As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 16, 2014

Registration Statement No. 333-

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

SAFEGUARD SCIENTIFICS, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

			
Pennsylvania	   	   	
(State or other jurisdiction of	   	23-1609753	
incorporation or organization)	   	(I.R.S. Employer ID No.)	
   	   	
435 Devon Park Drive	   	   	
Building 800	   	   	
Wayne, PA	   	19087-1945	
(Address of principal executive offices)	   	(Zip Code)	

2014 Equity Compensation Plan
(Full title of the plan)

Brian J. Sisko
Chief Operating Officer, Executive Vice President and Managing Director
Safeguard Scientifics, Inc.
435 Devon Park Drive, Building 800
Wayne, PA 19087-1945
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

(610) 293-0600
(Telephone Number of Agent for Service)

Copies of all communications to:

JUSTIN W. CHAIRMAN, ESQ.
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
1701 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 963-5000

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definition of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

				
Large accelerated filer o  	Accelerated filer þ  	Non-accelerated filer o  	Smaller reporting company o	
 	 	(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)	 	

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

					

Title of Each Class of Securities
to Be Registered	
Amount to Be Registered (1)	Proposed Maximum Offering Price Per Share (2)	Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price (2)	
Amount of Registration Fee (2)	
Common Stock, $.10 per share	2,200,000	$19.77	$43,494,000	$5,602	

(1)	Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), this registration statement also registers an additional indeterminate number of shares that may hereinafter be offered or issued pursuant to the Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. (the “Company” or the “Registrant”) 2014 Equity Compensation Plan (the “Plan”) as a result of one or more adjustments under the Plan to prevent dilution resulting from stock splits, stock dividends, recapitalizations or other similar capital adjustments.	
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(2)	Estimated pursuant to Rule 457(c) and 457(h) under the Securities Act solely for purposes of calculating the registration fee. The fee is computed based upon $19.77, the average of the high and low prices for a share of common stock of the Registrant on September 12, 2014, as reported on the New York Stock Exchange.	

PART I
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

The documents containing the information specified in this Part I of Form S-8 will be sent or given to participants in the Plan covered by this Registration Statement as specified by Rule 428(b)(1) promulgated under the Securities Act.

PART II
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3.     Incorporation of Documents by Reference .

The following documents of the Company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) are incorporated by this reference in this Registration Statement:

(1)	The Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013, as filed with the Commission on March 7, 2014, as amended by Form 10-K/A filed with the Commission on August 28, 2014;	

(2)	The Registrant’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2014, as filed with the Commission on April 25, 2014, and for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2014, as filed with the Commission on July 25, 2014;	

(3)	The Registrant’s Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on January 7, 2014, May 23, 2014 and September 15, 2014; and	

(4)	The description of the Company’s Common Stock contained in its Registration Statement on Form 8-A as filed with the Commission on March 2, 2000, and any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description.	
All documents filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) after the date of this Registration Statement and prior to the filing of a Post-Effective Amendment 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 a part hereof from the date of filing of each such document.

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 hereof to the extent that a statement contained herein (or in any other subsequently filed document that also is, or is deemed to be, incorporated by reference herein) modifies or supersedes such statement. Any statement contained in a document that is deemed to be incorporated by reference or deemed to be a part hereof after the most recent effective date may modify or replace existing statements contained herein. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part hereof.

LEGAL MATTERS

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, will pass on the validity of the securities.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements of Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, and for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2013, and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2013, have been incorporated by reference herein and in the Registration Statement in reliance upon the reports of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated by reference herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

Item 4.     Description of Securities .

Not Applicable.

Item 5.     Interests of Named Experts and Counsel .

Not Applicable.

