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 under §240.14a-12

PERASO 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 the appropriate box):

☒		No fee required.
☐		Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.
☐		Fee computed on table in exhibit required by Item 25(b) per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.

2309 Bering Drive

San Jose, CA 95131

Dear Stockholder:

You are cordially invited to attend the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) of Peraso Inc. (the “Company”) to be held on December 15, 2023, at 8:00 a.m., Pacific Time. The Annual Meeting will be a virtual meeting of stockholders conducted via live audio webcast to enable our stockholders to participate from any location around the world. You will be able to attend the Annual Meeting by visiting www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/PRSO2023.

The matters expected to be acted upon at the meeting are described in detail in the following notice of the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and proxy statement. It is important that your shares be represented and voted at the Annual Meeting. Whether you plan to virtually attend the Annual Meeting or not, it is important that you promptly register your vote in accordance with the instructions set forth on the enclosed proxy card to ensure your proper representation. Returning the proxy does not deprive you of your right to virtually attend the Annual Meeting. If you decide to virtually attend the Annual Meeting and wish to change your proxy vote, you may do so automatically by voting at the meeting.

		Sincerely,
		/s/ Ronald Glibbery
		Ronald Glibbery
		Chief Executive Officer

First mailed to stockholders

on or about November 20, 2023

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT.

PLEASE REMEMBER TO PROMPTLY RETURN YOUR PROXY.

NOTICE OF 2023 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

To the Stockholders of Peraso Inc.:

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) of Peraso Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our”), will be held December 15, 2023, at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time, in a virtual meeting format, for the following purposes:

(1) To elect five members of our board of directors to hold office until the next annual meeting of stockholders or until their respective successors have been elected and qualified. The nominees are Ronald Glibbery, Daniel Lewis, Ian McWalter, Andreas Melder and Robert Newell;

(2) To ratify the appointment of Weinberg & Company, P.A. as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023;

(3) To approve an amendment of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation to effect a reverse stock split of our common stock at a ratio determined by the board of directors within a specified range, without reducing the authorized number of shares of our common stock, to be effected in the sole discretion of the board of directors at any time within one year of the date of the Annual Meeting without further approval or authorization of our stockholders. The board of directors may alternatively elect to abandon such proposed amendment and not effect the reverse stock split authorized by stockholders, in its sole discretion;

(4) To approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of our named executive officers;

(5) To approve, on an advisory basis, the frequency of the advisory vote on compensation of our named executive officers;

(6) To approve one or more adjournments of the Annual Meeting, if necessary or advisable, to solicit additional proxies in favor of the foregoing proposals if there are not sufficient votes to approve the foregoing proposals; and

(7) To transact such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment of the Annual Meeting.

The foregoing items of business are more fully described in the proxy statement accompanying this notice. Only stockholders of record at the close of business on November 16, 2023 are entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting, or at any adjournment thereof. A list of such stockholders will be available for inspection.

You are cordially invited to attend the virtual Annual Meeting, which will be held via a live audio webcast. However, to ensure that you are represented at the Annual Meeting, please vote your shares by submitting instructions for proxy voting via the Internet, by phone, or by signing, dating and returning the proxy card in accordance with the instructions set forth on the enclosed proxy card at your earliest convenience. If you wish to submit your proxy by mail, a return addressed envelope is enclosed for your convenience. Your proxy is revocable in accordance with the procedures set forth in the proxy statement.

		BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
		/s/ Ronald Glibbery
		Ronald Glibbery
		Chief Executive Officer

San Jose, California

November 20, 2023

2309 Bering Drive
San Jose, California 95131

PROXY STATEMENT

GENERAL INFORMATION

This proxy statement is furnished in connection with the solicitation by the board of directors of Peraso Inc., a Delaware corporation, of proxies, in the accompanying form, to be used at the 2023 annual meeting of stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) to be held virtually on December 15, 2023, at 8:00 a.m., Pacific Time, and any adjournments or postponements of the Annual Meeting. Unless the context otherwise requires, the “Company,” “Peraso,” “we,” “us” and similar terms refer to Peraso Inc. The Annual Meeting will be conducted virtually and held at the same time and on the same date as indicated above, via a live audio webcast.

This proxy statement and the accompanying proxy card are being mailed on or about November 20, 2023 to all stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

On September 15, 2021, the Company (formerly known as MoSys, Inc.) and its subsidiaries, 2798832 Ontario Inc. (“Canco”) and 2798831 Ontario Inc. (“Callco”), both Ontario corporations, entered into an Arrangement Agreement (the “Arrangement Agreement”) with Peraso Technologies Inc., an Ontario corporation headquartered in Toronto, Canada (“Peraso Tech” and, together with the Company, Callco and Canco, the “Parties”), to acquire all of the outstanding common shares of Peraso Tech by way of a statutory plan of arrangement (the “Arrangement”) under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario), on and subject to the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement, as amended. Pursuant to the completion of the Arrangement, each share of Peraso Tech common stock that was issued and outstanding immediately prior to December 17, 2021 was converted into the right to receive 0.045239122387267 newly issued shares of common stock of the Company or shares of Canco, which are exchangeable for shares of the Company’s common stock (“Exchangeable Shares”) at the election of each former Peraso Tech stockholder. In addition, all of Peraso Tech’s outstanding stock options and other securities exercisable or exchangeable for, or convertible into, and any other rights to acquire shares of Peraso Tech common stock were exchanged for securities exercisable or exchangeable for, or convertible into, or other rights to acquire the Company’s common stock. On December 17, 2021, following the satisfaction of the closing conditions set forth in the Arrangement Agreement, the Arrangement was completed, and we changed our name from MoSys to “Peraso Inc.” and began trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”), under the symbol “PRSO.”

QUORUM AND VOTING RIGHTS

The presence during the Annual Meeting or by proxy of holders of at least one-third of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the record date constitutes a quorum for purposes of voting on a particular matter and conducting business at the meeting. We currently have three classes of stock issued and outstanding: common stock, Series A Special Voting Preferred Stock and Exchangeable Shares. Each share of common stock entitles its holder to one vote. The single outstanding share of Series A Special Voting Preferred Stock is entitled to vote one vote plus the number of Exchangeable Shares of Canco, outstanding as of the record date, pursuant to a Voting and Exchange Agency Agreement (the “Voting and Exchange Agency Agreement”) by and between us (then MoSys, Inc.), Canco and the agent thereunder (the “Agent”).

SOLICITATION AND VOTING PROCEDURES

Shares represented by valid proxies in the accompanying form received in time for use at the Annual Meeting and not revoked at or prior to the Annual Meeting will be voted as discussed below. The presence, by proxy, of the holders of at least one-third of the outstanding shares of our common stock and Exchangeable Shares is necessary to constitute a quorum at the Annual Meeting. Holders of our common stock and Exchangeable Shares are entitled to one vote per share on all matters. To vote by proxy, a stockholder must mark, sign and date the enclosed proxy card and mail it to Broadridge Financial Solutions Inc. (“Broadridge”) or submit voting instructions electronically by using the telephone or Internet and following the instructions provided on the proxy card. An automated system administered by Broadridge tabulates stockholder votes submitted by proxy, and an officer of ours will tabulate votes cast at the Annual Meeting.

