ESOPs and Incentives with Lee Bagshaw - Kindrik Partners

Founder Workshop: Employee Share Option Plans (ESOPs) & Startup Incentives

Led by Lee Bagshaw, Partner at Kindrik Partners, this practical founder workshop breaks down how to design and implement effective employee incentive schemes in early-stage startups.

Whether you’re building your first team or scaling fast, this session will give you the clarity to make confident, informed decisions around equity and incentives.

What we’ll cover:

• What ESOPs and other incentive schemes actually are

• Sweat equity and advisor share structures

• When to put incentive schemes in place

• Common legal structures used by NZ startups (and what’s considered market standard)

• Key terms explained: pool size, vesting & acceleration, exercise price, leaver provisions

• Practical steps to implement an ESOP

• How employee options work in an exit scenario

Who should attend:

Founders, early-stage operators, and anyone involved in hiring, team building, or structuring startup incentives.

Agenda:

• 1:15 Registration

• 1:30 ESOPs and incentive talk begins

• 2:00 Hands-on workshop with templates begins

• 2:30 Office hours and networking

• 4:00 Event ends

Location: GridAKL John Lysaght, Wynyard Quarter, Auckland

This workshop is brought to you by: Kindrik Partners, GridAKL & Ministry of Awesome