Working in a startup – many people probably associate this with free coffee and full fruit baskets with a low salary and working conditions that can at least be improved. What is it about this picture? In anonymous reports, the Gründerszene editors let employees and founders of young companies speak. They are recorded by changing authors.
Actually I did everything right. A few years ago, an ex-colleague drew my attention to a startup in Berlin that was still unknown at the time. There wasn’t a specific position for me there, but they said they were always looking for good people. That suited me. I was looking for a new professional challenge anyway.
Shares were quickly worth many times over
The talks then ran without any problems. I was offered a gross salary of 50,000 euros, on top of which there was participation in the form of share options. I had already had my first experiences with such ESOP programs at my previous employer. However, I have not dealt with it in detail until then. The conditions for the new share package seemed fair to me: after a one-year blocking period (“Cliff”), I was to be credited with more shares in the startup each month (“Vesting”). After four years of tenure, my stock options should be fully vested. In the event of an exit – for example by selling the company – I would have benefited financially from the increase in value.