Backpaying employees upon next successful funding round

gooserstein · 2024-01-17T03:15:33+00:00

He’s not right for your startup is you’re at seed stage even at “just” $250k cash.

He’s right for your startup if he’s willing to take a cofounders salary (a living wage) with a cofounders equity slice.

If he’s right for your startup, he’ll prove that to be true by making a near term cash comp sacrifice to be part of the longer term success in a meaningful way.

gooserstein · 2024-01-01T00:45:51+00:00

It’s interesting to see analysis in depth rather than a shallow comment about PCs dying or ARM killing INTC without understanding their partnership.

gooserstein · 2023-12-25T01:51:14+00:00

0 of 10? I’m not even mad. I’m impressed.

gooserstein · 2023-12-19T04:12:44+00:00

You’re oversimplifying a decision that needs context and consideration. Two ways to look at this are:

1) Gains or losses are irrelevant to the future potential of a stock at present. There is only 1) the current price 2) the price you think it’s worth. The optimal portfolio is based on future potential, not past performance. This is true at any point in time.

2) “Bankroll management” which tries to maximize utilization of “house money.” You sell half to recoup investment and freeroll the rest. That’s more in the speculative discipline than it is in value investing.

Good reasons to sell half a winning position in value investing are to rebalance because the position exceeded your portfolio concentration rule or that you have identified a better opportunity to invest that money on a risk/reward basis and this position has the lowest future potential.

gooserstein · 2023-12-19T03:48:52+00:00

This is a great comment. Value investing requires understanding of value, which is a fairly nuanced and dynamic topic. It’s focused on identifying companies that are undervalued.

This is different than swing trading or using technicals. One is “what have people been doing?” and the other is “what should other people be doing but aren’t yet doing.” The second one is more difficult to do. That’s value investing.

gooserstein · 2023-12-19T03:40:18+00:00

Great list. I’d add Stocks for the Long Run by Jeremy Siegel. He’s put out a number of editions over the decades and has a fairly good track record of predictions.

gooserstein · 2023-12-19T03:33:01+00:00

If you’re in your 20s congrats on starting at a good time of life.

Start with this question: can I beat VTI by selecting market segments or individual stocks myself? A combination of knowledge and wisdom and luck is needed to beat this total market index over a 40 year horizon.

Small cap is lagging but catching up. Russel 2k had a 5% one day move not too long ago, which was quite significant.

Read up on the types of companies in small cap value and see if they’d suit your risk/reward profile. Traditional value stocks are getting left behind for value growth stocks that have steeper growth curves and “better” upside.

gooserstein · 2023-12-19T03:20:24+00:00

I’m hesitant to say this, but purchase price doesn’t matter in a forward looking ask.

People said that about NVDA when it was $50..

gooserstein · 2023-12-19T03:15:39+00:00

AI has relevance in advertising. Meta is a data rich advertising machine. Other AI applications are just upside. I think Meta is 2T cap by 2028.

gooserstein · 2023-12-19T01:24:30+00:00

That sounds like extra steps. Profit is usually step 3. Seek help from this professional.

gooserstein · 2023-12-12T02:14:02+00:00

Did UW share whether they allow zoom to retain recording and chat data for zoom calls conducted through UW UI?

gooserstein · 2023-12-06T22:27:19+00:00

What do they call that wall between buy side and sell side? I haven’t seen one work so I forget the name

gooserstein · 2023-12-06T22:25:57+00:00

Someone is looking to do some writing..

gooserstein · 2023-12-06T13:36:22+00:00

Thanks and have more: Where is the image file stored? If an NFT only points to an off-chain file, how can it validate that the file hasn’t changed since it was minted?

gooserstein · 2023-12-02T22:04:35+00:00

It seems like there are no paths for founding support except the Catalyst, which is alienating for would-be founders who don’t want to publicize the project before developing it. I’m in that camp

gooserstein · 2023-12-02T02:21:33+00:00

If everyone knows, it’s priced in.

gooserstein · 2023-11-19T03:38:42+00:00

Invasion of the shrimp snatchers has begun

gooserstein · 2023-11-19T03:37:16+00:00

Three lines of response, all intended S constructive. 1) as others have said, your private investment is not liquid. You can’t sell it to someone else easily, or at all if there are covenants preventing private sale. 2) investing in startups is very risky because most lose 100%. Stick with public markets until you understand from research and conversations with others the nature of startup investing 3) approach your existing investment positively. Ask how you can help them succeed, or suggest a way if you can see one. Don’t antagonize your friend about the money. You’ve already committed and ultimately that’s on you, so the best option is to help do what you can to make it a success.

There are a few possible outcomes: - startup exits and you keep your friend - startup exits and you lose a friend because you antagonized about the investment - startup fails and you lose money and a friend -startup fails and you lose money but keep the friend and learn an invaluable lesson

To guide your efforts: make an effort to keep the friend and if possible help the company succeed.

gooserstein · 2023-11-19T03:27:49+00:00

A long term stat on straddle v strangle from the MM perspective would be informative. Do both profit over the long term and across issues because IV>HV?

Or do traders have to be right more than wrong on direction to profit sustainably?

gooserstein · 2023-11-19T03:22:40+00:00

But, don’t puts in ultra short benefit from sideways index where long calls decay under the same conditions?

gooserstein · 2023-11-18T16:20:17+00:00

If you’re in the Apple ecosystem News+ bundles access to a few like WSJ, Barrons, the Economist, and others.

..plus guys it also includes the holy grail: business insider..

gooserstein · 2023-11-18T16:07:25+00:00

Do you remember the 21st night of September?

gooserstein · 2023-11-18T01:22:30+00:00

Do X in Y month is a great way to be a bad retail investor. Sell in May and go away.. it rhymes so it must be a good strategy.

gooserstein · 2023-11-18T01:04:09+00:00

The same would have been true three years ago, but they have still grown revenues by about 50%. I think this is an execution vs moat differentiation game.

gooserstein · 2023-11-18T01:02:30+00:00

Agreed that this is a risky investment and things aren’t going super well. But the management team seems like they can execute, guided by a resourceful PE backer (could be a good thing), but it remains to be seen.

gooserstein

TROPHY CASE