Article · 10 min read

All About Advisor Equity: Types, Granting Process, Benefits

Treelife Free Intermediate India

This is the India-context piece for when you actually grant an advisor equity, written by a firm that does startup ESOP and advisor-equity work here. It walks the granting mechanics an Indian founder hits (board approval, a documented grant agreement, stock options vs RSUs, 4-year 25%-per-year vesting) and flags that advisor grants should stay in the 0.25% to 5% band across the whole pool. Read it before you promise equity so an advisor's title cannot become a later claim on your cap table without documented, vesting-gated work.

• Advisor grants in India go through board approval plus a documented grant agreement, not a handshake
• Keep total advisor equity within 0.25% to 5%, with vesting (e.g. 4 years, 25% per year) to gate it on real contribution
• Stock options vs RSUs each carry different tax and cap-table treatment worth confirming with an India-focused advisor