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. Make sure the government waits for a stock sale to collect taxes. This is where things get technical, but the principles are really quite simple. In the U.S.,

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Vesting Dilution Stock Founder Vesting 298

View from Seed

DECEMBER 4, 2014

In addition to being a co-founder of NextView Ventures, Lee was an early member of PayPal and a founding team member at LinkedIn, so he speaks as both a former entrepreneur and a VC. You can then work with your law firm to formally draw up founder common stock paperwork either then or subsequently.

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Equity Founder Sweat Equity Cofounder 315

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. The companies will interact with and have access to mentors during the course of the program including Microsoft executives, entrepreneurs, and investors.

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Intellectual Property Common Stock Seattle Cofounder 134

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). Author howerl.

Pre-Money Valuation 113

Pre-Money Valuation Liquidation Preference Dividend Common Stock 113

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 29, 2010

We received so much positive feedback from our This Week in Venture Capital show walking through valuation calculations & term sheets that we decided to do a Q&A show this week to address topics that entrepreneurs want to learn about. on the entrepreneur side of the table) when I raised at too high of a price. This is wrong.

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Venture Capital Term Sheet Valuation Stock Options 282

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 22, 2010

And for some strange reason entrepreneurs didn’t share this information. I’ve started from day one trying to build total transparency into my process with entrepreneurs. This starts with understanding how VCs and entrepreneurs often see valuation differently. Back then VentureHacks didn’t exist.

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Valuation Liquidation Preference Pre-Money Valuation Term Sheet 405

Growthink Blog

JANUARY 24, 2011

I get the same question a lot from entrepreneurs raising equity capital (venture capital or angel funding). 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. read more.

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Preferred Stock Stock Common Stock Liquidation Preference 93

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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Cofounder Equity Founder Sweat Equity 255

Scott Edward Walker

SEPTEMBER 28, 2011

Introduction This post was originally part of the “ Ask the Attorney ” series I am writing for VentureBeat (one of my favorite websites for entrepreneurs). Below is a longer, more comprehensive version. Question My co-founders and I are working on a cool new site, and we’ll be ready to launch in a few weeks. Vesting Restrictions.

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Vesting Software Review IP Intellectual Property 89

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. Entrepreneurs often celebrate faking it until you make it. Some entrepreneurs find it invaluable. Anti-Dilution. See: Startup Accelerator Anti-Dilution Provisions; The Fine Print.

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Dilution Startup Technical Review Equity 48

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.

Stock 256

Stock Vesting Common Stock Founder Vesting 256

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

At an accelerator … Me: Raising convertible notes as a seed round is one of the biggest disservices our industry has done to entrepreneurs since 2001-2003 when there were “full ratchets” and “multiple liquidation preferences” – the most hostile terms anybody found in term sheets 10 years ago. Your A round?

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Venture Capital Liquidation Preference Valuation Term Sheet 417

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. Make sure the government waits for a stock sale to collect taxes. At that time the original split makes all the difference. In the U.S.,

Stock 120

Stock Vesting Common Stock Founder Vesting 120

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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Cofounder Equity Founder Sweat Equity 173

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 26, 2020

The real issue here is that if an entrepreneur comes in to a pitch and goes on and on about how they’re going to build a billion dollar company in just a few years, most investors eyes tend to glaze over. Like Jerry Yang who started Yahoo, as investors we are looking for entrepreneurs who are obsessed with a new technology.

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Finance Silicon Valley Valuation Startup 205

Austin Startup

JULY 22, 2021

It’s hard to describe in words the palpable energy when a room is this packed full of incredible female entrepreneurs at the Women in Tech Summit at Capital Factory. On October 4th, five technology startup finalists will pitch to a panel of advisors and judges made up of successful investors, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders.

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San Antonio Dallas Houston Founder 107

The Startup Magazine

NOVEMBER 14, 2018

Startups and entrepreneurs will accumulate bitcoin and cash, hopefully. While investing in stocks, cryptocurrency, and companies can boost your wealth in less time, choosing the right path to take is essential to avoid missing out on growth opportunities. Stock Options. Source: Pixabay.

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Common Stock Stock Stock Options Startup 103

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 14, 2010

It’s meant to be a bit provocative but the reality is that I give this advice to entrepreneurs all the the time and I usually leave the “e&# off of the end. I normally offer this advice in the capacity of really wanting to help entrepreneurs so please bear with me. management, founders, angel investors) get any money.

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Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 29, 2018

I’ll never forget that great sense of excitement I felt when I incorporated my first business, and realized that I was now the proud owner of 10 million shares of common stock. It’s great motivation for every entrepreneur to get that value up quickly. Always specify a vesting period for new partners.

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Stock Vesting Preferred Stock Cofounder 129

Gust

MAY 31, 2014

In a larger startup post Series A or B, the board might be expanded to five people, with two directors chosen by the Common stock holders (the founders), two by the investors (often one by each of two VC funds), and one independent director agreed to by everyone. original post can be found on Quora @ [link] *.

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Common Stock Startup Stock Founder 159

Gust

MARCH 16, 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.

