Eqvista blog

Founders’ guide to equity, valuations, and company growth.

Paying a Consultant with Equity

Like employees, consultants may also be eligible for equity compensation, which is a kind of non-cash payment. Businesses often provide equity payout when they cannot compensate with enough cash or provide salaries below market. Equity payout can be done with different types of equity compensation, which include performance shares, stock options, and restricted stock. Based …

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Guide to Writing the Perfect Investor Update

Are you considering updating your investor on the current progress of your company? Well, an investor update is a great way to maintain a strong relationship with the investors in your company by keeping them up-to-date with the progress of your company and making sure they are in the loop at all times. A well-written …

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ISO vs NSO: Understanding the Difference

Stock options are becoming more and more common, particularly among startups looking to recruit top personnel without going over their compensation budget. Companies add stock options to an employee’s remuneration package in place of a greater salary. This helps organizations recruit and retain top talent and provide financial advantages to employees. Incentive stock options (ISOs) …

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Top 25 Private Equity Firms

Private equity firms attract investors like bees to a flower because they provide higher returns than public stock markets. The year 2021 was a watershed year for the private equity market as investment volume topped the trillion mark for the first time in history. The overall value of all 24,520 agreements concluded was $1.04 trillion, …

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Interview with Lukas Hlavac: Mentoring Startups to Success

In this interview, we are fortunate to have Lukas Hlavac, a mentor to many startups. He shares the challenges that startups face and provides tips on how to grow your startup into a successful venture. Can you briefly introduce yourself and your experience with startups? Thank you for having me! I’m an executive, entrepreneur, and …

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Guide to Decentralized autonomous organization (DAO)

A decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) enables groups of people with similar interests (businesses, non-profits, etc.) to run their organization without a hierarchical authority figure and instead through decentralized governance. Members of the DAO can work together to run the entity in complete transparency. The organization’s rules are encoded in a transparent computer program, and members …

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Valuing a Crypto Mining Company: What You Need to Know?

The cryptocurrency mining industry has seen rapid growth in recent years, prompting many to consider investing in these operations. This article delves into crypto mining, providing an overview of the industry, factors affecting valuation, and methods for valuing a crypto mining company. We will also walk you through the step-by-step valuation process and provide an …

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How should companies manage ESOP in their cap table?

ESOPs have been identified as one of the most preferred funding tools in the current era. While ESOPs were traditionally used to incentivize long-tenured senior management, recent trends show that they are now actively used as a recruiting strategy to recruit, retain, and attract talent. It encourages employee ownership by making them part owners, which …

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How to avoid qualified small business stock pitfalls?

Taxpayers can exclude income on the sale of qualifying small company shares (QSBS) under Internal Revenue Code Section 1202. Section 1202 encourages investment in small businesses, and investors may get spectacular profits. When a stakeholder other than a corporate business sells QSBS that was bought after September 27, 2010 and was held for over five …

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Why should you manage your cap table for an exit?

Exit plans are essential for securing a business owner’s financial future, but many only consider creating one once they are ready to leave. Business owners must consider an exit strategy but are frequently overlooked until significant changes are required. Entrepreneurs risk limiting their future options if they do not plan an exit strategy that informs …

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Key differences between ESOP and Management Buyout (MBO)

Employee stock options plan (ESOP) and management buyout (MBO) are two common options in planning an exit strategy. There isn’t a particular exit plan that is subscribed to work for every business owner moving forward. Helping ensure you comprehend the fundamental distinctions between corporate transition planning choices. This article will compare Employee stock options plan …

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Benefits of creating a simple and smart cap table for early-stage startups

A capitalization table or cap table for early-stage startups lists your startup’s shareholders and their relative stakes in the organization. It is a spreadsheet that gives a summary of the capital structure of the business. Every investor will ask for your cap table to understand the financial system and the weight of each partner in …

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Strategies to Maximize Section 1202 Gain Exclusion Amount

We have seen more understanding among company founders and investors about Section 1202. Investors in QSBS are entitled to an exclusion from taxable profits of up to $10 million under Internal Revenue Code Section 1202. The standard $10 million gain exclusion ceiling under Section 1202 will be more than enough for many taxpayers. However, some …

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Employee Spotlight: Calvin Chow, Valuation Analyst, Eqvista

In this edition of our Employee Spotlight, we’re happy to chat with our newest member of the valuation team, Calvin Chow. Calvin is a valuation analyst helping clients with performing numerous valuations for different companies. Hi Calvin, Thanks for joining us for this interview! Congratulations on your new role. Please tell us a little bit …

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Top Startup incubators and accelerators in Europe

Participating in startup incubators may be a great way to get your company off the ground and get valuable experience in preparing your brand for launch. Accelerator program alums have a 23% better chance of staying in business than their peers. Startup accelerators rely heavily on mentoring and coaching. Outside traditional tech centers like Silicon …

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How to Choose the Right ESOP Management Software for your Business?

Offering employee remuneration in the form of an employee stock option plan (ESOP) is a fantastic business tool. It enables startups and businesses to generate revenue to incentivize workers to put in more effort or as a recruiting tool to bring highly qualified individuals to the organization. However, providing equity as employee remuneration entails a …

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Key-Value Drivers for a Company

A business often takes years to develop a good value for its sale, especially if you want maximum compensation. Valuation is a forecast of future company value and business expectations. A company owner must establish and comprehend what drives value to represent those expectations appropriately. What elements lower risk and boost cash flows? The success …

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How to determine the ESOP pool size with a cap table?

The Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP) Pool is the company’s equity for issuance to employees, directors, and, where permissible, advisors and consultants. Correctly sizing the ESOP pool is a fragile balancing act that most founders get wrong, a potentially costly error. The size of the employee option pool influences how much ownership can be retained …

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How to ensure you have the right number of investors in your cap table?

A startup’s cap table often grows faster than projected, and founders normally feel the ache of a growing cap table when it’s too late. Managing a cap table has practical ramifications for a business. Each investment the company gets requires cautious management. Founders must answer investor communications, keep them updated, and seek their signatures on …

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How does Opportunity Cost work in a business?

The opportunity cost in business can be understood in terms of potential gains or profits an entrepreneur forgoes by making one choice over another. Due to the increasing possibilities to spend, save, or invest in a business, entrepreneurs need a precise way to compare their options to stay within their budgets. This is where analyzing …

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