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

Contact the host of ESOPs and Incentives with Lee Bagshaw - Kindrik Partners