.7 million of issuance costs.

Funding Requirements

We expect our expenses to increase substantially in connection with our ongoing research and development activities, particularly as we continue research and development, initiate clinical trials, and seek marketing approval for tovinontrine and any of our future product candidates. In addition, we expect to incur additional costs associated with operating as a public company. Our expenses will also increase if, and as, we:

96

Based on our current operating plan, we expect that our existing cash, cash equivalents and investments will enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements substantially through the first quarter of 2023. We have concluded that there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern for at least twelve months from the date of filing this Annual Report on Form 10-K. However, we have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong and we could exhaust our capital resources sooner than we expect.

Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with research, development and commercialization of product candidates, we are unable to estimate the exact amount of our working capital requirements. Our future funding requirements will depend on many factors, including:

97

A change in the outcome of any of these or other variables with respect to the development of tovinontrine or any product candidate we may develop in the future could significantly change the costs and timing associated with the development of that product candidate. Further, our operating plans may change in the future, and we may need additional funds to meet operational needs and capital requirements associated with such operating plans. Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial product revenues, we expect to finance our cash needs through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations, strategic alliances and licensing arrangements. We currently have no credit facility or committed sources of capital. Based on our available cash resources, there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date of filing this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and we expect that we will need to raise additional capital in the near term. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the ownership interests of our existing stockholders may be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that could adversely affect the rights of such stockholders. Additional debt financing, if available, may involve agreements that include restrictive covenants that limit our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends, that could adversely impact our ability to conduct our business.

If we raise additional funds through collaborations, strategic alliances or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research program or product candidates, or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. If we are unable to raise additional funds through equity or debt financings when needed, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our product development or future commercialization efforts or grant rights to develop and market product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves.

Contractual Obligations

In the normal course of business, we enter into agreements that contain contractual obligations, of which the most significant to date include our facility lease and our licensing agreement with Lundbeck.

In May 2019, we entered into a lease agreement for 4,210 square feet of office space located in Boston, Massachusetts.  In June 2021, we entered into an amendment to the lease agreement pursuant to which we will lease an additional 5,026 square feet of office space, brining our total leased space to 9,236 square feet.  We expect the lease for this additional space to commence by the end of March 2022.  As of commencement of the additional lease space, the remaining required payments for our operating lease, not including the optional extension period, will be approximately $3.2 million. For further information regarding our operating lease agreement, please see Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Our license agreement with Lundbeck, as well as certain other agreements, requires us to pay third parties upon achievement of certain development, regulatory or commercial milestones. Amounts related to contingent payments are not considered contractual obligations as they are contingent on the successful achievement of certain development, regulatory and commercial milestones that may not be achieved. We have not included payments contingent upon the achievement of certain development, regulatory or commercial milestones on our consolidated balance sheets. For further information regarding certain of our license agreements and amounts that could become payable in the future under those agreements, please see Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

In addition, we are party to certain agreements with contract research organizations for clinical trials and clinical supply manufacturing and with vendors for preclinical research studies and other services and products for operating purposes. Such contracts are generally cancellable

by us for convenience with a specified amount of notice. We may be subject to certain termination fees or wind-down costs upon termination of these agreements. The exact amount of such costs are generally not fixed or estimable.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

This management’s discussion and analysis is based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make judgments and estimates that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the

98

disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reported periods. We base our estimates on historical experience, known trends and events, and various other factors that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our judgments and estimates in light of changes in circumstances, facts, and experience. The effects of material revisions in estimates, if any, will be reflected in the consolidated financial statements prospectively from the date of change in estimates.

While our critical accounting policies are described in more detail in the notes to our consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we believe the following accounting policies used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements require the most significant judgments and estimates. See Note 2 of the notes to our annual consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a description of our other significant accounting policies.

Accrued Research and Development Expenses

As part of the process of preparing our consolidated financial statements, we are required to estimate our accrued third-party research and development expenses as of each balance sheet date. This process involves reviewing open contracts and purchase orders, communicating with our personnel to identify services that have been performed on our behalf, and estimating the level of service performed and the associated cost incurred for the service when we have not yet been invoiced or otherwise notified of the actual cost. The majority of our service providers invoice us monthly in arrears for services performed or when contractual milestones are met. We make estimates of our accrued expenses as of each balance sheet date based on facts and circumstances known to us at that time. We periodically confirm the accuracy of our estimates with the service providers and make adjustments if necessary. The significant estimates in our accrued research and development expenses include the costs incurred for services performed by our vendors in connection with research and development activities for which we have not yet been invoiced.

