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.
Ask the Network →Episodes on Fundraising
Investment Thesis with Kali Norman · 21 October 2026
Ian Gardiner's Investment Thesis | Investment Thesis with Kali Norman
ThincHer — You’re in Charge · 22 September 2026
Andrea Michaels: The Migrant Kid Who Became a Minister
Investment Thesis with Kali Norman · 18 September 2026
Mick Liubinskas' Investment Thesis
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.
← Back to the full glossary
Want a show like this for your fund or company?
We're W2D1 Media — the team behind the Day One Network, and we helped build Blackbird Ventures' Wild Hearts. We turn podcasts into trust, authority and pipeline.
