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guides and deep dives

Enterprise Management Incentive (EMI) Schemes: The Startup Guide

Find out how Enterprise Management Incentive (EMI) options work, who can use them, and the benefits compared to other employee share schemes.

Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan

Content Lead & Drone Blogger

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Guides and deep dives

Equity and culture

Inside Ledgy

Tips from the experts

tips from the experts

Navigating equity in a downturn: inside a Ledgy fireside chat with btov’s Andreas Goeldi 🔥

Tech valuations and multiples have come under pressure in the last year. To get an insight into the potential consequences of this market correction, Ledgy CEO Yoko sat down with former entrepreneur and veteran investor Andreas Goeldi.

Yoko Spirig

Yoko Spirig

Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder

guides and deep dives

What Is a Cap Table? Creation & Management Guide

What is a cap table and how do the most successful startups manage their cap tables? Find out everything you need to know here!

equity and culture

10 ways equity engages your team

The phrase “take ownership” has two meanings: to possess something, and to be responsible for something. That’s the power of employee equity in a nutshell.

Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan

Content Lead & Drone Blogger

equity

The burning questions we’ve been asked recently: Offboarding Edition

As a startup, layoffs are a difficult but sometimes necessary part of the growth process. But your company culture doesn’t stop when you part ways with team members.

Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan

Content Lead & Drone Blogger

guides and deep dives

Employee equity in a down round: what happens? And what do you need to know?

What is a down round, and how do down rounds impact company cap tables and employee equity? We provide guidance for people wondering what might happen to their share options in the event of a down round.

Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan

Content Lead & Drone Blogger

equity

Equity as you grow: in conversation with Bain Capital Ventures' Sarah Hinkfuss

As your company scales, the way you manage your equity needs to change. We speak with BCV Partner Sarah Hinkfuss about how internal owners, investor expectations and data management all evolve as your equity plan scales.

Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan

Content Lead & Drone Blogger

companies

The Equity Questions You Need to Ask When You Get a Startup Job Offer

At the job offer stage, future employees are often left unclear about what their equity stake really means. That’s why we’ve provided a checklist of the key questions to ask through the recruitment process and at the offer stage.

Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan

Content Lead & Drone Blogger

companies

Unwrapping 🎁 a Ledgendary 2022

Reflecting on Ledgy’s Product Development in 2022: this year's top 10 new features and the gifts they keep on giving.

Karime Andere

Karime Andere

Product Marketer & Dancing Queen

companies

From Ledgy customers to Ledgy investors

A Q&A with wefox’s Julian Teicke and Fabian Wesemann

Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan

Content Lead & Drone Blogger

guides and deep dives

Your complete guide to advisor equity

Which advisors should get equity stakes? How much equity should I offer in the first place? And which share types are best to use? We outline a structure that could help you decide which advisors should get equity, and how much you should offer.

Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan

Content Lead & Drone Blogger

inside ledgy

Three take-home messages from Ledgy’s trip to Web Summit

We recap an action-packed week at Europe’s biggest tech conference!

Sarah Strickland

Sarah Strickland

Strategy Analyst & Cooking Enthusiast

guides and deep dives

The UK startup’s guide to growth shares

Growth shares are a popular share plan choice for early-stage startups. But how do growth shares compare to, for example, an EMI scheme? Let’s dive into the pros and cons of growth shares compared to EMI option plans.

Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan

Content Lead & Drone Blogger

inside ledgy

Ledgy @ SaaStock: 4 things we learned

We recap an awesome three days at one of the biggest SaaS conferences in Europe!

Karime Andere

Karime Andere

Product Marketer & Dancing Queen

tips from the experts

My equity journey, with Sequoia Capital's Konstantine Buhler

Ledgy sits down with Sequoia Capital partner Konstantine Buhler, diving into his family history and journeying through conflict, risk-taking, and entrepreneurship across different continents.

Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan

Content Lead & Drone Blogger

inside ledgy

Ledgy's Series B: a milestone for European equity

Ledgy has raised a $22 million Series B funding round, led by New Enterprise Associates. 🎉 What's next?

Yoko Spirig

Yoko Spirig

Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder

guides and deep dives

Why Are You Hearing So Much About Burn Rate and Runway Right Now?

Runway and burn rate are always important metrics. But in difficult times, it's even more critical to be on top of these measurements. Here’s how to look ahead at your runway, how to calculate burn rate, and key considerations for leaders right now.

Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan

Content Lead & Drone Blogger

guides and deep dives

IFRS 2 and expensing stock options: Why does it matter? And why do startups need to be on top of it?

IFRS 2 and share-based payments are important processes for startup finance leaders to understand. This is your quick summary of some of the key principles underpinning IFRS 2.

Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan

Content Lead & Drone Blogger

tips from the experts

Making equity more than just a one-off conversation: Ledgy x Figures webinar recap

Ledgy joined forces with Figures, one of Europe’s leading compensation benchmarking companies, to discuss how more companies can begin bringing equity into the conversation right through the year.

Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan

Content Lead & Drone Blogger

tips from the experts

Lessons for finance leaders from Ledgy and Sequoia’s London CFO event

Ledgy and Sequoia Capital partnered to host an event for senior finance executives in Europe, featuring a candid discussion on priorities and key actions for CFOs in a market downturn.

Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan

Content Lead & Drone Blogger

guides and deep dives

Equity meets a bear market: what happens now?

It has been a difficult few weeks for many in tech. So what tools do founders have to keep the team engaged and motivated in a bear market? And what role will equity play in the journey ahead?

Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan

Content Lead & Drone Blogger

equity and culture

Why founders and employees are treated differently under leaver clauses

Let’s dig into how and why the situation is different for founders and employees under leaver clauses, and cover some options companies have to establish how both these groups can be treated.

Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan

Content Lead & Drone Blogger

guides and deep dives

Good leaver, bad leaver? What startups and employees need to know about leaver clauses

Here’s what employees, founders, and companies need to know about leaver provisions, including the traditional definitions of good and bad leavers, and how to use these clauses to motivate rather than punish.

Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan

Content Lead & Drone Blogger

guides and deep dives

Ledgy and HiBob report: companies must connect compensation to culture to build sustainable foundations for growth

Leading HR platform HiBob and equity management specialist Ledgy outline steps to drive culture with compensation in their jointly-produced report, ‘How to attract and retain top talent using a full-stack compensation strategy’.

Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan

Content Lead & Drone Blogger

tips from the experts

How to take climate action as a startup: Expert Interview with Marian Krueger

We discussed our climate action principles with Marian, and invited him to share his thoughts about how companies like us can take climate action.

Ben Brandt

Ben Brandt

Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer

inside ledgy

How we’re taking climate action at Ledgy: Our Climate Action Principles

We’ve always been passionate about climate action, and now we’re taking things a step further by making available our own Climate Action Principles. Find out how we’re keeping the planet in mind as we continue to grow.

Karime Andere

Karime Andere

Product Marketer & Dancing Queen

guides and deep dives

Enterprise Management Incentive (EMI) Rules Every Startup Needs to Know

The Enterprise Management Incentive (EMI) scheme is an employee share option plan designed to help growing businesses offer equity stakes to employees.

Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan

Content Lead & Drone Blogger

equity and culture

Explaining equity to the team: unpacking Ledgy's most asked question!

Ledgy CEO Yoko Spirig is asked by other founders how best to explain equity to their teams. A few simple principles can help get companies started.

Yoko Spirig

Yoko Spirig

Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder

inside ledgy

Ledgy employees can trade salary for equity. This is why, and here’s how we make it work

Scaling companies have to think creatively and ambitiously about compensation. Ledgy has begun offering employees the option of exchanging a portion of their salary for increased equity. So how does it work? And why is it so important?

Ben Brandt

Ben Brandt

Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer

guides and deep dives

Startup valuations: how to value a startup, and common valuation methods

A valuation can make a real difference to a startup's momentum and internal culture. Here, we analyze some of the most common ways to value startups, giving you the tools to understand exactly what your startup could be worth.

Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan

Content Lead & Drone Blogger

guides and deep dives

What is a Liquidity Event? Planning Your Startup Exit Strategy

Liquidity events are major milestones in the life of startups. But what are the main types of liquidity event, and when do they start to matter?

Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan

Content Lead & Drone Blogger

update | news

Ledgy CEO: Three things I learned from Ledgy's State of Equity and Ownership Report 2022

Ledgy's new report uncovers the critical fundraising and share ownership trends that could impact startups and scale-ups through 2022. Here are three key lessons.

