Build · Equity
Give equity without guessing what comes first.
Tell Solvd who you want to give equity to and what you want them to receive. It checks the company state, shows what has to happen first, and keeps completed work connected to what comes next.
Built for early-stage Delaware C-Corps. Company-specific answers depend on documents and facts.
Direct answer
Equity is not one document.
A startup equity decision can touch the award type, available shares or plan reserve, exercise-price support, corporate authorization, vesting terms, signed grant documents and the cap table. Which steps matter depends on the recipient and award.
What Solvd handles
One equity category. Different jobs.
Stock option plans
Create or update the framework used for employee and advisor awards.
Stock options
Issue supported ISO or NSO grants with company-state checks and an approval path.
Restricted stock
Document stock subject to vesting or repurchase rights where the workflow applies.
Advisor equity
Connect advisor compensation to the appropriate instrument and approvals.
83(b) elections
Track the 30-day federal election decision and connect the filing record to the issuance.
Cap table
Carry completed equity events into the ownership record and verify the record against evidence.
Sequencing proof
The grant is the last step, not the first.
- Plan / award framework foundReady
- Sufficient reserve foundReady
- Exercise-price support foundReady
- Corporate approval still requiredNext
Grant completion waits on the approval step; then the ownership record can be updated.
Before / Next
Each step changes what the company can do next.
Company-state checks
Before equity moves, check the company state.
- Authorized and available shares
- Plan / reserve and current terms
- Recipient relationship where option type matters
- Exercise-price / fair-market-value support
- Board, committee or delegated approval path
- Existing vesting / grant terms and cap-table effect
Founder questions
Know the rule. Then check your company.
Do we need an equity plan before granting options?
A formal plan is common for startup option programs and ISO treatment has specific statutory plan requirements, but the answer is more nuanced than “no plan = no option.” The grant structure, recipient and company records matter.
Do we need a 409A valuation before every option grant?
Not as a universal legal rule. The important federal tax issue is support for fair market value at grant. An independent appraisal is a common private-company method, but company facts matter.
Can advisors receive ISOs?
ISOs are statutory employee options under IRC §422. Advisors and other non-employees generally receive NSOs or another equity instrument.
Who approves an option grant?
The approval path depends on governing documents, the equity plan and any valid delegation. Delaware law permits board-set terms and delegation within statutory limits.