Overview
Brought to you by Qapita, MissionBridge, and WongPartnership - join us for a complete ESOP Primer as our equity experts dive into the various elements to implement a successful Employee Stock Option Programme. Whether you're looking to improve your plan or not sure where to start - this workshop is for founders and decision makers to understand crucial aspects to launch their ESOP. Clear your burning questions over dinner and a chat with our experts after!
Segment 1: ESOP Management - Jax Liu
Lifecycle: Pool > Plan > Grant > Vest > Exercise > Liquidity
Best Practices powered by Qapita cap table platform
Equity Compensation as part of Total Rewards Strategy
Employee Engagement & ESOP Trends in SEA
Segment 2: ESOP policy - Kyle Lee
Issuance of share options vs shares, RSUs, etc
Why founders typically choose options at the early stage
Expectations of investors for allocation of ESOP pool
Commercial terms and structure before setting up ESOP
Eligibility, Vesting, and Liquidity events
Segment 3: ESOP valuation - Ritika Khetawat
ESOP Pricing Basics & what impacts Fair Valuation
Common Stock vs. Preferred Stock
Valuation requirements in the US vs. SEA
Accounting implications & tax impact for employees
Event Flow:
6:30pm: Registration
7:00 pm: Workshop Kickoff & Introduction
7:10 – 8:10pm: Session content - 3 segments
8:10pm – 9:30pm: Dinner and Networking
Location
Please register to see the exact location of this event.
Schedule
Date: 15 Jul 2026, Wednesday
Time: 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM (GMT +8:00) Kuala Lumpur, Singapore
Location: 32 Carpenter Street, 059911
Speakers
Speaker's Profile:
RITIKA KHETAWAT, Managing Partner, Missionbridge
Ritika has raised over US$2 Billion through her work spanning investment banking and start-up fundraising across South East Asia and India. She successfully managed large-scale M&A transactions and fundraising efforts, driving significant impact for her clients at both Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. In her most recent role as the Head of Corporate Development for a growth-stage biotech firm in Singapore, Ritika played a key role in securing over US$300 million in funding from leading investors and sovereign wealth funds in the region. Ritika maintains an unwavering passion for assisting companies in accelerating their growth through effective capital utilization. She leverages her extensive network and expertise to support early-stage founders on their fundraising journey through Mission Bridge. The core mission remains: democratizing fundraising for innovative entrepreneurs, enabling them to realize their ambitious goals.
Speaker's Profile:
Kyle Lee, Co-Head of WPGrow: Start-Up/Venture Capital Practice, Wong Partnership LLP, Wong Partnership LLP
Kyle LEE is the Co-Head of WPGrow: Start-Up/Venture Capital Practice. Additionally, he is also a Partner in WongPartnership LLP’s Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity and FinTech Practices. Kyle founded the WPGrow Start-Up / Venture Capital Practice nearly a decade ago, which has since become one of the region’s most recognised legal practices in the field. Under his leadership, the practice was named “Law Firm of the Year – Private Equity & Venture Capital” by Asian Legal Business for three consecutive years (2023–2026) at the ALB Southeast Asia Law Awards. It is also the first Singapore-based practice to achieve Tier 1 rankings across all major legal publications, including Chambers and The Legal 500. Individually, Kyle is the youngest lawyer to be recognised as a Tier 1 practitioner in start-up and venture capital law by all leading independent legal directories.
Speaker's Profile:
Jax Liu, Chief of Staff, Qapita
Jax Liu, CVA is the Chief of Staff and Head of SEA at Qapita, where he leads sales, operations, and strategic initiatives across the region. As one of Qapita's earliest team members and part of the Founders Office, Jax shaped Qapita's ESOP platform from the ground up and was instrumental in 5 rounds of fundraise amounting close to USD 50mn and 2 successful acquisitions. Recently, Jax obtained his Chartered Valuer & Appraiser (CVA) qualification, bringing deep expertise in equity plan structuring, investor relations, at the intersection of finance, human capital, and technology. He's advised hundreds of startups on designing and launching equity compensation plans across multiple jurisdictions.
