Raise · SAFE financing
Raising on SAFEs? Paper the round, not just the form.
YC already gives founders high-quality SAFE forms and education. Solvd's job is the company-specific layer: terms, approvals, offering path, signatures, side letters, prior investor promises and the record the next financing inherits.
Private securities offering. The exemption, filings, investor eligibility and transaction terms require company-specific review.
Direct answer
A standard SAFE can still create company-specific obligations.
The transaction is more than filling in a valuation cap. A supported SAFE round should connect the chosen instrument to company authorization, securities-law process, signature status, side letters, prior SAFE terms, cap-table context and continuing rights that may matter later.
Workflow
From round terms to an executed financing record.
01 · Choose terms
Instrument version, investment amount, valuation cap or discount and any negotiated changes.
02 · Check company state
Authorization, capitalization and existing financing commitments.
03 · Check offering path
Identify the supported securities-law exemption and required transaction steps.
04 · Prepare documents
SAFE documents and supported side letters using current approved forms.
05 · Sign + fund
Track execution and the financing event that actually occurred.
06 · Carry rights forward
Keep relevant SAFE and side-letter terms available to the cap table and next round.
Company-context proof
Standard form. Non-standard company history.
- Proposed SAFE: $8M post-money valuation capNew instrument
- Earlier investor holds uncapped MFN SAFEExisting promise
- New economic terms may trigger MFN reviewCheck before close
The document may be standard. The company-specific promises are not. Review the new SAFE against earlier instruments and side letters before closing.
Pricing
$1500
Current listed SAFE / note round unit.
The standard SAFE / note round is $1,500. Bespoke negotiations, non-standard structures or matters outside the standard workflow can require separate scoping.
Before / Next
Know what the company already promised—and what this SAFE adds.
Founder questions
Use YC for the standard. Use company context for the round.
What is a SAFE?
A SAFE is a contract under which an investor funds the company now in exchange for a contractual right to receive stock later under the SAFE’s terms. YC’s current U.S. forms include post-money valuation-cap, discount and uncapped-MFN versions, plus a separate optional pro rata side letter.
Should we use a SAFE or convertible note?
That is a financing-structure decision, not a generic winner/loser comparison. A SAFE generally has no maturity date or interest, while a note is debt and typically includes both. Investor expectations, economics, company stage and future financing plans matter.
Do we need to use YC’s form?
No law requires the YC form, but YC’s SAFE is a widely used first-party standard and its current forms are free. If the company modifies standard language or adds side letters, those changes should be reviewed in the context of the whole round.
Where do pro rata rights live in the YC SAFE package?
YC’s current post-money SAFE materials place the standardized pro rata right in an optional side letter rather than in the SAFE itself.
Are SAFEs securities?
Startup SAFE offerings implicate federal and potentially state securities laws. The company must identify an available registration exemption and satisfy the transaction-specific requirements and filings that apply.