Early Growth Financial Services

FEBRUARY 3, 2015

Today, we’re tackling participating versus non-participating preferred stock, a fundamental economic term in VC deals that goes to the heart of the business agreement between investors and management in connection with a sale of the company. management). management).

Preferred Stock 28

Preferred Stock Stock Finance Participating Preferred 28

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 22, 2010

Things like “ participating preferred stock &# in legalese unsurprisingly never actually call out, “hey, this is the participating preferred language.&# We got a3x participating liquidation preference with interest (not participating with a 3x cap, but 3x participating. 4 * $4 million) and not $4 million.

Valuation 405

Valuation Liquidation Preference Pre-Money Valuation Term Sheet 405

Startup Company Lawyer

AUGUST 31, 2012

Over the past few years, convertible debt has emerged as a quick and inexpensive method for startup companies to raise money from angel investors and early stage venture funds. ” As a result, Ted introduced the Series Seed preferred stock documents as an alternative to convertible debt for early stage investments.

Convertible Security 73

Convertible Security Equity Security Preferred Stock 73

Gust

MAY 24, 2012

As a quick review, most startups begin life as corporations with a single class of equity securities, referred to as Common Stock , issued to founders, employees, and outside service providers. Options and warrants, when issued, are also typically exercisable for shares of Common Stock.

IPO 159

IPO Equity Common Stock Stock 159

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 26, 2015

Perhaps they're way off in their valuation (usually far too high), or paralyzed by fear at seeing the other terms, because they have no idea what's normal, and what's worth a fight to the death (their startup's). In very early startups, which have no valuation, the term sheet may specify a convertible note.

Term Sheet 120

Term Sheet Demand Preferred Stock Liquidation Preference 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 18, 2015

Even though initial stock has no value or market, it is extremely valuable in dividing entity ownership between multiple co-founders, commensurate with their investment, contribution and role. Startup owners need to assume a three to five year wait for a liquidity event, such as acquisition or going public, before they can cash out.

Stock 120

Stock Vesting Common Stock Founder Vesting 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 11, 2013

If you aren’t so sure, need something fast, or need to keep your costs low, then an LLC is the best legal and taxable entity to facilitate your startup. Incorporate your startup after the business plan, but before you spend a dollar on product development. Every startup business needs annual tax return coverage.

LLC 234

LLC Nevada Delaware Limited Liability Company 234

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 8, 2019

File an 83(b) election with the IRS within 30 days of founding the company, while the market value of your startup is essentially zero. Failing to file or waiting to incorporate until a first investor arrives could lead to a nasty tax bill in the middle of startup rollout when you can least afford it.

LLC 210

LLC Limited Liability Company Cofounder Preferred Stock 210

Gust

JUNE 7, 2014

Every investment round in a company is made on the basis of extensivepaperwork (often upwards of 100 pages in total) specifying *precisely* what happens when it comes time to pay out the proceeds (if any) from the sale or dissolution of the company. 5) Senior Preferred Stock and warrants. 6) Any preference multiple on (5).

Warrant 157

Warrant Preferred Stock Early Stage Common Stock 157

Lightspeed Venture Partners

OCTOBER 7, 2012

Week three’s breakdown covered topics like how hard momentum is to turn around, and how participating preferred stock works. The company has done $400k in sales in less than two years and had an early test deal with a local supermarket chain that they were massively overperforming on. in 2012 sales and $2M in income.

Technical Review 110

Technical Review Technical Cofounder Valuation Pre-Money Valuation 110

Feld Thoughts

SEPTEMBER 27, 2011

In this case, the convertible debt document doesn’t allow the debt to convert into anything, but at the same time mandates that upon a sale the debt must be paid off. If it’s not a stock deal, then one normally sees one of the above scenarios. So the lenders don’t see any of the upside on the acquisition. Typical language follows.

Conversion 96

Conversion Sales Later Stage Preferred Stock 96

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 21, 2010

This is part of my ongoing series on Startup Advice. As startup entrepreneurs we all want to work with them because having their name as reference clients makes it so much easier for marketing, PR, selling to other customers, fund raising and even recruiting. million in sales. million in sales (e.g. Should You Offer Them?

Warrant 298

Warrant Dilution Startup Stock Options 298

Gust

SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

The most successful serial entrepreneurs in the world may found three or four, perhaps even eight or ten venture-backed startups over the course of their careers. For more on working with startup lawyers, see Mark Suster’s classic post, How To Work With Lawyers At A Startup.). Knowledge is power.