The voting requirements for the proposals that we will consider at the Annual Meeting are:

• Proposal 1 — Election of Directors. Directors are elected by a plurality, and the five directors who receive the most votes will be elected to our board of directors. Shares represented by properly completed and timely submitted proxies will be voted “FOR” the election of the nominees listed in the notice of the Annual Meeting, unless authority to do so is specifically withheld. If any nominee declines to serve or becomes unavailable for any reason, or if a vacancy occurs before the election (although we know of no reason to anticipate that this will occur), the proxies may be voted for such substitute nominees as the board of directors may designate.

• Proposal 2 — Ratification of Appointment of Weinberg & Company, P.A. as Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. An affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares present or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on such matter is necessary for approval of this proposal.

• Proposal 3 — Amendment of the Certificate of Incorporation to Effect the Reverse Split. An affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast by the stockholders of the Company present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on this matter will constitute approval of this proposal.

• Proposal 4 — Non-binding, Advisory Vote to Approve the Compensation of our Named Executive Officers. An affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares present or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on this matter will constitute approval of this proposal. While this is a non-binding, advisory vote, our board of directors and the compensation committee of the board of directors will take into account the outcome of this vote when considering how often it will recommend submitting the advisory vote on executive compensation to stockholders.

• Proposal 5 — Non-binding, Advisory Vote to Determine Frequency of Vote on the Compensation of our Named Executive Officers. This proposal will allow stockholders to indicate their preference for whether the vote in Proposal No. 4 should be held every three years, every two years, or every year, or to abstain from the vote. The option that receives the highest number of votes cast by the holders of a majority of the shares present or represented by proxy and entitled to vote will be considered the preferred frequency. While this is a non-binding, advisory vote, our board of directors and the compensation committee of the board of directors will take into account the outcome of this vote when considering how often it will recommend submitting the advisory vote on executive compensation to stockholders.

• Proposal 6 — Approval of One or More Adjournments of the Annual Meeting. An affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares present or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on this matter will constitute approval of this proposal.

Abstentions and Broker Non-Votes. Brokers holding shares in street name for customers have discretionary authority to vote on some matters when they have not received instructions from the beneficial owners of shares. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”), an abstaining vote and a broker “non-vote” will be counted as present and, therefore, included for purposes of determining whether a quorum of shares is present at the Annual Meeting. A broker “non-vote” occurs when a broker or other nominee holding shares for a beneficial owner signs and returns a proxy with respect to shares of common stock held in a fiduciary capacity (typically referred to as being held in “street name”), but does not vote on a particular matter due to a lack of discretionary voting power and instructions from the beneficial owner. Under rules governing voting with respect to shares held in street name, brokers have the discretion to vote such shares on routine matters but not on non-routine matters. At the Annual Meeting, we believe

that Proposal No. 2 (the ratification of appointment of Weinberg & Company, P.A. as our independent registered public accounting firm for the 2023 audit), Proposal No. 3 (the approval to amend our certificate of incorporation to effect the Reverse Split) and Proposal No. 6 (approval of one or more adjournments of the Annual Meeting) are routine matters under these rules. As such, brokers that do not receive instructions from the beneficial owners of the shares should be entitled to vote in their discretion on Proposal No. 2, Proposal No. 3 and Proposal No. 6.

Broker non-votes are considered present but not entitled to vote on any non-routine matters. Because broker non-votes are excluded from the tabulation of votes cast on each non-routine proposal they will not affect the outcome of the vote on any of the proposals at the Annual Meeting as to which the brokers lack voting discretion. Abstentions are counted as present and entitled to vote for purposes of establishing a quorum. An abstention will have no effect on the election of directors under Proposal No. 1. However, an abstention will have the same effect as a vote “against” the ratification of the appointment by the Audit Committee of Weinberg & Company, P.A. as our independent registered public accounting firm for the 2023 audit (Proposal No. 2), the non-binding, advisory vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers (Proposal No. 4), and the approval of one or more adjournments of the Annual Meeting (Proposal No. 6), because a vote in favor of these proposals from a majority of the shares present or by proxy and entitled to vote on such matter is needed for approval.

Special Note Regarding Shares Held in Broker Accounts. If you hold your shares through a broker, bank or other nominee, it is critical that you submit a legal proxy or voting instructions if you want your shares to be counted. If you hold your shares through a bank, broker or other nominee, and you do not submit a proxy or otherwise instruct your bank, broker or other nominee how to vote in the election of directors, no votes will be cast on your behalf on Proposal No. 1. If you submit a signed proxy, but do not provide voting instructions, your bank, broker or other nominee will have discretion to vote uninstructed shares on the ratification of our independent registered public accounting firm (Proposal No. 2), the approval to amend our certificate of incorporation to effect the Reverse Split (Proposal No. 3) and approval of one or more adjournments of the Annual Meeting (Proposal No. 6), and your shares may still be counted for purposes of determining if a quorum is present.

All proxies will be voted as specified on the proxy cards submitted by stockholders, if the proxy card is properly executed or electronically submitted and is received by us prior to the close of voting at the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement of the Annual Meeting. Our chief executive officer, Ronald Glibbery, and our chief financial officer, James Sullivan, have been designated as proxy holders for the Annual Meeting. If no choice has been specified, a timely returned and properly executed or electronically submitted proxy card will be voted in accordance with management’s recommendations on the proposals, which are described in detail elsewhere in this proxy statement, except with respect to broker non-votes.

Holders of Exchangeable Shares. Holders of Exchangeable Shares are receiving these proxy materials in accordance with the provisions of the Exchangeable Shares and the Voting and Exchange Agency Agreement. The Exchangeable Shares are exchangeable for shares of our common stock on a one-for-one basis. In accordance with the Voting and Exchange Agency Agreement, holders of Exchangeable Shares are effectively provided with voting rights for each Exchangeable Share that are nearly equivalent to the voting rights applicable to a share of the Company’s common stock, and holders are entitled to instruct the Agent as to how to vote their Exchangeable Shares. The Agent holds one share of the Company’s Series A Special Voting Preferred Stock designated as the “Special Voting Share.” The Special Voting Share entitles the Agent to vote on matters in which holders of shares of our common stock are entitled to vote. The Special Voting Share is entitled to a number of votes equal to the number of Exchangeable Shares outstanding and eligible to vote on the record date for determining holders of our common stock entitled to vote and for which the Agent has received voting instructions from the holders of such Exchangeable Shares. The Special Voting Share votes, together with the holders of the Company’s common stock, as a single class.

