Sprout

What Sprout does

Sprout is a Hong Kong-based SaaS company founded in March 2019 by Andy Lee (ex-Uber APAC business executive, ex-Kabam lead dealmaker) and Tony Sun (UCLA PhD in Computer Science), operating under the legal entity Roots Technology Limited. The company provides cloud-based equity and token management software to startups, growth-stage companies, and increasingly enterprises across Asia-Pacific, Europe, Africa, and North America, with a primary customer base in the technology, blockchain, and crypto sectors. Its core platform consolidates cap table management, ESOP administration, token wallet tracking, fundraising scenario modeling, and a virtual data room with behavioral tracking into a single unified solution; the offering is differentiated by its combined equity-plus-token capability, China-specific tax withholding compliance, and multi-language support (English, Simplified and Traditional Chinese). Named customers include Animoca Brands, Glints, Buyandship, KKday, Kicks Crew, and Ignatica, among hundreds of others.

The product suite has expanded from the core Sprout platform (2019) to include Folium as a separate token ownership management platform (launched March 2022), Rongshu as a Chinese-localized version (March 2023), Automated e-Signature and Document Processing integrated with DocuSign (November 2022), Managed Services in Standard and Priority tiers (August 2023), and Fair Market Value/409A Valuation Reports through third-party partners (May 2024). The technology stack supports tiered user groups of 30, 300, and 3,000+ active users with annual subscription pricing, automated workflows, virtual data room capabilities with behavioral insights during investor due diligence, and AI-assisted financial assessments for stock-based compensation, fair market value, and personal tax estimations. Over 1,000 platform updates have shipped since inception.

Sprout operates a hybrid go-to-market combining product-led growth (self-serve signup at app.getsprout.co, free co-founder equity calculator at equitycalculator.co), direct enterprise field sales (Head of North Asia in Hong Kong, Business Development SEA in Singapore, Sales Development Representatives in both cities), and channel partnerships — most notably the strategic alliance with Acclime, a leading Asia-focused corporate services specialist, announced June 2024. Revenue is generated primarily through annual SaaS subscriptions bundled with managed services credits, plus separate Folium subscriptions. The company has raised approximately $3 million in seed funding (2021) from Mustard Seed Ventures and early-stage investors, plus an undisclosed strategic investment from Old Fashioned Research (December 2022), and remains privately held with 11–50 employees.

Name

Sprout

Legal name

Roots Technology Limited

Website

https://getsprout.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sprout is a Hong Kong-based SaaS company providing cloud-based equity, ESOP, and token management software to startups and growth-stage companies across Asia-Pacific, Europe, Africa, and North America, complemented by managed services and channel distribution partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Equity Management Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Grants, Funding & Budget Allocation Platforms (FSAPAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

DAO Treasury, Governance & On-Chain Finance Tools (FSADAMAL)

Keywords

• Equity management software
• Cap table management
• ESOP administration
• Token ownership tracking
• Stakeholder management

Headquarters

HQ city

Hong Kong

HQ country

Hong Kong SAR China

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. SaaS Subscription (Platform): Annual subscription plans for using the Sprout equity and token management platform, with tiers accommodating stakeholder groups of all sizes (from 30 to 3,000+ active users). Managed Services credits are bundled into subscription plans as part of new pricing.
2. Managed Services: Managed services bundled into subscription plans in the form of service credits (similar to cloud services providers). Includes data onboarding, ESOP consultation, and data management. Two service tiers: Standard and Priority Services with different turnaround times.
3. Folium Subscription: Separate subscription for the Folium token management platform, launched in 2022.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Sprout provides a cloud-based SaaS platform that enables organizations to manage equity, cap tables, ESOPs, share options, tokens, and fundraising on a single system in real time. It bundles managed services—covering data onboarding, ownership structuring, ESOP consultation, and ongoing data management—into subscription tiers, and offers a separate token management platform (Folium) for blockchain and crypto organizations. The platform also includes AI-powered financial assessments, automated ESOP grant letter processing via DocuSign, scenario modeling, a virtual data room with behavioral tracking, and 409A fair market value valuation reports.