Finance 178

Finance Term Sheet Preferred Stock Bridge Financing 178

Scott Edward Walker

JUNE 9, 2019

Accordingly, I thought it would be helpful for founders to discuss these rights and to point out the problems they create for startups. Over the past few weeks, two of my clients have received financing term sheets in which the investors requested super pro rata rights. Pro Rata Rights.

Preferred Stock 56

Preferred Stock Term Sheet Dilution Stock 56

www.paulgraham.com

APRIL 28, 2010

Want to start a startup? A typical startup goes throughseveral rounds of funding, and at each round you want to take justenough money to reach the speed where you can shift into the nextgear. Few startups get it quite right. 1 ] A startups life will be more complicated, legally, if any of theinvestors arent accredited.

Technical Review 76

Technical Review Startup Software Review Angel Investor 76

Scott Edward Walker

APRIL 9, 2012

Venture capital funds, seed funds, super angels, angel groups, incubators, and “friends and family” are all playing the seed financing game and investing early in startups in an attempt to land the next Facebook. ii) why are convertible notes issued instead of shares of common or preferred stock?

Preferred Stock 87

Preferred Stock Finance Common Stock Liquidation Preference 87

Hunter Walker

SEPTEMBER 29, 2022

As more growth and crossover investors came into the startup ecosystem they were often eager to put capital to work and happy to consolidate their positions with common or preferred shares from early employees, founders and previous investors. We’re aligned with the founders and the rest of the cap table until we aren’t.

Venture Capital 126

Venture Capital Cap Table LP Equity 126

Up and Running

MAY 23, 2016

To give you a better idea of what entrepreneurs in this industry are thinking about during each phase of the startup process, I interviewed SaaS entrepreneurs from all over the world, including our own COO Noah Parsons. In the tactics section, list your sales channels and describe how you will be selling your products.

Software Review 74

Software Review Software Delaware Forecast 74

Startup Company Lawyer

MARCH 14, 2010

In addition, I think that a “peace treaty&# between early-stage investors and startup companies on standard terms (at least at a term sheet level) is a step in the right direction. To differentiate it from typical “Series A&# preferred stock, which comes with certain expectations with regard to rights.

Finance 70

Finance Software Review Term Sheet Liquidation Preference 70

Up and Running

DECEMBER 1, 2015

Typically, employers that offer employees equity compensation will do so in the form of common stock, preferred stock, or stock options. It’s called restricted stock because it often comes with restrictions, such as vesting. See Also: 10 Tips for Dealing With Startup Stock Options.

Equity 60

Equity Employee Stock Options Vesting 60

Tim Keane

JANUARY 12, 2010

Startups and angels: Along the way to success. It also assumes the entire value of the investment is captured for investors at a sale of the company in the time specified in the term-sheet. This results in a range of sale prices; in this example from $118.6MM to $21MM. By Tim Keane, Angel Investor, Golden Angels Investors, LLC.

Term Sheet 68

Term Sheet Valuation Dividend Liquidation Preference 68

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 8, 2012

I recently wrote about my views that startups rounds should be priced. I’m not sure why people don’t see that. ” If you remember the three rules of sales : it’s. Here is what I recommend very often – privately – to startup entrepreneurs for angel funding. Almost every startup needs an anchor.

Pre-Money Valuation 294

Pre-Money Valuation Finance Liquidation Preference Warrant 294

The Startup Lawyer

JANUARY 10, 2012

In most equity financing rounds, an investor will ask for (and get) a term called a liquidation preference. A liquidation preference is the amount that must be paid to a preferred stock holder before any sale proceeds may be paid to the holders of common stock (i.e., founders, option holders, etc.).

Liquidation Preference 73

Liquidation Preference Pre-Money Valuation Participating Preferred Preferred Stock 73

The Startup Lawyer

MARCH 1, 2010

The drafters are “open sourcing&# the documents so that they may be continually improved by the startup community. The board is set up to consist of 3 directors: 1 director elected by the common (founders); 1 directors elected by the preferred (investors); 1 “independent&# director (i.e., 4) Term Sheet.

Preferred Stock 79

Preferred Stock Term Sheet Redemption Registration Rights 79

Gust

OCTOBER 3, 2011

For a first time entrepreneur trying to figure out the arcane world of startup financing, it can be very confusing to understand the roles that different types of investors play in funding promising companies, as well as the point in a company’s life at which they enter the stage. From +/- $1.5m

Finance 70

Finance Venture Capital Intellectual Property Early Stage 70

www.payne.org

SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

Startup Equity For Employees. 2 Stock Classes: Common and Preferred. 5 Stock vs Options. 6 Founders / Restricted Stock. The re-heating of the venture funded tech market has pushed a heat up of the hiring market, and Im getting more calls from friends asking for help understanding startup stock (equity) offers.

