Interactive 9-stage game covering startup equity from founding to IPO: SAFEs, option pools, dilution, vesting, and exits.
Key Takeaways
Structures equity education as an adventure game with 9 discrete stages, not a static explainer.
Covers the full lifecycle: SAFE rounds, option pool creation, dilution events, vesting schedules, and exit mechanics.
Targets founders and employees who need to model equity outcomes before signing or negotiating.
SAFEs and option pool shuffles are among the most misunderstood dilution triggers for non-finance founders.
Hacker News Comment Review
Commenters are skeptical of employee equity in most startups: the practical consensus is that equity only matters in AI labs with known founders, CEO/co-founder roles, or companies within a year or two of a certain IPO.
One commenter notes a real founder-side dynamic: maintaining majority by refusing to dilute beyond splits, treating VC participation as optional rather than assumed.
Notable Comments
@mikert89: Offers a blunt decision tree – outside AI labs, CEO founders, or near-certain IPOs, “all other cases likely zero.”
@jagged-chisel: Describes actively holding majority by splitting only; frames VC terms as take-it-or-leave-it rather than founder concessions.
