I was an early employee at a US startup that is now a unicorn. I vested and exercised some shares before leaving and they are now worth 7 figures. I'm hoping that the company will go public whenever the next IPO window opens.<p>I would really like to get access to some of this capital to diversify my assets and reduce risk, pay off some debts, and maybe put a down payment on a house.<p>The main problem is that I'm from New Zealand, and I am not a US citizen. I lived in the US for a few years on an O-1 visa. I live in New Zealand now, and I am no longer a US resident.<p>I tried to use EquityZen [1] a few years ago, but unfortunately the company blocked the sale. I also talked to ESO Fund [2], but they weren't able to work with me since I wasn't a US citizen or resident. I've just sent an application to Quid [3] and have requested a call, so I'm waiting to see if that might be an option.<p>I'm wondering if there are any other options where I don't need to sell any shares? I'm looking for around $150k USD.<p>I would also be interested to hear from any individuals who might be interested in setting up a loan arrangement similar to Quid. Please send me an email if you're interested: equityloan65@gmail.com<p>I have a Shareworks [4] account that shows the number of vested common shares, and a recent 409a update with the current price.<p>I found this HN post from a few months ago [5]. Please let me know if there are any other posts I should take a look at on HN, Reddit, etc.<p>[1] https://equityzen.com<p>[2] https://esofund.com<p>[3] https://www.getquid.com<p>[4] https://www.shareworks.com<p>[5] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30274024
Have you talked with your former employer?<p>Maybe they would be interested in acquiring the shares.<p>For what it is worth, a loan against the shares isn’t diversification.<p>Also, illiquid shares are unlikely to be an attractive form of collateral to most people in a position to lend.<p>Good luck.
I am surprised that the company could block the sale. Usually they can't just block it, they have a right of first refusal which is where they have to buy it from you at the same price that's being offered.