Vestd

Vestd is a UK-based sharetech platform dedicated to simplifying share schemes and equity management for startups, scaleups, and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Founded in 2014 by Ifty Nasir and Naveed Akram, the company emerged from the recognition that poor equity management was a significant hurdle for new businesses. Vestd's mission is to create a world where sharing equity is the norm and an effortless process, fostering harmonized teams committed to long-term success. The platform is designed to be intuitive and affordable, enabling founders to easily manage their company's equity, from initial co-founder agreements to broader employee share schemes.

The company offers a comprehensive suite of tools for managing various aspects of equity, including cap table management, share issuances, and compliance with UK regulations. Vestd is notably the only platform in its category that is FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) authorised and fully integrated with Companies House, ensuring speed, accuracy, and regulatory adherence for its users. This integration streamlines processes like updating company ownership details and issuing shares. Vestd supports a variety of share schemes, including Enterprise Management Incentives (EMI), which are tax-efficient options popular in the UK. The platform caters to diverse users, including founders, CFOs, FDs, HR teams, and investors, providing solutions for attracting and retaining talent, managing shareholder communications, and facilitating fundraising. In 2019, Vestd transitioned to a fully remote company to enhance work-life balance for its team and access a wider talent pool across the UK. The company has experienced significant growth, doubling its team size multiple times and gaining recognition through various industry awards, including being named in TechRound's Fintech50 and being a finalist for 'Startup of the Year' at the Fintech Awards London. Vestd is also a certified B Corporation, underscoring its commitment to high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.