Private Markets

An Overview of Restricted Stock Units for Private Companies

As private companies continue to evolve and rapidly grow in size, retaining and attracting top talent has become increasingly challenging. Nasdaq Private Market has facilitated over 200 secondary programs since 2013, and primarily works with companies that allow employees to sell vested shares or exercise and sell options. While option grants still dominate the private company market, we have seen several companies exploring or implementing RSUs as an equity incentive for employees. As a result, these companies want to know what solutions are available for addressing liquidity prior to an IPO or M&A event.

In this paper, you will read about:

  • An introduction to Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)
  • The advantages and disadvantages of using RSUs compared to options
  • Key considerations from NPM’s past experience with RSUs in liquidity programs

READ THE REPORT

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Nasdaq Private Market

We partner with market-leading companies and alternative investment fund managers to customize and deliver effective liquidity solutions. We selectively leverage our network of specialized institutional buyers to identify the right strategic investor for secondary capital and our end-to-end platform provides comprehensive tools, from ledger integration to contract management and payments.

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