If the offer says 0.5% - 1.0% is that upfront? Is that over time? Is it different for any company? What happens if you go through funding?
I'm trying to gather some knowledge solely for the purpose of not being nieve to how equity works in start-ups. Any additional read would be gladly appreciated.
But generally speaking, in American tech companies, the current norm is something like "a four year monthly vesting with a one year cliff."
If you have that, what that would mean was that you got no stock for your first year. If you got fired in month 11, you'd be out in the cold on equity completely. This is a safety measure for the company: you can't always be sure you're hiring the right person.
But if you get past the cliff, then you receive all the stock you would have gotten during that time.
A four year monthly vesting means that you break your stock up into 48 monthly groups, and receive it in those pieces one at a time. So, assuming the one year cliff, you'd get one quarter of your promise the day that cliff ticked over, then 1/48 of your promise every month thereafter until, after four years, it was fulfilled.
Meaning if you got a 1% offer (which is large,) and you got fired at exactly year 2 of a four year vesting, you would walk away with one half of one percent of the company.
There is a book that I read which I found very, very helpful in understanding the arcana. It's called "Venture Hacks," and despite that the title pretty obviously panders to software nerds, it is chock full of very valuable information, and is presented in a way that I found very, very readable.
It is quite uncommon for a company to give you a percentage up front. Hiring is difficult; sometimes a complete clown looks really sophisticated, and two months in, when you realize they basically just lied their way through the interview, you don't want to send them away owning a piece of your thing after having done nothing.
But, the amount of information you gave us is incomplete, so we cannot actually give you a solid answer.
It all depends on the legal details of your contract. If the it stipulates that equity will be a certain amount even after other's go through dilution, then that's what it is (this is a rare promise to receive in my experience). If nothing is promised, then your percentage is at the mercy of the of the board.
In situations like this I always have a lawyer review my legal agreements so I can get solid answers to my questions BEFORE I sign anything.
Equity is great but since 90% of startups fail, choose wisely if you are taking a pay cut.
The equity vests monthly over 4 years with a 1 year cliff. This means that you don't vest anything for the first year (if you leave, you don't get anything). At 1 year, you get 1/4 of the equity vested. Every month thereafter, you get 1/48 vested.
The above is the most normal. You will have to check the terms for your offer.
Funding: If the company raises funding, everyone typically gets diluted by a certain %. On the positive side, the company's total value will hopefully more than increase by more than your dilution :)
http://mba-mondays.pandamian.com/employee-equity/
From the startup view point rather than employee viewpoint, but it should give you most of the stuff you want to know. One additional point you should consider is what the tax implications of the equity will be.