Hey r/samplesize
I'm a Master's student at the University of St. Gallen writing my thesis on what I'm calling the "Founder Cost of VC" - basically, how much equity value a founder is implicitly giving up when they accept restrictive contractual terms (VC-majority board, mandatory 5-year exit, foreign jurisdiction clauses).
Most existing research puts VCs in the evaluator seat - which startups would you fund, and on what terms? My study flips it. Founders are the evaluators. You see eight short hypothetical term sheets and rate how attractive each one is. The design then translates the trade-offs into valuation-equivalent percentages - a number you can actually point at and say "this clause is worth ~X% of my company to me."
The survey:
- 5–7 minutes, Qualtrics
- Anonymous, no email or company name required
- Open to founders, aspiring founders, and anyone in business/tech with some entrepreneurial exposure
- Comparing patterns across Asia and Europe (so non-US responses are especially valuable)
👉 https://qualtricsxmppq3tybtw.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_emTB8GSe45CWvhc?source=network
If anyone wants the one-page findings summary once results are in, drop a comment and I'll DM it when done.
Cheers,
Sasha