Jan 10, 2022
“Thou shalt not compete with SaaSco” So sayeth the venture investor. Not quite the 11th commandment, but a fair position for venture investors to take. So what does compete look like, and how in practice are these clauses drafted in the director’s service...
Dec 30, 2021
The eternal triangle: company – founder – investor A misleadingly intriguing subtitle for an article on enforceability of director’s service contracts, you might say: simple click-bait. And you would be right. Still, it’s something that investors in particular do need...
Dec 6, 2021
The things that founders get up to when you’re not looking This series has so far focussed on getting clarity in setting remuneration levels for founders. But remuneration for what? The undivided attention of the founder team of course, say the investors. Well, maybe,...
Dec 6, 2021
Bonuses – and how to fall out with your backers In this second part of a series about director’s service contract terms, we’re going to look at bonuses. They might be a major component of senior management remuneration in the wider world, but can create...
Dec 6, 2021
Directors’ service contracts – why they matter to investors When an investor first writes their cheque, their thinking is usually not so much that they’re backing the Company but instead that they are backing management. The problem is that their only direct...
Sep 13, 2021
Dear SaasCo, VCs often look at revenues as a benchmark for valuation – we do this because (1) the companies we invest in are very early-stage and have no EBITDA and (2) because, in most software/technology businesses costs of sales are negligible and become...