For individuals
Startup equity and offer review
Joining a startup, working through founder equity, or renegotiating your role? Jason Gershenson advises founders, executives, and early employees on their own equity and employment terms.
This work is for you as an individual, distinct from representing the company. Jason brings a startup and corporate transactions perspective to your position, the documents behind it, and the terms worth discussing.
What I review
- The offer and the role
- Proposed or existing offer letters and executive employment terms: compensation, responsibilities, termination provisions, and whether the written terms reflect the role you are taking on or already hold.
- The equity package
- Founder equity arrangements and employee grants, read alongside the available company, plan, and grant documents: what you receive, how the percentage is calculated, vesting, grant timing, exercise terms, and acceleration provisions.
- What happens if things change
- How the documents address departure, a change in role, or a company sale, and what those provisions may mean for your equity and compensation.
No formal documents yet?
You can start the conversation while the terms are still in emails or discussions. A review can help identify what has been proposed, what remains open, and what needs to be documented before you commit.
How it starts
Start with the context
Briefly describe your role, whether the terms are still being discussed or already documented, the question you want help with, and any decision deadline. Keep the initial message non-confidential; do not send documents through the contact form.
Agree on the review
Before work begins, confirm conflicts, the scope of representation, fees, and timing in a written engagement. The review can be scoped around the documents available and the decision in front of you.
Work through the terms
Review the documents together as a package, distinguish open questions from negotiation points, and decide what to raise with the company. Any negotiation support is agreed as part of the scope.
Jason is based in New York and admitted in New York and Oregon. Whether he can assist depends on the matter, applicable law, conflicts, and an agreed engagement. Tax advice, litigation, and other specialist work are not assumed to be part of an offer review; any need for separate counsel or an adviser should be addressed when setting the scope.
Before you sign
You Were Offered 10% of a Startup. What Does That Actually Mean?
An equity percentage tells you little until you understand the instrument, the calculation, the vesting terms, and the documents supporting it.
The Equity in the Offer Letter Isn’t the Whole Equity Deal
A startup equity promise can sound precise while leaving most of the economics unresolved. The number gets attention; vesting, timing, termination, and acceleration determine the deal.
Have a question about your own role or equity? Contact Jason.