article thumbnail

Startup Stock Options – Why A Good Deal Has Gone Bad

Steve Blank

In tech startups stock options were here almost from the beginning, first offered to the founders in 1957 at Fairchild Semiconductor , the first chip startup in Silicon Valley. As Venture Capital emerged as an industry in the mid 1970’s, investors in venture-funded startups began to give stock options to all their employees.

article thumbnail

Why Uber is The Revenge of the Founders

Steve Blank

20th Century Tech Liquidity = Initial Public Offering. In the 20th century tech companies and their investors made money through an Initial Public Offering (IPO). Traditionally, in exchange for giving the company money, investors would receive preferred stock, and founders and employees owned common stock.

Founder 245
Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

The 5 Key Stages of Equity Funding

Growthink Blog

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. Each round may raise between $5 million and $20 million or more.

Equity 88
article thumbnail

VC Governance FAQ: (2) Especially now, when transparency is so important, why is limited financial information available from a private company?

Pascal's View

This is the second in our series of ten frequently asked questions from investors in venture capital partnerships. To address the broader point about accuracy in book valuation, I am concerned that the developing industry standard for venture capital is at risk of going too far while providing no real benefit to investors.