Security instruments
How does the Crowd SAFE work?
The Crowd SAFE gives the company flexibility over if and when its crowdfunding investors become its shareholders or owners of record.
The main differentiating features of the Crowd SAFE include:
Extendability: companies can choose to extend the Crowd SAFE and avoid converting upon their first equity financing, avoiding converting existing investors and providing a return.
Fixed conversion price: If there is a conversion, a fixed conversion price ensures that investors have the same economic outcome, regardless of whether the Crowd SAFE is converted to common stock or shadow shares. There is no guarantee that a conversion will occur.
Limited investor rights: Upon a conversion, investors receive unique shadow shares with limited voting and information rights.
As a flexible and renewable security, the Crowd SAFE helps startups fundraising under Reg CF avoid “messy cap table” concerns, save legal fees and reduce the time spent structuring the terms of their financing.
Because a Crowd SAFE has no expiration or maturity date, founders need not waste time or money dealing with extending maturity dates, revising interest rates or the like. The Crowd SAFE can be used by companies from pre-seed to late stage, before, after, or concurrent with an equity issuance.
Possible additional equity financing above a set value can either trigger a conversion or the company can choose to extend the term of the Crowd SAFE. In the event a company is acquired or a public offering of securities occurs, the Crowd SAFE is automatically converted to cash or common shares, at the Crowd SAFE holder's discretion.