What Share Council does

Share Council (legally Share Holding B.V.) is an Amsterdam-based SaaS platform that enables small and medium enterprises to set up and administer employee participation and ownership programs, with deep specialization in Dutch legal structures including STAK (Stichting Administratiekantoor), EOR (Economic Ownership Rights), SAR (Stock Appreciation Rights), ESOPs, Convertible Loan Agreements, and Bonds. The platform combines a cloud-based shareholder administration engine with blockchain-encrypted equity transactions, cap table management, valuation tooling, voting rights customization, vesting schedules, and an API layer for third-party integration. It claims 200+ client companies, 20,000+ managed shareholders, and €1.6 billion in assets on platform, with named customers spanning Tony's Chocolonely, Bunq, Anne&Max, Mywheels, The Seaweed Company, and HubSpot.

The business operates a hybrid sales-led and product-led go-to-market with two pricing tiers: an EOR/SAR tier at €500 setup plus €80/month and a STAK+Options tier at €3,900 setup plus €150/month, both billed annually with first-year legal consultancy and tax advice included. A distinctive commercial mechanic converts 10% of onboarding fees into Share Council shares, building a 300+ shareholder community of customers that doubles as both product validation and a soft network effect. Legal templates are co-developed with recognized Dutch law firms, and the company holds B-Corp and Certified Sharing Company credentials that align with its target segments of impact-driven and SME employers.

Founded by Quintus Willemse in 2014 (with platform operations scaled from 2017), Share Council is a privately held, founder-led company with 11–50 employees, headquartered in De Pijp, Amsterdam. The company has raised approximately $1.63M cumulatively across four small funding rounds, the largest being a $1.03M round led by The Sharing Group in November 2022. Share Council's strategic positioning centers on being the first full-stack employee ownership platform purpose-built for the European/Dutch regulatory environment, with stated European expansion ambitions beyond its current Netherlands-centric footprint.

Name

Share Council

Legal name

Share Holding B.V.

Website

https://sharecouncil.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Share Council is an Amsterdam-based SaaS platform that helps small and medium enterprises set up and manage employee ownership programs using Dutch legal structures (STAK, EOR, SAR, ESOP), serving 200+ companies including Tony's Chocolonely, Bunq, and Anne&Max.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Employee Equity Management Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210), Trusts, Estates, and Agency Accounts (52592)

SIC

Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)

akta.pro primary industry

Equity Compensation & Global Share Plan Administration (BPACAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Transfer Agency & Shareholder Recordkeeping (FSAAAOAG), Delegation, Representation & Voting Power Markets (FSAPAHAG)

Keywords

• Employee ownership platform
• ESOP administration software
• Cap table management
• Equity participation plans
• STAK legal structuring

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Subscription Platform Fees: Monthly or annual subscription fees for platform access. Two tiers: €80/month (EOR/SAR tier) and €150/month (STAK+Options tier), billed annually.
2. Setup/Onboarding Fees: One-time setup fees for co-ownership formation. €500 for EOR/SAR setup, €3,900 for STAK+Options setup. Includes legal document preparation, notary filing fees, and first-year consultancy.
3. Premium Community Membership: Sharecouncil shares gifted to clients worth 10% of onboarding fee, providing premium shareholder community membership with voting rights on company direction.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Share Council provides a SaaS platform that enables small and medium enterprises to set up, digitize, and manage employee ownership and participation programs using Dutch legal structures such as STAK, EOR, SAR, ESOP, Convertible Loan Agreements, Bonds, and Loyalty Tokens. The offering bundles cloud-based cap table and shareholder administration tools, blockchain-secured equity transactions, pre-built legal templates co-developed with Dutch law firms, and ongoing tax and legal compliance support.

