Hissa Fund I, a $35 million ESOP initiative, has been introduced by equity management platform Hissa. This innovative fund helps employees who have vested stock options in growth-stage startups convert paper wealth into tangible opportunities by providing liquidity.
Through initial public offerings (IPOs) or acquisitions, this fund seeks to address the issue of workers having to wait years for their stock options to increase in value.
The Fund provides liquidity on demand with T+5 settlement cycles and is a Category II Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) registered with SEBI. The fund will concentrate on 15–20 growth-stage startups, closely collaborating with founders to make sure liquidity events complement their plans for business expansion and talent retention.
Part of Rulezero, a platform that streamlines ownership management, Hissa was introduced in 2019 by Satish Mugulavalli and Srinivas Katta. It automates processes such as handling transactions, tracking stock options, managing ownership records, and issuing shares.
The robotics startup Miko, which uses artificial intelligence, is already the Hissa Fund’s first investment. The fund gave 32 employees liquidity through this transaction.