Yoko Spirig

Yoko Spirig

Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder

inside ledgy

Reviewing Q4 at Ledgy: partnerships 🤝, followers 🚀, virtual Christmas 🧑‍🎄, new hires 💃🕺

We recap an action-packed final quarter of 2021 for Ledgy.

Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan

Content Lead & Drone Blogger

guides and deep dives

Capital raising strategy: when to bootstrap, and when to raise funding?

How do you strike a balance between latching on to opportunities for growth by leveraging your equity, and retaining control over the company you’re building?

Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan

Content Lead & Drone Blogger

guides and deep dives

Startup fundraising: funding strategies for growth

This article digs into the basics of startup fundraising. What are the triggers and milestones that mark different funding rounds? How can you optimize your fundraising strategy? And where do equity and share ownership come in?

Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan

Content Lead & Drone Blogger

equity and culture

Attract and Retain Talent with Equity

The most successful high-growth companies understand the power of equity to attract talent. But what are the benefits and how do they efficiently manage it?

Ermias Giovanni

Ermias Giovanni

tips from the experts

Managing equity in a remote organization: lessons from a Ledgy co-founder

Remote working means a gigantic recalibration for companies, employees and investors. What will the consequences be for operations, culture and growth? And how can leaders create new processes that scale in a remote-first environment?

Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan

Content Lead & Drone Blogger

equity and culture

Equity management: what Ledgy's Customer Experience team wants you to know

We asked Spela, our Head of Customer Experience: what are some of the most important steps Ledgy customers can take to increase engagement and make ownership data work harder for the business?

Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan

Content Lead & Drone Blogger

inside ledgy

Ledgy @ WomenHack: Connecting with Zürich's female tech talent

We recap an inspiring WomenHack Zürich event, where Ledgy presented to more than 100 women in tech.

Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan

Content Lead & Drone Blogger

equity and culture

Powering up talent strategy with smart equity management

How are leaders planning to execute their talent strategy plans in a hyper-competitive environment, while treating employees fairly and keeping them engaged?

Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan

Content Lead & Drone Blogger

guides and deep dives

Equity management for remote operations: the playbook

Building remote companies means big changes for hiring, talent and compensation. Distributed teams also need to re-examine equity and ownership.

Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan

Content Lead & Drone Blogger

update | company

Reviewing Q3 at Ledgy: revenue 💸, features 💻, offsite 🏔, Euro road trip 🛤

We recap a busy and rewarding third quarter for Ledgy.

Joe Brennan

Joe Brennan

Content Lead & Drone Blogger

inside ledgy

We’ve just raised our Series A 🥳

Ledgy just raised a $10 million Series A round, led by Sequoia. CEO Yoko Spirig reflects on the fundraising and what’s next for Ledgy.

Yoko Spirig

Yoko Spirig

Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder

tips from the experts

Interview: equity management, simplified and automated with Ledgy

Check out this exclusive interview with Spela, Head of Customer Experience at Ledgy, to find out how high-growth People teams are using Ledgy to simplify their equity plans

tips from the experts

Term Sheet Negotiations: A Startup Lawyer's Perspective With Nicolai Nuber from Kellerhals Carrard

This part of the Term Sheet Negotiations series brings us the last missing piece of the puzzle–the lawyer. Everything you've ever wanted to ask an extremely experienced startup lawyer can now be found in this blog.

Spela Prijon

Spela Prijon

guides and deep dives

Employee Stock Option and Phantom Share Plans (Pool Size, Vesting Schedule Examples)

It’s no secret that the current entrepreneurial world is dominated by startup giants from the United States. So, if European startups want to catch up, as well as stop losing talent to US companies, they have to start offering company shares to employees.

Spela Prijon

Spela Prijon

equity and culture

Explaining ESOPs to employees

What are the questions employees most often wonder about? The free comprehensive guide can help you answer their questions.

Spela Prijon

Spela Prijon

guides and deep dives

How can digital signatures improve and speed up your equity management processes

Startups manage their equity online and digital signatures are a necessary addition.

Spela Prijon

Spela Prijon

tips from the experts

Term Sheet Negotiations: Interview with Cédric Köhler (Creathor Ventures)

The second blog in the term sheet negotiations series. Cédric Köhler answers questions about term sheets and the processes around it!

Spela Prijon

Spela Prijon

inside ledgy

How Ledgy rolled out free digital signatures and scenario modeling for customers in lockdown

Ledgy opened up free digital signatures and scenario modeling to all customers when different countries locked down in 2020. Why are these features so important to remote collaboration?

