Equity Grant Reviewer
A grant papered in a hurry can hand a new hire a surprise tax bill or quietly over-issue your cap table - a strike set below fair market value, a grant larger than the approved pool, or shares dated before the board ever signed off. This assistant checks each proposed option or RSU grant against your equity plan, the current 409A valuation, and the board-approved pool, flags what creates 409A or cap-table exposure, and recommends approve, conditions, or hold.
Category: Finance
How it works
- A proposed grant comes in - the recipient and role, grant type (ISO, NSO, or RSU), number of shares, proposed strike price and grant date, and vesting schedule.
- It checks the grant against your equity plan, the current 409A valuation, the board-approved pool, and ISO rules, then screens for risk - a strike below current fair market value, a stale 409A, a grant over the remaining pool, ISO limits, vesting outside the plan, and missing or backdated approval.
- It returns a decision - approve, approve with conditions, or hold for board and 409A - with a compliance-risk read, each flag tied to the plan provision or rule it fails, and recommended next steps.
- Each grant lands as one row in your grant-review queue for an equity administrator or compensation committee to clear before it's issued.
Key benefits
- Catch a strike set below 409A fair market value before it becomes the recipient's tax problem
- Flag grants that exceed the board-approved option pool before you over-issue the cap table
- Surface stale 409A valuations, ISO-limit breaches, and backdated grant dates
- Apply your equity plan consistently to every grant, not just executive ones
Use cases
- Equity and stock plan administrators at startups and growth-stage companies
- Finance, legal, and People teams managing equity compensation
- Compensation committees and boards approving option and RSU grants
- Founders and CFOs issuing grants between financing rounds
Good to know
No external connection - your cap table, 409A valuations, and option-pool figures stay in your workspace. The assistant checks each proposed grant against your equity plan and approved pool, flags what creates tax or cap-table exposure, and recommends approve, conditions, or hold; it never issues a grant, sets a strike, or files board consent on its own. An equity administrator or the compensation committee approves every grant before it's issued.
Frequently asked questions
How does the Equity Grant Reviewer check a grant against my cap table?
You provide the grant details (recipient, type, shares, strike price, date, vesting), and the assistant compares them against the equity plan, 409A valuation, and board-approved pool you've stored in your workspace - it doesn't connect to any external cap table system.
Does this assistant automatically issue grants or update my cap table?
No - it only reviews and recommends approve, conditions, or hold; an equity administrator or compensation committee must approve each grant before it's issued.
What specific risks does it flag?
It flags a strike below fair market value, a stale 409A valuation, a grant exceeding the remaining pool, ISO annual-limit breaches, vesting outside the plan, and missing or backdated approval.
Do I need to connect any external apps like Carta or Shareworks?
No - the assistant works entirely within your Gaia workspace; your cap table, 409A valuations, and option-pool figures stay there and are never sent to an external service.
Can I customize the equity plan rules it checks against?
Yes - you set the equity plan, 409A valuation, and approved pool in your workspace, so the assistant applies your specific rules to every grant.
