How William Hicks and Air Aware Labs raised £304k on FounderCatalyst, then chose their option scheme for unlimited EMI and unapproved options with no scaling costs.

£304k raised £1,495/year fixed Zero scaling costs

William Hicks

Co-founder & CSO, Air Aware Labs

£304k

Raised

£1,495

/year

∞

Grants

“We raised £304,000 on the FounderCatalyst platform and that gave us the confidence to use their option scheme service. We shopped around competitors but the fact we could have unlimited EMI options for staff and unlimited unapproved options for advisors was an amazing opportunity, with zero scaling costs.”

William Hicks

Co-founder & CSO, Air Aware Labs

How it happened

From raising funds to issuing options — here's how Air Aware Labs set up their scheme.

Step 1

Raised £304k on FounderCatalyst

William and Air Aware Labs raised £304,000 through the FounderCatalyst platform, giving them the confidence to explore additional services.

Step 2

Purchased share options package

After comparing competitors, Air Aware Labs chose the FounderCatalyst option scheme for £1,495/year — covering unlimited EMI and unapproved option grants with zero scaling costs.

Step 3

HMRC EMI valuation & scheme approval

FounderCatalyst handled the full EMI valuation submission to HMRC and set up the scheme rules, option pool, and all necessary approvals.

Step 4

Unlimited options issued to staff & advisors

Air Aware Labs issued EMI options to staff and unapproved options to advisors — with no cap on grants and zero additional costs as the team grew.

What's included

Everything you need to set up and manage a share option scheme, handled end-to-end by our team.

Expert strategic set up and review

Our experts guide you through every element below — from initial set up to ongoing management.

Authorisation of the scheme

We handle the full authorisation process with HMRC to get your share option scheme set up and approved, so you can start granting options with confidence.

Production of scheme rules

We draft comprehensive, tailored scheme rules that govern how your share options work — covering grants, exercise, vesting, and leavers.

Unlimited EMI valuations per year

Get as many HMRC-compliant EMI valuations as you need throughout the year — no hidden fees, no limits. Perfect for fast-growing companies where valuations change often.

Unlimited EMI and Unapproved share option grants

Grant EMI share options to your staff and unapproved share options to your advisors and contractors — with no cap on the number of grants. A flexible way to attract, retain, and reward your team.

Flexible vesting schedules

Choose from time-based, conditional, or exit-only vesting to match your company's goals. We help you design the right structure to align incentives with performance.