The shortcomings of SAFE notes (simple agreement for future equity) are coming home to roost; ironically, entrepreneurs are paying the price. Y Combinator invented the notes with a noble goal: “we ...

Early-stage companies often rely on Simple Agreements for Future Equity (SAFEs) and convertible promissory notes to raise capital either prior to a company's first priced preferred equity round, or to ...

Early-stage startup investing conjures images of venture capital firms and well-connected insiders. The introduction of the Simple Agreement for Future Equity, better known as a SAFE, changed that. It ...

The first allows a founder to gain clarity on their company’s worth and the division of ownership. But if a founder is looking for more flexibility, a convertible or SAFE note could be the way to go.

You have a strategic plan; You have an MVP; You have a Team; and You have an Investor! Both you and the Investor believe in the potential of the Entity. What the exact “potential” is, however, still a ...

SAFE rounds, or simple agreements for future equity, have been around since Y Combinator invented them a decade ago. But they took on a different role in 2021 when they became a fast-moving tool that ...

Convertible notes are so 2013. Los Angeles-based startup accelerator StartEngine announced that it’s switching to SAFE to fund its startups. SAFE (simple agreement for future equity) is a new form of ...

Pascal Levensohn is a San Francisco-based venture capitalist with over 22 years of VC experience through Levensohn Venture Partners and Dolby Family Ventures. He is a former director of the National ...