An early option and incentive pool, mission-led hiring and the non-financial side of motivation at X0PA
Nina Alag Suri · X0PA AI
Published September 1, 2022Nina Suri, CEO and Founder of X0Pa shares:
- How we set up option & incentive pool for FTE’s
- Why motivation is not always only financial- the invisible effect
- Creating team cohesion to remove internal frictions
Explore the lesson. Sign in to access the slide download.
Nina Alag Suri explains how X0PA built an emotionally invested team through purposeful hiring, early equity participation, clear long-term value, and systems that replaced manual administration.
Read the source passagesFind the ideas you need and go straight to the source.
“committed to solving a lot of the problems that I saw during the hiring process to solve them with technology use artificial intelligence data back decisions so that you can remove waste a process waste is one of the biggest problems in hiring and and the bias which makes you hire the wrong people or or lose the right people and both of them are dramatic so um so that's what Zopa does and uh”
“creating a Playbook on culture and values that really matter so that when we hire new new folks we are sure we are hiring the right folks and of course we are in the hiring business so Zopa just just to let you know Zopa is a DIY tool that helps large companies as well as startups do their own hiring so they take back the control of hiring use artificial intelligence to remove all the process waste automate a whole”
“this is the beauty of of the platform because for example if you see the projected cup company valuation here 22 million that was our last valuation when we closed our series a uh this was back in December 20 last year and uh so you as an individual you can log into your dashboard and see what your esops are worth so this made a huge difference because you can actually see what you're going to make what are you making today”
“our sales team is is aware of what they're going to make uh by The End by the end of the year so um and we do monthly payouts the moment you cross your threshold so threshold is usually 50 of ARR you start seeing the money coming into your into your bank so um you know that's so we leave nobody behind um all our non-sales team the non”
“is in Singapore India and UAE there are investors the first investor is my husband the first angel investor and trust me it's not easy he he changes his hat very quickly at the dinner table and say what's your ARR today you know so so trust me careful careful before you do that but we we had we have a fantastic set of investors the series a”
“X0PA Revenue Growth”
“Issuing stock options to all full time employees”
“Annual Recurring Revenues (in USD)”
“Before We Started to Use a Platform”
“How we set up option & incentive pool for FTE’s”
Video
How I built a team that was as invested emotionally as me - Slide Deck
Nina Alag Suri is an entrepreneur and engineer. She is the CEO and founder of X0PA AI, an AI powered SAAS platform that helps enable smart hiring by using data to match candidates to job descriptions.
Ari Salafia · Taxtaker
Becca Kay · Dingus and Zazzy
Ben Carpel · Galleon
Brad Miller · AwarenessTech
Bridget Harris · YouCanBookMe
Chris Vandersluis · Timecontrol
Each slide with a short explanation of what it shows. Open the slide text for its exact wording.
26 passages
…that was as invested emotionally as me Nina Suri CEO, Founder of X0Pa Founder500, Sept 2022 How I Used Profit Sharing to Build a Team
X0PA's revenue chart rises from $0 in 2017 to $4.2m in 2022, with the largest increases in the final two years. The labels show $200k in 2018, $576k in 2019, $1.2m in 2020, and $3m in 2021.
X0PA Revenue Growth
The talk connects the design of employee options and incentives with transparency and company-wide impact. It frames the discussion around what to offer, how to make the system clear, and how to help every person contribute.
Over the next 20 minutes: How we set up option & incentive pool for FTE’s I’m going to show you WHAT HOW IMPACT Leave no one behind The tangible and the intangible benefits Transparency and focus drives team work Create a star team not team of stars Its not always only financial- the invisible effect Getting the team to focus on what really matters Creating team cohesion to remove internal frictions Its both the what and the how that gets results
The first section covers how to set up an employee option pool and help employees understand its potential value. It pairs the option and incentive calculator with a focus on the business drivers behind it.
Let’s start with Section 1 How we set up option pool for FTE’s Seeing is believing THE WHAT THE HOW IMPACT ESOP and incentive “worth” calculator Getting everyone to focus on the key drivers
The team used a platform to issue and manage employee stock options. The screenshot shows an issuance workflow with employee information and option documents, making the process visible in one place.
What Did We Do to Set up ESOP? Have a transparent system to help visualise (tool called Svested)
X0PA allocates 10% of its shares to employee stock options and uses a four-year vesting period for full-time employees. The slide also describes using a platform to automate issuance after employee information is entered.
What Did We Do to Set up ESOP? Have a transparent system to help visualise At X0PA, each full time employee is entitled to receive ESOP. 10% of X0PA shares is allocated to ESOP. For all our FTEs, the ESOP rule is a four year vesting period. We have decided to start using an ESOP platform to automate the process of issuing ESOP. As shown on the right, the platform allows us to issue ESOP by only compiling employees information.
An employee dashboard brings option grants, vesting progress, current value, and projected payout together. It gives each option holder a direct view of their own award.
Employee Stock Options Issuing stock options to all full time employees
Employees can use their own dashboard to track vested options and see how an award's estimated value may change. The example combines vesting information with a company-valuation forecast.
Employee Stock Options Issuing stock options to all full time employees Each ESOP holder has access to their own dashboard on the platform as seen on the right. They can obtain information about their ESOP such as number of options vested, value of their ESOP and forecast how much it would be worth in the future.
The calculator maps revenue and valuation assumptions across funding milestones to an estimated option value. Showing the progression helps employees connect business milestones with a possible future payout.
