Follow your excitement and feelings. I'd take offer with more cash in the pockets vs. promise of bright future for current sacrifice. %% of startup shares is

Follow your excitement and feelings. I'd take offer with more cash in the pockets vs. promise of bright future for current sacrifice. %% of startup shares is what they want you to believe in. What you haven't been told is that your shares can and will be diluted via new investors coming in who will buy more "preferred" shares without telling you. Preferred shares will allow new investors to get paid X times of their original investment before you see any penny at a potential exit (in case it will ever happen). In startup world it evolves in a frequent and predictable disappointing outcomes for "unaware" engineers and holders of regular, non-preferred "options". Take cash, save it and invest it in your own, future startup.