Term Sheet Explained
Term Sheet Explained
The
first
thing
to
note
is
that
a
term
sheet
is
not
a
legal
promise
to
invest.
In
other
words,
a
signed
term
sheet
doesnt
guarantee
money
coming
in
the
door.
A
term
sheet
is
only
a
contract
to
the
extent
that:
(1)
it
requires
you
to
keep
the
negotiations
confidential
and
(2)
it
may
prevent
the
company
from
looking
at
other
suitors
for
a
period
(the
no-shop
or
exclusivity
provision).2
Most
term
sheets
have
legalese
(usually
near
the
end)
that
translates
as:
while
this
in
every
way
looks
like
a
contract
to
invest,
it
has
no
legal
force
whatsoever.
All
a
term
sheet
sets
out
is
the
broad
parameters
of
an
investment;
its
the
Five
Documents
(the
stock
purchase
agreement,
investor
rights
agreement,
certificate
of
incorporation,
ROFR
&
co-sale
agreement
and
voting
agreement)
that
set
out
the
actual
terms
of
the
investment.
These
are
negotiated
later,
based
on
the
term
sheet.
1
Term sheets are like chess in this way; each term has a fairly limited range of operation but the combinations get migraine-inducing in a hurry. 2 Throughout, Im discussing term sheets for equity rounds that fall within a standard deviation of the average (or, more accurately, term sheets that are no worse than modestly bizarre). One of the problems with term sheets is that while they are supposed to be highly formulaic and limited, they can be as perverse as the parties want.
Money
The
first
thing
a
term
sheet
does
is
supply
you
with
the
means
to
calculate
your
economics,
although
doing
so
can
be
rather
involved
as
you
can
manipulate
various
terms
to
arrive
at
wildly
different
ownership
stakes
and
economic
outcomes
while
keep
the
nominal
valuation
the
same.3
Taking
the
terms
in
their
usual
order
on
a
term
sheet
(i.e.,
in
order
of
growing
complexity):
Pre-Money Valuation
This
is
the
value
of
the
company
pre-money,
i.e.,
before
any
new
cash
is
invested.
Unfortunately,
even
this
simple
term
gets
knotty,
because
the
nominal
and
the
effective
pre-money
may
be
different
if
you
increase
(or
refresh)
the
option
pool.
(See
below
for
more
on
option
pools.)
It
goes
without
saying
that
the
nominal
price
per
share
is
irrelevant
in
theory;
its
the
value
of
the
company
that
matters,
although
youll
see
people
get
uncomfortable
with
really
large
or
small
prices
(pennies
a
share
or
hundreds
of
dollars
a
share).
How
do
you
determine
the
pre-money
valuation?
For
younger
companies,
the
parties
pick
a
number
within
a
fairly
arbitrary
range
set
by
the
market
consensus
on
what
seems
reasonable
to
pay
for
a
team
and
an
idea
that
hasnt
been
turned
into
a
real
product,
much
less
a
money-making
business.4
For
more
established
enterprises,
a
number
is
selected
within
an
(equally
large,
somewhat
less
arbitrary)
range
ginned
up
from
models.
The
exact
number
within
each
of
these
ranges
depends
on
the
VC
communitys
interest
in
the
company.
Post-Money Valuation
The
Pre-Money
Valuation
+
Total
New
Investment
=
Post-Money.
Frequently,
you
hear
people
talk
about
$X
on
$Y.
That
means
$X
invested
on
a
pre-money
valuation
of
$Y.
Post-Money
Valuation
=
$X+$Y.
Type of Security
Typically, companies issue preferred stock5, which comes (imaginatively enough) with a series of preferences (the lawyers often will refer to these as the rights, preferences, and privileges of the
To take it to an entertaining extreme, through a combination of warrants and other mechanisms you could increase a nominal valuation from $10 million to $1 billion without affecting what an investor pays or how much of the company it owns. For hard-working engineers tired of hearing some non-numerate MBA nattering on about grabbing a $15 million term sheet for anencephalic vaporware, you can now throw back your own a trillion dollar valuation. You heard it here first. 4 Because the exact valuation of a company is fairly arbitrary, people should be willing to move around a fair amount within the market range in order to work with people they have real affinity for. 5 Some companies only have common stock and some companies are organized as LLCs, which have membership interests. These situations are sufficiently uncommon that your lawyer will either ask you to clean these up by converting into a C-corp or you already had good reasons for this capital structure and dont need advice on it.
stock),
including
the
right
to
receive
the
proceeds
of
an
exit
before
holders
of
common
stock.
