Startups are great - you get a ton of ownership and the chance to see a business grow. Even if it fails it&#x27;ll be a huge educational experience.<p>However, this sounds fishy for a couple of reasons - but maybe the guy just doesn&#x27;t know how to structure this.<p>With one year vesting, he wants to protect himself from the scenario where you work for 3 months and own a big chunk of the company. That&#x27;s legitimate. However, get the amount of equity on paper. You are taking a risk here too so it should be far in excess of just covering your salary at an arbitrary valuation. The general advice is that if you are not getting paid, you are a founder - your equity take should be a double digit percent of the company (typically vesting over 4 years with a 1 year cliff).<p>The other thing to consider is what he is bringing to the table. If it&#x27;s just the idea of Uber for X it&#x27;s not worth much. If he has business contacts though - for example he&#x27;s well connected to the industry X then maybe he&#x27;s bringing a lot more.<p>Don&#x27;t be a sucker though, and don&#x27;t work for free or for vague promises. Get agreements on paper now. And don&#x27;t undersell yourself.