The things people ask before they sign.

A small, defined slice of a company's equity traded for a specific piece of senior work. The percentage is set per engagement and agreed before anything starts, so a founder can bring in several operators without losing control of the cap table.

Three groups. Pre-seed founders who need judgment they cannot afford in cash. Senior operators, usually employed full time, who want startup upside without leaving their job. And investors who would rather read evidence than a deck.

Freelance marketplaces move cash for hours. GetSweaty moves equity for outcomes, and the paperwork that makes the trade enforceable is the product. If a line could sell any marketplace, it is not describing this one.

The instrument is an option agreement, signed before work starts and covering the full equity on offer. Vesting is milestone-based, not time-based: the opportunity is broken into milestones, each carrying its own slice of the options and its own due date, and that slice vests when the deliverable is completed and verified. Vested options are a right to acquire shares, not shares themselves — they become shares only if they are exercised, which is a separate step under the terms of the agreement.

Price the outcome, not the hours: a role that unblocks a quarter is worth more than a role that fills a calendar. Whatever you land on is stated on the listing and written into the agreement before work begins.

Only the milestones that were completed and verified vest. The options attached to the remaining milestones lapse, and that equity stays with the company. Both sides hold the same signed record, so there is nothing to argue about later.

Yes. Agreement generation, the milestone schedule and the filing obligations are built into the product, generated for the jurisdiction the company is incorporated in. Nothing moves until the agreement is signed.

GetSweaty is available worldwide. Our largest communities are in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. Equity, employment and tax law differ in every country, so the paperwork is generated for the jurisdiction the company is incorporated in rather than from a single template.

No. GetSweaty provides infrastructure, not advice. Equity in an early-stage private company is illiquid and can become worthless. Take your own legal, tax and financial advice before you sign anything.

That is the design. Engagements are scoped in weekly hours and run side of desk. Check your employment agreement and any conflict-of-interest or outside-work policy before you accept, and be honest about the hours you actually have.

Requests are ranked by fit to your stated expertise, and the founder's proof of legitimacy loads before their pitch. Set an equity floor and let the fit do the sorting. Saying no is what keeps the yes worth something.

A company profile with your problem statement, why now, business model and current metrics, plus the milestone the work is meant to unlock. Proof of demand is the only pitch that survives diligence.