EquityList

Blog home

EquityList Team

Written by the experts at EquityList with a combined experience of 25+ years in equity management.

EquityList Product Recap (Q4, 2025)

A roundup of the latest features and updates from EquityList, designed to enhance your equity management experience.

BlackBuck: How India's Largest Trucking Platform Streamlined Equity at IPO

See how BlackBuck navigated IPO-era equity complexity, bonus share restructuring, and ESOP compliance while cutting reconciliation time by 93% and achieving 95% exercise payment completion rates with EquityList.

Underwater Options: A Founder's Guide to Repricing & Fixes (US/India)

Learn how to fix underwater stock options with repricing, exchange programs, or alternatives. Complete guide for founders with US and India tax implications, examples, and communication strategies.

From Comprehensive to Streamlined: How Flow Networks Found the Right Equity Management Solution

Flow Networks migrated from Carta to EquityList to eliminate unnecessary complexity. With EquityList, they discovered a powerful, intuitive equity management platform offering seamless migration and exceptional support.

Bidso Turned Their Demat Process From a Complex Burden to an Autopilot Process

Learn how Bidso simplified dematerialisation of shares with EquityList, ensuring seamless compliance, smooth execution, and zero founder friction.

How EquityList's Advisory Services Powered Protecte Technologies' ESOP Success

Discover how EquityList’s ESOP advisory services helped Protecte Technologies, a fast-growing Indian cybersecurity company, build a compliant and scalable ESOP plan.

How to Choose the Best ESOP Portal for Public Companies in India

Find out what makes the best ESOP portal for public companies in India. Explore essential features for SEBI compliance, trust management, and scalable equity operations.

SEBI Compliance Requirements for Long-Term Incentive Plans (LTIPs) in Listed Companies

Understand SEBI compliance requirements for Long Term Incentive Plans (LTIPs) in listed companies, including key regulations and approval procedures.

IRS Section 409A Compliance: What Employers Must Know To Protect Employees From Tax Penalties

Complete Section 409A compliance guide for employers. Learn key requirements, avoid penalties, and protect employees from tax consequences.

83(b) Election Explained For Employers

Everything employers need to know about 83(b) elections to avoid IRS penalties, manage withholding, and help employees save thousands. Free checklist included.

Modeling Post-Money SAFEs in Cap Table: Tools and Mistakes to Avoid (Experts' Insights)

Learn how to accurately model post-money SAFEs in your cap table, avoid dilution surprises, and use the best tools to stay investor-ready.

The Ultimate Cap Table Software Buying Checklist

Looking for cap table software? Use this in-depth buying checklist to evaluate tools across compliance, ESOP management, equity modeling, and investor reporting.

SAFE vs Convertible Notes: Which is Better for Your Next Round?

Key differences between SAFEs and convertible notes for startup fundraising and their impact on dilution. Know when to use SAFEs and convertible notes.

ESOP Grant Letter Format For Indian Companies

Download the 2025 ESOP grant letter template tailored for Indian companies. Learn what to include, legal requirements, and how to avoid compliance risks.

Vesting Schedules: How to Design One for Your Team's Equity Plan

Learn what a vesting schedule is, how it works in an equity plan, and how to choose the right one using real-world data and startup equity trends.

Phantom Stock Plans For Private Companies: Should You Use One Instead Of ESOPs?

Compare phantom stock and ESOPs for private companies: explore the pros, cons, tax implications, and how to choose the best plan for your team.

Stock Warrants vs Stock Options: Complete Guide for Founders [2025]

Learn the real difference between stock warrants and stock options. When to use each, who gets them, and how they impact your company's cap table.

PAS-4 Filing Guide 2025: Complete Checklist for Indian Companies | Deadlines & Penalties

Complete PAS-4 filing guide for Indian companies. Learn deadlines, penalties, checklist & compliance requirements under the Companies Act 2013.

EquityList Product Recap (Q2, 2025)

A roundup of the latest features and updates from EquityList, designed to enhance your equity management experience.

From Friction to Flow: Scaler’s Fast Path to Simpler Equity Ops with EquityList

Learn how Scaler migrated 170+ equity grants, reduced equity admin time to just 1 hour a week, and saved hours on compliance reporting by switching from an enterprise platform to EquityList.

ISO Vs NSO: Which Stock Option Type Should Your Company Offer?

A complete ISO vs NSO guide for founders. Compare tax treatment, eligibility, and key benefits to choose the right stock option type for your startup.

Founder Ownership by Round: How Equity Dilution Really Works (With Data)

See how founder equity changes from Seed to Series D, backed by real data. Learn how dilution works, what to expect by round, and how to protect your stake.

What Is Ind AS 102: Share-Based Payments Breakdown

An end-to-end guide on Ind AS 102 – learn how to account for share-based payments like ESOPs, while complying with Indian accounting standards.

Insider Trading Compliance for Indian Listed Companies

A complete guide to insider trading compliance for Indian public companies under SEBI regulations. We cover PIT, LODR, PFUTP, real cases, and penalties.

What Is a Company Share Option Plan (CSOP) in the UK?

