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Ask HN: Stock option strategy?
I have been offered a job from a start-up and with it a big pile of stock options. I would be the first employee. Company has only acquired some seed and bridge funding.
Together with founders have we have a clear agreement for my commitment which will be only for three years and have agreed vesting schedule etc. along those lines, but the reality for this kind of venture is that the exit would happen probably around near year 4-5.
Do you see any kind of arrangement where I can walk out with options that don't expire (as probably don't have the cash to exercise when exiting) and someday make money out of those options ?
Also what are the key points one should have in the agreement (their proposal is rather short and only contains mention of the amount, vesting period and rapid vesting on liquidation event) ?
- kls 15y agoI would add a clause that if I am terminated after a grace period, say 90 days, that either all or a percentage of the options immediately vest. This will prevent you from being a candidate for termination to gain back options. You are taking a huge risk up front, make sure you secure that the compensation that you are taking that risk for cannot be pulled out from under you. As for walking without the options expiring, I think it is unfair to expect that of a company, the options are there to bind you to the company, until it is successful. Unless otherwise agreed upon you should have the same mindset. If you do not, you should go back and have a conversation with the principals and come to a meeting of the minds on that subject.
- rist3 15y agoYeah, we see eye to eye with the commitment period and have agreed on that. It's just how to arrange a scheme that would allow me to keep a fair share of the company and make profit out if as I would be a key component of building the product. Actually I completely trust on the founders, but seed-a VCs might not agree with our arrangement.
- brudgers 15y agoMy take: Vesting is meant to prevent you from walking away with options while not being a part of the company because nobody wants to deal with former short term employees. In the end, either you trust the founders to make only honest mistakes and treat you ethically or you don't...and the VC who has a personal reason to screw you out of options is a much less likely scenario than all the options and stock being worthless. That being said, funding events could trigger portion of the options vesting. It's all negotiable - but it may not be worth the mistrust hardball negotiations often create.
- kls 15y agoA group of partners that I had in one of my start-ups where guys that I though that I could trust, many of us had worked together before and I was young and not very experienced in these matters. I was diluted out of everything and ended up walking out of a 90 million dollar exit with less than 100k. I learned a valuable lesson then and there and that is when real money is involved people change. Get it in writing it you may end up regretting the fact that you did not.
- ig1 15y agoIf you're in London there's an event going on this evening about exactly this topic: http://bootlaw.com/2011/10/29/november-2011-options-for-sharing/ http://bootlaw.com/2011/10/29/november-2011-options-for-shar...
- rist3 15y agoSadly no :( would have been very interesting