Founder vesting
Founders' own shares vesting over time, so a co-founder who leaves early doesn't walk with a huge stake.
Investors usually require it; agreeing it between co-founders before the company succeeds avoids the ugliest disputes.
Hear it from people who've done it
Get the real-world version of "Founder vesting" drawn from hundreds of conversations with founders and investors.
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Vesting / cliff
Equity is earned over time (vesting); a cliff is an initial period you must pass before any of it is yours.
Cap table
The ledger of who owns what — every shareholder, their share class and their percentage.
Vesting acceleration
Unvested equity vesting early on an event — single trigger on acquisition, double trigger on acquisition plus being let go.
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