Product overview

Sprout offers a unified equity and token management platform primarily serving forward-thinking organizations. The core product is Sprout, a comprehensive platform for managing shares, option plans, tokens, fundraising, and stakeholders. Supporting this core platform is Folium, a sub-brand focused on token management for blockchain and crypto assets. Sprout also provides ancillary tools including a Co-founder Equity Calculator, Virtual Data Room with behavioral tracking, and 409A Valuation Reports. The company augments its software with Managed Services (Standard and Priority tiers) offering data onboarding, ownership structuring, ESOP consultation, and data management. For the Chinese market, Sprout offers Rongshu, a localized version with Chinese language support and tax withholdings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Folium: Token ownership, vesting, warrants, and off-chain commitments tracking platform enabling organizations to track and manage token ownership, vesting, warrants and off-chain commitments for greater accountability and governance.
• Rongshu (容树)

Products and services

• Sprout Cloud-based SaaS platform for managing shares, option plans, ESOPs, tokens, fundraising, and stakeholders in real time on a single system, providing cap table management, scenario modeling, virtual data room, and AI-powered financial assessments for forward-thinking organizations.
• Folium Dedicated token ownership tracking platform that enables organizations to manage token ownership, vesting, warrants, and off-chain commitments for greater accountability and governance.
• Sprout Managed Services Professional services bundled into Sprout and Folium subscriptions as credits (similar to cloud services providers), covering data onboarding, ownership structuring, ESOP consultation, data management, and compliance support in Standard and Priority service tiers.
• Fair Market Value / 409A Valuation Reports Independent third-party valuation reports determining the fair market value of a private company's common stock to establish strike prices for employee stock options and ensure Section 409A compliance, with coverage across US/China GAAP, IGAAP, IFRS, and SFRS.
• Co-founder Equity Calculator

Quantifiable outcome

• 217% increase in team engagement and satisfaction within a few weeks following ESOP program launch
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability2 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• AcclimecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 June 2024Acclime, a leading Asia-focused corporate services specialist, announced a strategic partnership with Sprout on June 11, 2024. The partnership aims to introduce Acclime's clients to Sprout's equity and token management platform. Acclime clients receive exclusive equity and token compensation education, free design and structuring consultations, and discounts on Sprout's subscription plans and managed services. Sprout customers receive complementary advisory and corporate service offerings from Acclime.
• DocuSigncoreTechnology or Integration · 9 November 2022Sprout partnered with DocuSign to integrate automated e-signature and document processing (ASDP) into its platform. DocuSign's e-signature technology enables Sprout to automate the creation, signing, and storage of ESOP grant letters, reducing processing time from 30 minutes per document to 5 minutes. DocuSign has over 1 billion users worldwide.
• Folium (by Sprout)coreOthers · 1 January 2022Folium (Latin for 'Leaf') is Sprout's dedicated token ownership management platform, launched in 2022. It enables organizations to track and manage token ownership, vesting, warrants, and off-chain commitments for greater accountability and governance. It is a separate but complementary product under the Sprout/Roots Technologies umbrella.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pulley: Pulley is a cap-table and equity management platform purpose-built for startups, offering 409A valuations, scenario modeling, and investor relations tools. It is a direct competitor to Sprout's core equity management product for the startup segment Sprout primarily serves.
• Capdesk: Capdesk is a UK-based cap-table, ESOP, and equity management platform for private companies and their investors. It is a direct competitor to Sprout's core offering, especially for European and UK-based startup customers where both platforms overlap.
• Eqvista: Eqvista provides cap-table management combined with 409A valuation services for US private companies, mirroring Sprout's combined SaaS + valuation (409A reports) bundle. Direct competitor for the integrated cap-table-plus-409A use case Sprout launched in May 2024.
• Ledgy: Ledgy is a European cap-table and equity management platform for venture-backed companies, with strong design and cap-table/scenario modeling focus. It is a direct competitor in equity management and shares Sprout's positioning serving startups in non-US geographies, particularly Europe.
• Vestd: Vestd is a UK-based digital share scheme and equity management platform targeting UK startups and scale-ups. Direct competitor to Sprout in the European cap-table/ESOP segment, with overlapping target customers and feature set.

Broad incumbents

• Shareworks by Computershare: Shareworks (now part of Computershare) is a global enterprise equity plan administration platform serving public and large private companies. Broad incumbent competing with Sprout's enterprise and broker-dealer tier, particularly for larger issuers requiring global administration.
• Carta: Carta is the global market leader in cap-table, ESOP, and equity management software, serving startups through public-company stages. Sprout competes with Carta's core cap-table product and increasingly differentiates via its combined equity + token management (Sprout + Folium) and APAC localization, areas where Carta's coverage remains nascent.
• Global Shares: Global Shares is a leading equity plan management software and services provider for public and private companies globally. Broad incumbent competing with Sprout's enterprise tier and white-label offerings for larger issuers and financial institutions.

Regional players

• Cake Equity: Cake Equity is an Australia-based equity management and cap-table platform serving startups across APAC. Regional competitor with similar focus on Asia-Pacific startup segment; competing with Sprout for ANZ and broader APAC equity management mandates.

Emerging players

• Pave: Pave is a compensation management platform that has expanded into equity benchmarking, RSU/stock-based compensation workflows, and cap-table-adjacent tooling. Emerging player with partial overlap to Sprout's SBC expense reporting and equity management use cases for venture-backed companies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/get-sprout
• Xx.com/get_sprout

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors6 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sprout