Posts Tagged ‘stock options’

Legal Checklist for Startups

by Scott Edward Walker on November 2nd, 2011

I’ve been a corporate lawyer for 17+ years, and there are certain fundamental legal mistakes that I’ve seen startups repeatedly make.  Accordingly, I thought it would be helpful to provide a simple checklist for startups, which includes links to prior posts for a more detailed discussion.  (This post was originally published as part of the “Ask the Attorney” series I am writing for VentureBeat.)

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Walker Twitter Highlights: September 12th – 18th

by Scott Edward Walker on September 19th, 2010

I’m using Twitter as a form of micro-blogging to share interesting articles, blog posts and podcasts relating to entrepreneurship, startup and corporate law issues, and mergers & acquisitions.

For those of you who missed this week’s Twitter updates, below are my five most popular tweets (via bit.ly) and two most popular blog-related tweets.  If you’d like to see all of my tweets (or an RSS feed of them), you can do so here.  Many thanks, Scott

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How Do I Swim Safely in the VC’s Option Pool?

by Scott Edward Walker on September 15th, 2010

Introduction

This post was originally part of my weekly “Ask the Attorney” series which I am writing for VentureBeat (one of my favorite websites for entrepreneurs).  Below is a longer, more comprehensive version.  Please shoot me any questions you may have in the comments section – or feel free to call me directly at 415-979-9998.  Many thanks, Scott

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“Ask the Business Attorney” – What Are the Biggest Legal Mistakes that Startups Make?

by Scott Edward Walker on June 9th, 2010

Introduction

This post was originally part of my “Ask the Attorney” series which I am writing for VentureBeat (one of the most popular websites for entrepreneurs).  Below is a longer, more comprehensive version — with ten mistakes, instead of six.

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Issuing Stock Options: Ten Tips For Entrepreneurs

by Scott Edward Walker on November 11th, 2009

Fred Wilson, a New York City-based VC, wrote an interesting post a few days ago entitled “Valuation and Option Pool,” in which he discusses the “contentious” issue of the inclusion of an option pool in the pre-money valuation of a startup.  Based on the comments to such post and a google search of related posts, it occurred to me that there is a lot of misinformation on the Web with respect to stock options – particularly in connection with startups.  Accordingly, the purpose of this post is (i) to clarify certain issues with respect to the issuance of stock options; and (ii) to provide ten tips for entrepreneurs who are contemplating issuing stock options in connection with their venture.  (more…)