ESOP Advisory
Turn ownership into your most powerful retention tool.
An Employee Stock Ownership Plan done right aligns your team's interests with the company's long-term success. Done poorly, it creates confusion, resentment, and legal exposure.
We design, structure, and implement ESOP programmes that are fair to employees, financially sound for the company, and built to withstand the scrutiny of investors, regulators, and auditors.
Why It Matters
What most ESOPs get wrong
Many companies introduce ESOPs with good intentions — and end up with a plan that employees don't understand, a pool that's badly sized, vesting schedules that don't reflect the business reality, and grant prices that create tax headaches nobody anticipated.
The mechanics of an ESOP are not complicated. Getting the design right — the pool size, the grant pricing, the vesting logic, the dilution impact, and the liquidity pathway — requires financial judgement, legal alignment, and a clear view of what the company is actually trying to achieve with it.
"The options were granted three years ago. Nobody had modelled the dilution. The grant price had no defensible basis. And not a single employee could explain what their options were actually worth."
Our Services
What we cover
End-to-end ESOP advisory — from the first design conversation to full implementation and ongoing management.
ESOP design & plan structuring
Design the plan from the ground up — pool sizing, eligibility, vesting, and exit rules — aligned with company objectives like retention or performance.
Valuation & grant pricing
Defensible, methodology-backed valuations for grant pricing that stand up to employee, investor, and auditor scrutiny.
Legal, tax & compliance structuring
Ensuring the plan meets all regulatory requirements across company law and tax, including board and shareholder approvals.
Employee communication & education
Clear, honest materials explaining the value and mechanics of the ESOP to ensure team alignment and retention.
Who We Work With
Right for your stage
Situations we commonly work in
- Pre-funding startups creating an ESOP pool for the first time
- Growth-stage companies refreshing or expanding an existing plan
- PE or VC-backed businesses restructuring management incentives
- Companies preparing for an IPO or strategic acquisition
- Family businesses introducing equity participation for senior hires
What you get from us
- A plan designed around your business model — not a template
- Grant pricing with a defensible, documented methodology
- Full compliance across tax, company law, and securities rules
- Employees who understand what they have and why it matters
- A plan that stands up to investor and auditor scrutiny