The Startup Lawyer

DECEMBER 10, 2015

A startup founder’s desire to hold equity better than plain-vanilla common stock isn’t new. Several years ago, Series FF stock for founders was all the rage when it came to founder liquidity at subsequent financing rounds. We implemented Series FF for a handful of clients back then but we haven’t done so recently.

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Common Stock Stock Founder Equity 40

Feld Thoughts

OCTOBER 7, 2013

This check is for The Community Foundation and for the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Colorado (EFCO) and results from a gift of 24,793 shares of common stock from Rally at the time of its first financing that represented approximately 1% of the equity of the company. I remember numerous conversations with Ryan about this.

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Community Colorado Common Stock Equity 182

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 26, 2020

by Rizwan Virk, author of “ Startup Myths and Models: What You Won’t Learn in Business School “. If you are building a startup, you’ll find no shortage of people who are willing to give you advice, particularly when it comes to raising financing. I used to think a valuation was kind of like a stock price of a public company.

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Finance Silicon Valley Valuation Startup 205

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. 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.

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Vesting Dilution Stock Founder Vesting 298

David Teten

JANUARY 19, 2021

More and more startups are pursuing Revenue-Based VCs , but “RBI” doesn’t fit everyone. 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. of startups raise VC.

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Cofounder Technical Review Equity Dividend 78

ithacaVC

APRIL 5, 2011

One rule of simple cap tables is to issue “normal” stock to founders (common stock only) and investors (typically preferred stock, but sometimes common stock to early friends and family).

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Common Stock Stock Cap Table Preferred Stock 45

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. and start negotiating with them.

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Vesting Software Review IP Intellectual Property 89

Steve Blank

APRIL 10, 2019

VC’s have just changed the ~50-year old social contract with startup employees. In doing so they may have removed one of the key incentives that made startups different from working in a large company. For most startup employee’s startup stock options are now a bad deal. Why Startups Offer Stock Options.

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Stock Options Stock Vesting Common Stock 333

Scott Edward Walker

NOVEMBER 22, 2015

For many startups, intellectual property (IP) is their most valuable asset. Below are the three most common IP-related mistakes that startups make — the first of which I discuss in this brief video with Jason Calacanis. This is a particular concern if the startup is in the same space as a founder’s prior employer.

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IP Software Review Due Diligence Intellectual Property 40

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. But that’s only the beginning of the story.

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Vesting Common Stock Stock Founder Vesting 245

Steve Blank

APRIL 26, 2022

At the turn of the century after the dotcom crash, startup valuations plummeted, burn rates were unsustainable, and startups were quickly running out of cash. Some even insisted that all prior preferred stock had to be converted to common stock. You can do another startup again with your head held high.

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Cram Down Founder Venture Capital Recapitalization 404

Startup Lessons Learned

AUGUST 26, 2009

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Wednesday, August 26, 2009 Building a new startup hub Last week, I had a unique opportunity to spend some time in Boulder at the behest of TechStars. It was a great experience to see a relatively new startup hub in action - and thriving. Their model looks like a key ingredient in the startup brew there.

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San Francisco Silicon Valley Startup Continuous Deployment 113

View from Seed

DECEMBER 4, 2014

Editor’s note: Understanding how to divide founder equity at a startup can be tricky, even to the point of reaching emotional riffs between founders. Across both the startups I’ve personally been involved in (PayPal and LinkedIn) and the startups in which I’ve been an investor, I’ve seen a broad range of co-founder equity splits.

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Equity Founder Sweat Equity Cofounder 315

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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Valuation Common Stock Cap Table Software Review 48

OnlyOnce

FEBRUARY 1, 2024

The post The Dowry appeared first on The Startup CEO blog. But think of it as a tool in the M&A/financing tool belt.

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Cap Table Common Stock Acquisition Stock 71

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. 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

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. appeared first on The Startup Magazine.

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Common Stock Stock Stock Options Startup 103

Scott Edward Walker

OCTOBER 19, 2020

Over the past six months, my firm has been engaged by a number of startups with significant intellectual property (“IP”) problems. The purpose of this blog post is to briefly discuss the three most common IP mistakes that startups make. working on the startup) while employed. Introduction. code, designs, logo, etc.)

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IP Software Review Founder Technical Review 52

Agile VC

APRIL 17, 2011

AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups. Interesting to note that Hafner and English own common stock but also made meaningful investments in the Series A & B rounds. One can infer valuations based on per share prices of preferred stock and oustanding common shares (~5.3M How to Evaluate Firms for a Seed VC.

