🎄 What startup employees actually want for Christmas
San Francisco native (yes, really). @uw and Lowell High alum. I like to nerd out on fintech, stock options and taxes.
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San Francisco native (yes, really). @uw and Lowell High alum. I like to nerd out on fintech, stock options and taxes.
On behalf of the Secfi team, Happy Holiday season! I hope that you all get some great rest and quality time with your family and friends. I’ll be back home in San Francisco for the next couple of weeks getting some rest after a hectic year. If you’re around, let me know, and I’d love to meet up for a coffee or a beer.
For the Founders and Funder’s holiday edition, we decided to keep things light and fun by bringing in the rest of the Secfi team to answer some holiday-related questions. This will be the last newsletter of the year as we get some rest. We’ll see you all in 2026!
Mike Allred, Secfi Wealth: Hot dog delivery robots (like the ones in Chicago), but they just travel around serving up hot dogs on demand.
Vieje Piauwasdy, Secfi Liquidity: Sleep Pod experiences. You set-up locations throughout big cities where people can drop in for sleep. New parents can take the day off from work and sleep in a pitch-dark room for as long as they want. You can upsell to be heavily medicated into sleep as well. With a 13-month-old, I'd go often.
Eric Thompson, Secfi Wealth: T-800s developed by a defense-oriented robotics startup
Pinank Shah, Investments: IMDB for podcasts. There are too many of them.
Michelle Marwaha, Compliance: A sensory deprivation tank for watching the news
Eric Thompson, Secfi Wealth: Think of a company like a pie where everyone gets a slice. As more people join, each slice gets smaller, unless the pie itself is growing in which case everyone gets more.
Mike Allred, Secfi Wealth: Startup equity is like a job plus monopoly money. Take the job for the salary, but negotiate for as many monopoly bills as you can, just in case. If the company becomes valuable enough, you can exchange your monopoly money for dollars.
Mary O’Reilly, Secfi Liquidity: A company is like a shared cup of hot cocoa, and the classic toppings, or equity, are fairly standard and come in a few different forms: whipped cream (ISOs), marshmallows (NSOs), a splash of bourbon (RSUs), or, if you are more adventurous, peppermint flakes (tokenized compensation). Each topping has its own quirks, and vesting simply means you earn them over time by helping make the cocoa better. Early on, toppings are scarce and meaningful; as the company grows, the mug gets bigger and the cocoa richer. In the end, what matters is how good the final cup tastes. Agree to disagree on this analogy, either way, I'll be here at Secfi happily enjoying my cocoa!
Timothy Lee, Secfi Wealth: A Terra Kaffe coffee machine
Mike Allred, Secfi Wealth: A liquidity event (or even a rumored liquidity event!) Hope is priceless.
Vieje Piauwasdy, Secfi Liquidity: A rebrand. We've been getting a bad rep in the world between all the scandals, stereotypes, and absurdities that happen in startup world (see HBO's Silicon Valley). What about for those of us that are normal in the startup world? We have real-life friends and other interests besides our jobs. It's time to break the stereotype!
Michelle Marwaha, Compliance: Higher valuation
Eric Thompson, Secfi Wealth: Games. Life is better when you're having fun together
Mike Allred, Secfi Wealth: Frequent breaks like going to the movies, activities, and walks.
Madison Fletcher, Marketing: Peppermint hot cocoa, a blocked calendar, and guilt-free naps.
Pinank Shah, Investments: Most work things can wait till January. Pick a few parties to go to, avoid crowded parties. Do nothing at home and just chill.
Pinank Shah, Investments: “Always spend beyond your means, will make you work harder.”
Mike Allred, Secfi Wealth: “Invest in my European professional soccer team.”
Vieje Piauwasdy, Secfi Liquidity: “Have kids. Joking of course! (Kind of).”
Eric Thompson, Secfi Wealth: “This NFT is going to pay for my kid's college.”
Timothy Lee, Secfi Wealth: "Whole Life Insurance is a great investment."