In fact demanding shareholding as part of compensation is a common practice among starting companies. Put it this way how else are small firms going to attract good caliber people otherwise? Their salaries are low, benefits marginal, training is a joke compare to MNC & usually looks very bad on anyone’s CV, why will good people want to join them? There are not enough dummies to con just by giving fancy title & even if there are, this is not the kind of people you want right?

Think about it, if there is no shareholding, what value does this adventure give you? You just end up choosing a high risk job with meager pay, no value add to CV, learn nothing about HR & get totally no rewards on the upside for the risk you take. To me is a no brainer to choose CPIB if there is no form of share compensation to compensate you abandoning your current job just to join a startup.

Minority shareholder does not automatic grant you directorship, this is something for you all to work out. Don’t kid yourself you’ll be doing anything HR in such startups, they don’t have the luxury to hire one manager just to do HR, it will be 20% HR 80% other stuff.

My 2 cents, think wisely.