Item 6.     Indemnification of Directors and Officers .
Chapter 17, Subchapter D of the Pennsylvania Business Corporation Law of 1988, as amended (the “PBCL”), contains provisions permitting indemnification of officers and directors of a business corporation incorporated in Pennsylvania. Sections 1741 and 1742 of the PBCL provide that a business corporation may indemnify directors and officers against liabilities and expenses they may incur as such in connection with any threatened, pending or completed civil, administrative or investigative proceeding, provided that the particular 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, with respect to any criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful. In general, the power to indemnify under these sections does not exist in the case of actions against a director or officer by or in the right of the corporation if the person otherwise entitled to indemnification shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless it is judicially determined that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, the person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification for specified expenses. Section 1743 of the PBCL provides that the corporation is required to indemnify directors and officers against expenses they may incur in defending actions against them in such capacities if they are successful on the merits or otherwise in the defense of such actions.
Section 1713 of the PBCL permits the shareholders to adopt a bylaw provision relieving a director (but not an officer) of personal liability for monetary damages except where (i) the director has breached the applicable standard of care, and (ii) such conduct constitutes self-dealing, willful misconduct or recklessness. This section also provides that a director may not be relieved of liability for the payment of taxes pursuant to any federal, state or local law or of responsibility under a criminal statute.
Section 1746 of the PBCL provides that the indemnification provisions above are not exclusive of the right to which a person seeking indemnification may be entitled under any bylaw, agreement, vote of shareholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, except in circumstances where the act or failure to act giving rise to the claim for indemnification is determined by a court to have constituted willful misconduct or recklessness.
Section 1747 of the PBCL permits a corporation to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director or officer of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a representative of another corporation or other enterprise, against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by him or her in any such capacity, or arising out of his or her status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify the person against such liability under Chapter 17, Subchapter D of the PBCL.
Article IX of the Registrant’s Second Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation, as amended (the “Articles”) provides that a director or officer of the Registrant shall not be personally liable for monetary damages as such including, without limitation, any judgment, amount paid in settlement, penalty, punitive damages or expense of any nature (including, without limitation, attorneys’ fees and disbursements) for any action taken, or any failure to take any action, unless the director or officer has breached or failed to perform the duties of his or her office under the Articles or the Amended and Restated Bylaws (the “Bylaws”) of the Registrant or applicable provisions of law and the breach or failure to perform constitutes self-dealing, willful misconduct or recklessness.
Section 12 of Article III of the Registrant’s Bylaws also limits the personal liability of directors for monetary damages for any action taken, or any failure to take any action, unless the director has breached or failed to perform the duties of his or her office. The limitation on monetary liability does not extend to breaches of duty constituting self-dealing, willful misconduct or recklessness and does not relieve a director of liability for the payment of any taxes pursuant to local, state or federal law, or liability or responsibility pursuant to any criminal statute.
Article IX of the Registrant’s Bylaws provides, except as expressly prohibited by law, an unconditional right to indemnification for expenses and any liability paid or incurred by any director or officer of the Registrant, or any other person designated by the board of directors as an indemnified representative, in connection with any actual or threatened claim, action, suit or proceeding (including derivative suits) in which he or she may be involved by reason of being or having been a director, officer, employee or agent of the Registrant, or at Registrant’s request, a director, officer, manager, employee, agent, fiduciary or trustee of another corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other entity or enterprise. The Bylaws specifically authorize indemnification against both judgments and amounts paid in settlement of derivative suits, as well as indemnification for punitive damages.

Unlike the provisions of PBCL Section 1744, which sets forth procedures for effecting indemnification (but consistent with Section 1746 of the PBCL), Article IX of the Bylaws does not require us to determine the availability of indemnification by first following certain prescribed procedures. A person who has incurred an indemnifiable expense or liability has a right to be indemnified independent of any procedures or determinations that otherwise would be required, and that right is enforceable against us as long as indemnification is not prohibited by law. To the extent indemnification is permitted only for a portion of a liability, the Bylaw provisions require us to indemnify such portion. If the indemnification provided for in Article IX is unavailable for any reason in respect of any liability or portion thereof, the Bylaws require us to make a contribution toward the liability. Indemnification rights under the Bylaws do not depend upon the approval of any future Board of Directors.

Section 4 of Article IX of the Bylaws authorizes us to further effect or secure our indemnification obligations by entering into indemnification agreements, maintaining insurance, creating a reserve, trust, escrow, cash collateral or other fund or account, granting a security interest in our assets or property, establishing a letter of credit or using any other means that may be available from time to time. The Registrant maintains a directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policy that affords directors and officers with insurance coverage for losses arising from claims based on breaches of duty, negligence, error and other wrongful acts.
 
Item 7.     Exemption from Registration Claimed .

None.

Item 8.     Exhibits .

		
Exhibit Number	Description	
4.1	Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. 2014 Equity Compensation Plan, as amended and restated on March 5, 2014 (Filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed with the Commission on July 25, 2014 (Commission File No.001-05620) and incorporated herein by this reference)	
5.1 †	Opinion of Morgan, Lewis & Brokius LLP	
23.1 †	Consent of KPMG LLP	
23.2 †	Consent of Morgan, Lewis & Brokius LLP (included in opinion filed as Exhibit 5.1 hereto)	
24.1 †	Power of Attorney (included with signature page of this Registration Statement)	

†	Filed herewith	

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 Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement;
(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 (1)(i) and (1)(ii) of this section do not apply if 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.