(Just
how
much
they
get
is
covered
in
the
sections
on
liquidation
preference
and
participation.)
Dividends
Theres
usually
a
provision
for
dividends,
when
and
if
declared
by
the
board
of
directors.
Since
dividends
are
rarely
declared
and
are
usually
a
nominal
amount,
this
is
not
usually
a
point
of
contention.
However,
in
a
financing
where
you
may
lose
control
of
your
board,
this
provision
takes
on
more
importance.
Liquidation Preference
Liquidation
preference
(liq
pref
or
preference)
provides
additional
downside
protection
to
investors.
It
also
reduces
the
total
amount
available
to
the
holders
of
common
(the
entrepreneurs)
when
the
preference
is
paid.
Basically,
it
means
that
money
used
to
buy
preferred
stock
gets
returned
first,
at
a
particular
ratio
if
a
liquidation
event
happens.
The
term
sheet
will
specify
what
counts
as
a
liquidation
event
later
in
the
document,
but
in
general
its
an
event
equivalent
to
the
company
going
away
getting
acquired,
merging,
selling
most
of
its
assets.
(Its
not
an
IPO.)
Preferences
usually
range
from
1x
to
3x
(1x
being
typical),
which
means
that
an
investor
with
a
1x
preference
gets
his
original
investment
back,
with
a
2x
preference,
twice
the
money,
etc.
before
the
common
holders
get
anything.
Liquidation
preferences
complicate
things
over
multiple
financings
if
they
stack,
which
basically
means
that
some
investors
are
senior
to
others
and
get
paid
their
liquidation
preference
first.
You
could
have
many
layers
of
liquidation
preferences
at
difference
ratios
and
caps
(see
participation
below
as
noted,
this
gets
complicated
quickly).
Alternatively,
all
preferred
shareholders
could
have
a
pari
passu
preference,
which
just
means
the
proceeds
get
divvied
up
to
all
preferred
holders
at
the
same
time.
Does
it
matter?
For
many
start-ups,
it
doesnt
in
a
downside
scenario
because
there
are
usually
so
few
assets
left
that
no
one
gets
anything.
(Its
not
like
GM
going
under,
where
you
have
billions
in
property,
plant
and
equipment
even
though
the
company
cant
pay
its
bills.)
And
for
very
successful
companies,
it
may
not
matter
because
this
provision
doesnt
get
invoked
unless
investors
have
negotiated
for
fully
participating
preferred,
as
the
preferred
holders
would
convert
to
common
stock
(see
below),
forego
their
liquidation
preference
and
share
pro
rata
with
the
common
holders.
Self-serving
this
is,
but
in
general
a
1x
liquidation
preference
is
perfectly
reasonable.
If
youre
a
very
risky
enterprise
likely
to
have
many
hard
assets
at
the
time
of
failure,
higher
preferences
arent
unreasonable.
Participation
Participating preferred is another investor-friendly provision, this time driven by genteel optimism (participating with a cap) or something less restrained (fully participating). Participation is a share in the leftovers. The common stockholders and preferred stockholders will share in whatever the remaining proceeds of sale are on a pro rata basis (i.e., the percentage of the company they would have owned had their preferred stock converted into common). 3
Aggressive
investors
ask
for
fully
participating
which
means
that
the
holders
of
preferred
receive
their
preference
and
share
in
the
distribution
of
any
remaining
proceeds,
alongside
the
holders
of
common.
The
intermediate
case
is
participating
preferred
stock
with
capped
participation,
meaning
that
the
holders
share
in
the
distribution
of
remaining
proceeds
until
theyve
received
a
set
amount
(typically
2x
to
4x
the
initial
investment).
More
frequently,
the
preferred
is
non-participating
meaning
the
holders
do
not
share
in
the
distribution
of
remaining
proceeds
following
the
receipt
of
their
preference.
Holders
of
capped
participating
preferred
and
nonparticipating
preferred
have
a
choice
to
make
in
connection
with
a
liquidation
event:
they
can
forego
their
preference
and
convert
to
common
prior
to
the
transaction
if
participating
as
a
common
holder
would
result
in
a
higher
return
to
them.
