[jiveturkey]

Suggestions of 10% here are ludicrous. You won't get that. And you're not a founder.

> I worked extensively over the last 5 months and contributed significantly to major milestones, through which we gained significant traction with client/ VC interest.

Key word: interest.

In other words, you're still pre-revenue and in fact don't even yet have an MVP. And the company is operating on bank of mom.

This is a very, very high risk position to be in. You should ask for 6% and do not take less than 4% plus an executive title. It's not just a title for title's sake, you need to have a seat at the table.

Do your best to negotiate in the abstract, ie don't let familiarity or even friendship with the founders muddy the waters. Use your leverage as "extensive" contributor up to this point. Once you start this negotiation you have to set a time limit (2 weeks?) to complete it and be nice about it but be clear you will not be making further contribution under the old terms. It's 6% or nothing, not 6% or continue for a while longer as you have been doing.

There's no math behind the number. Any math that is out there is just rationalization.

[mattmanser]

Suggesting anything more than 1% is ludicrous.

It's clear this company is being bankrolled by an existing company, and as far as we can tell he's a recent grad, junior programmer who did an architect degree first. They had the idea, 1.5 years of work done already and money before he came.

They're not in a high risk position and that they're offering him anything at all is actually surprising.

[jiveturkey]

Correct on the last point: they are not in a high risk position.

Coming in as first employee into a pre-seed company is high risk. That is not a 1% position. You can only go by what he is saying: that he is well and uniquely qualified for the position. If the job (at this stage of the company) truly needs his fairly unique skillset and experience, he needs to come in as not just "first employee" but "first executive". Which is a 5% position.

[hangryhippo]

Hi Matt, the product they developed over 1.5 years is a proof of concept and far from MvP. Further, they did not work on it full time over the last 1.5 years, they had their other jobs.