To clarify, if you find a buyer who is interested in buying (would need to be a qualified investor), the company can exercise their right of first refusal to bu

To clarify, if you find a buyer who is interested in buying (would need to be a qualified investor), the company can exercise their right of first refusal to buy the shares from you at that price, but they cannot generally prevent you from selling. If I were in your shoes, I would probably want to have the deal lined up ahead of time before exercising. Consider going through the CFO or CEO to see if any of the company's existing investors would be interested in acquiring some of your stock. This has the advantage to the company of not bringing in an unknown outsider. Edit: I see further down that some companies have further restrictions beyond right of first refusal. I'd never heard of that before, but then, I'm only on my first startup where I think my options are worth anything.