Hissa launches $35 Mn ESOP focussed fund

Hissa, an equity management platform, has launched Hissa Fund I, a $35 million initiative dedicated to ESOP. This first-of-its-kind fund offers liquidity to employees holding vested stock options in growth-stage startups, helping them transform paper wealth into real opportunities.

This fund aims to solve the problem of employees waiting years for their stock options to become valuable through IPOs or acquisitions.

Designed as a SEBI-registered Category II Alternative Investment Fund (AIF), the Fund offers liquidity on demand with T+5 settlement cycles. The fund will focus on 15-20 growth-stage startups, working closely with founders to ensure liquidity events align with their talent retention and business growth strategies. 

Launched in 2019 by Satish Mugulavalli and Srinivas Katta, Hissa is part of Rulezero, a platform that simplifies ownership management. It automates tasks like issuing shares, tracking stock options, managing company ownership records, and handling transactions. 

The Hissa Fund has already made its debut investment in Miko, an AI-powered robotics company. Through this transaction, the fund provided liquidity to 32 employees.