Record Date. The close of business on November 16, 2023 has been fixed as the record date of the Annual Meeting, and only record holders and beneficial owners who held shares of our common stock and Exchangeable Shares on the record date, or their duly authorized proxies, may attend the Annual Meeting. As of November 16, 2023, we had 24,841,613 shares of common stock and 3,785,597 Exchangeable Shares issued and outstanding and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. The amounts eligible to vote exclude 502,567 shares of our common stock and 1,312,878 Exchangeable Shares, which are subject to escrow under the Arrangement Agreement and are not entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. As of November 16, 2023, Canco is the holder of our Exchangeable Shares, entitling the single share of Series A Special Voting Preferred Stock to cast up to 3,785,597 votes to be voted pursuant to the Voting and Exchange Agency Agreement.

Proxy Solicitation. The cost of soliciting proxies, including expenses incurred in connection with preparing and mailing this proxy statement and the proxy card and maintaining the Internet access for such materials and the submission of proxies will be borne by us. Copies of solicitation material will be furnished to brokerage houses, fiduciaries and custodians holding shares in their names that are beneficially owned by others so that they my forward this solicitation material to such beneficial owners of our common stock. We will reimburse brokerage firms and other persons representing beneficial owners of common stock for their expenses in forwarding proxy material to such beneficial owners. Solicitation of proxies by mail may be supplemented by telephone, electronic facsimile transmission and other electronic means, and personal solicitation by our directors, officers or employees. No additional compensation will be paid to directors, officers or employees for such solicitation. We have retained Broadridge to assist in the distribution of proxies for a fee estimated to be approximately $35,000, including estimated mailing and printing costs. If necessary, we may also decide to engage the services of a private proxy solicitor and incur fees of up to approximately $25,000. Copies of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on March 29, 2023 (the “2022 Annual Report”), are being mailed to stockholders with this proxy statement, and these documents can also be viewed at www.proxyvote.com and on the investor relations section of our website, www.perasoinc.com. Additional copies of our 2022 Annual Report, excluding exhibits, may be obtained by any stockholder, without charge, by sending an e-mail to priv_ir@perasoinc.com or by written request addressed to: Peraso Inc., 2309 Bering Drive, San Jose, California 95131, Attention: Investor Relations.

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS
FOR THE STOCKHOLDER MEETING TO BE HELD DECEMBER 15, 2023

This proxy statement, the proxy card and our 2022 Annual Report (as defined above) are available at www.proxyvote.com.

Voting Shares Registered in the Name of a Broker, Bank or Other Agent and Exchangeable Shares

Holders of Exchangeable Shares and holders of common stock who have their shares in “street name,” meaning the name of a broker or other nominee who is the record holder, must either direct the record holder of their shares to vote their shares or obtain a proxy from the record holder to vote their shares at the Annual Meeting. Stockholders who have their shares in street name may also attend the Annual Meeting, however, because such stockholders are not the stockholders of record, they may not vote their shares at the Annual Meeting unless they request and obtain a valid proxy (sometimes referred to as a “legal proxy”) from their broker or other nominee who is the record holder.

Holders of shares of our common stock and Exchangeable Shares may vote their shares by:

• By virtually attending the Annual Meeting and voting;

• By MAIL — Mark, sign and date your proxy card and return it in the postage-paid envelope provided;

• By INTERNET — www.proxyvote.com. Use the Internet to transmit your voting instructions and for electronic delivery of information up until 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time the day before the cut-off date or meeting date. Have your proxy card in hand when you access the web site and follow the instructions to obtain your records and to create an electronic voting instruction form.

• By PHONE — 1-800-690-6903. Use any touch-tone telephone to transmit your voting instructions up until 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time the day before the cut-off date or meeting date. Have your proxy card in hand when you call and then follow the instructions.

If you vote your shares by Internet or by phone, you do not need to mail back your proxy card.

REVOCABILITY OF PROXIES

If you are a stockholder of record, once you have submitted your proxy by mail, telephone or internet, you may revoke it at any time before it is voted at the Annual Meeting. You may revoke your proxy in any one of the following ways:

• You may submit another proxy marked with a later date (which automatically revokes your earlier proxy) by mail or telephone or via the internet by the applicable deadline as described above;

• You may provide written notice that you wish to revoke your proxy to Peraso Inc., 2309 Bering Drive, San Jose, California 95131, Attention: Secretary, by no later than the close of business on December 14, 2023; or

• You may attend the Annual Meeting and submit your vote live via the internet. Attendance at the Annual Meeting live via the internet will not, by itself, cause your previously granted proxy to be revoked.

If you are a beneficial owner holding shares in “street name,” you may change your vote by submitting new voting instructions to your broker, bank or other agent in accordance with the instructions they provided (see “Voting Shares Registered in the Name of a Broker, Bank or Other Agent and Exchangeable Shares” above).

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Directors

Our amended and restated bylaws (the “bylaws”) provide that the number of directors is determined by resolution of the board of directors and can be changed by approval of the stockholders or a majority of the directors. Our board of directors currently consists of five directors. Each director is elected to serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders and until the election and qualification of his or her successor or his or her earlier resignation or removal.

The names of our directors, all of whom are nominees to be elected at the Annual Meeting, and certain information about each of them, are set forth below.

Name	Age	Position(s) with the Company
Ronald Glibbery	62	Chief Executive Officer and Director
Daniel Lewis	74	Director (former Vice President, General Manager of Memory Products)
Ian McWalter(1)(2)	72	Director
Andreas Melder(1)(2)	65	Director
Robert Y. Newell(1)(2)	75	Director

____________

(1) Member of Audit Committee.

(2) Member of Compensation Committee.

The principal occupations and positions for at least the past five years of our directors and director nominees are described below. There are no family relationships among any of our directors or executive officers.

Ronald Glibbery. Mr. Glibbery was appointed as our chief executive officer and to our board of directors in December 2021. He founded Peraso Technologies Inc. (Peraso Tech) in 2008 and served as its chief executive officer. In June 2020, Peraso Tech applied for and obtained an order under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (the CCAA), providing certain relief. Pursuant to the Initial Order issued by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Commercial List) (the Court), Ernst & Young Inc. was appointed as the Monitor of Peraso Tech. In addition, the Monitor, in its capacity as Foreign Representative, filed a voluntary petition in the United States under Chapter 15 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, seeking recognition of the CCAA proceeding. In October 2020, the Court granted an order authorizing the termination of Peraso Tech’s CCAA proceedings upon the completion of certain defined steps. In December 2020, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York issued an Order that: (i) recognized and gave full force and effect in the United States to the Court’s order approving the Settlement Agreement; and (ii) terminated the Chapter 15 Proceedings. Mr. Glibbery has over 25 years of experience in the semiconductor industry. Prior to co-founding Peraso Tech, Mr. Glibbery held executive positions at Kleer Semiconductor, a fabless semiconductor company focused on wireless audio technology and Intellon, a pioneer and leader in the development of semiconductor devices used for powerline communications. He has held other executive roles at Cogency Semiconductor, LSI Logic Canada, Inc. and LSI Logic Corporation. Mr. Glibbery holds a B.E.Sc. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the University of Western Ontario.

