Compensation and Equity for Early Stage Leadership Teams

Entrepreneurs’ Network Boston Meeting

It’s been said that 70% of the investment decision of an early-stage company is the team. That’s so because so often everything goes wrong and only great teams can respond to competitors, markets, funding environments, staff departures, PR disasters and the like.

Yet how do your build that early stage leadership team to attract investment if you don’t have the cash to pay competitive salaries and benefits. That’s the conundrum of ENET’s presentation in Cambridge, Tuesday January 17th.

Our speakers will discuss use of startup equity as a key weapon of choice to recruit needed talent to build your A-team. We will discuss allocation of equity and vesting. We will discuss using compensation and equity addressing the key team needs of your startup for.

• Domain expertise
• Connections
• Experience with related ventures
• Ability to make significant contributions
• Part-time vs. Full-time

Our two speakers are prominent investors and serial entrepreneurs. One has founded a number of tech companies and was named 2013 Angel Investor of the Year. Our other speaker was managing director of Tech Stars and currently holds key positions mentoring New England startup companies. We are also seeking a third speaker who will address the special compensation and equity issued recruiting early stage teams in medical device and life sciences fields. The panel will be moderated by ENET’s long term chairman who received and IEEE-USA award for contribution to the entrepreneurial community and has been recognized as one of the “Top 20 Boston Startup Attorneys”.

Speaker: Andy Palmer. Co-Founder/CEO @ Tamr (aka CueBall) http://www.tamr.com/the-simple-truth-happy-people-healthy-company/ is an angel and seed investor and serial entrepreneur who specializes in accelerating the growth of mission-driven startups. Andy has helped found and/or fund more than 50 innovative companies in technology, health care and the life sciences. Andy’s unique blend of strategic perspective and disciplined tactical execution is suited to environments where uncertainty is the rule rather than the exception. Andy has a specific passion for projects at the intersection of computer science and the life sciences. See https://www.linkedin.com/in/andypalmer Most recently, Andy co-founded Tamr, a next generation data curation company and Koa Labs, a start-up club in the heart of Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA. Andy was honored as “2013 Angel Investor of the Year” by the New England Venture Capital Association. He is a graduate of Bowdoin College, and has an MBA from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, and has been a research affiliate at MIT. Andy has also written on the subject for this meeting, in his article “The Simple Truth: Happy People, Healthy Company: How generosity can be a competitive advantage for early-stage startups.”

Speaker: Katie Rae, Managing Director @ Project 11, a pre-seed venture fund investing in tech-driven startups. Katie is Co-Founder, Chairman @ Startup Institute, teaching people how to join great startups and be effective on day 1, and Chairman of Techstars Boston. Previous to Project 11, for a period of about 4 years, Katie was Managing Director of Tech Stars Boston and also for 4 years she a lecturer at MIT. Katie has also been an exec @ Microsoft, Eons, Lycos, AltaVista. Katie is a graduate of Oberlin College and has an MBA from Yale School of Management.

Moderator: Robert Adelson, business and tax attorney, partner at Boston law firm of Engel & Schultz LLP (www.ExecutiveEmploymentAttorney.com), and Chairman of The Boston Entrepreneurs’ Network. Rob has been an attorney for over 30 years specialized in business, tax, stock and options, employment, contracts, financings, trademarks and intellectual property. Rob began as an associate at major New York City law firms before returning home to Boston in 1985 where he has since been a partner in small and medium sized firms before joining his present firm in 2004. Rob represents entrepreneurs, start-ups and small companies, independent contractors and employees and executives, and family businesses. Rob is a frequent speaker on business law topics and author of numerous articles published in Boston Business Journal, Mass High Tech and other publications. He has been named among the “Top 20 Boston Startup Lawyers” by ChubbyBrain.com, a website that provides tools for entrepreneurs.

Rob has been on the ENET Board since 2002 and Chairman since 2009 and is also a Co-Founder and Board member of the 128 Innovation Capital Group. In January 2016, he received the professional achievement award from IEEE-USA for “extreme dedication and contributions to the IEEE entrepreneurship community.” He holds degrees from Boston University, B.A., summa cum laude, Northwestern University (Chicago), J.D., Law Review, and New York University, LL.M. in Taxation.

Meeting Location: Pivotal Labs, 145 Broadway, 3rd Floor, Cambridge, MA .

Check for Updates: Boston Entrepreneurs’ Network Website at ( http://www.boston-enet.org )

Refreshments: PIZZA, CHIPS AND SOFT DRINKS WILL BE SERVED AT THE MEETING.

Reservations: ENET meetings are free to ENET members and $10 for non-members. To expedite sign-in for the meeting, we ask that everyone — members as well as non-members — pre-register for the meeting online. Pre-registration is available until midnight the day before the meeting. If you cannot pre-register, you are welcome to register at the door.