How much equity to give

Well thought list of things to consider when doling out equity in a startup:

http://groups.google.com/group/lean-startup-circle/msg/a7dd866fda7b66e9

Excerpt:
* How early stage is the startup? Typically, the earlier the greater
equity %
* Do you already have other individuals who are compensated with
equity? If yes, then you know your maximum. VP of sales generally
would get less than the CMO or any other 'C' level executive.
* If you have investors, what do they think?
* How much is left in the options pool? And how many other hires would
you need to make before the next finance round?
* What does your lawyer/accountant think?
* Did you ask the candidate what their expectation is? If you have
several candidates you can compare expectations? Sometimes this can be
a double edge sword but you will get insight into the person's
mindset. And, a VP of sales should be able to handle such direct
questions.
* How crucial will this person be? And how unique are they?
* Will they be getting salary in addition to equity compensation?
Getting paid often reduces equity awards.
* Where is the startup located? Europe is different than the U.S. and
even Silicon Valley differs from NY's Silicon Alley.
* What is your current vesting schedule? Longer schedules are
sometimes offset by a larger payout
* Have you considered alternatives to equity such as bonuses, revenue
share, etc.

ant build file for android

a. create a build.xml file
go to root of your project and run
> android update project --path .

create secure.properties file and add to it
key.store=keystore
key.alias=aliasname
key.store.password=password
key.alias.password=password

add to build.xml


create signed package:
> ant release

how to woo bloggers to write about you

http://groups.google.com/group/lean-startup-circle/msg/b2f209aa0483849a

Excerpts:

The Pitch
1) Be Honest about why you're approaching the blogger - ie, we just created
this new xp tracking gizmo and wanted your thoughts about it since you blog
about xp/financial topics. I'd like to give you a free permanent account to
review in your own time.
2) Clearly state your offer - We're in the alpha/beta stage and looking for
feedback so if you'd like to share with your readers we would really
appreciate it. .
3) Try to Establish an ongoing relationship - We definitely appreciate your
time and would like to keep you updated on our progress, if that's ok with
you.

Metrics Tracking
1) Try to use at least 3 different pitch variants to a small sample of
different bloggers (say 24).
2) Track each variant a,b,c
3) Based on which has the most success response, optimize to that variant
and expand the target size.