Employees Can Predict Their Earning from Esop for Each Milestone Ensuring entire organisation is in sync on the milestone we want to achieve
Employees can compare how different company-valuation scenarios affect the projected value of their options over four years. The calculator makes the assumptions and resulting estimate visible.
Employees Can Predict Their Earning from Esop for Each Milestone Ensuring entire organisation is in sync on the milestone we want to achieve Given different scenarios, employees can understand how much their ESOP could be worth in 4 years based on the valuation of the company.
The chart compares modeled option values at four ARR levels for awards of 500 and 100 shares. At $100m ARR, it labels the estimated values as $2.4m and $477k, respectively.
Help Predict and Visualise Annual Recurring Revenues (in USD) ESOP Values based on ARR
Both modeled awards increase in value as ARR rises from $1.5m to $100m, while the 500-share award remains higher than the 100-share award. At the highest ARR shown, the chart labels them $2.4m and $477k.
Help Predict and Visualise Annual Recurring Revenues (in USD) ESOP Values based on ARR The value of ESOP will increase based on ARR and the company valuation
The incentive calculator ties sales payouts to ARR target achievement and deal terms. Its spreadsheet layout makes the inputs and resulting incentive calculations visible to the team.
How Do We Keep Our Revenue Generating Teams Motivated at X0PA? How do we calculate incentives?
Sales employees can forecast incentives deal by deal using a shared calculator. Payout eligibility starts at 50% of the ARR target; discounts reduce achievement, while each extra contract year adds 10% achievement.
How Do We Keep Our Revenue Generating Teams Motivated at X0PA? How do we calculate incentives? We share with each sales employee the incentive calculator where they can calculate and forecast how much they could earn for each deal they close. At X0PA, Incentives are based on the ARR target. The threshold to start earning incentives is 50% Price Discount in a deal is deducted from achievement( i.e 10% discount will reduce 10% from achievement) Contract period gets 10% additional achievement for each additional year Here, 50% of the ARR target was met therefore the employee start to earn incentive.
The second section extends incentives beyond sales, pairing company milestone-based options and bonuses for the technology team with the idea that every employee should see how their work contributes.
Section 2- Leave No One Behind Recognize that Its not just the sales team that brings the business THE WHAT THE HOW IMPACT ESOPs and Bonus for the tech team on overall company milestones Everyone feels the impact of their contribution for more motivated and engaged team. Every single person in your company should create an impact
An offer letter illustrates how the company documented its first sales manager hire, including the role and compensation terms. The example shows incentives and employment terms in a formal written offer.
Offer Letter to Our First Sales Manager
A dense spreadsheet represents the tracking process used before the company adopted a platform. The example contrasts a manual worksheet with the more visible system described in the preceding slides.
Before We Started to Use a Platform
The chart shows estimated incentives rising with company ARR targets for two base-salary scenarios. Both series increase steadily across the range, while the higher-salary scenario produces the larger payout at each target.
Leave no one Behind Company ARR Target (in Million USD) Incentives based on company ARR
Non-sales employees can earn incentives tied to the company's ARR target, with eligibility beginning at 50% of target. The chart callouts make the threshold and company-wide approach explicit.
Leave no one Behind Company ARR Target (in Million USD) Incentives based on company ARR Non-sales employees obtain incentives based on the ARR Target for the year. At 50% threshold the employees will start to earn incentives Starting earning incentives at 50% target
The third section argues that financial benefits may attract people, while purpose and a sense of impact help connect them to the company. It emphasizes each person's role and the culture that supports engagement.
Section 3- the Invisible Benefits People will join your for the perceived values and the financial benefits but stay for the reasons other than financial THE WHAT THE HOW IMPACT Culture of the company is key glue to keep people connected and engaged. Ensure team knows the purpose of your company and their individual role in that. Each person should make an impact for them to jump out of their beds in the morning to work. Its not always just the financial benefits that matter
The recap recommends getting legal advice when setting option rules, showing employees how options may grow with milestones, and sharing incentive calculators. Clear rules help people understand how their work can affect what they earn.
How to Build an Invested Team? Set up ESOP for your team, make sure to obtain advice from lawyers before creating ESOP rules to ensure no mistakes are made legally. Ensure you help visualise the value ESOPs to your employees linked to predictive milestones Use the sample calculator for incentives to motivate and reward your sales team- seeing is believing Transparency on how to and how much they can earn from incentives
A grid of portraits and roles introduces X0PA's executive and functional leaders, including its founder, data science and technology leadership, customer success, finance, partnerships, marketing, and investor relations.
Three profile cards pair investor and board-member portraits with biographies and affiliations. The slide presents the experience and organizations represented in the company's investor network.
Three more profile cards introduce board observers and their organizations, including venture investors and a Singapore government agency. The biographies connect the company with a broader network of advisors and institutions.
The closing recap returns to three themes: share options and incentives, make contribution and rewards transparent, and build team cohesion around meaningful work. The message links both the design and communication of incentives to results.
Over the last 20 minutes: How we set up option & incentive pool for FTE’s I just showed you WHAT HOW IMPACT Leave no one behind The tangible and the intangible benefits Transparency and focus drives team work Create a star team not team of stars Its not always only financial- the invisible effect Getting the team to focus on what really matters Creating team cohesion to remove internal frictions Its both the what and the how that gets results
Nina Suri thanks the audience and closes the presentation on building an invested team through profit sharing and employee incentives.
Nina Alag Suri CEO and Founder of X0PA