Q: Do shares get forward vested in an acquisition?
Rarely, unless the option agreements or bylaws or other legal documents require it. And even here, they are often (but certainly not always) re-negotiated in acquisitions especially of earliest-stage companies.
And when they do “forward vest”, or accelerate … it’s usually a behind-the-scene negotiations between the CEO and the acquirer.
Part of the reason they’re buying you is the team. The entire reason, the main reason, or part of it … it varies. But part of it.
Vesting isn’t perfect. It’s a handcuff.
But it keeps people in their chairs.