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Pre-Money Valuation Liquidation Preference Dividend Common Stock 113

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. Startup Advice' 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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Advisory Board CTO Hire Fractional CTO Los Angeles 365

Agile VC

DECEMBER 4, 2014

Across both the startups I’ve personally been involved in (PayPal and LinkedIn) and the startups in which I’ve been an investor, I’ve seen a broad range of co-founder equity splits. You can then work with your law firm to formally draw up founder common stock paperwork either then or subsequently.

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Cofounder Equity Founder Sweat Equity 255

Feld Thoughts

DECEMBER 28, 2011

Recently, Microsoft announced the Microsoft Kinect Accelerator , a program created to incubate startups building the next generation of innovative experiences for the Kinect. 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.

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Intellectual Property Common Stock Seattle Cofounder 134

Gust

MAY 31, 2014

So before a startup receives outside funding, the board is “elected” by—and usually consists of—the founders (although it may exist in name only.). Invested Interests board of directors business entrepreneur founders startup' A company’s board of directors is technically elected by the company’s shareholders.

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Common Stock Startup Stock Founder 159

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. entrepreneur founder rules startup stock' Marty Zwilling.

Stock 256

Stock Vesting Common Stock Founder Vesting 256

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.

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Term Sheet Demand Preferred Stock Liquidation Preference 120

Startup Company Lawyer

APRIL 23, 2009

The driving beliefs behind the Institute are that (1) great founders are often overlooked by the current entrepreneurial ecosystem, and that (2) innovative startups have a dramatic positive effect on the global economy. The COI includes Class A common stock, which has one vote per share, and Class F common stock, which has 10 votes per share.

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Common Stock Stock Dividend Delaware 33

keen.io

FEBRUARY 5, 2013

How I negotiated my startup compensation. When I started thinking about joining Keen, I quickly realized there is a lot I don’t know about startups. For example: Don’t accept equity compensation (stock shares) without knowing the percentage of the company you’ll own. I knew enough to know I wanted to join a startup.

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Salary Equity Startup San Francisco 50

Agile VC

DECEMBER 4, 2014

Across both the startups I’ve personally been involved in (PayPal and LinkedIn) and the startups in which I’ve been an investor, I’ve seen a broad range of co-founder equity splits. You can then work with your law firm to formally draw up founder common stock paperwork either then or subsequently.

Cofounder 173

Cofounder Equity Founder Sweat Equity 173

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 29, 2010

Mike Stern (wasn’t sure which one so leave a comment if it’s you): Q: “is it possible to sell your startup without venture investment if the company has big traction and a large user base?&# The downside is that people need to buy their stock. This question runs from about minute 2 – minute 8. Do it early.

Venture Capital 282

Venture Capital Term Sheet Valuation Stock Options 282

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. Tags: Startup Advice This Week in Venture Capital.

Valuation 405

Valuation Liquidation Preference Pre-Money Valuation Term Sheet 405

Austin Startup

JULY 22, 2021

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. Any software, hardware, or CPG startup in Texas with a female founder or co-founder can apply to participate. Startups, submit your application now! Who Can Apply?

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San Antonio Dallas Houston Founder 107

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. However, most typical convertible debt issued by startups have a maturity date of typically one year or later from the time of issuance. Background.

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Convertible Security Equity Security Preferred Stock 73

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. Invested Interests company early stage funding investors startup starup'

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Warrant Preferred Stock Early Stage Common Stock 157

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. Invested Interests entrepreneur founders stock startup'

Stock 175

Stock Vesting Common Stock Founder Vesting 175

The Startup Lawyer

MARCH 17, 2010

4) Type of Shares: Common Stock. (5) 5) Par Value of Common: $0.0001. (6) 2) Fees Paid to Pitch my Startup: $0. (3) Tags: Startup Issues Incorporation raising capital startup. Here’s what I’d do in the beginning: Incorporation. (1) 1) Entity Choice: Corporation or Corporation. (2) Hell Yes. (9)

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Accredited Investor Delaware NDA Vesting 112

The Startup Lawyer

MARCH 17, 2010

4) Type of Shares: Common Stock. (5) 5) Par Value of Common: $0.0001. (6) 2) Fees Paid to Pitch my Startup: $0. (3) Tags: Startup Issues Incorporation raising capital startup. Here’s what I’d do in the beginning: Incorporation. (1) 1) Entity Choice: Corporation or Corporation. (2) Hell Yes. (9)

Accredited Investor 112

Accredited Investor Delaware NDA Vesting 112

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. Startup Lessons' ” Simple. And so forth.

Venture Capital 417

Venture Capital Liquidation Preference Valuation Term Sheet 417