Mastering 409A: How to Align Valuation, Equity Planning, and Compliance in High-growth Companies

409A valuations keeping you up at night? 😅
In this episode of Equity Matters: Navigating Equity Compensation, we break down how to align 409A valuation, equity planning, and compliance for high-growth private companies so you can grant stock options with confidence and keep both the IRS and your employees happy.
Hosted by Countsy, this webinar brings together three seasoned equity experts to talk about what founders, CFOs, HR, legal, and stock plan admins actually need to know.

🎥 What this webinar covers
In this session, you’ll learn:

What a 409A valuation really is (and what it is NOT)
• Why it’s not the same as “what your company is worth”
• How it fits into equity compensation and stock option pricing

When you need a 409A valuation & how often to refresh it
• Early-stage vs late-stage companies
• Annual vs quarterly valuations
• What counts as a “material event” (funding, major contracts, co-founder departures, etc.)

Why DIY 409A valuation is risky
• Safe harbor rules and why independent, qualified valuation providers matter
• What happens if the IRS challenges your valuation
• How bad 409A practices hurt your employees (accelerated tax, penalties, interest)

How 409A ties into global and secondary market activity
• Non-US companies with US employees
• The impact of secondary share sales on your fair market value (FMV)
• Late-stage, pre-IPO, and high-volume secondary transactions

How to choose the right 409A valuation provider
• Questions to ask: experience, industry familiarity, client types & volume
• Human analysis vs “instant AI/automated” valuation tools
• Why you need an ongoing relationship, not a one-off report

Practical tips for equity ops & back office teams
• Coordinating 409A valuation with board approvals, grant timing, and stock plan administration
• How Countsy supports clients with equity administration, accounting, HR, and finance while partnering with specialist valuation providers

👥 Featured speakers
🔹 Kelly Neider – Growth Lead, Equity Outsourcing at Countsy
25+ years in equity compensation for private and public companies. Leads equity administration outsourcing as part of Countsy’s broader back office solutions (equity admin, accounting, HR, and more).
🔹 Amit Majumder – Head of Customer Success at Capita, Equity Management Platform
Specialist in stock plan administration, financial reporting, and 409A / valuation work for hundreds of private and public companies worldwide.
🔹 Carine Schneider (Moderator) – Founding Partner, Compass Strategic Advisors
Advises growing companies on equity compensation strategy, scaling, and governance.

🕒 Chapters / Timestamps
00:00 – Welcome & webinar overview
01:20 – What is 409A and why does it matter?
04:45 – Common misconceptions about 409A valuations
08:30 – How 409A valuations are actually done (beyond “discount off preferred”)
13:40 – Timing: board meetings, grants & valuation dates
14:55 – Why DIY 409A is dangerous for companies & employees
15:45 – Tax penalties & consequences of a bad 409A
18:00 – Role of human judgment vs automated/AI valuations
20:15 – Safe harbor explained & why independent appraisers matter
21:40 – Late-stage, secondaries & more frequent 409A refreshes
26:50 – How often to get a new valuation after material events
28:15 – How to evaluate and select a 409A valuation firm
31:45 – Final advice, resources & next webinars

🎯 Who should watch
This session is designed for:
• Startup & scale-up founders and CEOs
• CFOs, Controllers, and Finance leaders at private companies
• HR & People leaders responsible for equity compensation
• Legal & stock plan administrators managing options and cap tables
• Anyone trying to understand 409A for startups and growth companies
If you’re planning to grant stock options, expanding globally, or anticipating secondary liquidity or IPO, this will help you avoid costly mistakes and build a defensible, compliant equity program.

🔗 Next steps
• Learn more about Countsy’s equity administration, accounting, and HR outsourcing at: countsy.com
• Connect with the speakers via the QR codes and LinkedIn links shown in the video
• Follow Countsy on LinkedIn for future Equity Matters webinars
If you found this helpful, like, subscribe, and share it with your finance, HR, and legal teams so everyone’s aligned on 409A, valuation, and equity compliance.