For many startups, having Founder equity can make you a paper millionaire overnight although that money can take many months or years to actually reach Founder’s bank account. Some Founders try to take money off the table by selling a piece of their shares to Angel Investor or through series A financing, but these attemts to cash in usually end in deep mistrust and misunderstanding between the Founders and Investors.  It is not unusual that a Founder’s attempt to cash in too early may actually kill the whole business. For tech startups, some Founders try to take money off the table even before their company exits by selling a piece of their shares to Venture Capital investors in round of fundraising (usually a series B or C). Without a Venture Capital investor, startups can take money off through the Employment Investment Scheme (EIS), a British government-regulated plan designed so that smaller companies can raise money from investors (including angel investors) to help grow their business.  The EIS scheme is open for British and international Founders. For real estate and classic technology projects (such as factory production lines, ships, truck fleets or airplanes), Founder’s equity can be withdrawn either through sale of the property and consequent leaseback or through several commercial mortgage scenarios. Carefully planned governance of the company is necessary for the success of this plan, as too rushed or too early withdrawal of Founders’ equity from a business may backfire and trigger a conflict between the Founders and the Board of Directors.