Domestic online gaming start-up WinZO has concluded its fourth round of liquidation of Employee Stock Options Plan (ESOPs). Talking to CNBC-TV18, Saumya Singh Rathore, Co-Founder of WinZO, shared that as many as 30% of the employees have liquidated their ESOPs at the last round valuation, implying that 65 employees have participated in this ESOPs.

“The ESOP buyback is a strategic part of WinZO’s efforts to attract and retain top technology and product talent, especially as the gaming industry faces challenges posed by a 400% increase in GST costs and ongoing pressure from illegal offshore betting and gambling companies,” Rathore added.

The company aims to ensure that the ongoing liquidation via the Employee Stock Options Plan (ESOP) occurs every year, he said.

This marks the fourth round of ESOP liquidation in three consecutive years.

“This initiative allows eligible employees—approximately 30 percent of WinZO’s workforce, comprising team members with at least two years of tenure—to liquidate their vested ESOPs,” Rathore said.

“At WinZO, we believe our talent is our greatest asset, and this ESOP buyback program reflects our commitment to celebrating innovation,” said Saumya Singh Rathore and Paavan Nanda, Founders of WinZO.

“Despite the evolving challenges in the gaming industry, particularly recent taxation changes, our focus remains on supporting our team, creating growth opportunities, and innovating to work towards leadership in the globally $300 billion market, of which India currently claims only 1%. We reinforce India’s talent with their belief in the long-term potential of the gaming sector. Together, we are building a global consumer tech company proudly made in India for the world.”

Previously, WinZO conducted three rounds of ESOP liquidation in 2021 and 2023. In addition to competitive global compensation packages, WinZO offers a lucrative Scholarship Policy enabling team members to pursue fully funded higher education at prestigious universities worldwide.

With a lean team of 200 members, WinZO has raised $100 million in cumulative funding from leading investors, including Griffin Gaming Partners, Maker’s Fund, Courtside Ventures, and Kalaari Capital.

WinZO is a domestic gaming platform that integrates third-party games on a single mobile app and was founded in 2018.

Currently, WinZO has 200 million users and is present in 15 languages. The company claims to capture about 35% of India’s online gaming market.

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