An equity refresh is an additional stock option or RSU grant given to retained employees on top of their original new-hire grant. Also called a refresher grant, top-up grant, or annual equity grant. It is typically issued annually or at promotion events and designed to maintain ongoing equity incentive and retention as the original grant vests over its 4-year schedule. The refresh grant is typically 25-50% of the original new-hire grant size, vests on its own 4-year schedule (with or without cliff depending on company policy), and accumulates with the original grant to keep the employee's total equity meaningful as the company grows. It is a fundamental discipline for employee retention at growth-stage companies and a frequen...