My story is similar to this, but with a slightly better result. VP Eng at a startup, ~1.5% equity, etc. It was during that time that a startup I'd left many y

My story is similar to this, but with a slightly better result. VP Eng at a startup, ~1.5% equity, etc. It was during that time that a startup I'd left many years before finally sold, and net value of those options was also $0. When my current startup sold, total value of my 1.5% stake was also worth $0. While I didn't get a severn figure payout for the stock, I did at least get a cash bonus from the investor (part of the executive contract) and a decent retention package from the acquiring company.