Series SAFE Preferred Stock: Keep SAFE Economics—Add QSBS Clarity

Series SAFE Preferred Stock: Keep SAFE Economics—Add QSBS Clarity

Angels like SAFEs because they’re fast, founder-friendly, and economically straightforward—typically driven by a valuation cap and/or discount. The downside is that SAFEs are contractual rights rather than issued stock, which can create uncertainty around when QSBS starts and whether a particular SAFE structure qualifies as “stock” for QSBS purposes.
This webinar introduces Series SAFE Preferred (see https://www.seriessafe.com/), a structure designed to preserve the core economics and simplicity of a SAFE while providing a cleaner QSBS posture by issuing preferred stock up front. We’ll walk through how the instrument works, what makes it “SAFE-like,” and how it can help angels maximize after-tax outcomes when a company becomes a breakout success.
We’ll cover:

• The SAFE-equivalent economic model (cap/discount style outcomes without a full priced-round process)
• How the documentation stays lightweight and founder-friendly
• Why “stock issued now” matters for QSBS start date clarity

Amit Singh is a corporate and venture capital/M&A partner in Mintz Levin’s San Diego office. He has advised on over 600 venture capital transactions and more than 200 M&A deals, primarily focused on technology and life sciences. Amit created Series SAFE Preferred (https://www.seriessafe.com/) to preserve the speed, simplicity, and economic outcomes angels value in SAFEs, while providing a cleaner structural path to QSBS eligibility and start-date clarity through issuance of preferred stock at the seed stage. He regularly counsels founders and investors on efficient financing structures designed to optimize alignment, execution certainty, and long-term after-tax outcomes.