EquityList Customer Story: Powerplay’s Equity Makeover

About Powerplay

Powerplay is a construction management software company that has supported over 85,000 projects across India with over 700,000+ app users.

Backed by Accel, India Quotient, and Surge, the Series A startup has grown to a team of 200+ employees.

About Ankita Sen

Ankita Sen, Head of People & Culture at Powerplay, brings over 15 years of experience in human resource management. Prior to joining Powerplay, she held key roles at Avail Finance, Cultsport, Curefit, and TaxiForSure.

Key results

• 100+ hours saved annually by eliminating manual grant management
• Quarterly equity compliance reporting streamlined through real-time reports
• Employees gained clear visibility into their growing wealth, reinforcing the value of their ownership.
• Real-time equity pool analytics enabled proactive planning around pool replenishment and allocations.
• Near-instant support turnaround ensured uninterrupted workflows and quick issue resolution.

3 risks Powerplay faced due to fragmented equity management

"When I joined Powerplay, I noticed that equity management was scattered—somewhere in emails, somewhere in spreadsheets, the situation was becoming untenable as we grew," says Ankita Sen. "We had to build proper systems to send grant letters on time, and run the process smoothly."

"With quarterly equity compliance requiring precise documentation, the need for a more organized approach became clear," she adds.

Powerplay’s then fragmented situation with equity management exposed the company to three major risks:

• Administrative inefficiency: Critical equity data was scattered across emails, spreadsheets, and physical documents. This slowed down internal workflows.
• Compliance risk: Without a centralized system, audit prep was manual, error-prone, and time-consuming.
• Retention challenges: Employees had limited visibility into the value of their equity, undermining one of the company’s key incentives.

"It’s not just about centralizing data; it’s about enabling employees to realize the value of their equity," Sen explains. "For example, an employee who joined when their ESOPs were worth 10 lakh rupees and now sees them valued at over 1 crore would be motivated to stay with us."

Equity (uncomplicated with EquityList) ✨

When evaluating equity management solutions, Powerplay focused on three key priorities:

• Platform usability: Ensuring ease of use, especially for employees unfamiliar with equity concepts.
• Implementation efficiency: Minimizing the time investment required from the HR team.
• Responsive support: Providing quick resolutions to any issues that arise.
  
  

Ankita Sen, with her extensive experience working with multiple equity management platforms, was well aware of their limitations.

At Powerplay, the team initially used another portal but found it lacking. Ankita found that it was overly complex and poorly suited for the Indian market (especially compliance).

"When the platform is difficult for the administrator to navigate, imagine an employee trying to figure it out. They often struggled just to find and sign their grant letters," says Ankita Sen.

The platform's support was also inconsistent, creating bottlenecks whenever her primary contact was unavailable.

Sen also recalls the challenges faced in previous organizations:

EquityList emerged as the solution to these challenges.

With its intuitive interface, responsive support team, and streamlined implementation process, it addressed all of Powerplay's needs, making it the obvious choice for their equity management.

Migration: Quick and reliable

"It wasn't just smooth, it was very easy. I just had to share all the data with the EquityList team, and they handled it from there. The process was error-free and required minimal time investment from our team," recalls Sen.

"The biggest plus I see with EquityList is that I don't have to invest much time into the portal."

Switching equity platforms is typically a nightmare scenario for HR leaders, especially with sensitive financial data that needs to remain accurate.

"Equity management might only make up 2–3% of our responsibilities, but it's a critical area," says Sen. 

"As HR leaders, we're juggling everything from strategic planning to board discussions. With so much on our plates, we can't afford to get bogged down by repetitive administrative tasks. That's why having a reliable and efficient system like EquityList is so essential."

Results: What two years with EquityList delivered

After two years with EquityList, Powerplay has transformed equity management from a cumbersome administrative burden into a streamlined process.

From manual process to efficient workflow

Enhanced compliance and reporting capabilities

Quarterly equity compliance reporting, critical for Powerplay's finance team, has been streamlined with EquityList's comprehensive automated reports and data export capabilities.

Employee retention through equity understanding

Perhaps most valuable is how the platform helps employees understand the wealth they are building.

"Equity is a fundamental part of why people join startups. It is important that they can clearly see the value of what they own, and EquityList’s employee portal communicates that in an effective way," says Sen.

Powerplay's favorite features

These are the features Powerplay relies on every day to make equity management easier and more efficient.

Strategic pool management visibility

The platform's pool analytics feature delivers critical visibility that supports strategic decision-making around equity allocation.

"Pool size tracking is absolutely critical for us," Sen explains. "It's the foundation of our equity strategy because all allocations come from this pool. I need to know exactly when we're approaching capacity because replenishing it isn't simple; it requires conversations with VCs, possibly founder dilution, or other strategic decisions. Having real-time visibility into our pool utilization prevents unexpected complications."

(Simple, yet…) Lightning fast search

"The search functionality is beautifully designed," Sen says. "It's incredibly user-friendly; when you search for someone's name, their profile appears instantly with all relevant details right there. I don't know how they made it so intuitive, but it's genuinely impressive. This kind of simplicity is exactly what we needed."

Quick shoutout to the star support team 

Sen particularly values responsive support:

"Having a team that's just a call away gives us confidence that we'll be prepared for whatever comes next. That consistent level of support is invaluable to us."

The final word

With EquityList, Powerplay has transformed the way it manages equity, turning what was once a time-consuming, disjointed process into a streamlined, efficient system.

From simplifying administrative tasks to improving compliance reporting and empowering employees to track their equity growth, EquityList has become an integral part of their equity operations.

As Powerplay scales, EquityList continues to be a trusted partner, ensuring that equity management remains efficient, transparent, and impactful for both the team and its employees.