Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2013

He wrote a post this long weekend on how he manages the board of DataSift. Understanding where your VC partner sits in their respective fund and where their fund is in the cycle of its investment lifecycle will help you understand your VCs behavior. Sincerely – he is better at managing his board than any exec I have worked with.

Advisory Board 365

Advisory Board Fractional CTO CTO Hire Los Angeles 365

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 27, 2014

Many risks can be managed or calculated to improve growth or provide a competitive edge, while others, like skipping quality checks to save money, are recipes for failure. The challenge is to avoid the bad risks, while actively seeking and managing the smart risks. Risk is more manageable with subscriptions and even freemium pricing.

Startup 283

Startup Forecast Stock Options Technical Review 283

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 17, 2018

Many risks can be managed or calculated to improve growth or provide a competitive edge, while others, like skipping quality checks to save money, are recipes for failure. The challenge is to avoid the bad risks, while actively seeking and managing the smart risks. Risk is more manageable with subscriptions and even freemium pricing.

Forecast 161

Forecast Stock Options Technical Review Metrics 161

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 18, 2018

He gives a wealth of practical advice on building a successful technical startup, including some specifics that I like on what constitutes a dream team of partners: The technical guru. The rest can come from early hires (with stock options to assure commitment), equity investors, or even strategic partners.

Technical Cofounder 144

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Advisory Board Startup 144

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 11, 2014

Outside professionals are always available, but they may have their own agenda, such as building a career, making money quickly, or managing up the stock price for a quick exit. The rest can come from early hires (with stock options to assure commitment), equity investors, or even strategic partners.

Technical Cofounder 245

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Advisory Board Startup 245

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2015

Many risks can be managed or calculated to improve growth or provide a competitive edge, while others, like skipping quality checks to save money, are recipes for failure. The challenge is to avoid the bad risks, while actively seeking and managing the smart risks. Risk is more manageable with subscriptions and even freemium pricing.

Startup 120

Startup Forecast Stock Options Technical Review 120

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 21, 2010

Forget to get around to setting up that Employee Stock Option Plan and want to be able to give the early guys their options at a low strike price? They usually ask for warrants (basically like a stock option) in exchange for taking a deferred fee. Focus on the partner you would be working with.

Southern California 318

Southern California Silicon Valley IP Stock Options 318

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2010

My original post was directed at hiring managers. My view still stands – for many hiring managers a large factor in looking through resumes of somebody who is 30+ and has never worked somewhere for more than 18 months will be the job hopping element. I learned how to better run a product management process.

Venture Capital 285

Venture Capital Hiring Software Review Stock Options 285

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 10, 2016

The allocation of shares among the founders, and the number and size of outside investments, will tells volumes about the health, stability, and management of the business. Calculate employee stock option values and vesting times, as well as salary. How complex is the capitalization table?

Sweat Equity 120

Sweat Equity Burn Rate Technical Review Intellectual Property 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 21, 2016

The most effective and productive team members are positive, driven and want to be measured by results rather than hear work hours, perks or stock options. Teamwork inside the company and interacting with customers and partners outside the company are mandatory activities. Motivation and commitment to results.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Stock Options Salary Hiring 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 8, 2022

Old co-workers or new friends with complementary skills usually make the best partners. Later you need specialists and managers. Offer low cash early, with bonuses or stock options for milestones, to people in your personal network. The founder’s title and role dilemma. The right motivated employees dilemma.

Founder 325

Founder Hockey Stick Cofounder Liquidity Event 325

Up and Running

DECEMBER 1, 2015

If you’re giving a large percentage of your company to someone (and yes, two percent is large), you’re entering into a contract that’s really a whole lot like marriage in that it creates a long-term relationship between you and the employee or partner. Make sure you understand all of your options before making any decisions.

Equity 60

Equity Employee Stock Options Vesting 60

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2015

Outside professionals are always available, but they may have their own agenda, such as building a career, making money quickly, or managing up the stock price for a quick exit. The rest can come from early hires (with stock options to assure commitment), equity investors, or even strategic partners.

