Reserved Shares

Reserved Shares are shares that a company has set aside for future issuance, most commonly for the equity incentive plan (option pool), warrants, convertible instruments, or strategic issuances. In cap table analysis, Reserved Shares are included on a fully diluted basis to model ownership and dilution, and Reserved Shares levels are often negotiated in financing rounds.

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Ryan Roberts Startup Lawyer
Ryan Roberts is a startup lawyer with more than two decades of experience advising on venture financings and M&A transactions totaling more than $1 billion. He is the author of the Amazon bestselling startup law book Acceleration.