A "clean" financing structure is desired by tech startup founders and is valued by investors for businesses that will eventually seek outside funding. Here are a few terms you might hear while talking about how to build up the capitalization structure for your company.
There’s little doubt that India is now in the age of tech as the third largest startup ecosystem in the world, as per our report, and is home to over 57K startups.
After the groundwork was set by IT behemoths like Infosys, TCS, Wipro, and others, we said that India was in the age of startups in 2019. From the perspective of the market's overall maturation, three years is not a long period, but the pandemic's effects on conventional enterprises and the funding boom in 2020 and 2021 have undoubtedly quickened the process.
First-time equity
Since the company will not yet have an operating history, few assets, or much value, the founders of a startup typically buy shares at a nominal price per share, such as $0.0001 per share, paid in cash, at the time the company is incorporated. Founders' shares are the name given to these shares.
Founder and CEO
The original team of people that came up with the concept and/or the first people hired to launch the company are known as the founders. Typically, the founders of a company are one or two people, but they could also be a larger group (usually less than six).
The founding group should fairly distribute the founders' shares after evaluating each person's anticipated contribution (rather than spread equally across the group). You should think about whether a first equity issuance or stock options provides the right incentive for a certain person.
Management
The management team of a tech startup may include a founder, but not every member of the management team is a founder. Over the course of the company's existence, management will probably change, and they are often compensated with a mix of cash remuneration and stock options.
Entrepreneurs should think about how many founders' shares and stock options to issue in proportion to the existing business value and/or the valuation they hope to attain in the first round of outside financing during the startup phase.
They must decide how to divide up ownership of the company between the founders, important workers, directors, advisors, and contractors. Refer the given below answer.
For potential investors, what does a clear capital structure look like?
Stock option grants and equity issuances are being made using a constrained number of classes of common shares. Normally, there is just one voting common share class, but occasionally, in addition to the voting share class, a non-voting voting common share class may also be established for stock option grants.
With the exception of insiders who hold stock options, there are a manageable number of stockholders.
All important people who will continue to work with the company to increase shareholder value will have an upside chance thanks to the stock option plan that has been put in place. A Shareholders' Agreement, a voting trust, or other legal documents are typically used to do this, guaranteeing that minority shareholders will act in accordance with the majority.
When setting up or changing their capitalization structure, tech company founders should get competent financial guidance. They should select a financial advisor with experience in establishing early-stage enterprises and working on investment rounds for their clients.
Capital structure is a strong industry that identifies a company's current state, allowing owners to make informed decisions while they operate their company. However, certain valuation outcomes are unsatisfactory to business owners, necessitating the need to raise the value of their businesses. This article offers some helpful hints for enhancing the value of your company.
If you are struggling to understand the valuation of your startup connect with us now. Click on the connect, we are assisting early-stage companies in developing standard pitch decks and models, as well as providing funding evaluation, founder grooming, and other services.