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Ask HN: Co-founder wants me to leave but won't entertain a buy out offer

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11–20 of 435 posts

Re: Ask HN: Co-founder wants me to leave but won't entertain a buy out offer

#11

The problem with your ask is that early stage capital is for growing the business, not liquidating founders, and investors are not interested in giving anyone cash to liquidate a founder. Additionally, your valuation is currently underwater and even that is assuming a functional founding team.

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Re: Ask HN: Co-founder wants me to leave but won't entertain a buy out offer

#12
If you're willing to buy out his share, I would approach the investor, explain the current dead lock, and get his support to force your partner to do a BMBY (Buy Me Buy You), where you offer him a price per his shares, which he either accepts or have to pay the same sum to you and buy your part.

Re: Ask HN: Co-founder wants me to leave but won't entertain a buy out offer

#13
post #12

If you're willing to buy out his share, I would approach the investor, explain the current dead lock, and get his support to force your partner to do a BMBY (Buy Me Buy You), where you offer him a price per his shares, which he either accepts or have to pay the same sum to you and buy your part.

Agreed with this. Retain your own counsel and do this.

Re: Ask HN: Co-founder wants me to leave but won't entertain a buy out offer

#14
Do NOT sell. keep 40% of nothing, matter of pride first and for all. Secondly, they are more than likely bluffing. They don't want to put advertising that would generate 5k/mo means they are trying to make things look artificially worse so you leave and keep the rest for themselves.

Don't fall for the 40% of nothing once you are close of making money. They just don't want to share the pie.

Re: Ask HN: Co-founder wants me to leave but won't entertain a buy out offer

#16
It's important to see if you are before or after the cliff.

If before then depending on your employment agreement and other docs there could be a scenario where you are fired/let go and get 0% shares.

Your last round valuation was $1,000,000 post so that price would be $141,000 or so for your 14% stake, can include some triggers on when that occurs that doesn't impede the business (ie $xm raised, $y profits).

If not then your ownership of the company is basically 10% on good leaver terms and that is the floor you should accept.

To illustrate assuming 100 total shares

Now: 40.8: him 39.2: you 10: option 10: seed investor

Goes to new cap table of: 40.8 him (57.6% ownership) 10 you (14% ownership) 10 option (14%) 10 seed investor (14%)

You're not going to get bought out now although you could say that your stake is purchaseable in the future at the last round valuation, which is very reasonable and keeps the cap table clear, probably $140,000 per the above with some sort of trigger for that (eg $xm raised, $y profits)

Re: Ask HN: Co-founder wants me to leave but won't entertain a buy out offer

#17
Just because your co-founder just now feels like "working on it alone" doesn't give him/her the right to force you out, specially if he or she doesn't have any leverage (as you say, the investor is remaining neutral). So what is preventing you from just saying "no, thanks, I'll keep my 40% and keep working on this". What would he/she do, then?

Re: Ask HN: Co-founder wants me to leave but won't entertain a buy out offer

#19
post #14

Do NOT sell. keep 40% of nothing, matter of pride first and for all. Secondly, they are more than likely bluffing. They don't want to put advertising that would generate 5k/mo means they are trying to make things look artificially worse so you leave and keep the rest for themselves. Don't fall for the 40% of nothing once you are close of making money. They just don't want to share the pie.

I’ll just add: write down everything. Guy is trying to run a bait and switch on you and there’s a very good chance this ends up in court. Be ready.

Re: Ask HN: Co-founder wants me to leave but won't entertain a buy out offer

#20
I worked with someone for about a year without making any money. We had to part ways without anything to show for it. I can empathize.

You didn't say why your co-founder wants to fire you. I suggest digging deeper into those reasons before you haggle on your exit terms.

Assuming you weren't negligent: I would try to point out that pushing you out one month before your equity vests is bad faith on your co-founder's side. Offer to leave voluntarily after your one-year cliff. Otherwise, if your co-founder just wants you gone now, request that you keep your 1-year equity and some severance.

Furthermore: Sometimes it's cheaper to just close the company and use the "lessons learned" to restart a very similar company... And that very similar company won't owe you anything.

[Edit: Deleted some text that, after reading the discussion, isn't relevant.]

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