Hiring your first employees, bringing on an advisor, or giving a co-founder their shares — and you need the actual document that puts equity in their hands? A stock option grant, a restricted stock purchase and an advisor equity agreement are the three instruments startups use to grant equity, and they're what founders and their team search for by name (stock option agreement, incentive stock option, ISO / NSO, restricted stock purchase agreement, 83(b) election, employee equity, stock grant, vesting schedule, advisor agreement template). It's the natural next step after you've set up the company and raised money: form the corporation, raise the round, then give equity to the team. PaperKit builds the right one: pick the grant — a STOCK OPTION (ISO or NSO, a strike price, the right to buy shares later), a RESTRICTED STOCK purchase (shares issued now, subject to vesting, with an 83(b) note), or an ADVISOR grant (FAST-style advisory equity for services) — and it reshapes the whole document. Then pick how it vests, which rewrites the vesting section: the STANDARD 4-YEAR / 1-YEAR CLIFF (25% at the cliff then monthly), MONTHLY with no cliff, MILESTONE-based, or FULLY VESTED on grant. Add your grantees in a table — each name and share count — and it does the math live: total granted, each grantee's share of the pool, the exercise or purchase cost (shares × price), and the vesting-tranche math (the cliff amount, then the monthly installment). Every clause a real grant expects is laid out and toggleable: the grant, the economic & vesting summary, exercise price & method (options) or purchase & 83(b) (restricted stock) or advisory services (advisor), termination & the exercise window, double-trigger acceleration on a change of control, early exercise, a right of first refusal, IP assignment, confidentiality, taxes & withholding and transfer restrictions — plus governing law and extra terms. It's self-drafted: the company signatory reviews and e-signs online, every grantee signs on their printed signature line, and you download the clean PDF, with an optional notary block. (This is a template, not legal or tax advice; securities laws, 409A valuation, ISO qualification, the 83(b) election and its strict 30-day deadline, and tax treatment vary by grant type and by state, so confirm yours before relying on this form.)
The big lever — it reshapes the whole document and its economics.
Stock option — the right to buy shares later at a fixed strike price. Choose ISO (tax-favored, employees only) or NSO. Vests over time; exercisable only for the vested portion.
The lever that rewrites the vesting section — how the equity is earned over time.
4-year / 1-year cliff — the standard: 25% vests at the one-year cliff, then the rest monthly over the following 3 years.
The numbers that drive the cost math — the preview does the calculation live.
Add each person and how many options they get. Each grantee's share of the grant pool is worked out from their count, and their exercise cost from the price — always totalling up.
The founder / officer signing on behalf of the company. You draft and e-sign online; each grantee signs on their printed signature line.
Turn on what applies. Acceleration, IP assignment and confidentiality are on by default.
A real, section-by-section grant with a grant schedule and live cost & vesting math. The grant type reshapes the whole document; the vesting choice rewrites how it's earned. Publish to get a hosted link you can e-sign online.
$9/mo — remove the DRAFT watermark + “Made with PaperKit” badge, unlimited clean-PDF equity grants, and Pro across every tool.
A stock option, restricted stock or advisor grant is a template for convenience, not legal or tax advice. These are equity securities — securities laws, 409A valuation, ISO qualification, the Section 83(b) election and its strict 30-day deadline, and tax treatment vary by grant type and by state. PaperKit is not a law firm and records electronic execution via the signer's typed name; confirm your requirements before relying on this form.