Startup Fundamentals 1: Start Right, Avoid Common Mistakes & Pitfalls

SEATING IS EXTREMELY LIMITED, SO RESERVE YOUR SEAT HERE.

Are you an entrepreneur ready to transform your vision into a successful, fundable startup. Access Silicon Valley and EvoNexus invite you to join us for an invaluable 3-hour workshop designed to equip you with the legal and business tools and insights necessary to build a fundable and scalable startup and thrive in the startup ecosystem!

This is the first of three workshops in the Access Silicon Valley Startup Fundamental Series for startup founders, startup executives, entrepreneurs, innovators, and developers. While advantageous to attend all 3 workshops, this is stand-alone content.

Thank you to our event sponsor, Snell & Wilmer.

Why You Can't Miss This Workshop:
Master the Essentials: This first session in our Startup Fundamentals series will guide you through critical aspects of launching a startup, ensuring you avoid common pitfalls that can hinder your success.
Expert Guidance: Learn from Roger Rappoport, a former entrepreneur, founder of Access Silicon Valley, a partner at Snell & Wilmer and co-leader of its Emerging Growth and Venture Capital practice group. With his extensive experience, Roger will share actionable strategies tailored for aspiring entrepreneurs.

What You’ll Learn:
Navigating the startup landscape can be overwhelming, but this workshop will break down complex topics into manageable steps. Here’s some of what we’ll cover:

• Company Formation: Choosing the right entity type for your startup.
• Building Your Team: Strategies for hiring and compensating the right people.
• Equity Splits: Fairly distributing equity among co-founders and early employees.
• Fundamental Concepts Relating To: Vesting, repurchase rights and rights of first refusal, determining if and when it is appropriate to obtain proxies from co-founders/early employees.
• Fundraising Fundamentals: Understanding how much equity to offer investors and determining your startup’s valuation.
• Cap Table Strategies: Creating and maintaining an appropriate capitalization table.
• Intellectual Property: Ensuring all IP belongs to your company and developing a robust IP strategy.

Why Avoiding Pitfalls Matters:
Navigating these challenges successfully can mean the difference between a thriving startup and an uphill battle. Learn how to:

• Make your startup attractive to investors.
• Choose the right sources and types of capital.
• Maintain control of your company.
• Maximize your upside on exit.

Don’t let common pitfalls derail your startup journey. Join us to gain the insights you need for success! Transform your startup vision into reality—start right and avoid the pitfalls!

Materials:
A comprehensive 50-page digital workbook with an actionable step-by-step guide will be distributed to all registered event attendees on the day of the event.

About the Speaker:
Snell & Wilmer Partner Roger Rappoport, Co-Leader of the Emerging Growth and Venture Capital Practice Group, is a seasoned advisor to startups and emerging growth companies and the investors who finance them, guiding clients from inception through exit. With over two decades of experience in the startup ecosystem, Roger focuses on venture capital and angel investor financings, including convertible notes, SAFEs, and other debt financings. His knowledge extends to mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, distribution, development, manufacturing, and licensing transactions, as well as executive compensation and the establishment of equity incentive plans.

He has extensive experience in advising startup and well-established emerging growth companies, primarily in the software, information technology, Internet, fixed and mobile communications technology, cleantech and life sciences sectors. Roger is the co-author of “Investor Agreements in a Financing Transaction” a chapter in Financing California Businesses,” California Continuing Education of the Bar, Co-author of "Considerations for Angel and VC Funded Startups and Emerging Growth Companies Considering a Loan Under the Paycheck Protection Program," and Co-author of “Changes in Convertible Instruments for Early Stage Financings.”

Questions? Email Alex Levine at [email protected].

Up Next
Part 2: Startup Funding Strategy - Give Up Less & Keep More Money on Exit | December 12, 2024
Part 3: Understanding the "Terms" In Term Sheets | January 22, 2025