Latest / The Startup Exit Podcast with Fexingo: IPOs, Acquisitions, and Founder Liquidity Events
How Founders Are Using Stay Bonuses to Prevent Talent Flight Before M&A
When a company sells, key engineers and executives often jump ship before the deal closes, destroying value for the acquirer. In this episode, Lucas and Luna examine the rise of stay bonuses — retention-based compensation tied to remaining through acquisition. They unpack how late-stage startup Cyera structured a $25 million retention pool ahead of its rumored $12 billion exit, and how the presence of earnouts in recent defense-tech deals like Mach Industries signals a shift toward keeping technical teams on payroll post-close. The hosts also connect the trend to current market volatility…
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