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Baylor24

Senior Account Executive

Executive
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Valuing equity at a startup vs public company - Enterprise AE

Currently a mid enterprise rep and looking at my next move. My goal is to get to leadership but in my next step may take an enterprise role to continue to earn and learn. Wondering on how to compare my an enterprise role with my current company(publicly traded) vs. a series C that last raised in 2021. The OTE at startup would most likely be higher but what should I be thinking about when considering the equity offering since the market has drastically changed from the last time they raised funding(March 2021) to now. Not sure what multiple they got last time but would have to imagine that will change for the next round. What questions should I be asking the recruiter/hiring manager to properly vet the equity portion?

๐Ÿ’ฐ Compensation
๐Ÿ“‰ Equity
๐Ÿ“  Startup
8

13 comments

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Kosta_Konfucius
Politicker
4
ERP Sales
This is not my area of expertise but here is an old post. @TennisandSalesshared this a couple weeks ago to help us have a better understanding stock options.

https://bravado.co/war-room/posts/stock-options-here-are-some-resources-to-better-understand-this

Also there is a post about equity in the academy.

https://bravado.co/academy/negotiating-equity

Hope this helps!
CuriousFox
WR Officer
4
๐ŸฆŠ
Search bar ftw ๐Ÿ”ฅ
Baylor24
Executive
2
Senior Account Executive
Thank you. Had a chance to read through old posts on equity which are helpful. The one wrinkle is that since valuations have changed drastically since most companies raised their last rounds( for example a company might have raised at a 30x multiple when current SaaS comp is being valued at 15x). Looking to see how that factors in when examining startup's equity offering. Would that equity be more diluted since overall market valuations are down or would it not matter as it would be included in the difference between strike price and FMV.
TennisandSales
Politicker
1
Head Of Sales
you can always ask how many shares are outstanding at this point. that can give you a glimpse on how much your shares are worth.

But i dont think the recent devaluation will make a significant impact on the value of the stock of a pre IPO series C company.
TennisandSales
Politicker
2
Head Of Sales
the king of the search bar! haha
Pachacuti
Politicker
3
They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy
Over my career I have been "awarded" more shares than I could wipe myself with for a week. So I don't factor equity into my compensation.
braintank
Politicker
2
Enterprise Account Executive
When evaluating offers, I'd put equity at the bottom.
FinanceEngineer
Politicker
2
Sr Director, sales and partnerships
The equity might be nothing for a start up. Cash is king.
JDialz
Politicker
1
Chief Operating Officer
Itโ€™s very difficult to evaluate equity of a private company if you donโ€™t hold a controlling interest.

I will say, though, that if it goes to a SeriesD round thatโ€™s typically not a good signโ€ฆ
braintank
Politicker
0
Enterprise Account Executive
Why?
coletrain
Politicker
1
Account Executive
Recruiter wonโ€™t be the best just IMO, talk to the hiring mgr and senior leadership to confirm a timeline and how on track they are, whether they want more funding in a year, etc
Sunbunny31
Arsonist
1
Sr Sales Executive ๐Ÿฐ
I've had equity mean something one time. If they offer it, great, but I wouldn't rank it high on the scale. Series C means non-founder $$ and I'd focus on the OTE instead.
SDM
Politicker
0
Sales development manager
Firstly, check how far the startup could go? If they are solving a real problem, their competitors and value props. If you feel confident on these... Startup would be a better option to earn, learn and lead. You can check if are looking to raise more and what are their growth plans for next 2-5 years
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