For
example,
if
an
investor
has
a
3x
cap
but
the
pro
rata
share
of
proceeds
from
a
sale
would
be
10x,
the
investor
would
convert,
giving
up
his
preference
but
getting
an
additional
7x.
Sometimes
this
conversion
gets
determined
automatically
for
the
holders
of
preferred
and
sometimes
the
holders
get
notice
prior
to
the
event
and
must
elect
whether
to
convert.
Option Pool
The option pool can confound everyone involved, especially when comparing two term sheets with different nominal valuations and option pool treatments. The pool represents the pot of stock (or rather, the reserve of stock into which the options will convert if exercised) held aside for existing and future employees and other service providers, to make them happy workers. Typical option pools range from 10-20%, with the percentage determined on a pre- or post-money basis.6 Refreshing on a pre-money basis dilutes existing holders and not the new investors. Companies can think of it as reducing the effective value of the stock held by the existing holders, because all shares in the newly-increased option pool will be included in the pre-money valuation and the existing holders will therefore hold proportionately fewer of the shares, while the valuation remains constant. The standard is to include the refreshed option pool in the pre-money valuation, on the assumption that people like high (nominal) valuations and also understand the mechanics of the pool well enough to know whats happening. Refreshing post-money (or failing to refresh a pool at all, and doing it in between financings) dilutes everybody, which means both old and new shareholders share in the dilution. Adjusting the pre-money valuation up or down would eliminate the need for all of shenanigans with the option pool, but no one ever does so - headline valuation is king.
Generally, the parties set the pool at an amount sufficient to satisfy equity grants for a year or two.
Conversion
Conversion
transforms
preferred
stock
into
common
stock,
usually
at
1:1
basis.
The
conversion
price
is
just
the
price
that
achieves
that
desired
ratio
divide
the
amount
invested
by
the
conversion
price,
and
you
get
your
ratio.
Conceptually
simple,
conversion
gets
involved
when
you
consider
participation
caps,
drag-alongs,
and
IPO
rights,
all
discussed
below.
Anti-Dilution
In
its
simplest
form,
anti-dilution
rights
are
neutral
and
confer
no
advantage
to
either
side.
What
these
rights
provide
is
that
if
a
non-economic
transaction
is
taking
place
-
something
that
changes
the
number
of
shares
without
changing
economics
-
the
appropriate
adjustments
will
be
made.
If
the
company
splits
its
stock
2:1,
the
number
of
shares
the
investor
holds
will
also
double,
e.g.
Of
course,
things
get
more
complex
as
investors
try
to
optimize
downside
scenarios,
which
can
pit
the
investors
against
the
company
and
even
investors
against
investors.
These
situations
occur
if
the
company
has
a
down
round
(technically,
when
it
issues
shares
for
less
than
the
conversion
price).
The
investors
goal
is
to
protect
his
relative
ownership
in
the
company,
at
the
expense
of
the
company
and
future
investors.
This
is
called
price-based
antidilution.7
Full-ratchet
anti-dilution.
Frankly,
pretty
bad
for
the
company.
If
new
stock
is
issued
at
a
price
lower
than
that
paid
by
the
prior
investor
with
full-ratchet
protection,
the
prior
investors
conversion
price
is
reset
to
the
price
paid
for
the
new
stock
(e.g.,
if
the
prior
investor
paid
$1.00
per
share
for
100,000
shares
of
preferred
stock
and
then
the
company
issues
a
single
share
of
additional
stock
for
$0.10,
each
of
the
prior
investors
100,000
shares
of
preferred
stock
would
thereafter
be
convertible
into
ten
shares
of
common
stock).
This
happens
regardless
of
how
much
new
money
comes
in.
Needless
to
say,
this
is
bad
for
the
company,
not
least
because
it
scares
off
new
investors.
This
isnt
a
particularly
common
provision
these
days,
but
it
does
happen.
Weighted
average
anti-dilution.
Much
more
fair
for
the
company.
Basically,
this
method
tries
to
figure
out
the
extent
to
which
the
old
investors
are
diluted
by
an
issuance
of
new
stock
at
a
price
below
the
price
paid
by
the
old
investors,
as
compared
to
an
issuance
of
the
same
number
of
shares
of
new
stock
at
the
price
paid
by
the
old
investors,
and
makes
a
proportional
adjustment.
