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How to Structure Startup Equity – Everything you wanted to know about Startup Equity Structure, Startup Equity Dilution, Startup Equity Compensation, Startup Equity for Employees, and Founders Equity. Or, as we like to call it here…slicing your pie. Ownership in a startup or startup equity structure is a tricky issue that you’re bound to face sometime or the other – if you’re a   bootstrapping   entrepreneur, or looking for a retirement fund alternative by participating in a startup. To understand the concept of startup equity compensation better, you’ll need to start at the bare basics; right from equity. Startup Equity Calculator Tool : Check out   EZ Numbers   (made just for startups), it will really help you calculate your startup equity structure based on revenue, expenses, and automatically calculate taxes/insurance/benefits that you’ll need to plan for.  Plus you can look like a pro startup with fancy reports for investors   What is Sta...

Startups without financing are like small boats in a big ocean.  The short answer is “No. Startups these days can usually get going without investors.” The longer, more nuanced answer is “But if you can get funding, it is probably a good idea.” Now, more than ever, startups can start-up without investor funding, but taking on investors may be the difference that makes the difference. There is more to building a startup (and surviving) than simply starting up. In my early startups, I always very strongly preferred to run without any external financing – and it worked, for the most part. Even when server RAM was $1,000 per GB and cloud computing was still a decade or more in the future, it was possible to start a successful software-based tech business and exit without taking on formal investors. Fast-forward to today, and the technical side of the startup process is cheaper and easier than ever. Between open source software and cloud-based services, a web startup these days d...

Hiring and working with a lawyer is often confusing and daunting, especially if you’ve never done it before. But when you’re starting a business, it’s crucial . With the right expertise on your side, you can feel confident you’ve got your legal ducks in a row as you’re getting down to business. We sat down with start-up lawyer Steve Kaplan to get the low-down on how to choose a lawyer and what to expect from the attorney-client relationship:   1. What should new entrepreneurs look for when hiring a lawyer? First and foremost, look for “fit” (i.e., someone you trust, get along with, enjoy working with, feel has an interest in you and what you’re working on, and can relate to you). Referrals are often the best place to start. Just as important, you want someone that is competent, responsive, and experienced with the types of legal issues with which you will need help. The considerations that go into incorporating a restaurant, say, can be very different from the considerations ...

For its first few decades Silicon Valley was content flying under the radar of Washington politics. It wasn't until Fairchild and Intel were almost bankrupted by Japanese semiconductor manufacturers in the early 1980's that they formed Silicon Valley's   first lobbying group . Microsoft did not open a Washington office   until 1995 . Fast forward to today. The words "startup," "entrepreneur," and "innovation" are used fast, loose and furious by both parties in Washington. Last week the White House announced Startup America , a public/private initiative to accelerate accelerate high-growth entrepreneurshipin the U.S. by expanding startups access to capital (with   two $1 billion programs ); creating a national network of entrepreneurship education, commercializing federally-funded research and development programs and getting rid of tax and paperwork barriers for startups. What's not to like? My observation. Startup America is a mash...

This article   initially appeared on TechCrunch  - with a minor update highlighted in red below. Ah. We’re back to discussing convertible debt again. This time by the efforts of Adeo Ressi to introduce a new kind of structure called “ convertible equity .” I applaud all efforts by people to take on this issue and especially be Adeo who – let’s be honest – was really the first champion of trying to make the VC world more transparent by launching TheFunded, which didn’t exactly endear him to VCs initially. My initial reaction to Adeo when we spoke was that while it may have solved some issues (debt versus equity) it didn’t solve the ones that I’ve been warning entrepreneurs about most loudly. And frankly I feel he overstates the potential harm of convertible debt, which if properly structured acts mostly as an equity instrument anyways. To better understand the arguments for / against convertible equity I suggest you read my posts on those topics: Is convertible de...