ESOP/SAR Scheme Design and Structuring

Design, conceptualise, and rollout ESOP/SAR schemes that align with Growth, Governance, and Compliance

We have In-House ESOP Experts at your service: 2,000+ Plans designed. 1,000+ Valuations done 2,400+ Platform Clients.

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Recognized as a Global Leader on G2

We are ranked the best in Customer Satisfaction, Enterprise and Mid-Market.

G2 Grid® for Equity Management Software | Summer 2025

Get It Right from the Start

Set up your cap table in minutes and establish a foundation that supports every stage of your growth. Model your first fundraise and understand how investor term sheets affect dilution. Qapita makes it easy to simulate outcomes and make informed equity decisions early.

Scale and Grow

As your company grows, your equity stack gets more complex. Qapita supports it all – options, SAFEs, preferred stock, warrants – with built-in workflows for board consents, investor updates, and structured governance. Every stakeholder stays aligned.

Stay compliant and confident

From valuations to filings, Qapita ensures your equity data is audit-ready and securely accessible to the right people. Manage 409A valuations, 83(b) elections, and reporting requirements with confidence – and stay ready for diligence at any moment.

Collaborative Scheme Design

We Don’t Just Draft It. We Design It With You.

No two companies have the same equity philosophy. We conduct working sessions with founders, CFOs, CHROs, and legal advisors to understand your objectives, current structures, funding plans, and team dynamics. We then design policy options for your review — mapping out pros, cons, and long-term implications. You choose what fits. We refine and finalize.

Structuring for Private & Listed Companies

From Early-Stage to IPO-Ready — We’ve Got You Covered

We tailor schemes to match your company’s lifecycle: early-stage ESOP plans, growth-stage SARs or RSUs, or SEBI-compliant schemes for listed companies. Whether direct grant or trust route, we help you decide what’s optimal for your stage, dilution model, and governance structure.

Policy Elements: Fully Defined, Strategically Aligned

Every Clause Counts. We Help You Get It Right.

We guide you through defining:
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• Grant eligibility & pool sizing
• Vesting models (time, milestone, performance)
• Exercise periods, tax treatment, and lapse clauses
• Termination and exit treatment
• Change-of-control scenarios and accelerated vesting
• Liquidity Events, M&A, IPO and Much more!

These aren’t boilerplate decisions — we help you model and align them to your people and equity strategy.

Investor, Board & Shareholder Alignment

From Concept to Approval – We’re With You

We help you secure stakeholder buy-in by preparing board decks, shareholder resolutions, and investor briefs. Our team ensures your ESOP policy is aligned with funding timelines, founder dilution expectations, and investor preferences — making approval frictionless. We will be by your side partner for your NRCs and Board Meetings.

Complexities, Explained & De-Risked

Multi-Entity, Multi-Stage, Multi-Stakeholder? We’ve Got It.

If you operate across geographies or entities, we helpyou design a master scheme with country-specific adaptations. Define logic forIndian and foreign subsidiaries, CXO-specific tranches, or grant conditionsthat vary by location — all wrapped into a single, scalable framework.

Modular & Multi-Entity Scheme Support

One Framework. Multiple Jurisdictions. Seamless Execution.

If your company has group entities, international teams, or complex investor structures, we help design unified policies with modular customisation. Whether it’s CXO-specific SARs, trust-based pooling, or dual-country tax alignment, we keep the scheme scalable and audit-ready.

Trust vs. Direct Scheme Structuring

We Help You Make the Right Structural Call

Unsure whether to use a direct grant model or ESOP Trust? We assess both options with you — comparing accounting treatment, taxation impact, control over shares, and long-term liquidity planning. You get clarity on what’s optimal now and flexible for future events like buybacks or IPOs.

Drafting, Finalization & Rollout Support

From First Draft to Board-Ratified Plan

We collaborate with your legal counsel or ours to produce a legally vetted policy document. We also provide supporting documents — board notes, explanatory memos, grant templates, trust deeds, and employee FAQs — so that when the plan is approved, it’s ready to execute immediately.

Testimonials

Words From Our Valued Customers

Qapita has made ESOP management simpler for my team.

As part of HR, I really appreciate how easy it is to manage our ESOP program. The platform has reduced a lot of back-and-forth with finance and legal teams. Our employees love the transparency, they can view their grant details, vesting, and value with just a few clicks. Features like automated grant letter from system and the dashboard have been useful for us.

