[rdlecler1]

One possibility, let's say you have $10,000 of equity which will cost you $5,000. perhaps there's a way to negotiate with the company so that you buy your equity for $5,000 and then you sell $5,000 of equity back to the company, maybe at a discount to the current price. This way you haven't put in any cash and the company is giving up less equity than if you excercised.

[shoo]

If you don't have another option for funding then it's arguably in the company's interest to not do this if it increases the chance that the options expire without being exercised. That way they're giving up even less equity.

(ignoring second-order considerations, etc)