Category: Seed Funding (SAFEs and Convertible Notes)
-
Model Seed Funding Doc Myths
A variety of model startup seed funding docs have been released in the past year or so: TechStars Series AA Preferred, YCombinator Series AA Preferred, and TheFunded Founder Institute’s Plain Preferred. And as I mentioned last week, Fenwick & West and Andreessen Horowitz released the Series Seed model documents. The standardized seed funding document movement…
-
How to Set a Convertible Note Discount
A convertible note discount is one of the main economic levers in a convertible promissory note. Notes typically do not include a stated pre-money valuation. Instead, the note converts into equity in a later priced financing (often a Series A), and the conversion price is usually based on the price paid by new investors in…
-
How Convertible Debt Works
Convertible debt is a type of security frequently issued by startups when raising capital in their seed round. With convertible debt, the startup issues the seed investor a promissory note, for the investment amount, that contains a conversion feature. The conversion feature is the mechanism by which the debt (the promissory note) will convert to…
-
Is a Term Sheet Binding?
A term sheet is an outline of the deal terms that helps frame the contemplated transaction for both parties. Term Sheets for financings and acquisitions are usually not binding. However, it is quite common to see various sections of the term sheet binding, including: –No Shop or Go Shop Clauses: Can a party shop the…
-
Should Your Startup Hire a Finder?
Raising capital is not easy. While startup entrepreneurs usually have a strong network of people within their own industry, many entrepreneurs lack contacts at venture capital firms and other angel groups. And even if the entrepreneur knows about such funding sources, it’s difficult to get solid intros to such people. Sometimes startups will run into…
-
What is an Option Pool?
An option pool is an amount of a startup’s common stock reserved for future issuances to employees, directors, advisors, and consultants. The option pool is created pursuant to a written plan in order to satisfy Rule 701 which provides a registration exemption from Section 5 the 1933 Securities Act. Via the written plan, a startup…
-
What is a Liquidation Preference?
The liquidation preference is the amount that must be paid to the preferred stock holders before distributions may be made to common stock holders. The liquidation preference is payable on either a liquidation of the company, asset sale, merger, consolidation or any other reorganization resulting in the change of control of the startup. It is…
-
Selling Your Startup with Convertible Debt
I previously mentioned that convertible debt is a good way to raise capital for most startups. The main reason why convertible debt is beneficial for startups is that it delays coming up with a valuation figure at the seed stage–the valuation conundrum is essentially punted to the Series A (or “qualified financing” stage). But what…
-
The Basics of Convertible Debt Financing
Selecting the optimal structure when raising capital for your startup can be a challenging task. When clients ask me for my recommendation, I find myself recommending the convertible debt financing route more often than traditional equity financing (i.e., I’ll give you $100k for 20% of your company’s stock). So what is convertible debt? Convertible debt…