Science & Technology

Equity, incentives, and early-stage tradeoffs with Yuri Sagalov, GeneralCatalyst

Build Mode is back. This season we’re breaking down what it really takes to build a world-class founding team starting with your cap table, equity structures, and startup compensation strategy. We kick off with Yuri Sagalov, managing director at General Catalyst and former founder, YC partner, and seed investor at Wayfinder Ventures. Yuri has worked…

Published

2 months ago

February 19, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

Build Mode is back. This season we’re breaking down what it really takes to build a world-class founding team starting with your cap table, equity structures, and startup compensation strategy.

We kick off with Yuri Sagalov, managing director at General Catalyst and former founder, YC partner, and seed investor at Wayfinder Ventures. Yuri has worked with hundreds of pre-seed and seed-stage startups, and he shares practical advice on how early-stage founders should think about startup equity, cap table design, investor selection, and compensation structures from day one.

He breaks down:

• The 3 types of investors (and which one to avoid)
• Why your cap table is part of your team
• The 20–25% seed dilution rule
• How to split equity with a co-founder
• How to talk to early employees about risk and compensation

No matter where you are in your startup journey, this episode will help you get the incentive structure right from the beginning.

Chapters:

00:00 – Why your first hires deserve more equity
00:31 – Meet Yuri Sagalov (YC → General Catalyst)
02:12 – Your cap table is part of your team
02:50 – The 3 types of investors (avoid this one)
05:02 – How to split equity with a co-founder
07:55 – How much equity to give early employees
09:37 – How to talk compensation and risk
12:31 – Red flags in formation docs and vesting
18:27 – Advisors for equity? Usually a mistake
20:05 – The 20–25% seed dilution rule
26:03 – The shift to 10-year stock options
34:11 – Don’t scale before product-market fit
39:23 – Final advice: Just start and choose your co-founder carefully

New episodes of Build Mode drop every Thursday. Hosted by Isabelle Johannessen. Produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience development led by Morgan Little. Special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.

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How to handle layoffs with compassion with Ayal Yogev, Anjuna

This week’s guest is Ayal Yogev, co-founder and CEO of Anjuna Security, who has experienced both sides of the startup journey: scaling quickly during the boom years and then making the incredibly difficult decision to lay off a significant portion of his team when the market shifted. From growing to 75 employees to scaling back…

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April 9, 2026

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From growing to 75 employees to scaling back and rebuilding, Yogev learned firsthand that the hardest part of leadership isn’t hiring fast, it’s making tough decisions with care, transparency, and integrity.

In this episode, Isabelle Johannessen and Yogev unpack what it really means to lead through layoffs with compassion and how founders can support their teams even in the most challenging moments. They also explore the lessons learned from scaling too quickly and how to build a more resilient company the second time around.

Apply to Startup Battlefield: We are looking for early-stage companies that have an MVP. So nominate a founder (or yourself): techcrunch.com/apply. Be sure to say you heard about Startup Battlefield from the Build Mode podcast.
TechCrunch Disrupt: If you’re thinking about applying to Startup Battlefield, then October 13 to 15 in San Francisco, we’re back for TechCrunch Disrupt, where the Startup Battlefield 200 takes the stage. So if you want to cheer them on, or just network with 1000s of founders, VCs, and tech enthusiasts, then grab your tickets.

Use code buildmode15 for 15% off any ticket type.

Chapters:
00:00 We grew too fast
02:30 What Anjuna actually does
04:45 Scaling the team quickly
06:10 The market crash hits
09:40 Handling layoffs with empathy
12:10 Supporting employees the right way
15:30 Why culture matters in crisis
20:50 The hiring mistake founders make
27:40 When to scale your sales team
34:40 Rebuilding after layoffs

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First Look at Dyson’s $99 HushJet Mini Cool Portable Fan 🪭

Dyson has now entered the handheld fan space. The company just unveiled the HushJet Mini Cool, a 7.5-oz fan with five speeds and a boost mode for airflow up to 55 mph. It costs $99 and comes in three colors: blush pink, available now; red, available in May; and blue, available in June. Dyson’s Senior…

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