Build trademark strategy for startups early to protect your San Francisco brand from costly legal disputes and competition threats.
Trademark Strategy Startups: Building Brand Protection Early Read More »
What Is a No-Shop Clause and How Long Does It Lock Me In? You finally get the term sheet you have been working toward. The valuation looks good. The economics seem reasonable. Then your investor says the no-shop clause is standard and tells you not to worry about it. They are partly right. No-shop provisions
What Is a No-Shop Clause and How Long Does It Lock Me In? Read More »
What Is a Down Round and How Does It Actually Hit My Ownership? Your startup raised capital at a $20 million valuation. Growth looked strong, the market was active, and fundraising felt relatively straightforward. Now you are back in the market, raising again, but investors are discussing a $12 million valuation instead. You still need
What Is a Down Round and How Does It Actually Hit My Ownership? Read More »
What Is a Phantom Equity Plan and Is It Right for My Growing Team? You want key team members to participate in the company’s upside. But there is a problem. Maybe investors want the option pool kept small. Maybe the person is an independent contractor who cannot receive traditional employee stock options. Maybe international hiring
What Is a Phantom Equity Plan and Is It Right for My Growing Team? Read More »
Master venture financing agreements and term sheet negotiations to protect your startup’s future in San Francisco’s competitive funding landscape.
Venture Financing Agreements: Navigating Term Sheets and Compliance Read More »
What Are Redemption Rights and Why Should I Push Back on Them in My Term Sheet? Most founders reviewing a term sheet focus on valuation, dilution, board seats, and liquidation preferences. Then they reach a clause stating that investors can force the company to buy back their shares after a certain number of years if
What Are Redemption Rights and Why Should I Push Back on Them in My Term Sheet? Read More »
How Much Equity Should I Give My First Startup Advisors? One of the first difficult cap table decisions many founders make has nothing to do with investors, but instead involves advisors. Maybe someone has strong industry credibility, deep technical expertise, or access to customers and investors you cannot reach on your own. You want their
How Much Equity Should I Give My First Startup Advisors? Read More »
Is My Company’s Data Room Ready for Series B Due Diligence? Many founders think fundraising slows down because investors lose interest. Often, that is not what happened. The investor is still interested. The problem is that diligence exposed operational gaps that the company should have fixed long before opening the data room. Missing IP assignments.
Is My Company’s Data Room Ready for Series B Due Diligence? Read More »
Does My Startup Need a Shareholders Agreement Before We Raise Money? Early-stage founders spend a huge amount of time thinking about product, fundraising, hiring, and growth. Very few spend enough time thinking about what happens if the founding team stops agreeing with each other. That usually changes the moment an investor asks a simple question:
Does My Startup Need a Shareholders Agreement Before We Raise Money? Read More »
Can I Sell My Own Shares Before the Company Exits? What Founders Need to Know About Secondary Sales Many startup founders spend years building companies while their entire personal net worth stays locked inside private stock they cannot easily access. The company may be growing, fundraising may be going well, and the valuation may look
What Changed About SEC Private Fundraising Rules in 2026 and What Does It Mean for My Round? A lot of founders assume private fundraising rules stay relatively stable once they understand the basics of Regulation D, accredited investors, and crowdfunding exemptions. That assumption became risky in 2026. Over the past year, Congress, the SEC, and
What Do the New State AI Laws Require From My Startup in 2026? For the last few years, most startups building with AI have operated in a legal gray area. Founders focused on launching products, integrating APIs, and moving quickly while regulators struggled to keep up with the technology. That is changing. As of January
What Do the New State AI Laws Require From My Startup in 2026? Read More »
What Is a Pay-to-Play Provision and What Happens to My Investors Who Don’t Follow On? Startups often discover who their real supporters are during difficult fundraising environments. An investor who was highly engaged during the first round may suddenly disappear when the company needs follow-on capital. No commitment. No clear answer. Just silence. The problem
What Is a Pay-to-Play Provision and What Happens to My Investors Who Don’t Follow On? Read More »
What Is My Employee’s Option Exercise Window After They Leave the Company? An employee spends years helping build a startup. They vest stock options, contribute to growth, and leave believing they own something valuable. Then they discover they have only 90 days to exercise their options after leaving the company. Suddenly, they are facing: Many
What Is My Employee’s Option Exercise Window After They Leave the Company? Read More »
How Do I Protect My Startup’s IP in Multiple Countries Before It’s Too Late? You filed your patent in the U.S. and assumed your IP was protected. Then you discover a competitor overseas selling a similar product in a market you planned to enter and realize your U.S. filing does not actually protect you there. That situation
How Do I Protect My Startup’s IP in Multiple Countries Before It’s Too Late? Read More »
Can I Sell My Startup Investment on the Secondary Market Before There Is an Exit? A lot of startup investors are sitting on significant paper gains with no clear path to liquidity. The company may be doing well, but without an IPO or acquisition, those shares can remain illiquid for years. So can you sell your
Can I Sell My Startup Investment on the Secondary Market Before There Is an Exit? Read More »
What Rights Should I Be Asking for as an Angel Investor in a Seed Round? You wrote a check to a startup and the SAFE closed. Now six months later, the company is raising a Series A and you have no idea what is happening inside. No financials. No board updates. No heads-up that a new round is coming. That is
What Rights Should I Be Asking for as an Angel Investor in a Seed Round? Read More »
What Is Participating Preferred Stock and How Does It Change My Exit Payout? Many founders focus heavily on valuation when negotiating a term sheet. That makes sense. A higher valuation feels like a win. But a strong valuation alone does not determine how much money founders actually receive in an exit. The liquidation preference structure
What Is Participating Preferred Stock and How Does It Change My Exit Payout? Read More »
Can My Foreign Company Hire US Employees Without Setting Up a US Entity? You have a company outside the US. You found a great engineer, salesperson, or operator based in the US. Naturally, your next question is: “Can we just hire them directly without setting up a US company?” The short answer: not safely. Once you
Can My Foreign Company Hire US Employees Without Setting Up a US Entity? Read More »
Build effective equity incentive plans for startups to attract talent and drive growth in competitive markets.
Equity Incentive Plan Design for Startups: Aligning Talent With Growth Read More »
