Intermediate equity
ESOP - Employee Stock Option Pool
An ESOP is a reserved pool of equity set aside to grant stock options to employees, advisors, and early hires as non-cash compensation.
#compensation
8 results
Glossary
Beginner equity
Stock Options
Stock options give employees the right to buy company shares at a fixed strike price. ISOs and NSOs are the two main types used by startups.
Beginner equity
Vesting Cliff
A vesting cliff is a threshold period - typically one year - before which no equity vests, protecting companies from early team departures.
Beginner equity
Vesting
Equity vesting is how founders and employees earn their shares over time, ensuring long-term alignment between the team and the company's success.
Guides
Intermediate team
10 min How to Build a Compensation Framework
Learn how to create a fair, transparent compensation framework that helps you hire, retain, and build trust across your startup team.
Intermediate equity
12 min How to Negotiate an Equity Offer at a Startup
Understand every component of a startup equity offer - and learn exactly what to negotiate, what to ask, and how to evaluate your upside.
Articles
Intermediate equity
9 min Equity for Early Employees Explained
How to structure stock option grants for early hires - covering grant sizes, vesting, strike prices, and how to communicate equity fairly.
Beginner equity
13 min Startup Equity Explained
Equity is ownership - but most founders and employees can't do the math. Here's exactly how startup equity works, dilutes, and pays out.