Steve Blank

APRIL 10, 2019

Stock options for all employees of startups served several purposes: Because startups didn’t have much cash and couldn’t compete with large companies in salary offers, stock options dangled in front of a potential employee were like offering a lottery ticket in exchange for a lower salary. Not everyone got the same amount of stock.

Stock Options 335

Stock Options Stock Vesting Common Stock 335

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 24, 2017

— Unremarked and unheralded, the balance of power between startup CEOs and their investors has radically changed: IPOs/M&A without a profit (or at times revenue) have become the norm. Typically, this caliber of bankers wouldn’t talk to you unless your company had five profitable quarters of increasing revenue.

Founder 281

Founder Technical Review CTO Hire IPO 281

Tim Keane

JANUARY 12, 2010

Good investors use the valuation discussions to gauge the business savvy of the management team and to understand their ability to appreciate and deal with economic market forces that set values.   For individual angels and others investing their own money, this may be more fluid than for someone with responsibility for a managed fund.

Term Sheet 68

Term Sheet Valuation Dividend Liquidation Preference 68

The Startup Lawyer

MARCH 11, 2010

For example, a founder stock purchase agreement is 12+ pages long because founders can, have, and will fail and/or bail on startups (hence the vesting schedule & startup repurchase option). Those that manage this feat will survive. Tags: Preferred Stock legal documents seed funding startup Startup Lawyer.

Delaware 49

Delaware Hockey Stick Preferred Stock Open Source 49

The Startup Lawyer

MARCH 11, 2010

For example, a founder stock purchase agreement is 12+ pages long because founders can, have, and will fail and/or bail on startups (hence the vesting schedule & startup repurchase option). Those that manage this feat will survive. Tags: Preferred Stock legal documents seed funding startup Startup Lawyer.

Delaware 45

Delaware Hockey Stick Preferred Stock Open Source 45

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

And as the company grows, it brings on new people and may decide to issue stock options to attract new staff and funding from investors. A cap table will help you in the strategic management of business decisions. Preference shares. A class of stock with special rights as described in your startup is called preference shares.

Cap Table 112

Cap Table Pre-Money Valuation Stock Options Option Pool 112

www.paulgraham.com

APRIL 28, 2010

And if trouble withinvestors is one of the biggest threats to a startup, managing themis one of the most important skills founders need to learn. There never has to be atime when you have no revenues. vesting would in that situation force founders to toe the line. Apparently our situation was not unusual.

Technical Review 76

Technical Review Startup Software Review Angel Investor 76