Introduction
Ledgy's templating and signing automation streamlines your equity documentation process by automatically generating customised documents and managing signature workflows. Instead of manually creating each grant letter, share certificate, or exercise notice, you can use templates that automatically populate with data from your cap table.
This article provides an overview of how templating and signing automation works, what you can automate, and how to get started.
Who can use templating automation: You need to be an account admin in Ledgy to create and manage document templates and signature workflows.
What is templating & signing automation?
Templating and signing automation is a three-step process that simplifies equity documentation:
Step 1: Create templates with variables
You upload document templates (Word files) that include variables like {stakeholder.name} or {sharePrice}. These variables act as placeholders for information from your cap table. Ledgy will automatically populate the variables with data from the transaction and stakeholder.
The following is the full list of the variables you can use when creating templates.
Step 2: Automatic document generation
When you create a transaction (like issuing a grant or recording an exercise), Ledgy automatically generates a document by replacing the variables with actual data from the transaction and stakeholder records.
Step 3: E-signature workflow
The generated document is automatically sent for e-signature through your chosen provider (DocuSign, Ledgy native, or Skribble). Once signed, the completed document is stored in Ledgy's Data Room and attached to the transaction.
Key benefits:
Save time by eliminating manual document creation
Reduce errors from manual data entry
Ensure consistency across all documents
Streamline signature collection
Maintain organised document storage
Examples of transaction documents:
Grants: Stock Option Grant
Exercising: Notice of Exercise
Share Issuance: Share Certificate
Transfers: Stock Transfer Agreements
See guides on how to create option, phantom, stock, or warrant grants, exercising, and share certificate documents.
Examples of stakeholder documents:
Step-by-step guide
Create templates & add signature requirements
On Documents → Signatures page
Open Company signature settings and choose a signature provider. Ledgy supports DocuSign, Ledgy native, and Skribble providers.
On Documents → Templates page
Select Upload template → add a word.docx file → give the template a name. Create your template file using variables.
Add signatory settings. Note: signatory settings are defined per template. Choose whether the involved stakeholder should be a signatory for the template.
DocuSign: add multiple signers (optional: witnessing) and set the signing order. Based on the signing order, each signer will be asked to sign once the preceding signer has completed signing.
Ledgy & Skribble: add multiple signers. Signers will be asked to sign at the same time.
Ledgy & Skribble users can add multiple signatories & choose if the involved stakeholder should sign or not.
Document templating preview
Before saving templates, preview how they'll look and verify that all variables are correct. This helps you catch formatting issues and variable errors before generating real documents.
Document preview: When uploading a new template or viewing an existing one, you’ll now see a preview of the document with dummy template variable values.
Template variable validation: Before saving, template variables are checked. Valid ones are highlighted, and any invalid ones are clearly flagged.
Video tutorial
Watch a demonstration of document templating in action, including the preview feature: Grant letter templating and signing workflows - See the preview feature example from 5:10-6:15.
Note: This feature is available for accounts on the Growth plan or above.
Update templates
Template properties can be edited at any time. These include:
Template file (must be word.docx)*
Template name*
Signatories
*required
Template property changes will impact all documents generated after saving the template changes, and not impact documents generated before.
Create documents
Automatically generate documents in bulk (plan presets)
Add templates on plan presets and automate the process of creating (i) many grants, and (ii) relevant documents — in bulk.
When creating a plan or editing plan presets:
Select the templates for Grants and Exercises. Multiple templates can be added.
Choose whether to enable the ‘Create documents from template’ and ‘Prepare signature requests’ checkbox. If enabled, document templates created from future grants issued from this plan will be available automatically in the Signatures page, ready to send out.
Optionally, upload and attach plan documents on the plan.
If templates are set on a preset, the usage indicator will be green on the Templates page and show which plan the template is set on.
Note: all plan presets can be edited at any point.
For more on bulk importing transactions, click here.
For more on plan presets, click here.
Automatically generate documents on a single transaction
When adding a transaction (grant, share issuance, exercise, transfer):
Select the templates for the transaction. Multiple templates can be added.
Choose whether to enable the ‘Create documents from template’ and ‘Prepare signature requests’ checkbox. If enabled, document templates created from transaction will be available automatically in the Signatures page.
Optionally, upload and attach plan documents on the plan.
If templates are set on a single transaction only, the usage indicator will stay red on the Templates page.
FAQ
How do I create a Stakeholder template?
Stakeholder templates are also uploaded and managed from the Templates page. Simply use Ledgy’s stakeholder variables → add the word.docx file → define the Template properties.
On the Templates page, select ‘Create from template’ and fill in the details. Note: stakeholders are not default signatories — add the stakeholder as a signatory on the template setting if the stakeholder should sign the document.
How do I create a document if the transaction has been created?
Click on the three dot menu on the right-hand side and select Create document from template to open the edit transaction screen. Optionally, select Prepare signature request.
The output document will be attached to the transaction.
How do I use regional variable formats on my templates?
Ledgy supports English (UK), French (FR), and German (DE) format template variables for dates and numbers (including currency).
Note that English (UK) is the default setting.
Change the setting on 'Documents' -> 'Templates' page -> 'Template region settings'.
Note that the updated settings will apply to all documents created from the template, after the setting is saved. There are no changes required to the actual template.
English (UK) format:
Currency: £1,234,567.89
Number: 1,234,567.89
Date: 03 Apr 2024
French (FR) format:
Currency: 1 234 567,89 €
Number: 1 234 567,89
Date: 03 avr. 2024
German (DE) format:
Currency: 1.234.567,89 €
Number: 1.234.567,89
Date: 03. Apr. 2024
