Refresh Grants
Why your equity doesn't stop after year 4. Performance, promotion, and market correction refreshes.
What you’ll learn
- ✓How refresh grants work and when to expect them
- ✓Performance-based vs. time-based refreshes
- ✓Promotion refreshes — what to ask for and how to frame it
- ✓Market correction refreshes when underwater options are repriced
- ✓Stacking grants and how to track total equity over time
- ✓How to ask for a refresh without being awkward about it
Most people think of their equity grant as a one-time event: you join, you get X shares, you vest over four years, done. In reality, most companies — especially those planning to stay private long-term or with strong retention incentives — issue refresh grants along the way.
Understanding refresh grant mechanics helps you negotiate them, evaluate them honestly, and avoid the common mistake of thinking your equity picture is static.
In this chapter, you’ll work through the exact framework for refresh grants. We cover each of the key topics with worked examples, real numbers, and actionable steps you can take immediately.
- ✓How refresh grants work and when to expect them
- ✓Performance-based vs. time-based refreshes
- ✓Promotion refreshes — what to ask for and how to frame it
- ✓Market correction refreshes when underwater options are repriced
- ✓Stacking grants and how to track total equity over time
- ✓How to ask for a refresh without being awkward about it
Equity Decoder
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12 chapters. 38 pages. An equity calculator. Everything you need to decode any offer.
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