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Security Software Engineer
Question about joining a pre-IPO startup
Been in the industry for 20 years, same employer for the past few years and I am offered a nice position in a startup.
Base pay and bonus is roughly a 10% increase.
I am currently awarded between 50 to 70k worth of RSU every year.
I have no idea how to value the paper money valuation, anything I can read to understand better the risk, valuation, etc?
How do I value if the offer is worth it?
I am comfortable with medium level of risk.
The job description itself offers me challenges I'm looking for in my career.
Considering the current job market and recession, is it wise taking on a new opportunity?
Any advice for a first time startup joiner?
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bringeeRecruiter
Levels posted a solid guide on their blog I thought was accurate: https://www.levels.fyi/blog/evaluate-startup-offers.html
I'd say the biggest thing to evaluate is how much you value stock or options as part of your compensation package. Obviously, private equity is more difficult to sell and can cause tax headaches or issues if you reach the time to purchase or exercise your stock.
What I'd make sure to ask the recruiter or startup is what their last valuation was and how much of a percentage ownership would come with your stock. For startups, it's less about the net money/worth of the options and more about your ownership percentage. The Levels blog explains it a bit better than I can, but happy to help answer questions!
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