Spela Prijon

Spela Prijon

tips from the experts

Term Sheet Negotiations: Interview with Andreas Goeldi (btov Partners)

The third blog in the term sheet negotiations series. Andreas Goeldi answers questions about term sheets and the processes around it!

Spela Prijon

Spela Prijon

guides and deep dives

Employee Equity Plans: A Case for Democratising Ownership of Your Company

There is power in ownership! By leveraging ESOPs & PSOPs companies are able to offer a win-win scenario for their employees and also for the success of their company.

equity and culture

Customer Spotlight: Yova

As part of the Earth Week 2021, we wanted to showcase one of our customers, Yova, that is doing their part in the fight for the climate!

equity and culture

Customer Spotlight: candi

As part of the Earth Week 2021, we wanted to showcase one of our customers, candi, that is doing their part in the fight for the climate!

guides and deep dives

Basics of Pre- and Post-Money Option Pools

If you are looking for more clarity on the details of pre- and post-money option pools (aka. the option pool shuffle) you just found the right resource.

guides and deep dives

Convertible Notes: Real-World Examples

In the startup world, the two most widely used methods for raising funds are through equity and convertible notes. In this post, we’ll share with you real-world data from our app and some additional insights about convertible notes.

Spela Prijon

Spela Prijon

guides and deep dives

Term Sheet Negotiations Done Right

The first part in a series of interviews and blogs, describing the clauses you should always pay attention to.

Spela Prijon

Spela Prijon

equity and culture

The biggest questions about employee equity answered by Raisin, Index Ventures and Ledgy

Dominic (VP Talent at Index Ventures,) Frank (CFO at Raisin) and Yoko (CEO at Ledgy) share their experiences with employee equity and what it means to share ownership with employees.

Spela Prijon

Spela Prijon

tips from the experts

Term Sheet Negotiations: The Exit Story of Philipp Millar (Elohna)

So far in this series, we have introduced the basics of term sheet negotiations and asked our investors Cedric Kohler and Andreas Goeldi to share their experiences. In this post, we discuss another exciting part of a startup’s life—the exit.

Spela Prijon

Spela Prijon

inside ledgy

Raising a convertible loan during COVID-19: what we learned

Many companies are currently preparing to confront the bumpy months ahead, among others with convertible loans, so we wanted to share what we've learned.

Yoko Spirig

Yoko Spirig

Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder

guides and deep dives

Post-Money Valuation: What's the Right Way to Calculate It?

Post-money valuation is a straightforward and at the same time confusing term, because everyone can have a different formula they use to calculate it. In this blog post we discuss the different calculation methods!

Spela Prijon

Spela Prijon

guides and deep dives

Anti-Dilution Provisions: Which One Is Better for Founders?

During any investment, some of the integral parts of negotiations are provisions that protect investors from dilution in subsequent financing rounds.

Spela Prijon

Spela Prijon

inside ledgy

Die 5-Minuten-Startup-GV in der Schweiz

Wir haben letzte Woche die allererste Generalversammlung bei Ledgy durchgeführt. In diesem Post teilen wir unsere Templates sowie unsere Learnings.

Yoko Spirig

Yoko Spirig

Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder

guides and deep dives

Tax on Startups’ Shares in Switzerland

A startup’s equity has a certain value and thus needs to be declared by the shareholders in their tax declaration yearly. Here’s a mini guide of how to communicate the equity’s value to your startup’s investors and employees.

Yoko Spirig

Yoko Spirig

Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder

guides and deep dives

Equity for Employees in Switzerland

It’s a counterintuitive fact when a company is small but believe it or not: equity is the most precious asset a startup has. If explained and used well, it can play a key role in motivating your employees to stay on the boat for the long run.

Yoko Spirig

Yoko Spirig

Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder

guides and deep dives

Are Numbered Shares Necessary?

Our daily business is cap tables and share registers. One topic we regularly see divide the minds in Switzerland: Is it necessary to number the shares? Let’s try to bring some light into this darkness.

Ben Brandt

Ben Brandt

Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer

guides and deep dives

Calculating a Financing Round with Convertible Loans

Investment rounds can get tricky to calculate when convertible rounds with cap and discount come into play. So let’s have a look at how that works.

Ben Brandt

Ben Brandt

Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer

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