Should We Split Equity 50/50 or Am I Setting Us Up for a Mess Later? “Is this fair… or are we going to regret this in a year?” Every founding team hits this moment. The temptation is to keep it simple: But equity splits are not just about fairness. They determine: Get it wrong, and it […]
Should We Split Equity 50/50 or Am I Setting Us Up for a Mess Later? Read More »
Who Represents Who? How VC Lawyer Dynamics Work in a Fundraise. When you start a priced round, you very quickly meet “the lawyers.” What’s less obvious is who they actually work for and whose interests they are paid to protect. If you assume everyone is there to “get the deal done,” you can miss the fact that counsel
Who Represents Who? Read More »
Do Investors Get Veto Power Through Protected Provisions? “Wait… can they actually block this decision?” That realization usually comes too late. On paper, protected provisions look like routine investor protections. In reality, they are one of the strongest control mechanisms in US venture deals. These clauses do not just give investors visibility. They give them veto power
Do Investors Get Veto Power Through Protected Provisions? Read More »
Part 2: What’s Getting Funded in 2026 and What it Means for Your Next Round. If you missed Part 1, we explained why funding feels harder even in a record-setting quarter. Find it here: [LINK] In Part 2 we explore what these changes looked like in the first quarter: which companies got funded and what their funding rounds suggest moving forward into the second quarter. What’s getting
Part 2: What’s Getting Funded in 2026 and What it Means for Your Next Round. Read More »
Part 1: Startup Funding is at Record Highs, so Why Does it Feel Impossible to Raise? If fundraising feels harder right now, you’re not imagining it. Only about 18% of founders say it’s easy to raise in 2026 and nearly 4 out of 5 expect difficulty. That sentiment is showing up across the market. Founders are spending more time fundraising, having more conversations, and getting fewer firm commitments. At the same time,
Part 1: Startup Funding is at Record Highs, so Why Does it Feel Impossible to Raise? Read More »
“Can I Just Hire Someone as a 1099 in California?” “I’ll just pay them as a 1099, it’s easier, and they said they’re fine with it.” This is one of the most expensive assumptions a founder can make. In California, worker classification isn’t based on what you agree to. It’s based on how the relationship actually works. And if it looks like employment, the
“Can I Just Hire Someone as a 1099 in California?” Read More »
“I’m hiring my first employee in California, what do I actually need to do?” “I just need to pay someone to help me… how complicated can it be?” If you’ve thought that, you’re not alone. For most founders, the first hire feels like a simple milestone. In California, it’s not. It’s a legal event with compliance requirements that start before your employee’s first day. Miss
“I’m hiring my first employee in California, what do I actually need to do?” Read More »
“When Do I Actually Need a General Counsel and What Should It Look Like?” In the early days, most startups handle legal work one task at a time. A contract here. An equity grant there. Maybe outside counsel for a financing round. It works well enough when decisions are occasional and the stakes are manageable. At some point, that approach stops working.
“When Do I Actually Need a General Counsel and What Should It Look Like?” Read More »
“What Happens to My Equity If I Leave My Own Startup?” Intro It is an uncomfortable question, but one every founding team should answer early. What actually happens to your shares if you leave your own company? Most founders assume that once equity is issued, it is theirs to keep. On paper, that is often true. In
“What Happens to My Equity If I Leave My Own Startup?” Read More »
“Will I Make Money on Exit Or Will My Investors Take Most of It?” Intro Most founders focus on valuation when negotiating a term sheet. But few recognize that in many real exits, valuation matters less than liquidation preferences, the clause that decides who gets paid first and how much. A term like “1x non-participating” sounds founder-friendly. In practice, depending on how
“Will I Make Money on Exit Or Will My Investors Take Most of It?” Read More »
Could Your Data Room Be the Reason Your Next Raise Falls Apart? Investors don’t just evaluate your pitch deck. Once they’re interested, they open your data room—and what they find there either builds confidence or quietly kills the deal. Most founders underestimate how much a disorganized or incomplete data room affects investor perception. It signals operational immaturity, slows diligence, and creates unnecessary
Could Your Data Room Be the Reason Your Next Raise Falls Apart? Read More »
LLC vs. C-Corp vs. S-Corp: Which One Actually Makes Sense for Your Startup? Choosing your business entity is one of the first legal decisions you’ll make as a founder. It is also one of the few early decisions that directly affects how you raise capital, structure ownership, and scale the company later. Many founders optimize for simplicity at the
LLC vs. C-Corp vs. S-Corp: Which One Actually Makes Sense for Your Startup? Read More »
What’s Normal vs. Predatory in a Seed Round Term Sheet? You finally have a term sheet in front of you. That’s a meaningful milestone. But for most first-time founders, the challenge is not getting the term sheet. It’s understanding whether the terms are standard, or quietly structured against you. Most investors are fair. Some are not. And the difference is written directly
What’s Normal vs. Predatory in a Seed Round Term Sheet? Read More »
Most founders think about legal support in the moment. But startups don’t grow in isolated moments. They grow in stages, and each stage brings different legal risks, decisions, and opportunities. The question isn’t just, “Do I need a lawyer?” It’s more helpful to ask, “What kind of legal support do I need at each stage of building this company?” Think through each stage of
What Legal Support Do Startups Need at Each Stage of Growth? Read More »
Most founders start here: “Can’t I just use an online platform to set up my company?” And the honest answer is, yes, you can. For many founders, platforms are fast, affordable, and a reasonable starting point. There is another question to ask What am I not getting when I rely on the platform alone? Because
Should I Use an Online Platform or a Law Firm to Form My Startup? Read More »
Most founders hear the same advice early on: “Just incorporate in Delaware.” Some follow that advice without asking why. Others incorporate in California because it feels simpler and more local. Both choices can work. But both choices can also create real problems later if you don’t understand what you’re deciding when you incorporate. This guide breaks down the Delaware vs. California decision in plain
Should I Incorporate in Delaware or California? What First-Time Founders Need to Know Read More »
Can a SAFE Dilute You More Than a Priced Round? Many first-time founders choose SAFEs because they feel fast and simple. No valuation negotiation. Minimal legal work. Money arrives quickly. But the question founders often ask later is: “Did I just give away more of my company than I meant to?” The uncomfortable reality is that a SAFE
Am I giving away more equity than I think? Read More »
You just signed the term sheet. You’re thinking: “Great — we have a deal.” And then the first drafts arrive… and something feels different. If you’re wondering “Can they change the terms after we’ve signed?” the real answer is: Yes — some terms can shift between the term sheet and definitive docs. The better question is: Which changes are normal cleanup vs. re-trading — and how do
Can Investors Change the Terms After the Term Sheet Is Signed? Read More »
Common Reasons Venture Deals Slow Down and How Founders Prevent It You finally receive a term sheet. The valuation makes sense. The structure looks workable. The investor sounds committed. Naturally, many founders assume the hardest part is over. Then the deal slows down. Drafts take longer. New questions appear. Closing timelines slip. Founders start asking a
“Why Is Our VC Deal Stalling After the Term Sheet?” Read More »
The Option Pool Shuffle Explained: How Founders Lose More Equity Than They Expect. You finally get a term sheet. You do the math. The valuation feels decent. The dilution looks “manageable.” Then, after the round closes, you realize you own less than expected. Most of the time, that surprise is not because you misread the valuation. It is
“Am I Getting Played?” Read More »
