Token-Based Employee Participation – Motivate and Retain Talent

Offer smart ownership for your team with tax optimization and  a clear path to early liquidity.

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More Than Salary

Top talent values equity participation more than cash. You’ve heard of ESOP and VSOP programs — but these come with two major headaches for employees: no liquidity and the worst possible tax rates. Introducing the next evolution of employee participation programs — TOP (Token Option Plans). Exclusively from Tokenize.it, these token options are secured on the blockchain and can be exercised any time after vesting to optimize tax outcomes. They are also tradable on secondary markets, giving recipients greater flexibility and liquidity. Empower your team with the ownership they deserve with TOP employee participation from Tokenize​.it.

Token Option Plans (TOP): A Smarter, Tax-Optimized Solution

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Set up
Taxes
Liquidity
Rights
Company Shares
Notarization & Commercial Register
Income tax (14-45%) + Withholding tax (25%) on capital gain dry income
Transferable only by notary
Shareholder rights
ESOP
Notarized contract
Income tax (14-45%) At exit + dry income when exercised without exit
Not transferable
After exercising the option, rights as a shareholder
VSOP
Contract with employees
Income tax (14-45%) at exit
Not transferable
Exit Participation
(TOP)
Token Option Plan
Contract with employees, options secured by blockchain
Income tax (14-45%) At the time of exercise. Withholding tax (25%) for capital gains thereafter. Employee selects time of exercise.
Tradable on secondary markets
After exercise same economic rights as shareholders
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Incentivize More Than Just Employees

Token option plans aren’t limited to employees — they’re a powerful tool for incentivizing anyone you want to align with your company’s success. Whether it’s external contractors, key advisors, influencers, or strategic business partners, TOPs offer a flexible alternative to cash compensation. By granting token options, you can build long-term commitment, reward contributions, and share upside — all while preserving cash flow. With Tokenize​.it, it’s easy to extend ownership-like incentives to the people who matter most, no matter their role.

Point 1

Influencer

Point 2

Contractor

Point 3

Business Partners

How It Works

Getting started with Tokenize.it is fast and straightforward:

Point 1
Create an individualized option plan

Set custom vesting rules, including cliff and duration, for the recipient with our intuitive builder.

Point 2
Add recipient

Invite employee / contributor to execute their option plan digitally.

Point 3
Blockchain as infrastructure

Option plans are secured by the blockchain and vest in real time.

Point 3
Recipient exercises when they’re ready

Taxes only apply at the moment of exercising or selling the token options.

Point 3
You stay in control

Manage everything through a streamlined dashboard with full transparency and the ability to stop vesting as required.

Point 3
Provide a potential avenue for early liquidity

Tokenized virtual shares are compatible with trading on upcoming secondary markets.

Set your employees up for success with the solution they deserve.
Investment animation

Vesting Plan

€200 per vesting plan — one-time payment at setup. No subscriptions. No billable hours. Just straightforward pricing designed to scale with your team. Whether you’re a lean startup or a growing scaleup, Tokenize.it keeps your employee participation program fast, fair, and flexible.

Simple, Pay-As-You-Go Pricing

Configurable cliff & vesting period
Blockchain and exercising fees fully covered
Legally compliant contract templates
100% digital and free process for employees
Zero notary involvement or manual documentation required
Access to early liquidity via Tokenize.​it secondary market (coming soon)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is that legal?

Yes. Tokenize.it is built specifically for German and Austrian GmbHs and uses contracts and processes built by legal experts. Contract templates are provided free of charge but do not constitute legal or tax advice.

Do I need a notary?

No. The entire process is fully digital and automated via smart contracts. No manual paperwork. No notary needed.

When do employees pay taxes?

Only when they exercise or sell their token options — not at the time of grant or during vesting. Employees are eligible for deferred taxation in Germany (§ 19a EStG) and Austria (§ 3 Para. 1 Z 15 lit. b EStG). Employees in Germany are also eligible for a 2,000 EUR per year tax-free exercise (§ 3 Nr 39 EstG). Plans can be structured so that employees in Austria qualify for optimized tax treatment under § 67a EStG.

Can employees get access to early liquidity with tokenized virtual shares?

Yes! Thanks to the underlying blockchain technology, token options that have been exercised are going to be tradeable in the future based on rules set by each issuing startup.

Give Your Employees TOP Benefits

Start building a more modern, tax-friendly equity program with real potential for early liquidity today. Give your team ownership that truly pays off. Give your team TOP from Tokenize.it.

Get Tokenized!

Schedule a personal consultation with a member of our team.

We’re happy to answer all your questions and give you a short demo.

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Lukas Huber

Founder BAWA-Drinks

A perfectly organized onboarding and personalized support – Tokenize truly understands what drives startup success!

Thomas Schmidt

Business Angel of the Year des Jahres 2022

Investing into Tokenize.it was fast and easy. I was able to do everything digitally and complete the transaction within a matter of minutes. I’m recommending all the investors in my network to use it.

Andreas Eiter

CEO & Founder of DLT.Green

While researching tokenisation in the context of regulation, I came across Tokenize.it. This service allowed us to directly involve our active community in a legally compliant, simple and secure way.