The
issue
here
is
that
new
investors
may
well
want
to
dilute
the
old
investors,
because
they
are
assuming
extra
risk
(the
down
round
implying
that
things
arent
going
great).8
Pay to Play
But
wait,
theres
more.
Frequently,
significant
investors
want
to
ensure
that
other
investors
continue
to
support
a
company
when
things
are
not
going
well,
but
when
theres
nevertheless
still
some
chance
that
things
eventually
pan
out.
This
works
to
a
companys
advantage
and
its
called
pay
to
play.
7
The anti-dilution mechanism kicks in during the future down round, but is negotiated beforehand in the term sheet, for obvious reasons. 8 Then theres broad-based vs. narrow vs. narrowish anti-dilution, but investors almost always get the first its not worth the cerebration.
In
a
pay
to
play,
each
investor
has
to
invest
a
certain
amount
in
later
financings
or
suffer
one
or
more
penalties,
including:
(1)
forced
conversion
to
common,
which
strips
them
of
any
preferred
rights
they
used
to
hold;
(2)
stripping
the
investor
of
anti-dilution
protection;
(3)
depriving
them
of
various
control
rights.
Pay
to
play
is
cold
comfort
for
an
entrepreneur,
because
it
gets
invoked
only
when
things
are
tough,
but
its
still
comfort.
At
the
same
time,
investors
who
arent
leading
the
round
(and
therefore
arent
negotiating
the
termsheet)
can
get
squeamish
about
having
this
imposed
on
them,
so
be
careful
here
if
you
have
concerns
about
filling
out
your
round.
Warrants
Sometimes,
investors
who
are
bullish
on
a
company
but
dont
want
to
put
in
more
money
right
away
will
ask
for
warrants,
which
is
the
right
to
buy
more
stock
at
a
particular
price
within
a
particular
timeframe.
Warrants
are
slightly
troublesome
for
the
company,
because
they
add
complexity
to
a
cap
table.
Warrants
get
exercised
when
the
value
of
the
company
exceeds
the
strike
price
of
the
warrant
(i.e.,
the
amount
the
investor
pays).
Thats
dilutive
for
subsequent
shareholders.
However,
they
can
be
an
appropriate
reward
for
investors
who
managed
a
quick
and
easy
process
or
took
a
lot
of
risk
with
an
initial
investment.
For
these
reasons,
warrants
are
quite
common
in
debt
financings
and
as
sweeteners,
where
you
want
to
achieve
a
certain
price
or
result,
but
need
an
additional
inducement
for
the
VC.
Costs of Counsel
Investors
ask
for
a
certain
amount
of
legal
fees
to
be
reimbursed.
The
typical
range
is
$25-75,000.
Dont
spend
much
time
on
this.
Summary Economic Terms
At some level, the best term sheets just reach a reasonable agreement on valuation, because its so hard to predict which of the various other terms will ever come into play and because they are tedious to negotiate. But entrepreneurs like high nominal valuations and VCs like complexity wherever they can get it, so be prepared to see all of these terms in some form or another. Now, how else can we complicate things? Power.
Participation Rights
Absent
participation
rights
(sometimes
called
a
right
of
first
refusal,
or
a
ROFR),
a
company
has
no
obligation
to
sell
stock
in
future
financing
rounds
to
existing
investors.
Investors,
being
bullish
on
the
company,
want
to
ensure
they
are
able
to
participate
and
ask
for
a
right
of
first
refusal
usually
equal
to
their
pro
rata
portion
of
the
proposed
financing
(i.e.,
if
they
own
10%
of
the
company,
they
can
buy
10%
of
the
next
round).
Theres
no
way
to
get
out
of
this
one
and
not
a
lot
of
good
reasons
to
do
so,
although
you
may
find
yourself
in
a
situation
where
you
want
to
add
a
strategic
investor.
In
that
case,
the
value
the
strategic
investor
brings
may
offset
the
investors
expected
dilution
and
in
many
cases
it
would
be
reasonable
to
ask
the
investor
to
invest
less
than
its
full
pro
rata.
