Form with which a corporation may alter the amount of outstanding shares issued by the corporation.
Form with which a corporation may alter the amount of outstanding shares issued by the corporation.
Choosing a number depends on how big you expect your company to get and how much you think it will be worth. Most stocks at the IPO have about a $10 per share value. If you estimate your company's value to be $1 million at the IPO, then the number of authorized stocks should be 100,000.
When the need arises, a majority of shareholders or the Board of Directors can vote in favor of allowing new shares. How Many Shares Should We Authorize? Regardless of your initial funding, a new startup's sweet spot is usually 10 million authorized shares.
What are Authorized Shares? Authorized shares, or authorized stock, are simply a legally allowed maximum number of shares that a company can issue to investors. The number of authorized shares is specified in the company's articles of incorporation.
Authorized Shares For example, a corporation with three owners may decide to authorize 1,000 shares and issue 250 shares to each owner (750 shares issued). This leaves 250 shares to issue to future investors or partners.
While there is no magic number that suits every startup, many companies find that authorizing around 10 million shares strikes a good balance between flexibility, employee motivation, and attracting investors. This is the number investors typically expect to see.
However, if you think you'll sell or give away shares later, you should issue more when you set up your company. You will own them until the time comes to transfer them to new shareholders. Issuing shares in quantities of 10 is a popular option, while many companies choose to issue 100 or even 1000 shares.