EquityBee operates a marketplace that matches employees who need capital to exercise stock options with a network of roughly 12,000 investors who bid to finance those exercises. Funding can come from syndicates or single investors, and identities are anonymized between employees and investors while investors can see the employee's company. Employees only repay principal plus a percentage interest if they realize gains at a liquidity event; if options end up worthless, employees owe nothing. The platform reports strong growth: capital in its Investor Network has grown 500% year-on-year since 2020, the number of investors has grown 430%, and employees tapping the network have risen more than 350% in the same period. EquityBee estimates the average employee needs about $140,000 to fully exercise options and says there may be up to $60 billion in startup options annually, with over 55% going unexercised. The company is exploring additional liquidity products and potential integrations with employer benefits and HR services, though the CEO declined to outline specific future features. EquityBee operates a marketplace that provides capital to startup employees so they can exercise their stock options and cover associated taxes. The company educates employees on stock-option mechanics and connects them with investors who receive a share of profits after a liquidity event. EquityBee charges an upfront fee on the investment day and collects carried interest on successful exits or IPOs. Since launching, it has funded employees from hundreds of companies, including Airbnb, Palantir, DoorDash and Unity, and its investor community comprises some 8,000 funds, family offices and high-net-worth individuals. In 2020 the company grew the amount of money it raised to fund employee options by more than 560% and increased the number of individual employees funded by 360%. The 33-person company plans to use the new capital for hiring and expanding product offerings. EquityBee provides funding to startup employees so they can exercise their employee stock options before they expire. The platform connects employees with investors who provide the capital in exchange for a portion of any future exit gains. Its Investors Community includes thousands of investors worldwide, including family offices, funds and accredited investors. In the past year the company has helped hundreds of employees from more than one hundred different companies, including Taboola, MyHeritage, SimilarWeb, MagicLeap and IronSource. EquityBee was founded by Oren Barzilai (CEO), Oded Golan (CPO) and Mody Radashkovich (COO). The company intends to use new funds to expand into the U.S. market.

Total raised

$82M

Funding rounds

3

Latest round

Series B

Latest activity

Sep 2021