Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 27, 2023

When an entrepreneur first incorporates a business, they may find themselves the proud owner of 10 million shares of common stock, commonly called founder’s shares.

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Gust

NOVEMBER 28, 2023

Over the past 20 years, the typical structure for seed/angel deals has shifted from common stock (in the mid-1990s) to convertible notes (late 1990s through early 2000s) to full Series A convertible preferred (mid-2000s) to convertible notes with a cap (late 2000s) to Series Seed convertible preferred or similar (present).

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David Teten

JANUARY 19, 2021

Eligible for favorable treatment under Qualified Small Business Stock exemption, if structured as equity. This applies if the investment converts into common stock; details are beyond this essay’s scope. Typically promissory note or non-voting common stock, with covenants. Founder retains control. Governance.

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ReadWriteStart

JANUARY 28, 2022

Common stock. The holding of common stock in a company indicates ownership in the corporation. Investors of common stock are eligible for : The choice of the Board of Directors. However, the holder of a warrant holds a leveraged bet on the corporation’s common shares. Preferred shares.

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Feld Thoughts

JUNE 11, 2021

We didn’t have any financing except for Brad’s credit card and the $10 with which we had purchased our common stock. We employed half a dozen programmers, most of whom were undergraduates from our fraternity working part-time. Dave walked into Brad’s office after calculating preliminary financial results for January.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 15, 2021

When an entrepreneur first incorporates a business, they may find themselves the proud owner of 10 million shares of common stock, commonly called founder’s shares.

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Agile VC

APRIL 17, 2011

Interesting to note that Hafner and English own common stock but also made meaningful investments in the Series A & B rounds. Notes: In an IPO preferred share classes are converted into common stock, and liquidation preferences and accumulated but unpaid dividends essentially go away. as of 12/31/09).

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View from Seed

DECEMBER 4, 2014

You can then work with your law firm to formally draw up founder common stock paperwork either then or subsequently. It’s also worth keeping in mind that regardless of how the founders’ common stock is divided, there will be future issuance of stock that will dilute the founders over the lifecycle of the company.

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VC Adventure

AUGUST 15, 2018

Most boards did some level of work to determine the FMV of a company’s stock but generally options were priced between 10% and 15% of a company’s then preferred price (because common equity sits behind preferred equity there is typically a discount applied to the FMV of common stock to account for this “overhang”).

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Growthink Blog

JANUARY 24, 2011

The question is whether they need to issue common or preferred stock. The answer depends on how and what rights are defined in the preferred stock. One very popular "preferred right" or "preference" that adds very significant value to outside investors and is common in venture capital investments is a liquidation preference.

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Startup Company Lawyer

APRIL 23, 2009

These provisions include a special class of super-voting common stock, called “Class F&# common stock, which is named for “Founders.&#. The COI includes Class A common stock, which has one vote per share, and Class F common stock, which has 10 votes per share. Protective provisions.

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Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 20, 2019

If angel investors are pressuring you to set up a board and if you don’t have the leverage to push back a little then I might suggest a 3-person board in which all 3 seats are appointed by the common stock and you agree to appoint one of these seats to the angel investor but perhaps make it either time based or event based.

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Agile VC

DECEMBER 4, 2014

You can then work with your law firm to formally draw up founder common stock paperwork either then or subsequently. It’s also worth keeping in mind that regardless of how the founders’ common stock is divided, there will be future issuance of stock that will dilute the founders over the lifecycle of the company.

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Steve Blank

APRIL 26, 2022

Some even insisted that all prior preferred stock had to be converted to common stock. For existing investors, sometimes it was a “pay-to-play” i.e. if you don’t participate in the new financing you lose. Other times it was simply a take-it-or-leave-it, here are the new terms.

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Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2013

In addition to helping manage the board Chris also helps represent the interests of the angel investors / common stock holders. And then there is the one true gentleman of the bunch – Chris Smart, who is non-exec chairman. That in itself is quite a challenge.

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Feld Thoughts

DECEMBER 28, 2011

If accepted, each company will receive an equity investment of $20,000 in exchange for six percent of the company in common stock, which will be held by TechStars. Microsoft’s Kinect Accelerator is powered by TechStars and applications for the Kinect Accelerator are now being accepted through January 25, 2012.

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Berkonomics

MAY 23, 2024

The option price should be set by appraisal under IRS rule 409a, and certainly should be low enough to recognize that common stock options are not worth as much as preferred stock, given the many preferences of the latter. How do you set the option price?

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Up and Running

AUGUST 28, 2019

This article will not delve into the more complex options and requirements for a corporation’s stock. You can read further about the details of preferred stock versus common stock Classes A and B. . Most small businesses will be fine sticking to small numbers of common stock only.

