Let's Make It Clear

Anastasia Grishina

Let’s Make It Clear - a podcast about things founders urgently Google at 2AM. Cuts through the chaos of building a company. Hosted by Anastasia, it unpacks how founders across Europe and beyond turn ideas into real businesses. From first customers to funding rounds. Expect honest stories, practical lessons, and my own discoveries along the way. It’s not just about how startups work, it’s about why people build them at the first place.

Episodes

  1. 28 FEB

    ESOP vs VSOP vs RSU: The European Startup Equity Guide

    Stock options for European startups — explained in plain English. How ESOP, VSOP, and RSU actually work in Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Austria, and across the EU. In plain English. No finance degree required. What you'll learn: → 5 key terms you need to know (cap table, vesting, strike price, dilution, exercise) → ESOP vs VSOP vs RSU — which one fits your startup and why → Why European startups prefer virtual equity → 2024 EU tax reforms that change everything (Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Austria) → The Delaware flip myth — do you actually need it? → What founders, investors, and employees should really care about → Red flags in stock option agreements → Post-termination exercise windows and why they matter Whether you're a founder designing your employee pool or a future founder learning the system before you build — this one's for you. 0:00 — Is it real ownership or just permission to buy? 0:16 — Welcome to Let's Make It Clear 1:04 — Do you really need a Delaware flip? 2:21 — Five words you'll hear everywhere (and what they actually mean) 3:52 — Real cap table example: where does your slice go? 4:32 — Dilution: why owning less can mean earning more 5:07 — Three tools, three tradeoffs: ESOP, VSOP, RSU 5:31 — ESOP: the one that gives you real ownership 6:37 — VSOP: phantom equity and why EU founders love it 8:57 — RSU: "free" shares with a catch 10:20 — Why most EU startups choose virtual equity 13:13 — VSOP vs ESOP: the honest summary 14:58 — How Europe fixed the tax problem (2024 reforms) 16:04 — Country by country: where equity actually works 17:17 — Why founders and employees experience this differently 18:33 — 3 questions that tell you which tool to pick 19:34 — Delaware flip: the reality check 20:10 — US parent + EU employees = watch out 21:02 — Tools: Ledgy, Carta, SeedLegals, Vestd 21:44 — What founders, investors, and employees actually care about 24:08 — The hard truth about equity vs salary 25:12 — The post-termination trap nobody reads about Tools mentioned: Ledgy, Carta Europe, SeedLegals, Vestd Let's Make It Clear — things founders urgently Google at 2 AM. New episodes on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. #stockoptions #startup #equity #esop #vsop #rsu #startupeurope #venturecapital #founderlife #equityplan #startupcompensation #employeeequity #europeanstartups #startupprague #estoniastartup #equityeurope #startuptax #founderseurope

    27 min

About

Let’s Make It Clear - a podcast about things founders urgently Google at 2AM. Cuts through the chaos of building a company. Hosted by Anastasia, it unpacks how founders across Europe and beyond turn ideas into real businesses. From first customers to funding rounds. Expect honest stories, practical lessons, and my own discoveries along the way. It’s not just about how startups work, it’s about why people build them at the first place.