We believe that Mr. Glibbery’s qualifications to serve on the board of directors include his service as an officer of ours and his extensive general management and technical expertise in the semiconductor industry, as well as his experience as a chief executive officer.

Daniel Lewis. Mr. Lewis has served as a member of the board of directors since September 2017. He served as our Vice President, General Manager of Memory Products from April 2022 until his retirement in December 2022. Mr. Lewis previously served as our President from August 2018 until April 2022 and chief executive officer from August 2018 until the business combination with Peraso Tech in December 2021. Before joining MoSys, Mr. Lewis served as the managing member and an owner of GMS Manufacturing Solution LLC, a firm focused on providing engineering services to manufacturing companies. He previously held various executive and leadership roles at View Box Group, Xicor, Integrated Device Technology, Accelerant Networks, Intel Corporation, Zilog and Digital Equipment Corporation. Mr. Lewis holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan.

We believe that Mr. Lewis’s qualifications to serve on the board of directors include his service as an officer of ours and his extensive business experience, having held senior management positions at several companies in the semiconductor, computer and networking industries. He brings strategic and operational insight to the board of directors.

Ian McWalter. Dr. McWalter was appointed to our board of directors in December 2021. He currently serves as a member of the board of directors for Evertz Technologies, a publicly traded manufacturer of video and audio infrastructure solutions for television, telecom and new-media industries. Dr. McWalter served as the president and chief executive officer of CMC Microsystems from 2007 until 2018. Prior to this role, Dr. McWalter was chief executive officer of Toumaz Technology. Before joining Toumaz, Dr. McWalter spent 15 years at Gennum Corporation, including five years as president and chief executive officer from 2000 to 2005. Previously, he held management and technical positions at Bell Northern Research Ltd., the research and development arm of Northern Telecom and Bell Canada, and Plessey Semiconductors. Dr. McWalter was awarded a B.Sc. in physics and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the Imperial College of Science and Technology in London, England.

We believe that Dr. McWalter’s qualifications to serve on the board of directors include his extensive general management and technical expertise in the semiconductor industry, as well as his experience as a chief executive officer and his experience serving as a director on public-company boards of directors.

Andreas Melder. Mr. Melder was appointed to our board of directors in December 2021. He is a veteran technology executive in the semiconductor, communications and consumer electronics industries and previously served as vice president of business development at Gigle Networks, which was acquired in 2011 by Broadcom, where he continued to serve in executive marketing roles. Prior to Broadcom, Mr. Melder served as senior vice president of sales, marketing and business development for Intellon, which was acquired by Atheros/Qualcomm. Previously, he was founder and vice president of marketing and business development for Microtune, a designer of RF integrated circuits and subsystem modules, which was acquired by Zoran Semiconductor, and vice president of sales & marketing for Tripath, an audio controller company acquired by Etelos. Additionally, Mr. Melder was a senior executive for companies that were acquired by Broadcom, Cirrus Logic and RFMD. Mr. Melder earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering/Business from Carnegie-Mellon University and a M.S. in Electrical Engineering and Operations Research from Southern Methodist University.

We believe that Mr. Melder’s qualifications to serve on the board of directors include his extensive business experience, having held senior management positions at several companies in the semiconductor, computer and networking industries. Additionally, he brings additional operational, and fund-raising expertise, business development, mergers and acquisitions experience and public markets experience, including investor roadshows and positioned additional companies for merger and acquisition exits through proper strategic industry positioning.

Robert Y. Newell. Mr. Newell has served as a member of our board of directors since October 2018 and is currently a consultant and advisor to emerging technology and healthcare companies. He has held financial management positions for companies in Silicon Valley for over 25 years. From 2003 to 2018, Mr. Newell was chief financial officer of Dextera Surgical, Inc. (Dextera) a developer of advanced surgical stapling and medical devices. In December 2017, after entering into an agreement to sell substantially all of its assets, Dextera filed a voluntary petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 of Title 11 of the United States Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. He served on the board of directors of ARI Network Services, a leading publicly traded supplier of SaaS and data as a service solutions. Previously, Mr. Newell served as chief financial officer of Omnicell, an automated medication and hospital supply management company, and prior to 2000, he held executive positions with the Beta Group and Cardiometrics. Prior to his business career, he was a pilot in the United States Air Force. Mr. Newell holds a B.A. in mathematics from the College of William & Mary and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

We believe that Mr. Newell’s qualifications to serve on the board of directors include his substantial financial and public-company experience, as he has served as chief financial officer at multiple medical device and other technology companies. He also has previous experience serving as a director on public-company boards of directors.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Director Independence

Our board of directors has determined that each of the current directors, with the exception of Messrs. Glibbery and Lewis, is “independent,” as defined by the Nasdaq listing rules and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Our board of directors have a standing audit committee (the “Audit Committee”) and compensation committee (the “Compensation Committee”), each of which is comprised solely of independent directors in accordance with the Nasdaq listing rules. No director qualifies as independent unless the board of directors affirmatively determines that he has no direct or indirect relationship with us that would impair his independence. We independently review the relationship of the Company to any entity employing a director or on whose board of directors he is serving currently.

Audit Committee

Our board of directors established the Audit Committee for the purpose of overseeing the accounting and financial reporting processes and audits of our financial statements. The Audit Committee also is charged with reviewing reports regarding violations of our code of ethics and complaints with respect thereto, and internal control violations under our whistleblower policy are directed to the members of the Audit Committee. The responsibilities of our Audit Committee are described in the Audit Committee Charter adopted by our board of directors, a current copy of which can be found on the investors section of our website, www.perasoinc.com.

Ian McWalter, Andreas Melder and Robert Y. Newell are the current members of the Audit Committee. All are independent, as determined in accordance with Rule 5605(a)(2) of the Nasdaq listing rules and Rule 10A-3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Mr. Newell serves as the chair and has been designated by the board of directors as the “audit committee financial expert,” as defined by Item 407(d)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and the Exchange Act. That status does not impose duties, liabilities or obligations that are greater than the duties, liabilities or obligations otherwise imposed on him as a member of the Audit Committee and the board of directors, however. The Audit Committee has delegated authority to Mr. Newell for review and pre-approval of services proposed to be provided by our independent registered public accounting firm.

Compensation Committee

Ian McWalter, Andreas Melder and Robert Y. Newell are the current members of the Compensation Committee, and Dr. McWalter serves as the chair. The Compensation Committee is responsible for reviewing, recommending and approving our compensation policies and benefits, including the compensation of all of our executive officers and directors. Our Compensation Committee also has the principal responsibility for the administration of our equity incentive and stock purchase plans. The responsibilities of our Compensation Committee are described in the Compensation Committee Charter adopted by our board of directors, a current copy of which can be found on the investors section of our website, www.perasoinc.com.