Product overview

Share Council is a comprehensive employee ownership platform providing both a core platform and multiple instrument types for implementing employee participation. The platform consists of 11 shareholder management tools including cap table management, valuation, and digital shareholder administration. The instrument suite includes STAK (Trust Office Foundation) as the most flexible and scalable option, EOR (Economic Ownership Rights) for fast setup, ESOP for stock options, SAR for stock appreciation rights, Convertible Loan Agreements, Bonds, Options+SARs combined offering, and Loyalty Tokens. The platform supports creating 1 billion+ share certificates and enables online shareholder management, voting rights customisation, vesting schedule configuration, and share trading when employees leave. Pricing is tiered with EOR/SAR setup at €500 plus €80/month, and STAK+Options at €3,900 plus €150/month.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Share Council Platform Cloud-based SaaS platform enabling companies to create participation plans, share employee ownership, and manage shareholders online. Includes 11 shareholder management tools covering digitized owner administration, customizable voting rights, vesting schedules, share transactions, valuation, and cap table management. Used by SMEs, startups, and impact-driven companies to administer employee ownership programs.
• STAK (Trust Office Foundation)

Quantifiable outcome

• €1.6 Billion assets managed on platform
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered premium and core.

• FORYARD FinancepremiumGTM or Marketing PartnerPremium partner providing financial services and advisory. Quintus Willemse, Share Council CEO, previously founded FORYARD as Phase 1 of his mission to change capital distribution. FORYARD handles government and social enterprise innovation projects while Share Council focuses on employee ownership (Phase 3).
• Recognized Dutch Law FirmscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLegal templates for setting up plans like STAK and SAR developed with recognized Dutch law firms. Ensures compliance with Dutch regulations and optimal legal framework for client companies.
• Fiscal and Tax AdvisorscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerIn-house fiscal experts create optimal legal framework for companies ensuring robust tax compliance from day one. Includes TAX filing advice and ongoing tax guidance for participation structures.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Vestd: Vestd is a UK-based digital share scheme platform helping SMEs issue and manage shares, EMI options, and employee ownership. It directly overlaps Share Council's SME employee participation use case and is a comparable platform for European founders considering share scheme solutions.
• Ledgy: Ledgy is a Berlin-based equity management and employee participation platform focused on European startups and scale-ups. It offers cap table management, employee participation plans, and reporting, making it the closest direct European competitor to Share Council for cap table and ESOP administration.
• Pulley: Pulley is a cap table management and equity compensation platform primarily serving US startups. While US-focused, it directly competes for founders and HR/finance teams evaluating Share Council, and offers similar functionality around vesting, 409A valuations, and stakeholder reporting.
• Capdesk: Capdesk is a UK-based equity management platform serving European private companies and employees. It is a direct competitor in cap table management, employee share schemes, and compliance workflows, and competes with Share Council for cross-border European customers.

Emerging players

• SeedLegals: SeedLegals is a UK-based legaltech platform that helps startups create legal documents including share schemes and option pools. While broader than Share Council, it competes on the startup-side of employee participation setup and cap table basics.
• Taliaz: Taliaz (and adjacent platforms like the UK's Vestd and Germany's Ledgy) represents emerging European players focused on employee participation and equity administration for SMEs. Comparable business model targeting founder-led companies implementing share schemes in their local markets.

Broad incumbents

• Eqos (now part of Allvue): Eqos was a European private equity management platform offering cap table and investor reporting, now part of Allvue Systems. It represents a broader incumbent with deeper pockets operating in the European equity administration space that competes for larger enterprise customers.
• Carta: Carta is the largest US-based cap table and equity management platform serving private companies, investors, and employees globally. Although US-focused, it competes directly with Share Council for Dutch and European customers seeking cap table, 409A valuation, and equity administration tooling, and represents the most likely scaled incumbent threat.
• Computershare (Shareworks): Computershare (which acquired Shareworks) is a global incumbent in employee share plan administration, transfer agency, and equity services. It competes with Share Council for enterprise customers needing full-service plan administration and represents the scaled traditional alternative.

Regional players

• Cake Equity: Cake Equity is an Australia/NZ-based equity management platform focused on cap tables, employee options, and shareholder management. It targets a similar SME founder customer profile to Share Council but operates in APAC, making it a regional peer rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sharecouncil
• Xx.com/CouncilShare

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors1 record

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 Share Council