When a private company goes public through the initial public offering (IPO) process any existing company shareholders or options are subject to a Market Stand Off provision; commonly referred to as an IPO lockup period. The lockup period prevents insider shareholders such as VC investors, founders, and employees from selling their shares on the public markets before a predefined time period explicitly expressed in the company option plan. The average lockup period is 180 days, but can stretch longer.

In that time, a lot can happen to your hard earned shares or options as the public market the company and reacts to macroeconomic events out of your control. Additionally, the company's IPO doesn't always align with your career plans. If you're facing an option exercise deadline and don't want to lock up your own cash for a number of months, ESO Fund can help with an IPO lockup loan. Our lockup loan program is a simple loan with a fixed interest rate based on your specific timeline, you pay us back when the lockup period expires.

Whether you need funds to cover the final month of lockup or all 6, ESO Fund helps you unlock your cash sooner in case you have time-sensitive expenses such as tax bills, closing a real estate purchase, or simply avoiding the expiration of a grant that falls into the lockup window.

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