The Lifecycle of Equity: From Launch to Liquidity
• Equity compensation is one of the most powerful tools early-stage companies can use to attract, retain, and motivate talent. But designing the right plan—and managing it through the growth and transitions of your company—is both art and science. This session explores how to build an equity plan with intention, align stakeholders early, and avoid common missteps that can derail your path to scale or exit.
PRESENTERS
Michelle Mucia / Found & CEO / Book + Street
- Michelle Murcia is the Founder and CEO of Book+Street, a professional services firm providing strategic financial consulting and comprehensive back-office solutions to early stage startups and the funds that fund them. Michelle is a Certified Public Accountant and became a Certified Equity Professional (CEP) in 2003. For more than 20 years she has helped dozens of companies – from tech startups to public companies – navigate the nuances of equity compensation and help them start of right, right from the start!
Zach Bahorik / Partner / Frost Brown Todd
- Zach focuses his practice on the corporate and transactional needs of venture-backed companies, investors, and investment funds. He has experience working with founders at all stages, from forming and structuring entities to be ready for future investment to executing fundraising rounds and exit transactions. Zach also helps guide founders through all the operational issues that come up in between, including preparing incentive equity plans, providing board and governance counsel, and negotiating and preparing various kinds of agreements and contracts.
- Zach understands all aspects of forming and operating investment funds. For six years, he served as fund manager of a series of funds that invested in early-stage companies through a Cincinnati accelerator. This gives Zach insight into the company and investor sides of fundraising and exit transactions. Zach uses this experience to assist investment funds with fund formation, due diligence of potential portfolio investments, and analysis and negotiation of potential investment deals. Zach works with individual investors and investor syndicates to execute deals as well.
Megan Dollenmeyer / Senior Associate / Frost Brown Todd
- Megan is a member of FBT’s Tax Practice Group. She works with companies at all stages and is able to guide founders through the tax issues that arise at each stage with a forward-looking approach toward planning and growth. Megan takes an energetic and business-oriented approach to her practice, with the client’s goals, priorities, and concerns at the forefront of every transaction and project. She counsels entrepreneurs through forming and launching a business, adding employees and granting incentive equity and taking advantage of federal, state, and local tax incentives during the growth stage, to exiting that business in a way that optimizes the founder’s return.
- Megan also represents investors and investment funds. Megan’s first job out of law school was at a boutique tax firm advising and structuring complex tax-deferred investments made through Section 1031 like-kind exchanges, qualified opportunity zones, and Section 1042 sales of stock to employee stock ownership plans. This background gives her the skills to assist investors in analyzing venture transactions with a tax lens and an eye for long-term planning, and also to counsel investors on fund formation and exit of opportunity zones and other special tax vehicles.
Park in front of the building, enter under pergola, UBS reception is on the 1st floor on the right. You will be directed to the conference room for the event.