India, Nov. 11 -- Employee stock options (ESOPs) have become a major talking point in India's startup ecosystem this year, with questions around liquidity, employee wealth creation and the ability to monetise years of accumulated stock options taking centre stage. While Flipkart's ESOP-related employee woes have been in the news all through this summer, digital commerce startup GoKwik has brought another dimension to the ESOP debate.

GoKwik, which is backed by the likes of Z47 Partners, Peak XV Partners, RTP Global and Think Investments, has amended its existing ESOP Plan 2021, through the insertion of a new non-compete clause, naming nine companies that employees are barred from joining or associating with, if they want to retain their ...