Co-Sale and ROFR
If
you
get
out,
we
get
out:
thats
the
essence
of
the
co-sale
right.
Whatever
percentage
a
founder
or
other
key
holder
sells
of
his
stake,
the
investor
gets
to
do
the
same,
to
the
same
buyer.
This
term
is
as
unavoidable
as
it
is
reasonable.
The
ROFR
(right
of
first
refusal)
gets
invoked
when
a
founder
or
other
key
holder
wants
to
sell
stock
to
a
third
party.
In
most
cases
the
company
will
have
a
right
to
buy
the
stock,
on
the
same
terms
on
which
the
holder
proposes
to
sell
to
the
third
party.9
This
right
is
normally
in
the
companys
bylaws
or
in
the
agreement
governing
the
initial
purchase
by
the
holder.
A
primary
purpose
for
this
right
is
to
enable
the
company
to
control
its
stockholder
base.
In
connection
with
a
financing,
the
investors
will
want
the
company
to
assign
this
purchase
right
to
the
investors,
either
before
the
company
has
a
chance
to
exercise
the
right,
or
only
if
the
company
passes
on
the
opportunity.
Registration Rights
Its
hardly
worth
negotiating
these
rights,
which
require
the
company
to
register
investor
stock
for
sale
on
the
public
markets.
In
theory
investors
holding
these
rights
could
force
a
company
to
go
public,
though
thats
almost
unheard
of,
for
obvious
reasons.
And
many
times
the
portion
of
these
terms
get
renegotiated
when
the
underwriters
take
the
company
public
(and
they
have
almost
all
the
power
there)
and
its
in
neither
the
investors
nor
companys
interest
to
spend
much
time
on
these.
Board Representation
A
typical
board
has
between
3-7
directors,
split
among
(a)
the
founders
and
other
company
executives,
(b)
the
investors
(or
their
designees)
and
(c)
often,
independent
members
affiliated
with
neither
party.
Its
in
everyones
interest
to
have
a
small
board,
because
they
are
more
efficient.
While
the
amount
of
speaking
grows
super-linearly
with
the
number
of
people
on
the
board,
other
complexity
grows
exponentially.
Start-up
boards
of
more
than
7
are
almost
inevitably
useless
(or
worse).
Unfortunately,
many
VCs
take
vanity
seats,
cluttering
up
the
board.10
One
fix
is
to
have
the
VC
hold
the
seat
by
right
9
There are occasionally small exceptions for estate management and family planning. Some VCs actually have to take a seat if they own X% of a company. VCs that proceed so mechanistically are seldom fun to work with, either as a company or as another investor.
10
but
appoint
an
industry
expert
in
their
place
(sometimes
the
VC
is
the
industry
expert,
in
which
case:
problem
solved).
Board
observers
present
another
problem.
Smaller
shareholders
often
ask
for
these
faux
directorships
on
the
basis
that
they
are
costless
to
the
company
in
theory,
observers
dont
speak
during
board
meetings
but
in
practice,
they
speak
quite
a
bit.
Companies
should
not
underestimate
how
tedious
a
large
number
of
observers
can
be.
Investor
directors
are
generally
elected
by
class
of
preferred
stock,
with
the
largest
investor
or
investors
in
a
given
preferred
round
having
the
ability
to
nominate
a
person
to
sit
in
the
seat
and
the
other
preferred
holders
agreeing
to
vote
in
favor
of
the
nominee
(meaning
the
common
stockholders
dont
participate
in
the
nomination
or
the
election).
Over
several
financing
rounds,
that
produces
a
lot
of
directors,
some
of
whom
have
invested
very
little
money.
Capping
a
board
at
a
small
number
of
directors
helps
flush
out
the
system,
which
is
good
for
everyone.
Boards
can
fire
CEOs
or
force
a
company
to
take
drastic
actions
the
founders
may
not
approve
of
VCs
and
companies
are
not
perfectly
aligned
so
the
balance
of
power
among
investors
and
company
representatives
can
be
critical.
A
very
few
companies
have
gotten
around
this
by
granting
founders
super-voting
shares,
which
allow
the
founders
to
control
almost
everything.
Its
very
rare
that
investors
will
agree
to
this
and
at
least
for
public
companies
(newspapers
do
this
a
lot,
e.g.),
its
not
at
all
clear
this
leads
to
the
best
returns
for
the
company.
