An Overview of Restricted Stock Units for Private Companies

As private companies continue to evolve and rapidly grow in size, retaining and attracting top talent has become increasingly challenging. Nasdaq Private Market has facilitated over 200 secondary programs since 2013, and primarily works with companies that allow employees to sell vested shares or exercise and sell options. While option grants still dominate the private company market, we have seen several companies exploring or implementing RSUs as an equity incentive for employees. As a result, these companies want to know what solutions are available for addressing liquidity prior to an IPO or M&A event.

In this paper, you will read about:

• An introduction to Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)
• The advantages and disadvantages of using RSUs compared to options
• Key considerations from NPM’s past experience with RSUs in liquidity programs

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