EquityZen Insights

The hub for private market news and education

What Equity Compensation Means for Startup Employees

You’ve received an offer to work at a startup -- congratulations! Now, how do you go about evaluating your equity...

The 7 Equity Documents You Should Always Have on File

It's often hard to read legalese and figure out the stack of paperwork you receive when starting a new job at a private...

Shareholder's Playbook: What to Know About Selling Your Shares

You are working at the pre-IPO company of your dreams….but you need some immediate liquidity. You’ve heard of platforms...

What is an Option Agreement?

If you work at a startup, you’ve probably received an Option Agreement. It lays out what you can and can’t do with your...

The Answers to Your Startup Equity Questions

For employee shareholders, exercising options or selling shares is something many consider, especially when there is a...

How to Exercise Stock Options Without Cash: A Smoother Path to Liquidity

When private company employees talk about selling their stock options, they’re not actually talking about selling their...

What is the Private Secondary Market?

From stocks, to bonds, to commodities and more, most investors are familiar with the various options when it comes to...

Revisiting the Vesting Schedule

Nearly 50 years ago, Silicon Valley introduced, among many other things, the practice of granting employees equity as...

Benefits of Pre-IPO Liquidity for Employees: What to Know

As companies are staying private longer than ever1, the need for pre-IPO liquidity has become increasingly important...