Aliens TLDR

Early-stage startup founders have just a few ways to recruit and retain employees: Offer a competitive salary Create a role that harnesses their interests/talent Give them a stake in the company.

Full TechCrunch+ articles are only available to members Use discount code TCPLUSROUNDUP to save 20% off a one- or two-year subscription Her guide includes brackets and multipliers for contributors at different levels, along with fictional examples founders can use for modeling, and tips that will help employees understand the value of their stake.

Speaking as a veteran of many early-stage startups: entrepreneurs love to be seen talking about fostering an ownership mentality, but if that’s going to be more than happy talk, you’ll first need a transparent equity program.

— Multitasking Mom There’s a growing rift between the public and private markets’ valuation of tech startups, and Justworks’ decision to delay its IPO may well be a bellwether of what’s to come, writes Alex Wilhelm.

Software companies are getting hammered on the public markets, while the private markets continue to retain their enthusiasm for tech startups.

This difference in opinion, writes Alex, could turn out poorly for richly valued startups that want to exit this year.

To find out, we surveyed seven who are active in the space: Anton Backman, principal, and Kenrick Drijkoningen, general partner, Play Ventures Banafsheh Fathieh, head of investments, Americas, Prosus Ventures Josh Chapman, managing partner, Konvoy Ventures Eddie Thai, general partner, 500 Startups and general partner, Ascend Vietnam Ventures Beryl Li, co-founder, Yield Guild Games Rajul Garg, founder and managing partner, Leo Capital It’s one thing to get a prospective customer to visit your site, but convincing them to reach for their wallet or share their phone number is a stretch.

Senior Editor Alex Wilhelm says he enjoys the fun and excitement associated with playing against others online, but “I am bearish on crypto games as they currently exist for a few reasons, even if the incentives are more aligned than they appear in traditional gaming.” Halsey Minor is best known as a co-founder of CNET and an early Salesforce.com investor, but for the last several years, he’s been working in crypto.

“Much like I recognized the massive explosion of the internet many years ago, I see crypto and NFTs as the technology of the future,” said Minor in a TC+ interview that includes advice for founders hoping to raise capital for web3 projects.

“Regardless of which number we choose, it’s clear that well north of half a trillion dollars was invested into high-growth private companies last year – a rough doubling of what the same asset class managed in 2020.”