As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 28, 2023

Registration No. 333-            

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

Vera Therapeutics, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

2021 Equity Incentive Plan

2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

(Full titles of the plans)

Marshall Fordyce, M.D.

President and Chief Executive Officer

8000 Marina Boulevard, Suite 120

Brisbane, California 94005

(650) 770-0077

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Copies to:

Jodie Bourdet

Alexa M. Smith

Cooley LLP

3 Embarcadero Center, 20^th Floor

San Francisco, California 94111

(415) 693-2000

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.  ☐

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Pursuant to General Instruction E of Form S-8, Vera Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Registrant”) is filing this Registration Statement on Form S-8 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) for the purpose of registering (i) 494,151 additional shares of its Class A common stock, par value $0.001 per share (“Class A Common Stock”) under the Vera Therapeutics, Inc. 2021 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2021 Plan”), pursuant to the provisions of the 2021 Plan providing for an automatic increase in the number of shares of Class A Common Stock reserved and available for issuance under the 2021 Plan on January 1, 2023, (ii) 895,892 shares of Class A Common Stock that may be issued upon the exercise of outstanding options granted under the 2021 Plan and (iii) 278,008 additional shares of its Class A Common Stock under the Vera Therapeutics, Inc. 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “2021 ESPP,” and together with the 2021 Plan, the “Plans”), pursuant to the provisions of the 2021 ESPP providing for an automatic increase in the number of shares of Class A Common Stock reserved and available for issuance under the 2021 ESPP on January 1, 2023. In accordance with the instructional note to Part I of Form S-8 as promulgated by the Commission, the information specified by Part I of the Form S-8 has been omitted from this Registration Statement.

The Registrant previously registered (i) shares of its Class A Common Stock for issuance under the Plans on a Registration Statement on Form S-8 filed with the Commission on May 18, 2021 (File No. 333-256269) and (ii) additional shares of its Class A Common Stock for issuance under the Plans on a Registration Statement on Form S-8 filed with the Commission on March 28, 2022 (File No. 333-263899) (collectively, the “Prior Registration Statements”). Pursuant to General Instruction E to Form S-8, this Registration Statement hereby incorporates by reference the contents of the Prior Registration Statements.

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

The Registrant hereby incorporates by reference into this Registration Statement the following documents previously filed by the Registrant with the Commission:

All documents filed by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of this Registration Statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents; provided, however, that documents or portions thereof that are furnished and not filed in accordance with the rules of the Commission shall not be deemed incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement. Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement herein or in any other subsequently filed document that also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not constitute a part of this Registration Statement, except as so modified or superseded.

Item 8. Exhibits.

The exhibits to this Registration Statement are listed below:

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Brisbane, State of California, on March 28, 2023.

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Marshall Fordyce, M.D. and Sean Grant, and each one of them, as his or her true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him or her and in their name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this registration statement, and to sign any registration statement for the same offering covered by this registration statement that is to be effective on filing pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and all post-effective amendments thereto, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents or any of them, or his substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Exhibit 5.1

Jodie Bourdet

T: +1 415 693 2054

jbourdet@cooley.com

March 28, 2023

Vera Therapeutics, Inc.

8000 Marina Boulevard, Suite 120

Brisbane, California 94005

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have represented Vera Therapeutics, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the filing by the Company of a Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the “Registration Statement”) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) covering the offering of up to 1,668,051 shares (the “Shares”) of the Company’s Class A Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Class A Stock”), consisting of (i) 1,390,043 shares of Class A Stock issuable pursuant to the Company’s 2021 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2021 Plan”) and (ii) 278,008 shares of Class A Stock issuable pursuant to the Company’s 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (together with the 2021 Plan, the “Plans”).

In connection with this opinion, we have examined and relied upon (a) the Registration Statement and the related prospectuses, (b) the Company’s certificate of incorporation and bylaws, each as currently in effect, (c) the Plans and (d) originals or copies certified to our satisfaction of such records, documents, certificates, memoranda, opinions and other instruments as in our judgment are necessary or appropriate to enable us to render the opinion expressed below. We have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to originals of all documents submitted to us as copies thereof, the accuracy, completeness and authenticity of certificates of public officials, and the due authorization, execution and delivery of all documents by all persons other than the Company where authorization, execution and delivery are prerequisites to the effectiveness thereof. As to certain factual matters, we have relied upon a certificate of an officer of the Company and have not independently verified such matters.

Our opinion is expressed only with respect to the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware. We express no opinion to the extent that any other laws are applicable to the subject matter hereof and express no opinion and provide no assurance as to compliance with any federal or state securities law, rule or regulation.

On the basis of the foregoing, and in reliance thereon, we are of the opinion that the Shares, when sold and issued in accordance with the Plans, the Registration Statement and the related prospectuses, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable (except as to shares issued pursuant to deferred payment arrangements, which will be fully paid and nonassessable when such deferred payments are made in full).

Cooley LLP    3 Embarcadero Center, 20^th Floor San Francisco, CA 94111

t: (415) 693-2000 f: (415) 693-2222 cooley.com

March 28, 2023

Page Two

We consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose content is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.

Sincerely,

Cooley LLP

Cooley LLP    3 Embarcadero Center, 20^th Floor San Francisco, CA 94111

t: (415) 693-2000 f: (415) 693-2222 cooley.com

Exhibit 23.1

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

We consent to the use of our report dated March 28, 2023, with respect to the financial statements of Vera Therapeutics, Inc., incorporated herein by reference.

/s/ KPMG LLP

San Francisco, California

March 28, 2023

Exhibit 107

Calculation of Filing Fee Table

Form S-8

(Form Type)

Vera Therapeutics, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

Table 1: Newly Registered Securities

1

2