Technical Cofounder 120

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Advisory Board Stock Options 120

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 8, 2015

The allocation of shares among the founders, and the number and size of outside investments, will tells volumes about the health, stability, and management of the business. Calculate employee stock option values and vesting times, as well as salary. How complex is the capitalization table?

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Due Diligence Sweat Equity Burn Rate 120

Feld Thoughts

OCTOBER 8, 2013

Wikipedia reminded me – it’s another Peter Drucker creation from The Practice of Management. I have a deeply held belief that a manager cannot “motivate behavior.” My partner Dave and I took the number, made a list of all employees, and figured out how much we were going to give each of them.

Stock Options 146

Stock Options Technical Review Leadership Equity 146

Steve Blank

MARCH 16, 2016

VC’s raise money from their investors (limited partners like pension funds) and then spread their risk by investing in a number of startups (called a portfolio). BTW, Angel investors do not have limited partners, and often invest for reasons other than just for financial gain (e.g., The Deal With the Devil.

Liquidity Event 120

Liquidity Event Founder Liquidation Preference Private Equity 120

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 23, 2023

and here is the usual early-stage trap… First, a brand-new enterprise is often formed from the efforts of several “partners”, each with an expertise valued by the others. First you must create a stock option plan using your attorney, which must be registered in many states as a security offering. Here are some rules.

Equity 62

Equity Stock Options Vesting Early Stage 62

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 2, 2010

I always encourage people to allocate a few extra stock options to those that join super early when your company is risky and they just believed in you. You can also spend time with a newer startup helping them navigate the world of product management, venture capital or team building. He was a senior partner, I was a peon.

Europe 352

Europe France San Francisco Chicago 352

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 22, 2019

There are actually several type and I’m going to make the case that if you can avoid board observers you generally should and when you do have them you should be thoughtful about how you manage them. This can be practical for both parties if this is a senior partner already sitting on 10–12 boards. Types of Board Observers 1.

Strategic Investors 255

Strategic Investors Startup Stock Options Venture Capital 255

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 17, 2017

It was a stock option incentive related “expense” but I bet you didn’t know that because in an era where we only read the headlines — they must be a train wreck losing billions. Is the revenue dependent on a concentrated set of distribution partners or platforms that put future revenue at risk? Two-f **g-billion!

Stock Options 227

Stock Options Startup Dilution Venture Capital 227

thinkspace.com

SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Manager or Junior Engineer 0.2 - 0.33. Chris Dixon wrote a blog post about “ The one number you should know about your equity grant “ The one number you should know about your equity grant is the percent of the company you are being granted (in options, shares, whatever – it doesn’t matter – just the % matters). CEO 5 - 10.

Equity 62

Equity Employee Founder CTO Hire 62

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 25, 2019

I work hard to create working relationships with my fellow non-management board members in the same way that every investor ultimately works to develop strong working relationships with founders. cash & unallocated stock options) Should we raise capital, from whom, how much and at what price? I practice what I preach.

LP 269

LP Startup Burn Rate Stock Options 269

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 10, 2019

Old co-workers or new friends with complementary skills usually make the best partners. Later you need specialists and managers. Offer low cash early, with bonuses or stock options for milestones, to people in your personal network. The founder’s title and role dilemma. The right motivated employees dilemma.

Hockey Stick 243

Hockey Stick Cofounder Liquidity Event Startup 243

Berkonomics

JANUARY 25, 2024

And some will willingly work for stock options, an amount to be negotiated based upon time spent and stage of corporate development. The one warning: avoid those looking to become partners, asking for larger portions of equity than, say, 5% when they contribute no cash to the enterprise.

SBA 62

SBA Warrant Stock Options Vesting 62

YoungUpstarts

FEBRUARY 11, 2020

When I became a managing partner, aside from directing our strategy on where to invest, I also helped recruit board positions and management teams. Early in my climb I was hyper-focused on title and pay, realizing later that good health was like a stock option that pays off later.

Switzerland 264

Switzerland Private Equity Stock Options Equity 264

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

I’m a mom, a full-time sales manager, and recruiter. Taking a campaign online and encouraging non-accredited investors to use a crowdfunding platform is a great way to show their support, manage the volume, and market your business. Management Resumes and Organizational Chart. Stock Option. Customer References.

