Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 23, 2015

So it could be that a sale would yield you seven figures and you could move on to your next role but the CEO wants to “go big or go home” and sometimes go home is the outcome. We did the early round of financing and the founding team walked when the market turned and when the situation got tough. ” (Warren Buffett).

Technical Review 150

Technical Review Liquidation Preference Silicon Valley IP 150

Tim Keane

JANUARY 12, 2010

For angel groups, the distinction between groups and VCs on this issue is dwindling, especially as angel groups do bigger rounds of financing.   Note that this applies only to earl stage Series A-type equity financings and assumes no cash dividends are paid to investors. . Second a liquidation preference and a participation.

Term Sheet 68

Term Sheet Valuation Dividend Liquidation Preference 68

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 6, 2010

We set our sites on our IPO price and then worked back to our current valuation and showed potential employees what we thought they could earn (with all legal caveats) if the company was successful. If Ventro was worth $8 billion on $2 million of sales surely a paltry $1 billion would suffice. I prefer not to.

Stock Options 294

Stock Options Stock Valuation Liquidation Preference 294

genylabs.typepad.com

SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

I wont bother going into details on start-up financing terms ( see this post for an overview of typical VC terms) except to say if you dont know and understand: the firms cap table and valuation. where your stock sits in the liquidity preference stack. what rights and preferences the founders and the other investors have.

Equity 40

Equity Technical Review San Jose Stock 40

ithacaVC

DECEMBER 13, 2013

They are typically pretty simple: (i) shares owned by founders and (ii) shares authorized for issuance in a stock option pool, some of which may be issued to employees already and some of which will be available for future issuance. S0, being able to clearly state how many options you want to grant at the time of the financing is KEY.

Cap Table 67

Cap Table Pre-Money Valuation Option Pool Liquidation Preference 67

ithacaVC

MAY 1, 2013

The article states “When venture capitalists invest, they typically demand preferred shares that accrue a yearly dividend of about 8 percent. In a sale, the original amount and the interest all come due. It must be paid out before the common shares, which are typically held by the founders and other employees.”

Dividend 45

Dividend Liquidation Preference Common Stock Venture Capital 45

Startup Company Lawyer

FEBRUARY 21, 2010

Due to aggregate liquidation preferences that may exceed the acquisition price in an M&A deal, common stock may be rendered worthless. If you can’t figure this out yourself, you should probably build a liquidation preference spreadsheet to model how liquidation preferences work depending on M&A transaction value.

Retention 31

Retention Liquidation Preference Employee Common Stock 31