Equity 56

Equity Employee Vesting Preferred Stock 56

Scott Edward Walker

MAY 15, 2012

What Happens If a Startup is Acquired Prior to the Note’s Conversion to Shares of Preferred Stock? As discussed in part 1 , in the context of a seed financing, a convertible note is a loan that typically automatically converts into shares of preferred stock upon the closing of a Series A round of financing.

Finance 64

Finance Founder Accredited Investor Preferred Stock 64

Berkonomics

MAY 22, 2014

The sale of equity in private companies is regulated by the Securities Act of 1933, which requires that the company either register with the SEC or meet one of several exemptions (Regulation D). I have yet to read a PPM written for a startup company that meets the parameters we angels generally establish for funding new ventures.

Early Stage 79

Early Stage Accredited Investor SEC Private Placement 79

Gust

OCTOBER 21, 2011

For convertible notes, the only liquidity event we need be concerned with is an acquisition of the startup in the near future, before the maturity date; otherwise, the notes will convert to equity of one kind or another, and the eventual sale of that equity (in a public offering, acquisition, or private sale) is a different subject for another day.

Finance 79

Finance Pre-Money Valuation Term Sheet Liquidity Event 79

Lightspeed Venture Partners

OCTOBER 1, 2012

The company did $1M in sales last year, 90% from wholesale, and had a 10% profit margin. They wanted to get to $10M in sales and then get bought by a big food company. The sales history is anemic, but perhaps the biggest asset that the company has is a trademark for Rockbands in the apparel field. pre money valuation).

Pre-Money Valuation 158

Pre-Money Valuation Valuation Participating Preferred Preferred Stock 158

Startup Company Lawyer

JANUARY 9, 2011

Convertible debt with a price cap seems to be the preferred structure for early-stage financings. Over the last 12 months, I’ve noticed a trend where early-stage startup companies raise seed financings of between $250K and $1M using a convertible note with a price cap. Is a priced Series A financing a valid alternative?

Liquidation Preference 57

Liquidation Preference Finance Preferred Stock Common Stock 57

The Startup Lawyer

FEBRUARY 13, 2012

The convertible note interest should also accrue until the note converts into equity or is paid out at the sale of the company. When the convertible note converts into equity, the interest also typically converts into the preferred stock, rather than being paid out.

Preferred Stock 73

Preferred Stock Dividend Equity Stock 73

The Startup Lawyer

MARCH 1, 2010

The drafters are “open sourcing&# the documents so that they may be continually improved by the startup community. The board is set up to consist of 3 directors: 1 director elected by the common (founders); 1 directors elected by the preferred (investors); 1 “independent&# director (i.e., 4) Term Sheet.

Preferred Stock 40

Preferred Stock Term Sheet Redemption Registration Rights 40

ithacaVC

DECEMBER 14, 2011

Specifically, “too much” liquidation preference (I will use “LP” for liquidation preference). As most of you probably know, LP is one of the fundamental economic attributes of preferred stock that preferred shareholders enjoy.

Liquidation Preference 49

Liquidation Preference LP Preferred Stock Liquidity Event 49

Startup Company Lawyer

JANUARY 31, 2011

Optional maturity conversion : into Series AA Preferred Stock based on a $5M valuation. Please note that these are generally the terms of the Series AA Preferred Stock financing documents that Y Combinator previously published.).

Preferred Stock 60

Preferred Stock Liquidation Preference IPO Common Stock 60

ithacaVC

FEBRUARY 23, 2011

As the investors’ aggregate liquidation preference (ALP) increases typically the need for a MCOP also increases. The ALP is the total amount of $ that preferred stock holders are owed on a sale of the company under their liquidation preferences. It is not uncommon for the MCOP to kick in from dollar one.

Liquidation Preference 55

Liquidation Preference Management Preferred Stock Dividend 55

Growthink Blog

MAY 10, 2012

If it's not your plan to get venture capital down the road, then you'll probably stop in Stage 2-receiving enough funding to boost your marketing, sales, and infrastructure to grow organically from there to the point where you are satisfied or ready to sell.

Equity 88

Equity Mezzanine Later Stage Venture Capital 88