Nominations Process

We do not have a nominating committee, as we are a small company and currently only have five directors. Instead of having such a committee, our board of directors historically has appointed all of the independent directors on our board to search for and evaluate qualified individuals to become nominees for director and board committee members. The independent directors recommend candidates for nomination for election or reelection at each annual meeting of stockholders and, as necessary, to fill vacancies and newly created directorships, and evaluate candidates for appointment to and removal from committees. The independent directors operate in this capacity under authority granted by resolution of the board of directors, rather than by charter.

When new candidates for our board of directors are sought, the independent directors evaluate each candidate for nomination as a director within the context of the needs and the composition of the board of directors as a whole. The independent directors conduct any appropriate and necessary inquiries into the backgrounds and qualifications of candidates. When evaluating director nominees, our board of directors generally seeks to identify individuals

with diverse, yet complementary business backgrounds. Although we have no formal policy regarding diversity, our directors consider both the personal characteristics and experience of director nominees, including each nominee’s independence, diversity, age, skills, expertise, time availability and industry background in the context of the needs of the board of directors and the Company. The board of directors believes that director nominees should exhibit proven leadership capabilities and experience at a high level of responsibility within their chosen fields and must have the experience and ability to analyze the complex business issues facing us, and specifically, the issues inherent in the semiconductor industry. In addition to business expertise, the board of directors requires that director nominees have the highest personal and professional ethics, integrity and values and, above all, are committed to representing the long-term interests of our stockholders and other stakeholders. To date, we have not paid any fee to a third party to assist in the process of identifying or evaluating director candidates. Our independent directors will consider candidates for nomination as director who are recommended by a stockholder and will not evaluate any candidate for nomination for director differently because the candidate was recommended by a stockholder. To date, we have not received or rejected any suggestions for a director candidate recommended by any stockholder or group of stockholders owning more than 5% of our common stock. The recommendation must include the information specified in our bylaws for stockholder nominees to be considered at an annual meeting, including the following:

• The stockholder’s name and address and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination is proposed;

• The stockholder’s reason for making the nomination at the annual meeting, and the signed consent of the nominee to serve if elected;

• The number of shares owned by, and any material interest of, the record owner and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the record owner is proposing the nominee;

• A description of any arrangements or understandings between the stockholder, the nominee and any other person regarding the nomination; and

• Information regarding the nominee that would be required to be included in our proxy statement by the rules of the SEC, including the nominee’s age, business experience for the past five years and any other directorships held by the nominee.

The information listed above is not a complete list of the information required by our bylaws. The secretary will forward any timely recommendations containing the required information to our independent directors for consideration.

Director Qualifications and Diversity

Our board of directors seeks independent directors who represent a diversity of backgrounds and experiences that will enhance the quality of the board of director’s deliberations and decisions. Our board of directors is particularly interested in maintaining a mix that includes individuals who are active or retired executive officers and senior executives, particularly those with experience in the semiconductor industry and with high technology enterprises; research and development; finance and accounting; or marketing and sales.

There is no difference in the manner in which the board of directors evaluates nominees for directors based on whether the nominee is recommended by a stockholder. In evaluating nominations, the board of directors also looks for depth and breadth of experience within our industry and otherwise, outside time commitments, special areas of expertise, accounting and finance knowledge, business judgment, leadership ability, experience in developing and assessing business strategies, corporate governance expertise, and for incumbent members of the board of directors, the past performance of the incumbent director. Each of the candidates nominated for election to our board of directors was recommended by our independent directors.

Board of Directors Diversity Matrix

The following table below provides certain information regarding the diversity of our board of directors, as of the date of this proxy statement.

Board of Directors Diversity Matrix
Total Number of Directors	5

	Female	Male	Non- Binary	Did Not Disclose Gender
Part I: Gender Identity
Directors	0	5	0	0
Part II: Demographic Background
African American or Black	0	0	0	0
Alaskan Native or Native American	0	0	0	0
Asian	0	0	0	0
Hispanic or Latinx	0	0	0	0
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander	0	0	0	0
White	0	5	0	0
Two or More Races or Ethnicities	0	0	0	0
LGBTQ+		0
Did Not Disclose		0

Board of Directors Leadership Structure

Our bylaws provide the board of directors with flexibility to combine or separate the positions of chair of the board of directors and chief executive officer in accordance with its determination that utilizing one or the other structure is in the best interests of our company. Currently, the board of directors has not appointed a chair or lead independent director. From time to time, each of the independent directors works with our chief executive officer to perform a variety of functions related to our corporate governance, including coordinating activities of the board of directors, setting the agenda for meetings (in consultation with our chief executive officer, as necessary or appropriate) and ensuring adequate communication between the board of directors and management. Our Audit Committee oversees critical matters such as our relationship with our auditors, our financial reporting practices, system of disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls over financial reporting. Our Compensation Committee oversees our executive compensation program. Each of these committees consists entirely of independent directors.

Risk Oversight

The board of directors is actively involved in the oversight of risks — including strategic, credit, liquidity, operational and other risks — which could affect our business. The board of directors does not have a standing risk management committee and administers this oversight function directly through the board of directors as a whole and through its committees, which oversee risks relevant to their respective functions. For example, in addition to the oversight matters described in the preceding paragraph, the Audit Committee also assists the board of directors in its risk oversight function by reviewing and discussing with management our compliance with accounting principles and the treasury function, including management of our cash and investments. The Compensation Committee assists the board of directors in its risk oversight function by considering risks relating to the design of our executive compensation programs and arrangements and employee benefit plans. The full board of directors considers strategic risks and opportunities and receives reports from the committees regarding risk oversight in their areas of responsibility as necessary. The board of directors and each committee administers its respective risk oversight function by evaluating management’s monitoring, assessment and management of risks, including steps taken to limit our exposure to known risks, through regular interaction with our senior management and in board and committee deliberations that are closed to members of management. The interaction with management occurs not only at formal board and committee meetings but also periodically through other written and oral communications.

Stockholder Communications with the Board of Directors

Stockholders who desire to communicate with the board of directors, or a specific director, may do so by sending the communication addressed to either the board of directors or any director, c/o Peraso Inc., 2309 Bering Drive, San Jose, California 95131. These communications will be delivered to the board of directors, or any individual director, as specified.

Annual Meeting Attendance

We have a policy of encouraging each director to attend the annual meeting of stockholders, but attendance is not required.

Meetings of the Board of Directors and Committees

During 2022, there were eight meetings of the board of directors, six meetings of the Audit Committee and four meetings of the Compensation Committee. Each director attended at least 86% of the total number of meetings of the board of directors. Each director serving on the Audit Committee attended 100% of the meetings held, and each director serving on the Compensation Committee attended at least 75% of the meetings held. The board of directors, the Audit Committee and the Compensation Committee also acted at times by unanimous written consent, as authorized by our bylaws and the DGCL.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

During 2022, none of our executive officers served as a member of the board of directors or Compensation Committee of any entity that had one or more of its executive officers serving as a member of our board of directors or Compensation Committee. Messrs. McWalter, Melder and Newell, the members of the Compensation Committee, were not officers or employees of ours during 2022 or at any other time.