Stock 175

Stock Vesting Common Stock Founder Vesting 175

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

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 19, 2017

For a business that anticipates needing, for example, $500,000 in startup capital, that means that best-case scenario Klemm can expect to give up half of his business’s common stock (and an even larger percentage of control of the business once the deal’s fine print provisions are considered). Consequently, he passed.

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Private Equity Pre-Money Valuation Equity Startup 94

Startup Company Lawyer

AUGUST 31, 2012

Ted Wang believes that the “reason that capped convertible debt is the current market leader is that entrepreneurs have been conditioned over time to believe that convertible debt is (a) faster (b) cheaper and (c) better for them than equity investment.”

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Convertible Security Equity Security Preferred Stock 73

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2012

Entrepreneurs sometimes assume an initial agreement with an Angel is a commitment, so they start spending before any money is received. It’s true that Angel investors typically do not present entrepreneurs with overly complicated deal structures, especially when compared to venture capitalists. Define equity type.

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Term Sheet Pre-Money Valuation Due Diligence Post-Money Valuation 223

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 7, 2010

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 for founder’s stock: Negligible par value. Marty Zwilling.

Stock 214

Stock Vesting Common Stock Founder Vesting 214

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2010

Entrepreneurs sometimes assume an initial agreement with an angel is a commitment, so they start spending before any money is received. It’s true that angel investors typically do not present entrepreneurs with overly complicated deal structures, especially when compared to venture capitalists. Define equity type. Marty Zwilling.

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Term Sheet Pre-Money Valuation Due Diligence Post-Money Valuation 227

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 26, 2015

Most entrepreneurs looking for an investor can tell you how much money they need, but few have given much thought to what they are willing to give up for it. Even founder’s shares are common stock. Still, no one wants the terms to be so complex that the deal never closes. Board of directors participation.

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Term Sheet Demand Preferred Stock Liquidation Preference 120

www.inc.com

SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Entrepreneur news from reporter Eric Markowitz. In the 1990s, Graham was one of those entrepreneurs giving away equity in exchange for crucial services. Graham also pushes for common stock, the right to participate in future funding rounds to preserve the size of the stake, and a guaranteed seat on the board. Newsletters.

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Arizona Equity Iowa Venture Capital 40

Berkonomics

JANUARY 6, 2022

First, the marginal exit event: Sometimes the end game or sale of the company is not a happy event for the early investors, including the entrepreneur or the founders. A rather common but small dividend rate of six percent becomes a massive amount after seven years, almost half again the value of the original investment.

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Dividend IRR Preferred Stock Participating Preferred 62

Startup Lessons Learned

AUGUST 26, 2009

But theres no denying the level of support for entrepreneurs that we enjoy. They take common stock, not preferred, a fact that the entrepreneurs mentioned to me many times. And every year, it looks as if one or two entrepreneurs from the program decide to stay. And do your customer development.

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San Francisco Silicon Valley Startup Continuous Deployment 113

Gust

SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

Me: Raising convertible notes as a seed round is one of the biggest disservices our industry has done to entrepreneurs since 2001-2003 when there were “full ratchets” and “multiple liquidation preferences” – the most hostile terms anybody found in term sheets 10 years ago. It’s like we need a finance 101 course for entrepreneurs.

Liquidation Preference 153

Liquidation Preference Valuation Term Sheet Stock 153

Gust

DECEMBER 18, 2013

That said, the primary entrepreneur-friendly reason for doing a Convertible Note (and the reason that no serious investor under regular circumstances will therefore do an uncapped note) is: The valuation negotiation is put off until the next round. Invested Interests convertible note entrepreneur investors series seed'

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Valuation Founder Seed Money Common Stock 150

Scott Edward Walker

SEPTEMBER 21, 2011

I’ve been helping entrepreneurs raise capital as a securities lawyer for 17+ years, and there are certain fundamental mistakes that I’ve seen entrepreneurs repeatedly make. Accordingly, I thought it would be helpful to share three basic tips for entrepreneurs in connection with raising capital. This is how the game is played.

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Preferred Stock Angel Investor Entrepreneur Common Stock 45

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 13, 2013

A couple of tech giants throw millions around in either cash (for which they have hoards) or part with some publicly traded stock. And a few teams of super talented, educated and bright entrepreneurs make a few mill. I look for entrepreneurs who set out on their journeys to do exactly that – build big businesses.

Liquidation Preference 357

Liquidation Preference Early Stage Retention Lock-up Period 357

Gust

OCTOBER 17, 2011

Entrepreneurs sometimes assume an initial agreement with an angel is a commitment, so they start spending before any money is received. It’s true that angel investors typically do not present entrepreneurs with overly complicated deal structures, especially when compared to venture capitalists. Define equity type.

Term Sheet 158

Term Sheet Pre-Money Valuation Due Diligence Post-Money Valuation 158

The Startup Magazine

JUNE 7, 2018

Just recently, WalletHub aimed to help aspiring entrepreneurs by comparing relative startup opportunities across over 180 cities in the U.S., Penny Stocks. If you aren’t all that savvy when it comes to investments, start with penny stocks. Source: Pexels.

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Small Business Jacksonville Stock Florida 77