Equity

Ownership in the company, usually held as shares.

Example

4,000,000 shares out of 10,000,000 issued is 40% of the company.

Equity is the most expensive currency you have, because you can only spend it once and you cannot get it back.

Dilution — When new shares are issued, existing shareholders own a smaller percentage of the company than before.
Cap table — The record of who owns what part of the company — founders, employees, option pool and investors.
Vesting — Earning your shares over time rather than owning them all immediately.
Common stock — The ordinary share class held by founders and employees. Last in line if the company is sold or wound up.

Legal structures and incorporation — Educational, not advice. What the main structures are, why only some can take investment, and when to talk to a professional. (12 min)
Splitting founder equity — Not based on who had the idea. Based on what each person brings from here — and it should be a real conversation, not a reflex 50/50. (12 min)
Vesting and cliffs — Why founders should vest too, and why the one-year cliff protects everyone — including the person who leaves. (12 min)
Dilution — what you actually give up — Owning less of more can be better than owning all of little. But only if you know which one is happening. (12 min)
Compensation and employee equity — Salary, equity, and how to explain a grant honestly to someone who has never held one. (15 min)
The words everyone assumes you know — Founder vs CEO, shareholder vs employee, customer vs user, revenue vs profit, valuation vs cash, equity vs salary. Twenty minutes here saves a lot of nodding along in meetings. (15 min)