Founder Equity

Learn how many shares you should authorize at the outset of your company, how to price them, and how to allocate them between founders, advisors, employees and contractors.

By Bryce Warnes • 7 min read

You don't need a 409a in order to distribute co-founder shares—but you'll need one eventually.

By Bryce Warnes • 7 min read

Trigger accelerations are often a hotly debated topic (especially in companies acquired by VCs) as any outstanding equity will impact the value of shares of the purchase price.

By Greg Miaskiewicz • 7 min read

Most founders have little clue about how cap tables work when they start their first startup. Keeping accurate records of your cap table is essential for startup founders if they plan on raising capital from VCs or selling the company.

By Greg Miaskiewicz • 8 min read

Learn how vesting schedules work for founders and employees at startups. Many startup founders have a 4 year vesting schedule with a 1 year cliff.

By Greg Miaskiewicz • 6 min read

Co-founder disputes are one of the number one causes for startups to fail. Learn how to fairly allocated startup among you and your co-founders to avoid founder disputes & make good equity decisions.

By Stefan Nagey • 8 min read

Registering in the US opens the door to venture funding for overseas startups. Learn about the process for registering your company in the US as a foreign citizen, including incorporation, taxes, visas and more.

By Greg Miaskiewicz • 9 min read

Co-founder exits can be a messy ordeal for startups, but they don't have to be fatal. Learn how to avoid messy co-founder exits and protect your startup.

By Stefan Nagey • 4 min read

Learn how to write effective emails to pitch investors. James Hottenson, formerly at Great Oaks VC, shares helpful best practices about reaching out to investors.

By James Hottensen • 7 min read

Statistics say that having two founders drastically increases your chances of success. Is that true, and if so, how do you find the right co-founder?

By Greg Miaskiewicz • 7 min read

When you are incorporating your startup, you need to decide how many shares to authorize. Most startups authorize 10 million common shares when first setting up their corporation.

By Stefan Nagey • 7 min read

Startup investors strongly prefer to invest in C Corporations over LLCs for tax and diligence reasons. The proceeds from selling stock in startups registered as C Corporations can be tax exempt due to Qualified Small Business Stock exemption.

By Stefan Nagey • 5 min read