Deepak M.

AVL legal & Corporate Secretarial,
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)

They have helped us effectively manage our ESOPs all digitally as well as organize our Captable. user interface is great.

Ankur Sharma

Chief Financial Officer, Boat

Easy Assessibility, user freindly and report generation for the emplolyees who have been allotted ESOP from our company.

Sharad S.

ESOP Direct Feedback Review || SHYAM METALICS

“Qapita has helped us in drastically improving our employee engagement on our Employee equity front. Equity payslips and valuation slider are really useful

Prashant Kumar

Co‑founder, Zingbus

We entrusted ESOP Direct with our complete Plan administration. scheme is being handled by highly experienced people.

Mona Cherian

President and Group Head Human Resources, Thomas Cook
‍

Everything about Equity under one platform

Qapita helped us plan our ESOPs well. Accuracy is of top notch. Gives our employees clear visibility. Also, their support team is great.

Nitheesh S.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

Qapita Works With Companies Across the Globe From Seed Stage to Listing and Beyond

Design Your ESOP/SAR for Growth, Governance, and Compliance

Partner with our in-house experts to conceptualize and rollout your ideal scheme.

Talk to an Expert

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Cap Table Management—and Why Does Your Startup Need It?

Cap Table Management involves tracking all forms of company equity ownership—founders, investors, options, warrants, SAFEs, convertible notes—accurately and in real‑time. Managing this manually in spreadsheets often leads to errors, dilution, miscalculations, and delays during fundraising or due diligence. Qapita’s platform automates equity issuance, updates transactions instantly, and ensures compliance.

How Do I Import or Migrate an Existing Cap Table into Qapita?

Seamlessly. Qapita supports full history imports or snapshot-based imports using spreadsheets for stakeholders, transactions, share classes, vesting schedules, and convertible instruments. You can map stakeholders and import rows in bulk, then publish transactions to go live when ready. Qapita handles data validation to minimize manual cleanup.

How Often Should I Update My Cap Table—and What Are Common Mistakes to Avoid?

Your cap table should be updated as soon as any significant event takes place, such as new funding rounds, option exercises, transfers, employee departures, or SAFE conversions. Outdated or inaccurate Cap Tables can lead to valuation discrepancies, legal complications, and delays during fundraising or audits. With Qapita, every change is recorded instantly and traceable, reducing typical human errors.

How much does Qapita cost?

Our pricing is designed to support your journey—from early stage to growth and beyond. We offer flexible plans for both listed and unlisted companies. No hidden fees—just unmatched transparency that helps you avoid unexpected pricing spikes. To get a tailored quote, talk to our team or request a demo.

Can Qapita Model Dilution and Equity Ownership Changes in Real Time?

Yes. Qapita lets you run real-time simulations for new funding rounds, option pool expansions, and convertible note conversions. Founders and CFOs can instantly see how ownership shifts across every round.

Design, conceptualise, and rollout ESOP/SAR schemes that align with Growth, Governance, and Compliance

Recognized as a Global Leader on G2

Get It Right from the Start

Scale and Grow

Stay compliant and confident

From Agent to Lead, every role gets the tools to thrive

We Don’t Just Draft It. We Design It With You.

From Early-Stage to IPO-Ready — We’ve Got You Covered

Every Clause Counts. We Help You Get It Right.

From Concept to Approval – We’re With You

Multi-Entity, Multi-Stage, Multi-Stakeholder? We’ve Got It.

One Framework. Multiple Jurisdictions. Seamless Execution.

We Help You Make the Right Structural Call

From First Draft to Board-Ratified Plan

Words From Our Valued Customers

Design Your ESOP/SAR for Growth, Governance, and Compliance

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Save Hours Every Week

Ensure Compliance with Confidence

Scale as You Grow

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Helping You Elevate Your Equity Management

From Design to Full Equity Potential, We've Got You!

ESOP Instruments Feasibility Study

ESOP Benchmarking

ESOP Tax Guides

Our Integrations

Stay Ahead of the Curve

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Cap Table Management—and Why Does Your Startup Need It?

How Do I Import or Migrate an Existing Cap Table into Qapita?

How Often Should I Update My Cap Table—and What Are Common Mistakes to Avoid?

How much does Qapita cost?

Can Qapita Model Dilution and Equity Ownership Changes in Real Time?

Design Your ESOP/SAR Scheme With Proven Expertise