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The Option Pool Shuffle | How to Raise Venture Capital - SaaStr AI University

The option pool is the most common piece of hidden dilution in a term sheet, and it almost always comes out of your pocket, not the new investor's.

The Option Pool Shuffle - a free lesson in How to Raise Venture Capital at SaaStr AI University.
The option pool is the most common piece of hidden dilution in a term sheet, and it almost always comes out of your pocket, not the new investor's.
Key takeaways:
• A pre-money option pool dilutes founders, not new investors. It is dilution disguised as a term.
• Negotiate a smaller pool with the right to top up only as you hire, rather than a large pool created upfront.
• Size the pool to your real 12 to 18 month hiring plan, not a round number an investor suggests.
Part of the free, self-paced How to Raise Venture Capital course: https://saastr.ai/university/raise-venture-capital

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