Too often, startups lock themselves into thinking that there are only a few ways to raise capital. But that’s not true. There are plenty of different ways to raise money if your business if promising and if you’re creative. VCs and angel investors might have certain vehicles they return to repeatedly, but there’s no reason … Read More
When you’re a startup lawyer, part of your job is to serve as a document merchant. It’s part of the job, but it’s probably my least favorite part of the job. I love learning from startups. I love working with startups. Working with growing startups to make them better — that’s just what we do. Providing high-quality documents … Read More
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance that congratulations are in order. Someone is very interested in what you’re doing. But best not to get too excited just yet. There’s a lot of work ahead before you get to your final destination. If you have a business that has been the main source of … Read More
This is a question I try to ask all startups that hire me at the very beginning. And while some startups know right away why they’re doing what they’re doing, a few struggle to answer. Having seen hundreds of startups in their birthing stages, I think the answer to this question drives the answers to … Read More
When I read Startup CEO by Matt Blumberg, it made me think about a question that often comes up when I think about startups. Namely, what is a startup? Matt Blumberg is the CEO of Return Path, a company with more than 400 employees. The majority of CEOs that I work with in early-stage startups … Read More
The vast majority of early-stage businesses operate in what I like to call “the hairy netherworld of in-between.” This is the stage where the founders have developed a fledgling concept, generated some excitement, done some early developmental work, but not all the founders have committed to the idea full time yet. This is a natural … Read More
The most important legal consideration when you are starting a business is to make sure that everyone knows where they stand with the company. The next step is to make sure that there is clear, written documentation of everyone’s status in the company. To do this correctly, first you have to consider all the relevant … Read More
More often than not, most startup founders agree on some sort of equity allocation very early on in the process. Whether it’s a 50-50 split among two, or a 60-20-20 among three, or some other variation, the first thing most founders contemplate when they’re starting a business is who gets what. But this conversation – … Read More
Recently read an article about a teenager whose Facebook status update cost her father the $80,000 settlement he won in an age-discrimination lawsuit. The facts are simple. Father signed an agreement for an $80,000 settlement in an age-discrimination case. The daughter bragged about the award on Facebook. The employer sued to get the settlement award … Read More
With the proliferation of legal documents available online, more startups have begun putting together their own legal work. For a simple entity, this might not be a problem, but if you’re trying to do something more complicated, you may run into trouble. As one example, many startup founders have learned about the importance of vesting … Read More