An option pool is easy to announce and hard to paper correctly. What protects the company is a master Plan document drafted to your structure, grant agreements that vest and clawback the way you intend, exercise mechanics that work, and board and shareholder approvals on record before the first grant goes out. We design the whole plan to US 409A or Indian Companies Act requirements and model the cap-table dilution before adoption. The commercial terms — pool size, vesting, who gets what — are yours; we paper them and pressure-test them, and coordinate a tax and valuation specialist where the question turns on 409A or perquisite tax.
From $2,500 — a flat attorney fee quoted to your scope, with any third-party 409A valuation passed through at cost.
ESOP built
Pool & vesting
Tax-smart
409A-aware
Team aligned
Retention locked
Trusted by founders and brands worldwide
How it works
We review the cap table and settle the commercial decisions: target pool size — 10 to 15% of fully-diluted equity is typical at seed to Series A — vesting structure, exercise window, and when to bring a 409A valuation into the loop. We model the dilution before anything is adopted so you are not over-pooled at the next round.
We draft the master Plan document to US 409A or Indian Companies Act 2013 §62 requirements, plus a grant-agreement template with vesting, exercise, and clawback terms. You and your board review the documents before adoption — the Plan governs every future grant, so it gets the scrutiny up front.
We prepare the board and shareholder resolutions that adopt the plan, then customise and deliver your first grant agreements. Subsequent grants run off the same Plan and are quoted per grantee. The approvals sit on record where a future investor will look for them.
What it costs
Equity & Stock Option Plans starts from $2,500. ESOP design is a flat attorney fee quoted to your scope and confirmed in writing before any work begins — no per-hour billing and no quote after the fact. A single-jurisdiction US plan covers the master Plan document, grant-agreement template, vesting and exercise mechanics, 409A-aligned drafting, cap-table modelling, the adoption resolutions, and your first grants. India and multi-jurisdiction plans are more involved and quoted upfront. Subsequent grants and any third-party 409A valuation are shown separately so nothing is a surprise.
What's included
The attorney fee is a flat quote confirmed in writing before any work begins. Third-party items such as a 409A valuation are passed through at cost and shown before you pay. We do not provide investment, securities, or tax advice and coordinate a specialist where one is needed; enforceability and tax treatment are decided by courts and authorities, not by GTC, and the commercial terms of the plan are yours.
Get started
Tell us about your company and a GTC attorney will scope your option plan and email a flat-fee quote — no payment, no obligation.
Brand details
Legal name of the company adopting the plan.
Your funding stage usually drives the plan structure — for example seed-stage plans often use a 4-year vest with a 1-year cliff (no shares vest until the employee has stayed a full year).
ISO = US tax-favoured employee options. NSO = non-qualified (broader, including contractors). RSU = restricted stock units. SAR = stock appreciation rights. Mixed = combination plan.
How big is the option pool? Give a percentage or a share count — e.g. 10% or 2,000,000 shares (round numbers are fine). Fully-diluted means measured against all shares as if every option and convertible were exercised.
E.g. '4-year vest, 1-year cliff, monthly thereafter' or 'performance-based, milestone vest'. If unsure, leave blank and we will recommend.
Why GTC
The Plan document governs every grant you will ever make, so a generic template is a liability the day an investor reads it. We draft yours to your real pool size, vesting, exercise mechanics, and clawback terms — the document that has to survive diligence, not just paper a number.
US options are drafted for 409A safe-harbour treatment, with the strike price set to fair market value. Indian plans are drafted to Companies Act 2013 §62 and SEBI's SBEB Rules, including the shareholder special resolution and grantee restrictions. We draft to the jurisdiction your company sits in.
An option plan is only valid once the board and shareholders adopt it. We prepare the resolutions and sequence the approvals so the plan is properly authorised before the first grant goes out, rather than reconstructed under pressure during a financing.
We model the cap-table impact — pool size, dilution, and post-money fully-diluted ownership — before the plan is adopted. That keeps the pool sized to your hiring plan and to what the next round expects, instead of a number you regret at the term sheet.
Your Customer Success Team
Every GTC client gets a dedicated Account Manager and a Senior Account Manager who learn your business and stay with you from first email to final filing. They are named people who pick up the phone and already know your matter, so every step moves forward without delay.
Your day-to-day point of contact, who coordinates every matter, keeps things moving, and already knows your file. They have your full history, so you start every conversation where the last one left off.
Senior oversight on strategy and escalations, stepping in as your needs grow, so every important detail stays on track.
A named person, on email or a call, at every step.
How we compare
| What you get | GTC | Online filing services | Doing it yourself |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Plan document drafted by an attorney to your structure and pool size | Generic template | Generic template | |
| Grant agreements with vesting, exercise, and clawback terms tailored to your terms | Generic template | Generic template | |
| Drafted to US 409A safe-harbour or Indian Companies Act §62 / SBEB Rules | |||
| Cap-table dilution modelled before the plan is adopted | |||
| Board and shareholder adoption resolutions prepared | |||
| Tax and 409A valuation specialist coordinated where the question turns on it | Hourly / unclear | Hourly / unclear |
Master Plan document drafted by an attorney to your structure and pool size
Grant agreements with vesting, exercise, and clawback terms tailored to your terms
Drafted to US 409A safe-harbour or Indian Companies Act §62 / SBEB Rules
Cap-table dilution modelled before the plan is adopted
Board and shareholder adoption resolutions prepared
Tax and 409A valuation specialist coordinated where the question turns on it
The timeline
An ESOP takes a few weeks to stand up properly. Most of that time is getting the pool size, jurisdiction compliance, and approvals right before adoption — the drafting itself is the fast part.
We review the cap table and settle pool size — 10 to 15% is typical at seed to Series A — vesting structure, exercise window, and when to bring a 409A valuation into the loop.
The master Plan document is drafted to US 409A or Indian Companies Act requirements, with cap-table dilution modelled before adoption and the grant-agreement template prepared.
Board and shareholder resolutions are adopted. The plan becomes the governing document for every future grant, with the approvals on record.
Your first grant agreements are customised and delivered. Subsequent grants run off the same Plan and are quoted per grantee.
In their words
One accountable team across every practice, operating since 2016.
Equity & Stock Option Plans FAQ
Design the ESOP properly.
A free consultation. We'll review the cap table, settle the pool size and vesting with you, scope the plan, and confirm a flat attorney fee in writing — with any third-party 409A valuation passed through at cost — before any drafting begins.
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