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October 2, 2014 | 4-minute read (733 words)
Lately I‘ve been getting more and more questions about convertible equity: “What is it?” and “Should I use it?” So I figured now’s the right time to answer a few questions and fill in some blanks.
In short, convertible equity is a form of financing that gives investors the right to preferred stock once a triggering event occurs.
So what’s that mean? First some background…
Convertible debt
Convertible debt is a common feature of startup seed rounds, used in more than ⅔ of all financings. Issuance takes the form of a short-term note that converts to equity (usually at a discount of 15-20%) at a later date, typically when a startup raises a minimum specified amount of Series A financing. Convertible notes may or may not include a cap on valuation (we see ceilings of $3M-6M in seed stage deals) that ensures early investors participate in any upside and are guaranteed a minimum percentage of equity.
Convertible notes are popular because of two perceived big benefits: 1) they delay having to agree on a valuation; making 2) arriving at terms more straightforward and less contentious, which means agreements can be drawn up very quickly and at a much cheaper cost in terms of legal fees relative to equity deals. 3) The typical discount of 15-20% is not a big drawback since your startup valuation increases going into the next round should easily exceed that.
The “problem” with convertible debt
Convertible notes have become controversial in some corners because their short (12-24 months is typical) maturity could at best hamstring, or worse, deal a crippling blow to startups in the event founders aren’t able to raise funds or generate sufficient cash flows to pay off the debt at maturity. Valuation caps can be a huge source of frustration too.
Enter convertible equity.
What is convertible equity?
It’s a newer security that enables early stage startups to obtain flexible financing while avoiding some of the drawbacks of convertible debt. Inspired by Sequoia Capital’s startup financing instruments, Yokum Taku of Wilson Sonsini and Adeo Ressi of Founder Institute and TheFunded came up with convertible equity. The securities are modeled on convertible notes, with two chief and important differences: there is no repayment requirement and they don’t accumulate interest.
Why convertible equity is attractive
Convertible equity aims to mimic the ease (by postponing the valuation discussion) and speed of drafting agreements that convertible debt offers, without the downsides of mandatory retirement at maturity and periodic interest payments. We typically see these set at Prime plus 2-4%.
Sample Convertible Security Term Sheet
Accounting
Finance
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