Angel Investor 159

Angel Investor Technical Review Software Review Accredited Investor 159

Reid Hoffman

DECEMBER 10, 2020

If I’m going to find out that a set of founders lack integrity, don’t behave like partners, take on unacceptable risks that might harm their customers or society, or simply aren’t the kinds of people I want to spend a decade with, I want to know those facts before I start down the path of evaluating that investment. I think David’s wrong.”.

Hosting 69

Hosting Hockey Stick IPO Silicon Valley 69

www.joelonsoftware.com

MARCH 24, 2010

Fog Creek explicitly recognizes that many good software engineers have no desire whatsoever to do "management" or to take on a formal personnel management role. One of the purposes of the Fog Creek Professional Ladder is to create a career path with promotions for engineers who simply do not want to do management stuff at all.

Software Review 48

Software Review Stock Options Salary Technical Review 48

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 2, 2015

For a well-funded seed company I have controversially recommended hiring a great office manager that doubles as an administrative assistant. than to have to deal with healthcare benefit options, vacation policies, health-and-safety regulations and so forth. Stock option top-ups after a few years are vital retention mechanisms.

Operations 150

Operations Metrics Early Stage Non-Compete 150

Berkonomics

SEPTEMBER 28, 2017

Here’s an example: First, a brand-new enterprise is often formed from the efforts of several “partners”, each with an expertise valued by the others. First you must create a stock option plan using your attorney, which must be registered in many states as a security offering. How many options are appropriate for a grant?

Early Stage 102

Early Stage Equity Stock Options Vesting 102

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 6, 2020

It helps for everyone to have a financial stake in the company such as profit sharing, stock options, and stock participation plans. The other narrative is that we are fine the way we are, and there is nothing wrong with the way we are managing our business and economy. For example, a transformative organization in 1.0

Leadership 147

Leadership Switzerland Stock Options Stock 147

SoCal CTO

JUNE 9, 2010

He’d wasted a year of his life and had a pile of stock options that weren’t very interesting. Klout Puts Metrics Into Social Media Management - Tim Berry's Blog - Planning Startups Stories , May 21, 2010 I really like klout.com for three good reasons: 1.) Tesla is not. SlideShare: VC signaling in seed rounds. What should I do?’.

Fractional CTO 248

Fractional CTO Startup Venture Capital Cofounder 248

The Startup Magazine

JUNE 1, 2023

After all, you’ve likely given your employees stock options which make them part-time business owners as well. His vision is to create a logistics company that curates trust from its employees to the shippers and carriers they partner with. And in times like this, give them more. We know that it’s tough out there.

Early Stage 111

Early Stage Los Angeles Silicon Valley Cofounder 111

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 14, 2014

Old co-workers or new friends with complementary skills usually make the best partners. Later you need specialists and managers. Offer low cash early, with bonuses or stock options for milestones, to people in your personal network. The Founder’s title and role dilemma. The right motivated employees dilemma.

Hockey Stick 268

Hockey Stick Cofounder Entrepreneur Liquidity Event 268

Startup Company Lawyer

MARCH 12, 2009

S corps are not a popular entity choice because, in addition to presenting the same challenges to tax-exempt venture fund partners as those presented by LLCs, S corps are limited to one class of stock (meaning no preferred stock financings) and 100 stockholders. such as incentive stock options. residents.

LLC 61

LLC Stock Options Preferred Stock Stock 61

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2017

Old co-workers or new friends with complementary skills usually make the best partners. Later you need specialists and managers. Offer low cash early, with bonuses or stock options for milestones, to people in your personal network. The founder’s title and role dilemma. The right motivated employees dilemma.

Hockey Stick 144

Hockey Stick Cofounder Entrepreneur Liquidity Event 144

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 4, 2009

If you’re thinking about joining as the director of marketing, product management manager, senior architect, international business development lead, etc. Now … these are stock options and not restricted stock so you’ll likely be taxed at a long-term capital gains rate. Let’s face it.

Stock Options 418

Stock Options Stock Liquidation Preference Option Pool 418