Course Description

One solution for both challenges is an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP).

Employees are the company's most important asset. To find an A-Team player is even more difficult. Especially in start-ups and SMEs, we may not have a huge amount of funds to pay the employee’s expected salaries. Is there any way that we can retain talent without increasing the budget for salaries?

Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP) are mechanisms devised for companies to offer their employees the right to buy shares in the company at no upfront cost. They can also be a specific percentage of shares.

But how does ESOP work? Is Employee Ownership right for your business?

Andy Lee, Co-founder of Sprout, will share his experience in how to create a win-win-win solution (stakeholder, employee and employer) for the company by ESOP.

Who Should Join?
• C-Suite
• Board Members
• Those in Managerial Positions
• Those curious to learn more about how ESOPs work

Your Instructor

I'm an ex-banker, VC, media executive at Newscorp and NBA China and startup leader in APAC for Uber, Kabam and Mapbox. I've spent 20 years in China and I work with entrepreneurs and executives at all stages of development, providing strategic insights and mentorship.

I founded Sprout in 2019 to provide a service that I couldn't find when I was working in early stage companies – cap table, ESOP and investor management software designed for markets outside of the US. I personally oversee all of the work we do at Sprout to ensure we are provide founders with the tools they need to fundraise, grow and retain their employees and manage all their stakeholders.

As any successful entrepreneur can tell you, success depends on more than simply having a good product/service offering. Your ability to raise money and manage investors and dilution could also make or break you. I’m inspired by the stories told by the entrepreneurs I work with on a daily basis. It’s my passion to help businesses with great potential to focus their internal resources on what they do best -- so they can scale and succeed.