Venture Hacks

Offer letters are short and easy to read, as far as legal documents go. But they contain some seemingly scary terms that are (1) ubiquitous in Silicon Valley and (2) usually “no big deal”.
We’re not saying that no one has ever gotten into a conflict or lawsuit over these terms—just that it isn’t common. The [...]

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We’ve been answering this question a lot lately:
“I have a job offer at a startup, am I getting a good deal?”
This isn’t a comprehensive answer—just some questions we would ask if we had an offer.
If you don’t understand your offer, get a lawyer. But—right or wrong—most people don’t hire lawyers to review their offer letter.
Table [...]

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Here are more frequently asked questions about advisors. See Part 1 for the rest. If you have more questions, email us at ask@venturehacks.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
General (from Part 1)

What do advisors do?
Should I put together a board of advisors?
How do I get good advice?
How do I apply advice?
How do I find advisors?
How can I tell if [...]

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Summary: When lawyers defer their legal fees, they expect equity for the risk of not getting paid. If their risk is low or they’re not deferring fees, you can say no. In any case, offer them the right to invest $25K-$50K in your financing instead of giving them free equity.
A reader asks:
“I wonder if I [...]

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As this nuclear winter of venture hacks continues, I thought you might enjoy our thoughts on Paul Graham’s The Equity Equation. Paul says,
“Whenever you’re trading stock in your company for anything, whether it’s money or an employee or a deal with another company, the test for whether to do it is the same. You should [...]

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