Secfi focuses on equity planning and financing for startup employees — most notably financing the cost of exercising stock options (and the tax that comes with it), plus broader equity planning. Its exact services change over time, so check directly. We are not affiliated with Secfi.

Should I use financing to exercise my options?

It depends. Financing can let you exercise options you couldn't otherwise afford and avoid letting them expire, but you give up some of the upside and pay for the service — so it mainly makes sense when your conviction in the company is high. Model the exercise cost and tax, compare it with exercising less or waiting, and take advice first.

What should I prepare before using an equity-financing firm?

Know your grant type, how much is vested, your strike price and any exercise deadline; work out the full exercise cost including AMT or income tax; and understand exactly what the financing costs you on both good and bad outcomes. Go in with your own numbers.

Exercising & financing

Preparing to use Secfi — what to get ready first

Secfi is less about finding a buyer and more about the cash and planning side of equity — above all, funding the cost (and tax) of exercising options. Here's what to understand before you engage.

Written & maintained by the PrivateTechShares team · Published November 2026 · Reviewed November 2026

Part of our guide to what it costs to exercise your options.

Secfi is a firm focused on equity planning and financing for startup employees — best known for helping people fund the cost of exercising their options, including the AMT bill, alongside broader equity planning. We're not affiliated with Secfi, and the exact services firms like this offer change over time, so check directly. This is an independent guide to getting ready.

When this kind of help is relevant

It's aimed at employees who have vested options worth exercising but not the cash — or who face a large tax bill to do it. Non-recourse financing can cover the strike and the tax in exchange for a share of the upside, with protection if the shares end up worthless. It can unlock an exercise you couldn't otherwise afford — but financing is never free, so the terms are the whole story.

What to get ready first

Know your grant — ISO vs NSO, how much is vested, your strike price, and any post-termination exercise deadline (often ~90 days).
Work out the exercise cost — strike × shares, plus the AMT or income tax at exercise. That's the number any financing is meant to cover.
Understand the financing terms — what you give up if it goes well, and what happens if it doesn't. Model the net, not the headline.
Be honest about conviction and timing — financing an exercise is a bet on the company. Size it to how strong that bet really is.

Weigh the cost against the alternative

Financing shifts the risk and cost of exercising — it doesn't remove them. For some people it's the only way to avoid letting valuable options expire; for others, exercising less, or waiting, is cheaper. There's no universal answer — model your own numbers and take advice before committing. (See what to do when you can't afford to exercise.)

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