4 ms·
If you don't need the money, then don't take it. Problem solved. If it's such a small amount of money, then self-fund. The VC is thinking "I'm paying this guy'
by Johnny555 8y ago
If you don't need the money, then don't take it. Problem solved. If it's such a small amount of money, then self-fund.
The VC is thinking "I'm paying this guy's salary to work on something that may or may not ever pay for itself", and he's got dozens of companies that he's funding and they won't all hit it big... or even survive.
Or, another option, don't throw everything you have at a company -- join a later stage startup where the work-life balance is better, but you can still expect a decent payout if it succeeds.
- walshemj 8y ago1.8 is non trivial (assuming no shenanigans) back in 2000 I had .5% in a uk vc backed company if we had been taken out I would have been a millionaire IRL not just on paper :-(
- sk5t 8y agoIt's not enough for five years after little dilution.
- walshemj 8y agoWell there is all that sketchy stuff that seems endemic in the USA - I was in the UK and had we only had one share class
- spookthesunset 8y agoThe "if we had been taken out" is the key in your statement. Odds are very good your startup won't ever "be taken out" in a way that results in you getting the money you lost by not working for a big tech company. The risk adjusted returns on startup stock options are so close to zero you might as well classify them as "winning the lotto". Personally, I'm done with startups. They simply don't pay nearly what you'll get from working at the big boys.
- walshemj 8y agoWell it was a worker coop so there are some stronger laws governing that sort of company ie the employees directly owned the controlling interest. Re being taken out if the coop movement was not stuck in the 19th century and embraced .coop properly it could have played out - and if ICANT weren't a bunch of xxxxx :-(