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OnlyOnce

FEBRUARY 1, 2024

But think of it as a tool in the M&A/financing tool belt.

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YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 25, 2015

Typically, investors will be interested in “preferred” stock, which comes with special (aka “preferred”) rights, such as receiving a certain payout before anyone who holds “common” stock. The ownership structure of an LLC is a blank slate.

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Agile VC

DECEMBER 4, 2014

You can then work with your law firm to formally draw up founder common stock paperwork either then or subsequently. It’s also worth keeping in mind that regardless of how the founders’ common stock is divided, there will be future issuance of stock that will dilute the founders over the lifecycle of the company.

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Scott Edward Walker

OCTOBER 19, 2020

Usually this is done as part of the founder’s Restricted Stock Purchase Agreement pursuant to which the IP is contributed to the startup as full or partial consideration for the shares of common stock issued to him in a tax-free transaction under Section 351 of the Internal Revenue Code.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 23, 2014

In reality, so-called “Founder’s” shares are simply common stock, issued at the time of startup incorporation, for a very low price, and normally allocated to the multiple initial players commensurate with their investment or role. Here are some typical special terms and considerations for Founder’s stock: Negligible real value.

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Scott Edward Walker

SEPTEMBER 28, 2011

Indeed, you must make sure that all of the shares of common stock issued by the corporation to the founders are subject to vesting restrictions – which means that ownership of the shares would vest over time (instead of all of the shares being owned outright on day one). Vesting Restrictions.

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The Next Web

JUNE 15, 2012

By linking number of shares to hours worked or other quantifiable measures, you run the risk of establishing the price per share of your common stock or options. But beyond motivation, there are more pragmatic factors at play here too. Don’t jeopardize your S Corporation status.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 22, 2013

In reality, so-called “founder’s” shares are simply common stock, issued at the time of startup incorporation, for a very low price, and normally allocated to the multiple initial players commensurate with their investment or role. Here are some typical special terms and considerations for founder’s stock: Negligible real value.

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Vesting Common Stock Stock Founder Vesting 245

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 29, 2010

The downside is that people need to buy their stock. I talked also about 409a valuations and why common stock purchases cost less than preferred stock purchases. But if you do this early (pre VC) then the price points are pretty low. Do it early.

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The Startup Magazine

NOVEMBER 14, 2018

Stock Options. Investing in stocks is another alternative to generate additional income streams. Choosing a common stock to invest in requires little to no experience even if you have not invested in stocks in the past. Common stocks provide you with a percentage of ownership in a company or entity.

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Gust

JUNE 7, 2014

5) Senior Preferred Stock and warrants. 7) Junior Preferred Stock and warrants. 9) Common Stock (including any Preferred that converted to Common, any exercised options, and all Founders stock) and Common stock warrants. 2) Secured creditors. 3) Un-secured trade creditors.

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YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 14, 2019

Common Stock Trading Strategies. The following are some common stock trading strategies. The only way to stick to your plan is by developing an elaborate trading strategy. Follow your plan to the letter. Don’t be obsessed with chasing those profits. Don’t let emotions ruin your trading strategy.

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Both Sides of the Table

JULY 22, 2010

This means that participation truly only applies in downside scenarios and once your exit outcome is above a certain price investors would still be better off converting to common stock and not taking their preference.

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YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 16, 2020

Investing in stocks carries higher risks than other investments, but it also gives large rewards. Shareholders also get dividends through some stocks. There are two types of stocks. Mutual funds.

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ReadWriteStart

JUNE 1, 2020

The shares given out can either be common stocks or preferred stocks. ? Debt investment. Equity investment is the most popular and most talked-about avenue for startup funding. These investments are made instead of shares or equity in your startup. Debt investment would have a repayment timeline and incur interest rates.

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Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 18, 2015

When an entrepreneur first incorporates his or her business, he or she may find him or herself the proud owner of 10 million shares of common stock, commonly called founder’s shares.

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Stock Vesting Common Stock Founder Vesting 120

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

If you want to give them a 50% discount offer them $1 of common-stock warrants (no liquidation preference) for every $1 of stock they buy. If you want to give them a 33% discount you offer them half of a $1 common-stock warrant for every $1 share they purchase. ” Simple. And so forth.

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Austin Startup

JULY 6, 2018

More traditional and comprehensive programs often require 5–8% of common stock, but often provide between $20K and $100K up-front as well. Anti-Dilution. See: Startup Accelerator Anti-Dilution Provisions; The Fine Print.

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K9 Ventures

NOVEMBER 21, 2011

3) Setting a precedent for the price of the Common Stock : This is the biggest issue with founder liquidity. Founders typically hold Common Stock in the company, but they (obviously) want to sell the Common Stock at the same price as the Preferred price or close to it.

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