Empower your team with our ESOP/PSOP services in Switzerland
Flat-fee employee participation plans — designed, drafted and ready to sign.
"Ready to empower your team? We've implemented 150+ tailored employee participation plans for Swiss startups and investors — book a call with me and my team."
Michele Vitali · Partner @ LEXR · Book your free call →
Trusted by founders building great teams
Working with Michele and the LEXR team on our recent financing round was an outstanding experience. Michele’s deep legal expertise and tailored approach made the complex processes clear and manageable. The team’s professionalism and responsiveness were exceptional, ensuring a smooth and successful transaction. What really set LEXR apart was their personal touch. They were always available, accommodating, and genuinely invested in our success. Our experience with them was nothing short of excellent.
Through the recommendation of another startup founder, we came across LEXR. Michele and the corporate team guided us through the entire process of the financing round. When we write an email, we receive a reply in no time, and time is taken to explain legally complex issues in a simple and understandable way.
LEXR’s expertise in legal matters was invaluable and ensured a smooth handling of all legal matters in the seed round. This helped us to focus on growth. Working with LEXR felt more like they were part of RIBE. Extremely professional, reliable, very uncomplicated and always available for questions. This is not only our opinion, we have also received very positive feedback from the investors involved.
How we solve your challenges
From plan design to signed documentation and ongoing administration — your full ESOP or PSOP, in one team.
We guide you through the strategic planning of your employee stock option plan — choosing the right structure, defining key variables such as vesting schedules, cliff periods and exercise prices, and ensuring the plan aligns with your company stage, cap table and investor requirements.
For companies that prefer not to issue real shares, our phantom stock option plan service delivers a compelling equity-like incentive without dilution. We advise on the best-fitting plan design and handle all legal documentation, including the allocation agreement.
We draft all required legal documents for your ESOP or PSOP — plan rules, allocation agreements and corporate resolutions — using state-of-the-art templates tailored to your specific situation. Your documentation is bespoke, legally watertight and ready to sign.
Once your plan is in place, we provide a practical administration guide so your team can manage grants, track vesting and handle leavers confidently. We also support you with any ongoing questions or adjustments as your headcount and cap table evolve.
How we deliver ESOP & PSOP, AI-amplified
Matter in
Brief us in plain language — we scope it and route it to the right specialist.
Intake < 4hAI does the heavy lifting
Our own AI stack drafts, reviews and cross-checks — inside privilege.
60% fewer draft cyclesSenior lawyer signs off
The specialist who built the strategy reviews and signs every output.
Stephan Meyer 
Nadine Saalbach 
Maximilian Krähenbühl Output delivered
On scope, on the quoted price — delivered into your workflow.
Scope and price are fixed in writing before we start — AI absorbs the lift, not your budget.
Selected deal record
A snapshot of the employee participation plans and transactions we've guided to close. (Anonymized placeholders pending client sign-off.)
LEXR represents a Swiss institution in a $100m+ acquisition of a Swiss FinTech
Read →DealLEXR advises a FinTech scale-up on their Delaware flip to expand to the US market
Read →DealLEXR advises Swiss robotics company on US structure for $25m VC financing
Read →DealLEXR advises a Swiss PE-firm on the acquisition of a German FinTech company
Read →Our expert ESOP & PSOP services
One team across the whole plan — from strategy session to signed documents and administration.
Find your perfect flat fee plan
ESOP Package
Strategic planning session, drafting of all legal documentation including option agreement and plan rules, feedback cycle, legal cross-check and administration guide. CHF 2'800 (excl. VAT).
Book your free call →PSOP Package
Strategic planning session, drafting of all legal documentation including allocation agreement, feedback cycle, legal cross-check and 'how-to' administration guide. CHF 2'800 (excl. VAT).
Book your free call →Employee Workshop
Session with your board and management, workshop preparation built on their input, delivery of the workshop to your employees, and a trainer concept and handbook for future in-house sessions. CHF 1'500 (excl. VAT).
Book your free call →Beyond the packages
Already have a plan, or operating across borders? We help with that too.
Why LEXR
150+ plans implemented
Deep hands-on experience with employee participation plans across Swiss startups at every stage. Our templates and processes are continuously refined so your plan is market-standard and legally robust from day one.
Flat-fee transparency
One fixed price, quoted before we start. No billable-hour surprises — you know exactly what the plan will cost so you can budget with confidence and focus on winning the talent you need.
Business-savvy advice
Our lawyers understand the startup journey from the inside. We advise on the strategic fit of your plan — vesting terms, cliff periods, good/bad-leaver provisions — not just the legal mechanics, ensuring your incentive plan actually retains and motivates your team.
ESOP & PSOP FAQ
The questions founders ask us most before setting up an employee participation plan.
An ESOP (Employee Stock Option Plan) grants employees the right to acquire real shares in the company at a pre-agreed exercise price. A PSOP (Phantom Stock Option Plan) gives employees a cash or share-equivalent payout tied to the company's value without actually issuing shares. ESOPs involve some dilution; PSOPs do not — making PSOPs attractive when founders want to preserve the cap table.
Both our ESOP and PSOP packages are priced at a flat fee of CHF 2'800 (excl. VAT). This covers the strategic planning session, all legal documentation, a feedback cycle and an administration guide — no hourly billing surprises.
Each package includes: a session with our legal experts to define plan variables and choose the best structure; drafting of all required legal documents (including option or allocation agreement); a feedback cycle to address open questions; a legal document cross-check; and a 'how-to' guide for administering the plan.
The earlier the better — setting up a plan at or shortly after incorporation gives you the most flexibility on option pricing and vesting terms. That said, we regularly help companies implement plans at seed, Series A and later stages. A strategic session with us helps identify the right timing for your specific situation.
A four-year vesting period with a one-year cliff is the Swiss market standard for employee participation plans, consistent with international VC expectations. We can tailor the vesting schedule, acceleration provisions and good/bad-leaver rules to your circumstances.
Yes — Swiss tax treatment of employee participation depends on the plan structure (blocked vs. unblocked options, exercise price, lock-up). We advise on tax-efficient structuring as part of our setup service so you and your employees are not caught off-guard at vesting or exercise.
For an ESOP, granting real shares is a non-cash benefit — treated like salary for tax and social-security purposes. To confirm the treatment upfront and avoid surprises at grant or exercise, we recommend obtaining a tax ruling from the relevant authority. We offer this as an add-on alongside the ESOP, billed hourly, typically CHF 800 to CHF 2'000 (excl. VAT).
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