Code of Ethics

We have adopted a code of ethics that applies to all of our employees. The code of ethics is designed to deter wrongdoing and to promote, among other things, honest and ethical conduct, full, fair, accurate, timely, and understandable disclosures in reports and documents submitted to the SEC and other public communications, compliance with applicable governmental laws, rules and regulations, the prompt internal reporting of violations of the code to an appropriate person or persons identified in the code and accountability for adherence to such code.

The code of ethics is available on our website, www.perasoinc.com. If we make any substantive amendments to the code of ethics or grant any waiver, including any implicit waiver, from a provision of the code to our chief executive officer or chief financial officer, or persons performing similar functions, where such amendment or waiver is required to be disclosed under applicable SEC rules, we intend to disclose the nature of such amendment or waiver on our website.

Employee, Officer, and Director Hedging

Our policy against insider trading prohibits all directors, officers or other employees from engaging in any short sales of our securities, transactions in puts, calls or other derivative securities on an exchange or in any other organized market and hedging transactions.

DIRECTOR COMPENSATION

The following table summarizes the compensation we paid to our non-employee directors in the year ended December 31, 2022:

Name	Fee Compensation ($)	Restricted Stock Awards ($)(1)	Option Awards ($)(2)	All Other Compensation	Total ($)
Robert Y. Newell	42,175	—	—	—	42,175
Ian McWalter	34,793	—	—	—	34,793
Andreas Melder	31,630	—	—	—	31,630

____________

(1) As of December 31, 2022, restricted stock unit awards held consisted of: awards granted to Messrs. Newell, McWalter and Melder on December 22, 2021 for 20,000 shares each.

(2) As of December 31, 2022, Messrs. McWalter and Melder each held 19,724 outstanding options to purchase of shares of our common stock. Mr. Newell held 24,724 outstanding options to purchase of shares of our common stock.

Director Fee Compensation

As a small company, it can be challenging for us to attract new non-employee directors. Nasdaq and SEC regulations require that a majority of the directors on our board of directors and its committees be independent, non-employee directors, as defined by each entity. In December 2021, we amended our director compensation structure and adopted our Outside Director Compensation Plan (the “Director Plan”). Under the Director Plan, we pay the following annual cash retainer fees, payable in quarterly installments, to our non-employee directors for their service on our board of directors and, as applicable, for service on committees of our board of directors:

• $35,000 for service on the board of directors;

• $8,000 for service as chairperson of the Audit Committee; and

• $6,000 for service as chairperson of the Compensation Committee.

Director Equity Compensation

Under the Director Plan, upon initial appointment to our board of directors, each non-employee director will receive a stock option with a value of $100,000, calculated by dividing the $100,000 by the closing trading price of our common stock on the date of grant. The initial stock option will have an exercise price equal to the closing price of our common stock on the date of grant and will vest as to one-third of the shares on the first annual anniversary of the grant and the remaining shares quarterly over the subsequent two years, provided the non-employee director continues to serve on the board of directors. In the event of a merger, sale of substantially all of our assets or similar transaction, vesting of all director options would accelerate as to 100% of the unvested shares subject to the award.

Non-employee directors will also receive an annual equity award of restricted stock units of common stock equal to $50,000 of value per non-employee director. The restricted stock unit award will be made upon initial appointment to our board of directors and then subsequently at the first scheduled meeting of the board of directors following our annual meeting of stockholders. The number of restricted stock units will be calculated by dividing $50,000 by the closing trading price of our common stock on the date of the award. The restricted stock unit award will vest in full on the earlier to occur of the next annual meeting of stockholders or the one-year anniversary of the award. All equity awards granted under the Director Plan will be made from the 2019 Plan.

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION — COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

Overview of Compensation Program

The Compensation Committee of the board of directors has responsibility for establishing, implementing and monitoring adherence to our compensation philosophy. The board of directors has delegated to the Compensation Committee the responsibility for determining our compensation policies and procedures for senior management, including the named executive officers, periodically reviewing these policies and procedures, and making recommendations concerning executive compensation to be considered by the full board of directors, when such approval is required under any of our plans or policies or by applicable laws.

The compensation received by our named executive officers in fiscal year 2022 is set forth in the Summary Compensation Table, below. For 2022, our named executive officers included Ronald Glibbery, our chief executive officer, James Sullivan, our chief financial officer, and Daniel Lewis, our former vice president and president.

Compensation Philosophy

In general, our executive compensation policies are designed to recruit, retain and motivate qualified executives by providing them with a competitive total compensation package based in large part on the executive’s contribution to our financial and operational success, the executive’s personal performance and increases in stockholder value, as measured by the price of our common stock. We believe that the total compensation paid to our executives should be fair, reasonable and competitive.

We seek to have a balanced approach to executive compensation with each primary element of compensation (base salary, variable compensation and equity incentives) designed to play a specific role. Overall, we design our compensation programs to allow for the recruitment, retention and motivation of the key executives and high-level talent required in order for us to:

• supply high-value and high-quality integrated circuit solutions to our customer base;

• achieve or exceed our annual financial plan and be profitable;

• make continuous progression towards achieving our long-term strategic objectives to be a high-growth company with growing profitability; and

• increase our share price to provide greater value to our stockholders.

Role of Executive Officers in Compensation Decisions

The chief executive officer (the “CEO”) makes recommendations for equity and non-equity compensation for executives to be approved by the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee reviews these guidelines annually. The CEO annually reviews the performance of our executives (other than himself) and presents his recommendations for proposed salary adjustments, bonuses and equity awards to the Compensation Committee once a year. In its discretion, the Compensation Committee may accept, modify or reject the CEO’s recommendations. The Compensation Committee evaluates the compensation of the CEO on its own without the participation or involvement of the CEO. Only the Compensation Committee and the board of directors are authorized to approve the compensation for any named executive officer. Compensation of new executives is based on hiring negotiations between the individuals and our CEO and/or Compensation Committee.

Elements of Compensation

Consistent with our compensation philosophy and objectives, we offer executive compensation packages consisting of the following three components:

• base salary;

• annual incentive compensation; and

• equity awards.

In each fiscal year, the Compensation Committee determines the amount and relative weighting of each component for all executives, including the named executive officers. Base salaries are paid in fixed amounts and thus do not encourage risk taking. Our widespread use of long-term compensation consisting of stock options and restricted stock units (the “RSUs”) focuses recipients on the achievement of our longer-term goals and conserves cash for other operating expenses. For example, the RSUs granted to our executives generally vest in increments over three years, while stock options granted to our executives generally vest over 36 months from the date of grant. The Compensation Committee does not believe that these awards encourage unnecessary or excessive risk taking because the ultimate value of the awards is tied to our stock price, and the use of multi-year vesting schedules helps to align our employees’ interests even more closely with those of our long-term investors.

