As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 2, 2021

Registration No. 333-            

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

APPIAN CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware	54-1956084
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)	(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)

7950 Jones Branch Drive

McLean, Virginia 22102

(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

Appian Corporation Employee Stock Purchase Plan

(Full title of the plan)

Matthew Calkins

Chief Executive Officer and Chairman

Appian Corporation

7950 Jones Branch Drive

McLean, Virginia 22102

(703) 442-8844

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

Copies to:

Christopher Winters General Counsel Appian Corporation 7950 Jones Branch Drive McLean, Virginia 22102 (703) 442-8844 Nicole Brookshire Mark Ballantyne Owen Williams Cooley LLP 11951 Freedom Drive Reston, Virginia 20190 (703) 456-8000

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a 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.

Large accelerated filer	☒	Accelerated filer	☐
Non-accelerated filer	☐	Smaller reporting company	☐
		Emerging growth company	☐

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.☐

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
Title of Each Class of Securities to be Registered	Amount to be Registered (1)	Proposed Maximum Offering Price Per Unit (2)	Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price (2)	Amount of Registration Fee
Appian Corporation Employee Stock Purchase Plan	1,000,000	$107.34	$107,340,000	$11,711
Class A Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share

(1)Pursuant to Rule 416(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), this Registration Statement shall also cover any additional shares of the Registrant’s Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”), that become issuable under the Appian Corporation Employee Stock Purchase Plan by reason of any stock dividend, stock split, recapitalization or other similar transaction effected without receipt of consideration that increases the number of the Registrant’s outstanding shares of Common Stock.

(2)Estimated in accordance with Rule 457(c) and (h) under the Securities Act solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee on the basis of $107.34, the average of the high and low prices of the Registrant’s Common Stock as reported on The Nasdaq Global Market on August 31, 2021.

PART I

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

The information specified in Item 1 and Item 2 of Part I of Form S-8 is omitted from this Registration Statement in accordance with the provisions of Rule 428 under the Securities Act. The documents containing the information specified in Part I of Form S-8 will be delivered to the participants in the plans covered by this Registration Statement as specified by Rule 428(b)(1) under the Securities Act.

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

ITEM 3. INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE.

The following documents filed by Appian Corporation (the “Registrant”) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) are incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement:

(a)The Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, filed with the SEC on February 18, 2021;

(b)The Registrant’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2021 and June 30, 2021, filed with the SEC on May 6, 2021 and August 5, 2021, respectively;

(c)The Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 16, 2021, to the extent the information in such report is filed and not furnished;

(d)The Registrant’s Proxy Statement filed with the SEC on April 29, 2021, and amended on June 1, 2021, to the extent the information therein is filed and not furnished; and

(e)The description of the Registrant’s Class A common stock contained in the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form 8-A, filed with the SEC on May 18, 2017, including any amendments or reports filed for the purposes of updating this description.

All documents, reports and definitive proxy or information statements filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act (other than Current Reports furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K and exhibits furnished on such form that relate to such items) on or after the date of this Registration Statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement that indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or that deregisters all securities then remaining unsold shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement and to be part hereof from the date of filing of such documents. 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 contained herein or in any subsequently filed document that also is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

ITEM 4. DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES.

Not applicable.

ITEM 5. INTERESTS OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL.

Not applicable.

ITEM 6. INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS.

The Registrant is incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware. Section 102 of the Delaware General Corporation Law permits a corporation to eliminate the personal liability of directors of a corporation to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for a breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except where the director breached his or her duty of loyalty, failed to act in good faith, engaged in intentional misconduct, or knowingly violated a law, authorized the payment of a dividend or approved a stock repurchase in violation of Delaware corporate law, or obtained an improper personal benefit.

Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law provides a corporation has the power to indemnify a director, officer, employee, or agent of the corporation and certain other persons serving at the request of the corporation in related capacities against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines, and amounts paid in settlements actually and

reasonably incurred by the person in connection with an action, suit, or proceeding to which he or she is or is threatened to be made a party by reason of such position, if such person acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, in any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful, except that, in the case of actions brought by or in the right of the corporation, no indemnification shall be made with respect to any claim, issue, or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent the Court of Chancery or other adjudicating court determines that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all of the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.

As permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, (A) the Registrant’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides the Registrant is authorized to indemnify its directors and officers (and any other persons whom applicable law permits) to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law and (B) the Registrant’s amended and restated bylaws provide: (1) the Registrant is required to indemnify its directors and executive officers to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law; (2) the Registrant may, in its discretion, indemnify its other officers, employees, and agents as set forth in the Delaware General Corporation Law; (3) the Registrant is required, upon satisfaction of certain conditions, to advance all expenses incurred by its directors and executive officers in connection with certain legal proceedings; (4) the rights conferred in the bylaws are not exclusive; (5) the Registrant is authorized to enter into indemnification agreements with its directors, officers, employees, and agents; and (6) the Registrant may secure insurance on behalf ofany director, officer, employee, or other agent for any liability arising out of his or her actions in that capacity regardless of whether the Registrant would otherwise be permitted to indemnify him or her under the provisions of Delaware law.

The Registrant’s policy is to enter into agreements with its directors and executive officers that require it to indemnify them against expenses, judgments, fines, settlements and other amounts that any such person becomes legally obligated to pay (including with respect to a derivative action) in connection with any proceeding, whether actual or threatened, to which such person may be made a party by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director or officer of the Registrant or any of its affiliates, provided such person acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the Registrant’s best interests. These indemnification agreements also set forth certain procedures that will apply in the event of a claim for indemnification thereunder. At present, no litigation or proceeding is pending that involves any of the Registrant’s directors or officers regarding which indemnification is sought, nor is the Registrant aware of any threatened litigation that may result in claims for indemnification.

The Registrant maintains a directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policy. The policy insures directors and officers against unindemnified losses arising from certain wrongful acts in their capacities as directors and officers and reimburses the Registrant for those losses for which it has lawfully indemnified the directors and officers. The policy contains various exclusions.

See also the undertakings set out in response to Item 9 hereof.

ITEM 7. EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION CLAIMED.

Not applicable.

ITEM 8. EXHIBITS.

Exhibit No.	Description	Reference
3.1	Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Appian Corporation.	Previously filed as Exhibit 3.2 to Amendment No. 3 to the Company's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-217510), filed with the SEC on May 12, 2017, and incorporated herein by reference.
3.2	Amended and Restated Bylaws of Appian Corporation.	Previously filed as Exhibit 3.4 to Amendment No. 2 to the Company's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-217510), filed with the SEC on May 10, 2017, and incorporated herein by reference.
4.1	Form of Class A common stock certificate of Appian Corporation.	Previously filed as Exhibit 4.1 to Amendment No. 3 to the Company's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-217510), filed with the SEC on May 12, 2017, and incorporated herein by reference.
23.1	Consent of independent registered accounting firm.	Filed herewith.
24.1	Power of Attorney is contained on the signature pages.	Filed herewith.
99.1	Appian Corporation Employee Stock Purchase Plan.	Previously filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (File No. 001-38098) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 5, 2021, and incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 9. UNDERTAKINGS.

(a)The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

(1)To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

(i)To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;

(ii)To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective Registration Statement; and

(iii)To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or any material change to such information in the Registration Statement;

Provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not apply if the Registration Statement is on Form S-8, and the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or

furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement; and

(2)That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3)To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(4)That, for the purpose of determining liability of the Registrant under the Securities Act to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the Registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the Registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the Registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

(i)Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the Registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

(ii)Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the Registrant or used or referred to by the Registrant;

(iii)The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the Registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the Registrant; and;

(iv)Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the Registrant to the purchaser.

(b)The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(c)Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, 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 McLean, Virginia on September 2, 2021.

APPIAN CORPORATION

By: /s/ Matthew Calkins

Matthew Calkins

Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Matthew Calkins, Mark Lynch and Christopher Winters, and each of them, as true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full powers of substitution and resubstitution, for them and in their name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments to this registration statement, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and generally to do all such things in their names and behalf in their capacities as officers and directors to enable Appian Corporation to comply with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and all requirements of 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 or she might or could do in person, ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, or their or his or her substitutes or substitute, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Signature	Title	Date
/s/ Matthew Calkins Matthew Calkins	Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board (Principal Executive Officer)	September 2, 2021
/s/ Mark Lynch Mark Lynch	Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)	September 2, 2021
/s/ Robert C. Kramer Robert C. Kramer	General Manager and Director	September 2, 2021
/s/ A.G.W. “Jack” Biddle, III A.G.W. “Jack” Biddle, III	Director	September 2, 2021
/s/ Prashanth “PV” Boccassam Prashanth “PV” Boccassam	Director	September 2, 2021
/s/ Michael G. Devine Michael G. Devine	Director	September 2, 2021
/s/ Barbara “Bobbie” Kilberg Barbara “Bobbie” Kilberg	Director	September 2, 2021
/s/ Michael J. Mulligan Michael J. Mulligan	Director	September 2, 2021