“We’re prepared to extend you a term sheet to invest in your company.” Entrepreneurs and founders the world over have heard venture capitalists utter these words.
You are a founder of a burgeoning startup who made these “capitalists” lick their chops to want to invest in your brainchild.
As a founder or the founding team, you have put all your work into one startup; your willingness is to outdo everyone to beat the odds stacked against you.
Many founders only have one startup to rely on to make some loot if it works out. The investors don’t have that problem. The VC’s interests don’t align with yours.
If your startup does well? You get a well-deserved payout at the end. Your employees, advisors, and investors are all happy campers.
As there is a majority consensus that 90% of startups fail, it won’t matter much to your investors. Why? May you ask? Investors preside over large sums of money, which they can deploy to other startups to make their returns.
Your startup is a mere data point in a large portfolio. Investors can; always write off losses and carry them over the years to benefit from tax credits.
Here’s a thought: Investors should give their portfolio founders a portion of their carry to make up for an opportunity cost, which their founders are foregoing by taking on an immense risk of starting a venture to see to fruition hopefully.
Founders should ask for a portion of their carry-over from their investors; founders sharing in the carry-over should be part of the term sheets and negotiation process. Founder time is precious, and investors should pay heed to that reality.
Photo by David Lezcano on Unsplash