We base our expenses related to research and development activities on our estimates of the services received and efforts expended pursuant to quotes and contracts with vendors that conduct research and development on our behalf. The financial terms of these agreements are subject to negotiation, vary from contract to contract and may result in uneven payment flows. There may be instances in which payments made to our vendors will exceed the level of services provided and result in a prepayment of the research and development expense. In accruing service fees, we estimate the time period over which services will be performed and the level of effort to be expended in each period. If the actual timing of the performance of services or the level of effort varies from our estimate, we adjust the accrual or prepaid balance accordingly. Non-refundable advance payments for goods and services that will be used in future research and development activities are expensed when the activity has been performed or when the goods have been received rather than when the payment is made.

Although we do not expect our estimates to be materially different from amounts incurred, if our estimates of the status and timing of services performed differ from the actual status and timing of services performed, it could result in us reporting amounts that are too high or too low in any particular period. To date, there have been no material differences between our estimates of such expenses and the amounts incurred.

Stock-Based Compensation

We measure stock-based compensation issued to employees and non-employees based on the grant date fair value of the stock-based awards and recognize stock-based compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the awards, which is generally the vesting period of the respective award. We have also granted stock-based awards with performance-based vesting conditions. We recognize compensation expense for awards with performance-based vesting conditions over the remaining service period using the accelerated attribution method when the performance condition is deemed to be probable. We account for forfeitures as they occur.

We classify stock-based compensation expense in our consolidated statements of operations in the same manner in which the award recipient’s salary and related costs are classified or in which the award recipient’s service payments are classified. In future periods, we expect stock-based compensation expense to increase, due in part to our existing unrecognized stock-based compensation expense and as we grant additional stock-based awards to continue to attract and retain our employees.

We determine the fair value of stock-based awards based on the fair value of our common stock on the date of grant. The fair value of each stock option grant is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, which requires inputs based on certain subjective assumptions, including the expected stock price volatility, the expected

99

term of the option, the risk-free interest rate for a period that approximates the expected term of the option, and our expected dividend yield. Given our limited trading history as a public company, we determine the volatility for awards granted based on an analysis of reported data for a group of guideline companies that issued options with substantially similar terms. The expected volatility has been determined using a weighted-average of the historical volatility measures of this group of guideline companies. We expect to continue to do so until we have adequate historical data regarding the volatility of our own traded stock price. The expected term of our stock options granted to employees has been determined utilizing the “simplified” method for awards that qualify as “plain-vanilla” options. Prior to our IPO, the expected term of our stock options granted to non-employees also used the “simplified” method. Following our IPO, the expected term of options granted to non-employees is determined by contractual term. The risk-free interest rate is determined by reference to the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant of the award for time periods approximately equal to the expected term of the award. We have not paid, and do not anticipate paying, dividends on our common stock; therefore, the expected dividend yield is assumed to be zero.

As there was no public market for our common stock prior to our IPO, the estimated fair value of our common stock for awards made prior to the IPO was approved by our board of directors, with input from management, as of the date of each award grant, considering our most recently available independent third-party valuations of common stock and utilizing the valuation of our company’s enterprise value determined utilizing various methods including the back-solve method, option pricing model, or OPM, or a hybrid of the probability-weighted expected return method, or PWERM, and the OPM. The total enterprise value was then allocated to the various outstanding equity instruments, including the underlying common stock, utilizing the option-pricing model. We believed the assumptions underlying these valuations represented our best estimates. The independent third-party valuations were performed in accordance with the guidance outlined in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ Accounting and Valuation Guide, Valuation of Privately-Held-Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation.

Following our IPO, we have determined the fair value of our common stock based on the quoted market price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market.

Emerging Growth Company Status

We are an “emerging growth company,” or EGC, under the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act. Section 107 of the JOBS Act provides that an EGC can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, for complying with new or revised accounting standards. Thus, an EGC can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have elected to avail ourselves of delayed adoption of new or revised accounting standards and, therefore, we will be subject to the same requirements to adopt new or revised accounting standards as private entities.

As an EGC, we may take advantage of certain exemptions and reduced reporting requirements under the JOBS Act. Subject to certain conditions, as an EGC:

We will remain an EGC until the earliest of (i) December 31, 2025, (ii) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenues of $1.07 billion or more, (iii) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the previous rolling three-year period, or (iv) the date on which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

100