Base Salary

Because our compensation philosophy stresses performance-based awards, base salary is intended to be a smaller portion of total executive compensation relative to long-term equity. The Compensation Committee takes into account the executive’s scope of responsibility and significance to the execution of our long-term strategy, past accomplishments, experience and personal performance and compares each executive’s base salary with those of the other members of senior management. The Compensation Committee may give different weighting to each of these factors for each executive, as it deems appropriate. The Compensation Committee did not retain a compensation consultant or determine a compensation peer group for 2022.

In February 2022, the Compensation Committee approved increases to the annual base salaries of certain of our executive officers, effective retroactively as of December 17, 2021. The annual base salary for our chief financial officer, James Sullivan, was increased from $260,000 to $305,000. The annual base salary for our chief operating officer, Brad Lynch, was increased from CAD$200,000 to $275,000. The annual base salary for our chief technology officer, Alex Tomkins, was increased from CAD$252,000 to $250,000.

In April 2022, the Compensation Committee approved an increase to the annual base salary for our then President, Daniel Lewis, from $250,000 to $275,000, effective retroactively as of December 17, 2021.

Annual Incentive Compensation

In February 2022, the Compensation Committee authorized incentive compensation targets for the named executive officers. Mr. Sullivan, under the terms of his 2022 annual performance-based bonus, will be eligible to receive a target amount of up to 60% of his base salary, payable in the form of cash, the Company’s stock or a combination of both. Similarly, Mr. Lynch, under the terms of his 2022 annual performance-based bonus, will be eligible to receive a target amount of up to 50% of his base salary, also payable in the form of cash, the Company’s stock or a combination of both.

In April 2022, the Compensation Committee authorized incentive compensation targets for Mr. Lewis. Mr. Lewis, under the terms of his 2022 annual performance-based bonus, will be eligible to receive (i) a target amount of up to 50% of his base salary based upon the achievement of certain goals and performance criteria determined by our CEO and the Compensation Committee and (ii) a cash bonus equal to 3% of (a) the cash proceeds received by the Company (the “VAE Bonus”) in the event the Company sells all or any part of the Company’s Virtual Accelerator Engine intellectual property (the “VAE Sale”) or (b) the royalties paid to the Company during the 24 month period following the VAE Sale (the “VAE Royalty Payments” and, together with the VAE Bonus, the “VAE Incentive Payments”); provided, however, that in no event will the aggregate VAE Incentive Payments exceed $300,000. In January 2023, upon receipt of the final proceeds from the VAE Sale, we paid Mr. Lewis $105,000 for the VAE Bonus.

Equity Awards

Although we do not have a mandated policy regarding the ownership of shares of common stock by officers and directors, we believe that granting equity awards to executives and other key employees on an ongoing basis gives them a strong incentive to maximize stockholder value and aligns their interests with those of our other stockholders on a long-term basis. Our 2019 Plan, which was approved by our stockholders and became effective in August 2019, enables us to grant equity awards, as well as other types of stock-based compensation, to our executive officers and other employees. The Compensation Committee reviews and approves all equity awards granted under the 2019 Plan to the named executive officers. We grant equity awards to achieve retention and motivation:

• upon the hiring of key executives and other personnel;

• annually, when we review progress against corporate and personal goals; and

• when we believe that competitive forces or economic conditions threaten to cause our key executives to lose their motivation and/or where retention of these key executives is in jeopardy.

With the Compensation Committee’s approval, we grant equity awards to acquire shares of common stock when we initially hire executives and other employees, as a long-term performance incentive. The Compensation Committee has determined the size of the initial equity awards to newly hired executives with reference to equity awards held by existing executives, the percentage that such award represents of our total shares outstanding and hiring negotiations with the individual. In addition, the Compensation Committee would consider other relevant information regarding the size and type of compensation package considered necessary to enable us to recruit, retain and motivate the executive.

Typically, when we hire an executive, the equity awards vest over a three-year period. The options granted to executives in connection with annual performance reviews typically vest monthly over a three-to four-year period, and RSUs granted typically vest annually over a period of from one- to three-years, as the Compensation Committee may decide. As matters of policy and practice, we grant stock options with an exercise price equal to fair market value, although the 2019 Plan allows us to use a different exercise price. In determining fair market value, we use the closing price of the common stock on the Nasdaq on the grant date.

Historically, no employee has been eligible for an annual performance grant until the employee has been employed for at least six months. Annual performance reviews are generally conducted in the first half of each fiscal year. Our CEO conducts the performance review of all other executives, and he makes his recommendations to the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee also reviews the CEO’s annual performance and determines whether he should receive additional equity awards. Aside from equity award grants in connection with annual performance reviews, we do not have a policy of granting additional awards to executives during the year. The board of directors and Compensation Committee have not adopted a policy with respect to setting the dates of award grants relative to the timing of the release of material non-public information. Our policy with respect to prohibiting insider trading restricts sales of shares during specified black-out periods, including at all times that our insiders are considered to possess material non-public information.

In determining the size of equity awards in connection with the annual performance reviews of our executives, the Compensation Committee takes into account the executive’s current position with and responsibilities to us, and current and past equity awards to the executive.

In April 2022, our Compensation Committee authorized the following awards of restricted stock units to the named executive officers:

• Mr. Glibbery — 200,000;

• Mr. Lewis — 75,000; and

• Mr. Sullivan — 100,000.

These awards vest over semiannually over the 36-month period commencing December 17, 2021.

Going forward, we intend to continue to evaluate and consider equity grants to our executives on an annual basis. We expect to consider potential equity awards for executives at the same time as we annually review our employees’ performance and determine whether to award grants for all employees.

Pay Versus Performance

As required by Section 953(a) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, and Item 402(v) of Regulation S-K, which was adopted by the SEC in 2022, the Company is providing the following information regarding the relationship between “compensation actually paid” (“CAP”) to our principal executive officer (“PEO”), former principal executive officer (“Former PEO”) and non-PEO named executive officers (“NEOs”) and certain financial performance of the Company for the fiscal years listed below.

	Ronald Glibbery – PEO				Daniel Lewis – Former PEO				Non-PEO NEOs				Value of Initial Fixed $100 Investment Based On Total Shareholder Return (“TSR”)(5)		Net Loss (thousands)(6)
Year	Summary Compensation Table Total for PEO(1)		Compensation Actually Paid to PEO(2)		Summary Compensation Table Total for Former PEO(1)		Compensation Actually Paid to Former PEO(2)		Average Summary Compensation Table Total for Non-PEO NEOs(3)		Average Compensation Actually Paid to Non-PEO NEOs(4)				Net Loss (thousands)(6)
2022	$	830,000	$	638,333	$	440,556	$	318,066	$	481,143	$	375,275	$	40.71	$	32,398
2021	$	16,667	$	2,120,207	$	799,167	$	871,680	$	456,668	$	456,701	$	72.13	$	10,911

____________

(1) Represent the amounts of total compensation reported for our PEO and Former PEO during each corresponding year in the “Total” column of the Summary Compensation Table above.

