Blog
Understand your equity, one idea at a time.
7 Nov 2026 · 6 min read
ESOPs in the Indian economy, and the major drawbacks for companies
Employee stock options have moved from a perk for top executives to a mainstream part of Indian pay. They also come with real costs and frictions for the companies that offer them. Here is the full picture.
7 Nov 2026 · 3 min read
How ESOPs are taxed in India under the new Income-tax Act
The Income-tax Act, 2025 came into force on 1 April 2026. It renumbered the ESOP rules but kept the two-stage structure. Here is how it works, with a worked example.
Tax · India
7 Nov 2026 · 3 min read
What happens to your ESOPs when your company goes public in India
An IPO changes how your options are valued, taxed, traded and governed. Here is what typically changes on listing day, and what does not.
IPO · Exits
7 Nov 2026 · 3 min read
ESOP buybacks: how Indian startups give employees cash before an IPO
Most startup employees in India first see real money from ESOPs through a buyback, not an IPO. Here is how buybacks work, what the recent numbers look like and what to check when one is announced.
Liquidity · Exits
7 Nov 2026 · 3 min read
10 questions to ask before you accept an ESOP offer
An ESOP line in an offer letter can be worth a lot or almost nothing. These ten questions turn a number on paper into something you can actually judge.
Basics · Offers
7 Nov 2026 · 2 min read
Why your ESOP value is only as fresh as the last valuation report
Unlisted companies don’t have a share price that updates every second. Here is how intrinsic value is worked out, why its date matters, and why a sale price per share isn’t always what employees receive.
Valuation · Exits
6 Nov 2026 · 2 min read
Vesting, cliffs and exercise windows, in plain language
Most grant letters use the same handful of terms. Here is what they mean, how a typical schedule plays out month by month, and what usually happens when you leave.
Basics · Vesting
5 Nov 2026 · 2 min read
Your share of the ESOP pool is not your share of the company
Two percentages get mixed up all the time. One tells you how much of the employee pool you hold; the other tells you how much of the company you could own. They are very different numbers.
Basics · Ownership