Options are an agreement that give the holder the right to acquire a company’s shares at a fixed/discounted price. They are often used to incentivise & reward employees by giving them an ownership stake in the business (and can be more tax-efficient than simply granting them shares).
Many companies opt to create an option pool (a supply of options ready to be granted) as they grow, and most institutional investors (such as VC’s) expect companies they invest in to have an option pool available to help attract and retain talented employees.
Crowdcube is not in a position to advise on the merits/risks of this, and companies should seek independent tax and legal advice if they have further questions regarding options.
Crowdcube calculates the percentage equity to be issued to investors on a fully diluted basis, meaning the entire option pool will be included in the pre-money calculation regardless of whether it has been allocated.