(2) Represents the amount of “compensation actually paid” to our PEO and Former PEO, as computed in accordance with Item 402(v) of Regulation S-K, with the following adjustments:

Year	Summary Compensation Table Total for Ronald Glibbery		Reported Value of Equity Awards for Ronald Glibbery			Fair Value as of Year-End for Awards Granted During the Year		Fair Value Year- over-Year increase or decrease in Unvested Awards Granted in Prior Years	Fair Value of Awards Granted and Vested During the Year		Fair Value Increase or Decrease from Prior Year End for Awards that Vested During the Year	Compensation Actually Paid to Ronald Glibbery
2022	$	830,000	$	(430,000	)	$	146,000	—	$	92,333	—	$	638,333
2021	$	16,667		—		$	2,103,540	—		—	—	$	2,120,207

Year	Summary Compensation Table Total for Daniel Lewis		Reported Value of Equity Awards for Daniel Lewis			Fair Value as of Year-End for Awards Granted During the Year		Fair Value Year- over-Year increase or decrease in Unvested Awards Granted in Prior Years			Fair Value of Awards Granted and Vested During the Year		Fair Value Increase or Decrease from Prior Year End for Awards that Vested During the Year			Compensation Actually Paid to Daniel Lewis
2022	$	440,556	$	(161,250	)	$	54,750		—		$	34,625	$	(50,625	)	$	318,066
2021	$	799,167		(32,500	)	$	42,000	$	(27,450	)	$	55,100	$	35,363		$	871,680

(3) Represents the average of the amounts reported for our NEOs as a group (excluding our PEO and our Former PEO) in each applicable year in the “Total” column of the Summary Compensation Table above. For 2022, this includes Daniel Lewis and James Sullivan, and for 2021, James Sullivan (the “Non-PEO NEOs”).

(4) Represents the average amount of “compensation actually paid” to the Non-PEO NEOs, as computed in accordance with Item 402(v) of Regulation S-K. The dollar amounts do not reflect the actual average compensation earned or paid to the Non-PEO NEOs during the applicable year. In accordance with the requirements of Item 402(v) of Regulation S-K, the following adjustments were made to average total compensation for the Non-PEO NEOs for each year:

Year	Summary Compensation Table Total for Non-PEO NEOs		Reported Value of Equity Awards for Non-PEO NEOs			Fair Value as of Year-End for Awards Granted During the Year		Fair Value Year- over- Year Increase or Decrease in Unvested Awards Granted in Prior Years			Fair Value of Awards Granted and Vested During the Year		Fair Value Increase or Decrease from Prior Year end for Awards that Vested During the Year			Compensation Actually Paid to Non-PEO NEOs
2022	$	481,143	$	(215,000	)	$	73,000	$	(5,789	)	$	46,167	$	(4,246	)	$	375,275
2021	$	456,668		—			—	$	(4,276	)		—	$	4,309		$	456,701

(5) TSR is cumulative for the measurement periods beginning on December 31, 2020 and ending on December 31 of each of 2022 and 2021, respectively, calculated by dividing the difference between our share price at the end and the beginning of the measurement period by our share price at the end of the measurement period. No dividends were paid in 2022 or 2021.

(6) The dollar amounts reported represent the amount of net loss reflected in our consolidated audited financial statements for the applicable years.

The illustrations below provide an additional graphical description of CAP compared to both our cumulative “Total Shareholder Return” (TSR) and our net loss. As the illustrations show, the compensation actually paid to our PEO and Former PEO and the average amount of compensation actually paid to or non-PEO NEOs during the periods presented are not directly correlated with TSR. We do utilize several performance measures to align executive compensation with our performance, but those tend not to be financial performance measures, such as TSR. Compensation actually paid is influenced by numerous factors including, but not limited to, the timing of new grant issuances and award vesting, NEO mix, share price volatility during the fiscal year, our mix of performance metrics and other factors.

____________

* All information provided above under the “Pay Versus Performance” heading will not be deemed to be incorporated by reference in any filing of ours under the Securities Act, whether made before or after the date hereof and irrespective of any general incorporation language in any such filing.

COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT

The Compensation Committee has reviewed and discussed with management the Compensation Discussion and Analysis provisions to be included in our proxy statement for the Annual Meeting. Based on this review and discussion, the Compensation Committee has recommended to the board of directors that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in our proxy statement for the Annual Meeting.

The Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors:

Ian McWalter (Chair)

Andreas Melder

Robert Newell

SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE

The following table sets forth compensation information for fiscal years 2022 and 2021 for each of our named executive officers. Compensation paid by Peraso Tech prior to the closing of the Arrangement is not reflected in the Summary Compensation Table.

Name and principal position	Year	Salary ($)	Stock Option Awards ($)(1)	Restricted Stock Awards ($)(1)	Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation ($)	Total ($)
Ronald Glibbery	2022	400,000	—	430,000	—	830,000
Chief Executive Officer(2)	2021	16,667	—	—	—	16,667
Daniel Lewis	2022	279,316	—	161,250	—	440,566
Vice President, General Manager of Memory Products and Director(3)	2021	266,667	—	32,500	500,000	799,167
James Sullivan	2022	306,719	—	215,000	—	521,719
Chief Financial Officer	2021	256,668	—	—	200,000	456,668

____________

(1) Award amounts reflect the aggregate grant date fair value with respect to awards granted during the years indicated, as determined pursuant to FASB ASC Topic 718. The assumptions used to calculate the aggregate grant date fair value of option and stock awards are set forth in the notes to the consolidated financial statements included in item 15 of this Report. These amounts do not reflect actual compensation earned or to be earned by our named executive officers.

(2) Ronald Glibbery was appointed as our CEO at the effective time of the Arrangement on December 17, 2021.

(3) Mr. Lewis resigned as our Vice President, General Manager of Memory Products in December 2022.

GRANTS OF PLAN-BASED AWARDS

The following table provides information on plan-based awards granted in 2022 to each of the named executive officers:

Name	Grant Date	All Other Stock Awards: Number of Shares of Stock or Units (#)(1)	Grant Date Fair Value of Stock Awards ($)
Ronald Glibbery	4/15/2022	200,000	430,000
Daniel Lewis(2)	4/15/2022	75,000	161,250
James Sullivan	4/15/2022	100,000	215,000

____________

(1) Represents restricted stock units granted pursuant to the Equity Plan.

(2) Mr. Lewis resigned as our Vice President, General Manager of Memory Products in December 2022.

SEC Form DEF 14A filed by Peraso Inc.