Advisor vesting governs how fast advisors earn their advisor shares—typically monthly or quarterly over one to two years, sometimes with a cliff.

How it works

The advisor agreement defines “active”—hours per month, attendance at meetings, or specific deliverables like investor intros. Vesting mirrors employee schedules but shorter: 12–24 months total, cliff optional. When the relationship ends, the company cancels unvested grants per plan documents.

Founders should board-approve grants and track vesting in the cap table platform. Double-trigger acceleration is rare for advisors. Some companies use milestone vesting (“vest 25% when we close Series A”) for fundraising coaches.

Why it matters

• Founders: Reclaim unvested equity when advisors go quiet without awkward cap table surgery later.
• Investors: Clean vesting terms signal disciplined governance during seed diligence.
• Advisors: Understand you are earning equity; document contributions if disputes arise.

Common mistake

Using the same four-year employee vesting for advisors who commit two hours a month—either overpaying on a long schedule or under-vesting high-impact short engagements. Match schedule to expected relationship length.

Related ideas

Advisor shares, cliff vesting, 83(b) for restricted stock advisors, and option cancellation on departure.