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Waxman: SAFEs are just as bad for early-stage financing as convertible notes

David Waxman · 20VC: Why Convertible Notes Are Ridiculous, Why Party Rounds Are Bad For Both Founder and Investor & Why Pro-Rata Rights Are A Mess with David Waxman, Founding Partner @ TenOneTen Ventures · Nov 29, 2017 · at 11:55

David Waxman, Founding Partner at TenOneTen Ventures, responds to Harry Stebbings asking whether Waxman views SAFEs with the same skepticism as convertible notes.

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“I do. I think they're pretty much just as bad.”

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