Q&A icon

Startup Q&A

Back to questions

Why do Banks & Venture Lenders Want to Read Your Startup's SAFE Note & Convertible Debt Documents?

Vanessa Kruze Kruze Consulting

Vanessa Kruze

CEO and Founder of Kruze Consulting

Table of contents

Banks & Venture Lenders want to read the fine print on your Startup’s SAFE Note & Convertible Debt Documents because if the investment is characterized as Unsecured Debt then it impacts the Lender’s underwriting of a venture debt loan.

The reason why Lenders want to know if the SAFE is debt or not is that when a Lender does not have a lien on Intellectual Property, they have to share the proceeds of the IP with unsecured creditors. This is a doomsday scenario meaning the company was not able to raise money and the Lenders are selling the assets for capital recovery. But it’s something Banks & Venture Debt firms will take into consideration when underwriting the deal.

There is no point in withholding this document in the process because the Lenders need it for their underwriting and the SAFE Note or Convertible Debt is already in place. No point in hiding the ball. :)

Kruze Consulting is a leading accounting firm working with seed and venture funded Delaware C-Corps. Funded startups choose Kruze Consulting’s team of CPAs, bookkeepers, CFOs, former IRS tax auditors, and venture experts. In addition to running the books, Kruze does tax, finance, and HR. Contact Kruze today!

READY TO CONNECT FOR A FREE CONSULTATION?

We are the experts at helping seed/VC-backed Delaware C-Corps with their accounting and finances!


Talk with a real accountant, not a generic salesperson!

 Kruze Consulting
Scott Orn
 Kruze Consulting
Alex Janeck
 Kruze Consulting
Edith Silva

Help us get in touch

Enter your name
Enter Company name
Enter Phone number
Enter Email
Enter Message
   
  Talk to a leading startup CPA