Vestd Rolls Out Fully Automated, Secure and Complete Equity Management Platform for UK SMEs
London, UK (PRWEB UK) 19 July 2017 -- London-based Vestd has launched the UK’s first automated equity distribution and management platform for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The cloud-based platform simplifies every aspect of how equity distribution is arranged and managed. It saves private businesses time, hassle and money and paves the way for using equity to help meet business goals.
The platform streamlines tax efficient equity distribution and management for private companies, from drafting agreements to distributing and administering the range of share, option and EMI schemes. In so doing thousands of pounds are shaved off the cost, and it eliminates major hurdles to extending shares and options to employees, partners, investors and other business collaborators. The platform includes a unique, dynamic cap table, offered free to all UK businesses.
Underpinned by an airtight legal structure crafted by the expert legal team at Olswang (now part of CMS), Vestd is authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Vestd’s easy, step-by-step approach to equity management makes quick work of:
• drafting and sharing agreements for issuances across share types, EMIs and other options
• obtaining board and shareholder approval
• managing the capitalisation table
• storing all documents and details in a single, accessible place
• updating and incorporating changes to share and option positions as required
Free and Easy Cap Table Tool
Today Vestd also makes available its dynamic cap table, an automated interface that makes managing and sharing visuals on a business’ capitalisation a snap. The cap table is a key piece of the Vestd platform and is free to all UK private businesses. Whereas a typical cap table is created in a table or spreadsheet, making it fiddly and time-consuming to update and maintain, Vestd’s dynamic version allows users to:
• automatically link and download data from Companies House
• reconcile their data to ensure that Companies House is recording an accurate picture of shareholdings
• get a graphical view on all shareholders, percentages and share classes in a single place
• include the potential impact of options liabilities on their future cap table
• easily share their cap table with investors, advisors and shareholders
Tom Nixon, founder of Maptio, said: “What makes Vestd so compelling out of the gate is the speed and simplicity that comes with organising everything in one place – share agreements, transactions, and the visual cap table. If I, investors or shareholders want to know what our set-up is, everything is neatly filed and accessible online. Everything is digital, so there is no risk of me losing an important piece of paper.”
Big Savings over Law Firm Charges
In another departure from pre-existing practices, Vestd’s pricing is simple and affordable. From a free cap table for any UK business to £50 per month to manage an existing EMI scheme or unapproved options on Vestd, to £100 per month for an all-inclusive ‘create and manage’ package, Vestd offers greater transparency and significant savings over what law firms typically charge. The company even offers special discounted pricing to eligible startups.
“At Vestd we are doing all we can to make it easy, affordable and safe for private businesses to use equity as a lever to achieve their business objectives,” said Ifty Nasir, Vestd co-founder and CEO. “We’re seeing that once you strip away what is frankly a lot of undue complexity and cost, equity becomes a flexible tool to be used for securing the loyalty and commitment not only of employees but contractors, consultants and advisors, too.”
About Vested
Vestd is an easy, affordable, cloud-based platform which allows UK private companies to manage all aspects of their equity distribution and management electronically. Vestd’s solid legal framework was developed by equity experts at Olswang*. The company is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to arrange deals in and safeguard shares and share options on behalf of UK businesses. Vestd was founded in 2014 by Ifty Nasir and Naveed Akram. It is headquartered in London.
*Media and technology experts, now part of global law firm CMS.
Media Contact
Nancy Prendergast, Tannissan Mae
nancy(at)tannissanmae.com
+44 (0)771 200 4933
About Vested
Vestd, which was founded in 2014 by Ifty Nasir and Naveed Akram, is an easy-to-use, affordable, cloud-based platform which allows UK private companies to manage all aspects of equity distribution and management electronically. Vestd’s solid legal framework was developed by equity experts at Olswang (now part of CMS). The company is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to arrange deals in and safeguard shares and share options on behalf of UK businesses. It is headquartered in London.
Nancy Prendergast, Tannissan Mae Communications, +44 7712004933, [email protected]
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