> Maybe they want to hold off until the company has revenue, or hits/maintains a particular revenue or growth metric.
It is far too late then.
One of the many benefits of doing early exercise is that you exercise the option when the grant price is the same as the current valuation so there is zero profit (and you file an 83(b)).
If you wait too long, your grant might've been at $0.01 but now the valuation is $5.00 (making up numbers but both of these are in the ballpark of my past startup experiences). It is way too late to exercise those options, you'll be paying tax on $4.99 of profit on a stock that you can't sell and might go down! If you waited that long, now you need to keep waiting until there is liquidity so you can do a same day sale.
> take out loans
That would be a terrible idea. Like I said in parallel comments, if the price is too high for your comfort level, don't join that startup.
It is far too late then.
One of the many benefits of doing early exercise is that you exercise the option when the grant price is the same as the current valuation so there is zero profit (and you file an 83(b)).
If you wait too long, your grant might've been at $0.01 but now the valuation is $5.00 (making up numbers but both of these are in the ballpark of my past startup experiences). It is way too late to exercise those options, you'll be paying tax on $4.99 of profit on a stock that you can't sell and might go down! If you waited that long, now you need to keep waiting until there is liquidity so you can do a same day sale.
> take out loans
That would be a terrible idea. Like I said in parallel comments, if the price is too high for your comfort level, don't join that startup.