If it's early, you should 83(b) the options. That eliminates the "tax at exercise" problem and starts the long-term holding clock.
Yes, you have to come up with the cash to buy the stock at 83(b) time, but if it's early, that's pocket change.
Yes, you have to come up with the cash to buy the stock at 83(b) time, but if it's early, that's pocket change.
That said, the strike price for common should still be reasonable at Series A - not $0.0001, but not $10 either, so 5-10k options can be around $10k. (Yes, a company can raise at $100M valuation even though the 10M common have a strike price of $1. The $100M is preferred.)
And, there's no law saying that 803(b) is all or nothing.