(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 undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned 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 undersigned 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 undersigned 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 undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;

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

(iv)    Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned 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 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.    That, 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, 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 Wayne, PA on September 16, 2014.

	
			
SAFEGUARD SCIENTIFICS, INC.	
 	 	 	
By:	 	/s/ Stephen T. Zarrilli	
 	 	Stephen T. Zarrilli	
 	 	President, Chief Executive Officer and Director	

Each person in so signing also makes, constitutes and appoints Stephen T. Zarrilli and Jeffrey B. McGroarty, and each of them acting alone, his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact, with full power of substitution, to execute and cause to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, any and all amendments and post-effective amendments to this registration statement, and including any registration statement for the same offering that is to be effective upon filing pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, with exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, and hereby ratifies and confirms all that said attorney-in-fact or his or her substitute or substitutes may do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

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

	
				
Signature	 	Title	Date	
 	 	 	 	
/s/ Stephen T. Zarrilli	 	 	
September 16, 2014	
Stephen T. Zarrilli	 	President, Chief Executive Officer and Director (principal executive officer)	 	

/s/ Jeffrey B. McGroarty	 	 	
September 16, 2014	
Jeffrey B. McGroarty	 	Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (principal financial and accounting officer)	 	

/s/ Julie A. Dobson	 	
	
September 16, 2014	
Julie A. Dobson	 	Director	 	

/s/ Keith B. Jarrett	 	
	
September 16, 2014	
Keith B. Jarrett	 	Director	 	

/s/ Andrew E. Lietz	 	
	
September 16, 2014	
Andrew E. Lietz	 	Chairman of the Board of Directors	 	

/s/ George MacKenzie	 	
	
September 16, 2014	
George MacKenzie	 	Director	 	

/s/ Jack L. Messman	 	
	
September 16, 2014	
Jack L. Messman	 	Director	 	

/s/ John J. Roberts	 	
	
September 16, 2014	
John J. Roberts	 	Director	 	

/s/ Robert J. Rosenthal	 	
	
September 16, 2014	
Robert J. Rosenthal	 	Director	 	

EXHIBIT INDEX

	
		
Exhibit Number	Description	
4.1	Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. 2014 Equity Compensation Plan, as amended and restated on March 5, 2014 (Filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed with the Commission on July 25, 2014 (Commission File No.001-05620) and incorporated herein by this reference)	
5.1 †	Opinion of Morgan, Lewis & Brokius LLP	
23.1 †	Consent of KPMG LLP	
23.2 †	Consent of Morgan, Lewis & Brokius LLP (included in opinion filed as Exhibit 5.1 hereto)	
24.1 †	Power of Attorney (included with signature page of this Registration Statement)	

†	Filed herewith	

EXHIBIT 5.1

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
Counselors at Law
1701 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-2921
215-963-5000
Fax: 215-963-5001

September 16, 2014
Safeguard Scientifics, Inc.
435 Devon Park Drive
Building 800
Wayne, PA 19087

Re:    Safeguard Scientifics, Inc.
Registration Statement on Form S-8 Relating to the Safeguard Scientifics, Inc.
2014 Equity Compensation Plan

Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel to Safeguard Scientifics, Inc., a Pennsylvania corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the preparation of a registration statement on Form S-8 (the “Registration Statement”) to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), relating to 2,200,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, $0.10 par value (the “Common Stock”), issuable under the Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. 2014 Equity Compensation Plan (the “Plan”). We have examined such certificates, records, statutes and other documents as we have deemed relevant in rendering this opinion.
As to matters of fact, we have relied on representations of officers of the Company. In our examination, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity of all natural persons, the authenticity of the documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity with the originals of all documents submitted to us as certified, facsimile or photostatic copies and the authenticity of the originals of all documents submitted to us as copies.
Based upon the foregoing, it is our opinion that the shares of Common Stock originally issued by the Company to participants under the Plan, when issued and delivered by the Company in accordance with the terms of the Plan, will be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
The opinion set forth above is limited to the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
We hereby consent to the use of this opinion as Exhibit 5.1 to the Registration Statement. In giving such opinion, we do not thereby admit that we are acting within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Act or the rules or regulations of the Commission thereunder.
Very truly yours,
/s/ Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

Exhibit 23.1

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
The Board of Directors
Safeguard Scientifics, Inc.:

We consent to the use of our reports dated March 7, 2014, with respect to the consolidated balance sheets of Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, and the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income (loss), changes in equity and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2013, and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2013, incorporated herein by reference and to the reference to our firm under the heading “Experts” in the registration statement.

/s/ KPMG LLP
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
September 16, 2014