At least 20 modern personnel at Hopscotch, a online youngsters’ style portal, turns into “crorepatis” or millionaires this month because the start-up plans to buy back ESOPs (Employee Stock Option Plan). 20 employees have opted to encash their ESOPs, says the organization. However, the best 20 have opted to encash their ESOPs, a worker benefit plan that offers personnel a possession interest inside the enterprise. The scheme was supplied to about one hundred existing personnel.
ESOPs are issued as direct inventory, profit-sharing plans, or bonuses. They could be a widespread phenomenon with begin-united states of America ESOPs act as a tool to include high attrition and preserve splendid expertise. However, start-united States buy back the one’s shares whilst the founders want to grow their stakes earlier than a massive investment spherical or whilst the organization is getting received or going public.
Rahul Anand, Founder of Hopscotch, instructed BusinessLine that there may be no immediate plan of fund-elevating or acquisition, even though the start-up has been approached using numerous main consumer brands.
“We have a totally huge ESOP pool at Hopscotch, and we gave every unmarried character the right to determine whether they would really like to maintain or promote this. It allows employees to view ESOPs as a credible alternative to coins reimbursement, one that may regularly result in huge monetary rewards,” Anand said, including that not like other begin-ups, the ESOP shares are provided at a very early degree and might be performed every yr.
In 2012, Hopscotch was backed via venture investors, including Eduardo Saverin, co-founder of Facebook, Singapore-primarily based LionRock Capital, Wei Yan of Diapers.Com, and Toivo Annus of Skype. With a triple-digit CAGR, the corporation is looking ahead to a turnover of ₹500 crores in FY19.
With about 3 million lively customers, Hopscotch is the only single-logo online children emblem that sells products for children elderly between zero years to 14 years. It is not a marketplace. However, a brand and subsequently has been capable of maintaining its cash burn low with the aid of having control on its cut-price strategy. It additionally enjoys high margins of 60-70 according to cent. According to Anand, the marketings fees have decreased by using 20 in keeping with cent each year.
Over half a dozen begin-ups in the closing six months, consisting of Oyo, UrbanClap, Rivigo, RazorPay, Swiggy, and Flipkart, have presented to buy back ESOPs from their modern personnel in a bid to stop attrition and hold talent.
Last 12 months, Paytm and Ola had also offered their respective personnel the option to liquidate their shares. Such occasions also suggest a wellknown rise in exits at begin-ups.
E-commerce giant Flipkart had the best ESOP buyback program final yr after its acquisition with the aid of Walmart that bought seventy-seven percent of the enterprise. Other agencies are also playing catch up by facilitating their first-ever ESOP repurchases this yr.
