Corrections or additions?
This article by Bart Jackson was prepared for the January 8, 2003 edition of U.S. 1 Newspaper. All rights reserved.
Tyranny of the Term Sheet
Between that first Eureka! and the time he finally gets
the money to turn his dream into product, desperation can wilt even
the most eager-eyed entrepreneur. When an investor does finally knock
at the door, the novice business owner often willingly — even
eagerly — gives up too much control to secure the check.
In a role-playing scenario, the New Jersey Entrepreneurs Forum (NJEF)
presents “Term Sheets & Contracts: Successful Negotiation Tactics”
on Thursday, January 9, at 5 p.m. at McAteers Restaurant in Somerset.
Cost: $45, including dinner. Call 908-789-3424 or register online
at www.NJEF.org. Speakers are attorney Jared Silverman of West
Orange, a specialist in entrepreneurial law, and corporate legal
specialist Rick Pinto, partner in Princeton’s Smith Stratton.
In another take on the topic, the Venture Association of New Jersey
asks “What is a Fair Deal? What is the Right Formula for a Successful
Partnership Between the Venture Capital Investor and the Entreprenseur?”
at a meeting on Tuesday, January 14, at 11:30 a.m. at the Westin Hotel
in Morristown. Cost: $45. Call 973-631-5680.
“Once the entrepreneur is ready to launch his business, the term
sheet need not be his enemy,” declares Silverman. “It’s proof
that you have a believable product with probable backing. It’s just
an agreement where you have to be very thorough.”
For decades, Silverman has provided guidance for the one-man shop
right up to the largest companies as they seek to launch new ventures.
Silverman grew up in a Bronx household with an attorney father and
a mother who worked as a business executive for Macy’s. After obtaining
a bachelor’s and master’s degree in engineering from Columbia and
a law degree from New York University, he embarked on a varied corporate
career. As senior legal counsel, he defended AT&T against the government.
He then served as chief of New Jersey Securities, and he even directed
the New York Stock Exchange through its adoption of the Internet.
Silverman lives in West Orange, where he remains in private practice
and acts as a sponsor for NJEF.
Knowledge and planning are the entrepreneur’s best armor in entering
term sheet negotiations, insists Silverman. “You have to walk
in with a very solid idea of what’s a definitely deal breaker and
what’s maybe a deal breaker,” he says. It also helps to know what
the deal breakers and maybe deal breakers for your investors are.
“It gives you a little place to apply pressure,” says Silverman.
Knowing all of the issues is essential: You don’t want to be blindsided
by some unfamiliar demand. These considerations are legion.
Blocking rights. Typically, the investors want a muchtighter level of review than the entrepreneur is willing to endure.Investors will probably want to name the legal counsel and some outsideauditor. Having these watchdogs overseeing their interests may bereasonable, but some investors want to pack the board totally withthemselves or their agents. “The best way around this,” saysSilverman, “is to present your backers with a totally unassailableteam — one whose sheer quality they cannot refuse.”Expenditure levels are among other blocking rights to be negotiated.How much can you spend without being subject to the board’s review— or your investors’ personal review? Personnel review, stockissuing, new product expansion all construct a framework in whichthe entrepreneur can operate with varying degrees of freedom. Investorsshould never make the entrepreneur feel uncomfortable, untrusted orrestrained. “Keep him hungry, but not starving,” says Silverman.”So he’s always working 100 percent for you and the company. Youdon’t want to create ill-will or force him to look outside the projectfor money.”Anti-dilution. Entrepreneurs love to pay employees withstock options. Every business starts cash poor and it’s a nice wayof easing the strain while encouraging worker involvement. Yet investorsdo not want to see their stock drop to a less than controlling interestas more and more folks are brought on board. Frequently a “no-work-for-shares”clause will be presented as a blocking right. The entrepreneur shouldhave in place a flexible adjustment plan to calm investors beforeentering negotiations. It’s a real point winner, since it shows considerationfor the backers’ position.Hiring. Who can hire, and with how much review, frequentlybecomes a definite deal breaker for the burgeoning startup firm. Thesimplest and most effective approach is to kill them with quality.Setting before investors not just incredibly skilled technical experts,but a solid team of business advisors makes backers feel that youare viewing this venture as a money making enterprise, not just adream. Once you have won their confidence with the startup staff,negotiating freedom for future hiring should go more easily.Intellectual property. Most businesses today launch withintellectual property as their prime asset. In contrast to the bricks-and-mortarera, new firms’ most valuable property now may be little more thanan algorithm. The company’s value is within the brain of the inventor.Now, how much is that brain worth? Can the owner walk away and takehis idea with him? How long must he wait before joining up with acompetitor? Or at what point do the investors own enough of this intellectualproperty to thank the inventor very much for patents rendered andsend him packing?Exit strategy. Woven inextricably with the fate of intellectualproperty at the startup is what happens in case of a buy out or bankruptcy.Many an entrepreneur has come to the table expecting a lucrative buyout,only to realize that his board, not he, controls how — and atwhat price — he may sell his own personal shares. Similar problemscome when the successful firm wants to go public. Exits are alwaysa juggling contest between the investors and the main corporate officers,yet a little foresight on the term sheet can avert expensive wranglingdown the road.Due diligence. “This is where virtually no one plansexhaustively enough,” says Silverman. “I have a checklistof 13 pages I lay out for entrepreneurial clients.” Count on it.Your investors will exhibit astounding diligence. Does your land haveproper environmental approvals? Will it require new licenses or zoning?How exacting are your accounting procedures? How precise are yourmarket estimates? How immaculate are your records? Ever had any lawsuits?Any outstanding debts in your family? Your entire life will go underthe investors’ microscopes.Yet, if, after days of being pricked with your backers’ annoying inspections,fending off their greed and haggling over minutiae, you survive witha hefty piece of ownership, you have become a businessman. You willhave endured that special trial by fire that shows not just your technicalacumen, but also your character. Having passed muster with investors,it is more likely that you will get that profitable product out ontime, to a willing market.— Bart JacksonPrevious StoryNext StoryCorrections or additions?This page is published by PrincetonInfo.com— the web site for U.S. 1 Newspaper in Princeton, New Jersey.
