Formation

Find Top Talent for Your Startup

Finding top talent is a challenge for any company, but for a startup it is crucial for success. Traditional methods of finding employees have been replaced, unsurprisingly, with online networking and target marketing. There are several things you can do to increase the odds of finding the right talent to help your company grow.

1.  Attend the right networking events. If you are seeking a rock star developer, don’t attend networking events focused on the joy of knitting. Develop a pitch aimed at interesting the right prospective candidate and go where those prospectives are. Startups have to compete against larger corporations that may offer bigger salaries and more advanced technological capabilities, so attending the right networking events is the first step to poaching top talent.

2.  Target specific individuals and offer them a personalized benefits package. If you have a developer on your radar and you know that recent events in her life make working remotely a very attractive option, offer that option to her if you have the financial and technological means to make the option a reality. A top candidate can save you time and expenses when timely deployment of your product is a major concern.

3.  Tap your personal network. By tapping into your personal network and the networks of your contacts, you can assess the qualifications of candidates who are well known by people you know and trust. This brings the right applicants into the fold more rapidly and cements a team atmosphere.

4.  Make your company a great target for highly skilled job seekers. Create a name for your company that draws both consumers and employees to you through your standard offerings and uncommon perks. Establish an internal referral program that encourages current employees to recommend top talent for open positions.

Dealing with “Dead Equity”

“Dead equity” refers to company stock owned by individuals and entities no longer contributing to the company. In general, there are two types of dead equity seen on emerging company cap tables: Departed founders/employees. A co-founder or early employee leaves a company or no longer significantly contributes […]

Blog image

When Should I Form a Legal Entity?

As startup lawyers, we often receive inquiries from passionate entrepreneurs and founders seeking guidance on when they should consider taking their side projects to the next step by forming a legal entity. Forming a company is a “crossing the Rubicon” moment for any startup. It’s an essential step […]