Here is a collection of tips for startup founders. I’ve learned these while starting three companies and transitioning into an employee of a Fortune 500 company. (All opinions are my own.)

Books

Innovation Casino (2020)

Grays Sports Almanac for Venture Capital (2018)

Blog articles

Innovation Casino book summary (2021)

What is an ecosystem innovation fund, or “EIF” (2021)

How your digital ecosystem can increase corporate innovation success (2021)

Review of Sam Altman’s Personal Term Sheet (2019)

Review of Y Combinator Safes (2019)

Review of 500 Startups KISS Notes (2019)

Review of Y Combinator Series A Term Sheet (2019)

Review of NVCA Model Legal Documents (2019)

Review of Gust Series Seed Term Sheet (2019)

Should a startup founder agree to a non-compete? (2019)

Attorney Roundtable: How founder-friendly are “standard” VC term sheets? (2019)

“Standard” term sheets are only 38% founder-friendly (2019)

Infographic: What’s the best founder-friendly term sheet? (2019)

Why founders should get super-voting equity (2019)

What are the odds of startup success by US metro area? (2018)

Manage 10 of the 20 top startup failure risks (2018)

Odds of starting a high-growth company research (2018)

Founder Friendly Standard (2017)

Founder Friendly Standard Attorney Review Form (2017)

I’ll be the Sean Parker to your Mark Zuckerberg (2017)

Your best hire is an entrepreneur—how this unique candidate creates value (2017)

Quora answers

When a startup receives a term sheet from a VC or angel what are the most important parts a startup needs to pay attention to? (2019)

How ethical are non-compete clauses in a founders’ agreement? Aren’t they more relevant in the case of paid employees? (2019)

What are some common misconceptions people have about raising capital? (2019)

What are the pros and cons of Y Combinator’s SAFE securities versus convertible notes? (2019)

Should founders and investors be mutually agreeable to use the Y Combinator Series AA documents and what changes should founders deem generally unacceptable? Co-author (2019)

What are examples of good startup term sheets? Co-author (2019)

What does a standard seed funding offer sheet consist of? Co-author (2019)

What VC clauses should not be accepted when raising money in any round stage? Co-author (2019)

What terms make SAFE notes more founder-friendly? Co-author (2019)

Are 500 startups KISS notes founder-friendly? Co-author (2019)

Will liquidity in the VC world dry up with an incoming recession? What will happen to startups as a result? (2018)

As a new chairperson what would be the best ways to make a good impression at the first meeting? (2018)

Should voting rights equal equity shares when incorporating a startup? (2018)

What are the pros and cons of using bootstrapping rather than the other types of start-up funding? (2018)

Are there any standard contract templates that investors and founders can use for startup funding? (2018)

Where can I find good example slide decks for pitching investors? (2018)

If investors own the majority of equity (and voting rights) in a startup, can they decide to sell the company against the will of the founders? (2018)

When trying to secure angel investors for a start-up company, do investors generally request voting rights when the investor has a “hands-on” role? (2018)

How do I terminate my co-founder? Are the following two steps correct: 1. Repurchase unvested shares, 2. Vote to remove him from the Board of Directors? My co-founder has decided to take up a job while I continue working on the startup. (2018)

How important is it for investors to have a non-compete clause among founders? (2018)

How can a startup founder reach out to Roche for selling a software product? (2018)

What is the best city in the US to start a business? (2018)

How did you start a business with no assets other than a broadband connection? (2018)

How can I raise capital to start a new business without any money on hand? (2018)

While signing a contract as a startup co-founder, how can I know for sure that my co-founders do not establish another company as a proxy, redirect income through it, and then sell this company instead of our common where I have equity? (2018)

How do I approach my potential customers to give them a brief idea about my product? What should my proposal include? (2015)

Mark Cuban says only morons start a business off of a loan. Does this same principle apply to people going to school off of a loan? (2015)

Has anyone worked on their start-up so much, it becomes their life (unhealthy 100 hours/week), and you start to get worked up and question if you love what you are doing? (2015)

How do I find a startup mentor to build a deep relationship with? I have built surface level relationships online but want more personal advice and support from a mentor. (2015)

How do VCs calculate valuations? (2015)

If I bootstrap a subscription company with $92k, and made a total revenue of $320k over 2 years, should I continue this business? (2015)

Slideshare presentations

Q3 Campaign for Founder Friendly Standard called “Reality Check” (2019)

Q1 Campaign for Founder Friendly Standard called “3 steps to building companies that last” (2019)

Tweets

#FounderFriendlyStandard hashtag search (real-time)

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: Eisaiah Engel (“the author”) is not providing any financial, economic, legal, accounting, or tax advice or recommendations in this article or any content this article links to. The author is not a lawyer. The information contained in this article was prepared for general information purposes only, does not constitute research, advice, or a recommendation from the author to the reader and is not a substitute for personalized financial or legal advice. Neither the author nor any of his affiliates make any representation or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of the statements contained in this article. The author and his affiliates expressly disclaim any liability (including any direct, indirect, or consequential loss or damages) for all articles and their content. Please refer to this website’s terms of use for more information.