What your cap table tells an investor in the first 30 seconds
Before anyone reads your deck closely, the ownership spreadsheet has already answered the questions that matter. Here is what they are and how to fix the wrong answers.
Cap tables
Who owns what in a company, and how options, SAFEs and notes change it.
Rich on paper, short on cash: the founder liquidity problem nobody plans for
A large equity stake in a private company can coexist with a thin bank balance. Here is why that gap exists and the realistic ways founders close it.
SAFE or convertible note: what you are actually agreeing to
Both instruments postpone the valuation argument, but they treat time, debt and dilution very differently. How each one works and the clauses to read twice.
What actually happens at your first priced round, step by step
From the term sheet to the wire, a priced round converts old instruments, resizes the option pool and rewrites your charter. Here is the sequence and the traps.
The term sheet clauses that matter more than your valuation
Liquidation preferences, anti-dilution, board seats and protective provisions decide who gets paid and who decides. What each clause does, and what diligence follows.
How to price an accelerator offer before you give up equity
An accelerator deal is a financing with a valuation hidden inside it. How to calculate what you are really paying and the questions to ask before you sign.
Acqui-hire or acquisition: who actually gets paid when you sell
How deal structure, the preference stack and retention packages decide where sale proceeds go, and why an acqui-hire can leave common holders with little.
How founder secondary sales work, and why the company gets a say
Selling some of your shares before an exit is possible, but transfer restrictions, approval rights, valuation knock-on effects and tax rules shape every deal.
What angel investing really costs a founder writing small checks
Founders get offered deals constantly. Before writing checks, understand the illiquidity, the follow-on pressure, the tax mechanics and the time it takes.