A complete guide to Company Share Option Plans (CSOPs) in the UK. Learn how they work, who qualifies, the tax benefits, how CSOPs compare to EMI, and what HMRC compliance involves.

What Are RSUs? A Complete Guide to Restricted Stock Units

Detailed guide to Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), explaining how they work, how they differ from stock options and SARs, and what both employees and employers should know about vesting, taxes, and value.

Discount for Lack of Marketability (DLOM) Explained

Learn about the Discount for Lack of Marketability (DLOM) and how it impacts the valuation of private company shares. Understand the calculation methods, challenges, and the differences between DLOM, DLOC, and DLOL.

What Are Authorized Shares?

Learn what authorized shares and authorized share capital are, and whether they can be changed. We also explain how it differs from issued and outstanding shares.

ESOP Buybacks: A Complete Guide

An ESOP buyback allows employees to sell vested stock options or shares back to the company for cash, offering liquidity without a major exit event. Learn how buybacks work, why companies offer them, and how they differ from secondary sales.

Tax Implications of Foreign ESOPs for Indian Employees

Learn about the taxation, compliance, and repatriation rules for foreign ESOPs in India, including FEMA regulations, cross-charging, GST considerations, and double taxation relief for employees. Understand how these complex rules impact both companies and employees.

ESOP Trust in India: Why Public Companies Use Them

Learn what an ESOP trust is, how it operates in India, and why companies, especially public ones, use it to manage employee stock options and facilitate buybacks.

Incentive Stock Options (ISOs) in the United States: How Do They Work?

ISOs (Incentive Stock Options) and NSOs (Non-qualified Stock Options) are two types of stock options in the United States, each with different rules around eligibility, taxes, and grant limits.

Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP) for Early-Stage Startups

77% of employees view equity compensation as an essential part of their overall benefits package. Learn how to design an effective ESOP plan for your early-stage startup.

Share Purchase vs Share Transfer Agreement: Differences and Similarities

Confused between a Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) and a Share Transfer Agreement (STA)? Learn the key differences, use cases, and legal templates to understand which one fits your transaction.

Stocks vs Shares: What You Need to Know

Understand the difference between stocks and shares, explore their types, and see how stock classes and share structures impact ownership and cap tables.

How to Cancel Shares in a Company in India

Learn what share cancellation means, why companies in India cancel shares, and the step-by-step process involved under the Companies Act, 2013 and SEBI regulations.

Sweat Equity Shares: What They Are and How They Work

Learn what sweat equity shares are, who qualifies to receive them, how to issue, and how they differ from employee stock options.

U.S. Form 3922: Transfer of Stock Acquired Through an ESPP

Learn everything about IRS Form 3922, including its purpose, filing requirements, tax implications, and penalties for non-compliance.

EquityList Product Recap (Q1, 2025)

A roundup of the latest features and updates from EquityList, designed to enhance your equity management experience.

What Is an ESPP? Definition and How It Works in the U.S.

An Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) lets employees buy company shares at a discount through payroll deductions. Learn how ESPPs work, their tax implications, and how they compare to stock options and RSUs.

How to Calculate a Company's Valuation?

Learn how a company's total equity value is determined and allocated across share classes, and how FMV is independently assessed for stock options using 409A, HMRC, and registered valuer reports.

Understanding Cap Table Waterfalls: Analysis, Modeling, and Distribution

Learn how cap table waterfall modeling works and how liquidation preferences and participation rights impact the payout for investors, founders, and employees.

Understanding ESOP Valuation: A Simple Guide

Learn how registered valuers and merchant bankers determine the Fair Market Value (FMV) of ESOPs to set the exercise price, and why the black-scholes model is used for stock option accounting.

Equity Incentive Plans Explained

Discover how equity incentive plans like stock options, RSUs, SARs, and ESPPs work, their benefits, and which one best suits your company.

Definition and Calculation of Fair Market Value (FMV)

Learn what Fair Market Value (FMV) is, how it is determined through a 409A valuation, and its role in setting the strike price for stock options.

What’s the Difference Between Issued and Outstanding Shares

Issued shares include all shares a company has ever issued, while outstanding shares represent those still actively held by stakeholders and available for trading. Learn more.

What is the Right of First Refusal (ROFR): Things You Need to Know

Learn how the Right of First Refusal (ROFR) works, how it differs from the Right of First Offer (ROFO) and preemptive rights.

SH-6 Form: Register of Employee Stock Options

Learn how to prepare and maintain an ESOP register using Form SH-6. With EquityList, you can generate SH-6 reports in real-time without manual effort.

Understanding Shareholders’ Agreement: A Guide

A shareholders’ agreement safeguards businesses by outlining ownership rights, decision-making rules, and dispute resolution processes. Learn about its key elements, importance, and how it protects both majority and minority shareholders.

What Is a Capital Call?

Learn how capital calls work in venture capital, their impact on key fund metrics like IRR and TVPI, and what happens if LPs fail to fulfill their commitments.

Strike Price Vs Exercise Price: What’s the Difference?

