For founders and executives at venture-backed startups, equity is often the centerpiece of compensation – and the primary driver of long-term wealth. But unlike cash compensation, that equity is typically illiquid for years. Outside of an IPO or a sale of the company, opportunities to turn shares into cash are limited, tightly controlled and often
On June 8, 2017, the House of Representatives passed the Financial CHOICE Act of 2017 on a vote of 233-186. Congress loves acronyms, and here “CHOICE” stands for Creating Hope and Opportunity for Investors, Consumers and 
Entrepreneurs. Although the thrust of the bill is focused on repeal or modification of significant portions of the Dodd-Frank
Seed stage investment deals, i.e., those in a range of approximately $100,000 on the low end and around $1.3 million on the high end, are structured either as straight equity or as convertible loans. If straight equity, the company typically issues to the investor shares of preferred stock usually designated as Series Seed which includes
Buried in the recently enacted Highway Bill, officially the Fixing America’s 
Surface Transportation Act or FAST Act, is a new exemption for the resale of securities. The new resale exemption appears in the form of a new Section 4(a)(7) of the Securities Act of 1933 and essentially codifies the so-
called 4(a)(1-1/2) exemption. New