A smarter way to manage share options
The challenge
As Sigma Labs scaled, the day-to-day management of its share option schemes became increasingly time-consuming.
With the internal team having limited bandwidth, handling the processing of option grants, exercises and associated administrative tasks in a timely way internally became a real challenge and a growing burden on the team.
Sigma Labs needed a trusted partner who could take ownership of ongoing scheme management while also providing confidence that everything, past and present, was fully compliant and in order.
The equiCraft solution
We partnered with Sigma Labs to manage the ongoing administration of their schemes:
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The basics of scheme management: we worked with the key stakeholder and thoroughly reviewed the existing scheme documentation and records to ensure we knew how the schemes worked in practice and what challenges needed to be overcome.
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Taking ownership of day-to-day administration: we quickly gained an understanding of how Sigma Labs had historically managed its equity schemes and put in place processes to streamline management for the future.
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Managed option grants end-to-end: we drafted all award documents, ensured the necessary corporate approvals were in place, handled the entire signing process and took care of all necessary filings, freeing up valuable time for the finance team at Sigma Labs.
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Audit and remediation: we conducted a full audit of all historical transactions relating to the share option schemes, reviewing records for accuracy, completeness and compliance. We then prepared a detailed report outlining our findings and risk areas and supported the execution of all remedial actions required.
The impact
With equiCraft’s support, Sigma Labs achieved:
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A significant reduction in the administrative burden associated with managing its share option schemes.
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Confidence that all option grants, exercises, and processes were being handled correctly and in a timely manner.
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Full visibility over historical transactions and scheme activity.
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Identification and resolution of legacy issues through a structured audit process.
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Strengthened compliance and governance across all share option schemes.
Why equiCraft
“equiCraft brought immediate relief and clarity to what had become a time-consuming area for us. Their maintain programme has taken the operational burden off our team and their audit work gave us real confidence that everything is accurate and compliant. They’re responsive, detail-oriented and genuinely care about helping us get our equity schemes to work for us and our team.”
— Xiao Cai, Finance Director, Sigma Labs
