HomeFundingHow offering equity can help tech companies navigate these uncertain times (Sponsored)

How offering equity can help tech companies navigate these uncertain times (Sponsored)

Many tech companies are facing tough times, with the coronavirus effect rippling through the economy and disrupting global markets, founders and their investors are having to make difficult decisions to ensure they can stay afloat, and re-emerge with the ability to continue scaling.

But the unprecedented constraints we’re experiencing are also helping to breed creativity. For those companies that are willing and able to adapt and reinvent themselves, the current environment is also providing opportunities to rethink their approach.

A recent note from an investor group to their founders and CEOs called coronavirus, “The Black Swan of 2020”, and warned companies to “brace themselves for turbulence”.

They also asked founders to question every part of their business, including the availability of cash. Headcount is a natural stress point for any company’s finances, and with private financings likely to soften, offering equity in the form of share options is increasingly becoming a credible solution.

Although share options have long been considered a cost-effective component in the reward toolkit. Now, more than ever, they could offer a great way to defer cash salary or bonuses.

Opportunities for your company

  • Protect cash flow by deferring spend via equity on generous terms instead of cash now
  • Retain talent with a strong equity offer not available elsewhere
  • Enourage an entrepreneurial spirit and maintain motivation towards long-term goals

Benefits for your employees

  • Potential to see greater gains with share options over immediate cash
  • Some possible tax-savings, depending on the share plan structure, if Revenvue approved
  • Feel more invested in the business and part of its future

So, if the idea of offering equity as a solution has inspired you but you don’t know where to start, we’d recommend you to get in touch with the share plan experts from Shareworks for an informal chat. For questions you can directly reach out to ayaz.quraishi-at-shareworks.com.

Shareworks provides solutions designed for the unique needs of startups and innovative SMEs. The Shareworks ecosystem is integrated so everything works together seamlessly for improved accuracy, collaboration and decision making.

Thomas Ohr
Thomas Ohr
Thomas Ohr is the "Editor in Chief" of EU-Startups.com and started the blog in October 2010. He is excited about Europe's future, passionate about new business ideas and lives in Barcelona (Spain).
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