You’ve Got VC Money: Securities Laws

Since you’ve already raised a significant VC round, you should already be familiar with the process for issuing securities to investors. Here is a refresher if you need it. Securities Laws Overview All sales, purchases, and offers to sell or purchase shares of stock or other securities […]

Getting Ready to Raise Series Pt. 3: Investor Pitch Decks: Dos and Don’ts

Below are a few guiding principles to keep in mind when creating a pitch deck for investors. Please note that these considerations are not meant to be comprehensive and are only intended to provide general, high-level guidance with respect to the antifraud provisions of U.S. securities laws, […]

Getting Ready to Raise Series Pt. 1: Is Venture Capital Right for You?

One of the many misconceptions when creating a company is that the terms “startup” and “small business” are easily interchangeable. They are not. In the venture capital industry, a startup has many more requirements and expectations of being a hypergrowth endeavor that can generate at least 10x […]

What Is Shadow Preferred Stock?

“Shadow preferred stock” refers to a series of preferred stock that is created when a SAFE or convertible note converts into stock at a price per share that is less than the price per share for the stock issued in a new equity financing. Shadow preferred stock […]

A Crash Course on SAFEs

Here are some important things to keep in mind if you are considering raising capital in a SAFE round. What’s the Difference Between a SAFE Financing and a “Priced Round?” When raising capital, one of the main considerations is whether to (a) use a convertible security, like […]

Structured Negotiation Yields Improved Financing Terms

The purpose of negotiation is to obtain improved transaction terms. Although negotiation is commonly thought of as a series of discussions in which each party advocates for its position, the best results often derive from a structured process that forces multiple parties to compete for the deal. […]

Top Five Differences Between Convertible Notes and Safes for Founders

SAFEs and convertible debt financings broadly accomplish the same goals for early-stage (and even later-stage) emerging companies. The legal and negotiation costs of these instruments are typically an order of magnitude less than a traditional “equity” financing (Series Seed, Series A-Z, etc.), and for the most part […]