What are Phantom Shares?
If you are immersed in the Startup world you will have heard more than once about “Phantom Shares”.
As their name indicates, Phantom Shares are “phantom” or fictitious participation rights. They are offered to employees as an incentive to remain in the Company.
They are fictitious since with their granting only the economic rights of the share are recognized, but not the political or property rights over it. That is, the employee who has been assigned a Phantom Share will not be the owner of any corporate shares, but only the economic rights that he would have if he were.
The beneficiary of the Phantom Shares will not be able to participate in voting or decision-making, but in the event of a liquidity event (exit) they will have the right to collect their economic participation, which, in addition to the attraction for the collaborator who may feel part of the project, It has great attraction for shareholders.
Entre sus principales beneficios se destacan:
1. Cap Table Preservation
The founders will not be affected by the dilution of their shares compared to the entry of Phantom Shares holders. They allow Startups to offer incentives similar to real shares without diluting the company’s share capital.
2. Fiscal Benefits
As the beneficiaries of Phantom Shares do not acquire property rights, they provide an interesting advantage from a tax point of view for employees, who will not have to declare ownership over them and the profits will only be impacted when there is a liquidity event.
3. Flexibility in Compensation Structure
Companies can structure Phantom Shares flexibly, tying them to specific performance milestones or business success.
4. Team Motivation
By granting Phantom Shares, Startups can motivate key employees to work towards the company’s success by aligning their financial interests with those of shareholders.
5. Option for settlement in cash or real shares
Phantom shares are generally settled in cash equivalent to the value of the company’s shares at a given time, although some companies may choose to settle them in real shares.
Are you ready to create your Phantom Shares incentive plan? Contact us!