It could also be a simple matter of investing in the founders. Give them "Enough money to take money off the table", in the words of that "The surprising truth

It could also be a simple matter of investing in the founders. Give them "Enough money to take money off the table", in the words of that "The surprising truth about what motivates us" video. If you've been working hard for eight years, and it's going to be another five before the "liquidity event", I would guess it can be nice to be able to take any financial issues off the table permanently - and it's probably a also good thing for family support that your founders can afford to go on a holiday every once in a while without having to count every penny.