Voting Rights
Investors
will
normally
require
an
approval
right
over
any
actions
that
would
be
adverse
to
the
investors.
Its
fair
to
grant
investors
the
right
to
block
any
action
that
would
affect
them
disproportionately
or
unfairly
e.g.,
something
that
singled
out
all
preferred
shareholders
or
even
Series
B
preferred
shareholders
named
Karl.
Frequently,
investors
request
the
consent
of
the
holders
of
X%
of
a
given
class
or
series
of
stock
before
the
company
can
engage
in
any
number
of
transactions,
like
a
sale,
a
subsequent
financing,
etc.
That
X%
can
be
a
bare
majority,
but
frequently
investors
will
seek
a
personal
blocking
right
by
negotiating
for
an
approval
threshold
that
relates
to
a
very
particular
number:
100%
minus
the
exact
number
of
shares
a
particular
investors
holds,
plus
one.
Companies
should
be
very
reluctant
to
agree
to
these
potential
hostage-taking
situations,
unless
the
investor
has
taken
an
extraordinary
risk
on
the
company/there
has
been
a
bad
history.
Unlike
approvals
at
the
board
level,
where
board
members
ability
to
take
self- interested
positions
are
tempered
by
their
fiduciary
duties,
there
are
very
few
limits
to
a
stockholders
ability
to
vote
its
shares
in
its
own
self-interest.
At
best,
these
veto
rights
(which
is
what
they
are)
slow
down
corporate
decision
making.
At
worst,
the
investor
can
badly
impact
future
financings.
Information Rights
Many investors who dont have a board seat ask for information rights. As a general matter, theres no reason why this request shouldnt be granted, although sometimes these rights require the company to 8
consult
with
the
VC,
which
is
less
appealing.
These
rights
are
normally
limited
to
protect
highly
confidential
or
competitively
sensitive
information.
Major Holders
One
way
to
make
many
of
the
foregoing
rights
more
bearable
for
the
company
is
to
confine
rights
to
major
shareholders.
What
constitutes
a
major
shareholder
is
context
dependent,
but
its
always
clear
who
is
major
and
who
isnt.
Usually
the
set
of
major
shareholders
is
defined
by
reference
to
a
shareholding
threshold.
Drag Along
These
provisions
allow
the
majority
of
shareholders
to
drag
along
smaller
shareholders
to
a
sale
of
the
company
in
other
words,
this
provision
removes
the
possibility
of
small
shareholders
turning
into
rogue
nations
and
halting
a
sale
until
they
can
extort
a
higher
payment.
In
general,
these
are
good
things.
However,
a
company
may
wish
to
avoid
drag
along
if
it
has
a
substantial
minority
shareholder
whose
liquidity
visions
are
more
aligned
with
the
company
than
the
other
investors.
There
are
various
flavors
of
drag
along
provisions,
with
the
primary
sources
of
variation
coming
from
(a)
whose
approval
is
needed
to
invoke
the
drag
(just
the
holders
of
a
majority
of
the
preferred?
Also
the
holders
of
a
majority
of
the
common?
Also
the
board?)
and
(b)
who
gets
dragged
(just
the
common
holders?
The
preferred
holders
as
well?).
While
theoretically
interesting,
this
is
also
a
good
strategy
to
waste
$10k
in
legal
expenses.
Summary Rights & Power
Its no surprise that money is power. If the round isnt competitive, the investors money wins. If the round is competitive, because VCs believe the company is a one way ticket to the moon, the expected return from the investment translates into leverage for the company. Regardless, its important to craft term sheets that are fair. Each side can spin dials in its direction, but that leads to mistrust and discontentment in a relationship that may last years. Given the huge uncertainty in outcomes, it hardly seems worth optimizing six different sets of outcomes when the time could be better spent building the business. Theres a great psychological temptation to do so, I realize: (1) because founders are always nervous that they might be screwed and (2) because VCs have so little other control over the outcome. For founders, hopefully a more transparent term sheet limits any lingering sense that the VCs can hoodwink them. For VCs, hopefully more transparency on the arcane bits of the term sheet will allow everyone to concentrate on a reasonable valuation and standard protections, and get on with letting the entrepreneurs make everyone money. Then again, people are inventive. New terms are bound to emerge.