Liquidation Preference Calculator – Participating Preferred vs Non-Participating Preferred – free tool
Liquidation Preference: Participating vs Non-Participating (free tool)
Adam Tzagournis, CPA ยท 2 min read
We recently released a free tool to help startup founders understand liquidation preference, participating preferred stock, and non-participating preferred stock. These are terms you must know if you take on outside capital – they dictate how much money you make if you sell your company.
What is liquidation preference?
Liquidation preference sets a minimum amount of money to be returned to an investor in the case of an acquisition. It protects their downside risk when investing in your startup, and is typically equal to the amount they invested in you (see more below).
What is non-participating preferred stock?
Non-participating preferred stock means that, if the startup gets acquired the investor gets to choose between the greater of either:
- their initial investment back, or
- their % ownership of the company at exit
What is participating preferred stock?
Participating preferred stock takes investor protections a step further (too far in my opinion). It’s when the investor, at exit, gets both their initial investment and their % ownership of the remaining proceeds. They’re double-dipping.
Liquidation preference in fundraising
Let’s say you take investment from LMKHICBH Capital, my favorite fictional VC firm.ย They invest $20mm at a $20mm pre-money valuation (they’re sharks), so after the round they own 50% of the company.
If things go south and you sell your company for $20mm, they get their entire $20mm back and you get $0. You’re flying coach on that next vacation.
Participating vs non-participating
Don’t worry – we’re not done yet. Instead, let’s say you sell your company for a cool $50mm.ย Nice! Now you’re excited for that tropical vacation. ๐
Let’s take a closer look though.
Scenario A - easy
LMKHICBH’s preferred stock is non-participating preferredย ๐
- LMKHICBH gets $25mm
- You get $25mm
Scenario B - wait a second
LMKHICBH’s preferred stock is participating preferred ๐ต
- LMKHICBH gets their initial $20mm back, and ๐ข๐ญ๐ด๐ฐ gets 50% of the remaining $30mm proceeds, for a total of $35mm
- You get the $15mm left over
Scenario C - buckle up
LMKHICBH’s preferred stock is participating preferred with 2x liquidation preference ๐คฏ
- LMKHICBH gets 2x their initial $20mm ($40mm), and then ๐ข๐ญ๐ด๐ฐ gets 50% of the remaining $10mm in proceeds, for a total of $45mm
- You get just $5mm
Wrapping up
Ok, you’re still flying first-class in all these. But the outcomes vary wildly. Investor dollars are not all equal. Make sure you know what you’re signing up for, and what the liquidation preference stack looks like.
Oh yea, almost forgot:
LMKHICBH = let me know how I can helpful ๐
A better way
Not sure how to calculate liquidation preference for your startup? Use our free tool we built just for this purpose!