[streetcat1]

The question is how much they need you to get to first revenue or cash flow positive (or get first investment). Nothing else matter - not your skill set, work ethics etc.

Everything can be found given a price.

Why did you waited so long to ask for equity? I.e. why did you not ask for it before the 5 months?.

So, if the product can stand on its own (I.e. can get paid customers month over month) I am afraid that you do not have leverage, and hence you are treated as any other employee. If not, than you have leverage.

[hangryhippo]

The product is still in very nascent stage and needs a ton of development. I know that I can ask for more, but I do not have a basis/ math to show how much is proportionate. And I couldn't find a hard and fast way of doing so.

As for asking equity at this point - this is a sister company I helped out with and it has only been incorporated and gained traction recently, hence I am formalizing things now.

[streetcat1]

So lets look at de risking the company offering.

If the company is derisked from the product side (even tough there is ton of work left) than you are like any other employee . If, on the other hand, you have some sort of a proprietary knowledge that is still needed for de risking to occur, than you have leverage.

When I read between the lines, I see that the CTO already derisked the product in the two years prior, and its looks like the CEO is derisking from the market side (i.e. have traction).

[hangryhippo]

Thanks Streetcat1! What would you consider as derisking? I think the product is still at conceptual stage with most major functionaility not yet developed. Would that be considered derisked?

[streetcat1]

So I am not sure what is your domain and what are your core uses cases. Derisking from the technical side for a typical web app is :

1) Is the API defined (if any) and implemented. Do you understand the domain entities. Do you need any outside knowledge to understand it.

2) Is the basic architecture standing? For example, division to micro services, GRPC interface between micro services.

3) Are the core 1-2 use cases implemented end to end ("tracing bullet"). I.e. from some sort of UI up to record in a database.

4) If you have any propriety algorithm, is it implemented.

5) If you have any propriety data (e.g. real estate listing), do you have the data and understand how to get it.

So if the functionality left is trivial (e.g. CRUD) than they can do it without you, hence they have the leverage.