Tech startup investor Joe Beninato proposes some changes to make startup equity more fair and valuable to employees:
- Cap table transparency for all
- Early exercise for early employees
- More than 90 days to exercise after departure
- Vesting schedule revisited
His suggestion for a back-dated vesting period instead of the standard four year equal vest with one year cliff is the most controversial. I would be willing to accept this in exchange for his other proposed reforms. Any company with an unorthodox stock option policy like these should promote them. It would be valuable in recruiting.
On a related note, Aaron Harris and Tikon Bernstam have both made similar calls for improving the equity compensation situation for employees.