Teaching Notes to accompany Venture Capital and the Finance of Innovation
Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Chapter 8 - 4
• Pre-money valuation
= Post-money valuation - $investment
= Price per share * pre-transaction fully diluted share count
Notably, these calculations do not differentiate between preferred and common stock. Thus,
comparing the valuations to market capitalization is not entirely appropriate, as they do not
reflect the true market value of the company.
Capitalization - The details of fully diluted share count are given in the capitalization table,
which outlines the capital structure of the company. The founders and employees hold common
stock, while VCs typically purchase some form of preferred stock. Chapter 9 discusses the
possible security types in detail.
8.2 The Charter
Students should be able to define the following terms: charter, dividend preference, accrued cash
dividends, stock dividends or payment-in-kind (PIK) dividends, cumulative dividends,
noncumulative dividends, simple interest, compound interest, deemed liquidation event,
liquidation preference, excess liquidation preference, antidilution protection, down round,
qualified public offering (QPO), redemption rights.
Section 8-2 exposes students to the Charter section of a sample term sheet. The Charter
establishes the rights, preferences, privileges, and restrictions of each class and series of the
company’s stock.
Dividends – Preferred stock in VC transactions rarely pays cash dividends, because the
companies generally lack excess cash. However, VCs have adopted alternative dividend
structures. Preferred stockholders might receive accrued cash dividends payable upon a
deemed liquidation event. Alternatively, preferred stockholders may receive dividends in the
form of additional stock. Some term sheets impose a dividend preference, which stipulates that
the company cannot pay dividends to common shareholders without first paying preferred
shareholders.
Liquidation Preference – The liquidation preference section of the charter describes different
investors’ places within the capital structure hierarchy. When the company is sold, merged, or
shut down (a deemed liquidation event), the proceeds are first distributed to bondholders, then
to preferred shareholders, and, finally, common shareholders. With multiple rounds, later rounds
typically get their money back first. In some cases, investors negotiate excess liquidation
preferences. These investors have liquidation preferences of more than their APP of the
preferred shares.