The strike price, also called the exercise price, is the predetermined price at which an employee can purchase shares through a stock option plan. Learn more.

Understanding Share Certificate: Meaning, Issuance Process, and Advantages

Learn everything about share certificates – their meaning, issuance process, legal importance, and digital vs. physical formats.

What is an IPO and How Does it Work: A Guide

This in-depth guide to IPOs covers everything from the IPO process and regulatory requirements to pricing strategies and post-IPO activities.

EquityList Product Recap (Q3, 2024)

A recap of thew new features and updates EquityList launched to supercharge your equity management experience.

EquityList Customer Story: HealthifyMe’s Transition to Seamless Equity Management

HealthifyMe’s transition to EquityList improved their equity management processes significantly, delivering 80% time savings and increased accuracy. Learn more.

EquityList Customer Story: Transforming Equity Management at Fincent

Learn how Fincent improved its equity management by switching to EquityList. Head of People Yaswanth Goteti discusses overcoming previous challenges, streamlining processes, and enhancing employee experiences with a user-friendly platform.

EquityList Customer Story: Strengthening Equity Management for Scholars Adda

See how Scholars Adda upgraded equity management with EquityList. Streamline cap tables, boost investor trust, and ensure compliance while accessing AWS resources and Microsoft grants.

Introducing: Dematerialisation of Shares for Indian Companies

Companies can now dematerialise their physical shares into electronically held securities through EquityList. Read more.

Cap Table Management - Importance, Challenges, and Tips

Maintaining cap table sanity is one of the most important jobs for founders. Failing to do so can have serious consequences, as evidenced by Tibco's founders. They lost $100 million and faced a lawsuit due to misunderstandings surrounding their equity structure.

What Are Securities? (For Startups and Investors)

Discover the different types of securities used by startups to raise capital, including equity, debt, derivative, and hybrid securities.

EquityList obtains SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, and ISO 27001 certifications

EquityList completes its information security audits and obtains SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, and GDPR certifications.

Guide to Stock Options Vesting and Trends

Vesting is an incentive program for employees, allowing them to increasingly earn a portion of the stock options offered to them based on their employment tenure or goal-based milestones. We dive into different forms of vesting schedules and the latest trends.

Understanding Employee Stock Option Grants in India

Explore how Employee Stock Option Programs (ESOPs) work, from vesting periods to tax liabilities during exercise and liquidation events.

Announcing Our Seed Round

Announcing EquityList seed funding round from AngelList India, Unpopular Ventures, Republic, Hustle Fund, Mana Ventures, and prominent angel investors.

Introducing Employee Aligned Stock Option Plans

Learn how to design employee aligned ESOP schemes that benefit employers and employees with best practices like extended exercise periods, flexible vesting, and more.

How Stock Options Can Change Lives

Explore how ESOPs changed the lives of early employees like Ashok Kumar at SlideShare, Shyam Kumar Singh at CitrusPay, Judy Tong at Alibaba, and Harinder Takhar at PayTM.

The Costs of Delaying Forming an ESOP Scheme

Understand why forming your ESOP scheme on time is crucial for employees and how to mitigate some of the impact of delays through "compressed vesting".

A Guide to Understanding Startup Capitalization Tables/ Cap Tables

The capitalization table, or cap table, reflects the ownership of all shareholders in a company — including the founder, investors, and employees with exercised options. Learn more.

Shipsy's Maiden ESOP Buyback on EquityList

Read how EquityList helped Shipsy launch their maiden ESOP buyback program for their employees.

How to Set Up Your ESOP Pool as an Indian Company

This blog-post breaks down everything you need to know about creating and managing an ESOP pool in India. It includes everything from equity compensation benchmarking to step-by-step instructions for setting up an ESOP scheme.

Case Study - Zomato: ESOP Expenses and Its Accounting Challenges

ESOP Expenses affect a company's profit and loss statement. To understand how it impacts a startup, we take a look at Zomato's recent ESOP expenses and its accounting treatment.

Regulatory Compliances for Equity Compensation in India

The Companies Act mandates legal compliance for ESOPs and sweat equity for unlisted companies. However, SARs issued by unlisted companies are unregulated.

What Is Equity Compensation?

Discover various types of equity compensation plans, including ESOPs, RSUs, SARs, and sweat equity, and their pros and cons.

Why Should I Consider ESOPs?

Explore the rising significance of Employee Stock Option Plans (ESOPs) in India. Discover how ESOPs enhance talent retention, promote wealth creation, and offer liquidity through buybacks and IPOs.

How to Structure Employee Equity Pool in India?

An option pool allows businesses to reserve equity for their employees. This blog talks about the thought process that goes into the creation of this equity pool.

What Are Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs)?

Learn about Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs), a flexible equity compensation method allowing employees to benefit from stock value increases without owning shares.

How to Grant ESOPs to Your Employees?

Learn how to grant ESOPs effectively, from establishing an ESOP scheme and creating grant letters to managing the process seamlessly with EquityList.

Introducing EquityList: Cap Table Management for India

Dozens of venture-backed Indian startups are already using EquiList to manage their cap tables, create stock options programs, & issue grants.