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2011 Private Company Equity Compensation Survey Results
$150.00 for NCEO members; $250.00 for nonmembers
While there are many surveys of equity compensation practices in publicly traded companies, there are almost none for closely held companies, and these focus just on executive equity in single industries or "pre-IPO" companies. The NCEO Private Company Equity Survey fills this gap.
This 2011 survey is based on 201 completed surveys from private companies with equity plans and 32 responses from service providers in a separate survey designed to corroborate the broader survey results.
The survey includes company characteristics such as industry, firm age, number of employees, and ownership structure. Respondents are then asked to describe their equity granting practices to C-level executives, other management, supervisory employees, and hourly/non-supervisory employees. A list of the survey questions appears below.
Purchasers of the survey receive:
See our flyer for the equity compensation survey (PDF format) for screenshots and further descriptions of the report and spreadsheet. Also see our highlights of the survey results.
This 2011 survey is based on 201 completed surveys from private companies with equity plans and 32 responses from service providers in a separate survey designed to corroborate the broader survey results.
The survey includes company characteristics such as industry, firm age, number of employees, and ownership structure. Respondents are then asked to describe their equity granting practices to C-level executives, other management, supervisory employees, and hourly/non-supervisory employees. A list of the survey questions appears below.
Purchasers of the survey receive:
- A 13-page PDF report summarizing the findings in chart form for the overall group; results by industry, size, and age of the firm; and a summary of the consultant survey results.
- An Excel spreadsheet with all of the questions and answers that allows users to analyze the specific interaction of the variables. For instance, users could ask what percentage of software firms give what percentage of equity awards to each group, how often they receive it, what form the equity takes, and what triggers the awards. For each of these issues, the file allows users to automatically and simply generate a color chart with the specific responses.
- A guide to understanding and using the data.
See our flyer for the equity compensation survey (PDF format) for screenshots and further descriptions of the report and spreadsheet. Also see our highlights of the survey results.
Selected Survey Questions
- How is your stock valued?
- What is your most likely exit strategy?
- Who handles your stock plan administration?
- Do you have outside equity investors?
- What percentage of stock is held by founders?
- What percentage of stock is held through equity awards by non-founders?
- Do you vest equity awards pursuant to performance conditions?
- Do you require one or more officers to hold stock in the company?
- Using the categories (a) C-level executives, (b) other managers, (c) supervisory personnel, and (d) hourly/non-supervisory personnel, indicate the following:
- What percent of available equity goes to each group?
- What percentage of each group receives awards?
- How are grants distributed to the following groups?
- What types of grants are given to the following groups?
- What percent of company equity is held by current employees?
