Deal Samples & Specs
PersoniFi lets you invest in people — not just their companies. Deals are customizable and designed to balance upside potential with downside protection.
For detailed explanations of each structure, see Top Deal Structures.
How It Works
You browse Deals on PersoniFi the way you'd browse startups on AngelList — except you're investing in human potential. Filter by category (Entrepreneurs, Creators, Athletes) or trending tags, review each person's Deal terms, and invest directly.
Every Deal includes customizable terms set by the person raising. Most Deals are built around two core principles:
- Upside potential — equity in ventures, income share from earnings, or both
- Downside protection — fallback terms that return your capital if things don't go as planned
While we do offer upside-only deals, PersoniFi is known for deals designed to reduce risk, improve returns, and enable earlier investment.
Deal Specs by User Type
Each user type has Deal structures tailored to how they earn. Here's what you're investing in for each.
Investing in Founders
Founder Deals are equity-based — you get ownership in their current and/or future companies, with optional income-based protection.
Upside-only (SAFE+plus)
Buy shares in a founder rather than just the startup. You're investing in their ventures and ideas — their current company and any others they start in the next decade.
| Component | What You Get |
|---|---|
| Equity (current company) | % ownership in their existing startup via a SAFE |
| Equity (future companies) | % ownership in any company they found within x years |
Return profile: Upside-only. Your returns depend entirely on company exits.
"I've always wanted to buy shares in the founder. This one may not be the winner but the next one may be!"
With protections (SAFEguard)
Invest in an early startup while protecting both parties. You get equity exposure plus a guaranteed path to 1x return through income sharing.
| Component | What You Get |
|---|---|
| Equity | % ownership in the startup |
| 1x cash return | Salary share whether she remains a founder or returns to the workforce — whenever salary is over $100k, she shares a portion monthly until 1x total is returned |
| Equity clawback | Every time she makes a salary share payment, she buys back a little equity — protecting founder ownership and reducing dilution |
| Future fundraise perk | If they raise $3M+ in institutional funding, income share payments stop |
Return profile: Downside 1x, upside 12x. Cash + Clawback + Equity.
"Makes me confident investing in a deal that would otherwise be too risky/too early. I also love that it incentivizes the founder to raise future funding, while protecting their ownership."
For full structure details: SAFE+plus | SAFEguard | SAFEguard Flex
Investing in Athletes
Athlete Deals are income-based — you participate in their career earnings rather than equity in a company.
| Component | What You Get |
|---|---|
| Upside earnings share | Percentage of in-sport career earnings (salary, NIL, royalties) for a set number of years |
| Activation threshold | Only activates when they're earning $100k+ |
| Maximum cap | Preset cap on total returns |
| Downside protection (optional) | If they leave their sport, they share a percentage of fallback career income until 1x is returned |
Upside-only example: You receive a share of the athlete's in-sport earnings — salary, NIL deals, and royalties. If they never earn above $100k, you don't receive payments. Cash upside only.
With protections example: Same upside earnings share, plus if the athlete returns to a fallback career earning $90k+, they share a portion of that salary with you until 1x your investment is returned. Downside 1x, upside 15x.
"This is a much-needed way to fund and fuel athletes pre-NIL. Plus, some of the funding can be used to boost their brand and thus NIL value when they do."
Investing in Creators
Creator Deals are similar to athlete deals — income-based with optional equity and downside protection.
| Component | What You Get |
|---|---|
| Upside earnings share | Percentage of creator career earnings (revenue, brand deals, royalties) for a set number of years |
| Activation threshold | Only activates when earning $100k+ |
| Equity add-on (optional) | Equity in any companies created within the agreement timeframe |
| Downside protection (optional) | If they return to a fallback career earning $100k+, they share a portion until 1x is returned |
With protections example: You receive a share of the creator's career earnings — revenue, brand deals, and royalties. If they leave their creator career and return to a regular job earning $100k+, they share a portion of that salary with you until 1x total is returned. Downside 1x, upside 15x.
"For creators, there is a strong direct correlation between money and time spent to fully monetize, and upside earnings growth."
Sample Deals
Browse anonymized, real-world Deal examples showing actual terms investors have seen on the platform.
Top 4 Deal Types at a Glance
| Deal Type | Pitch | Sample Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Buy Shares in a Founder | Back someone with founder DNA and high upside potential | % equity in their current startup + % equity in any other companies they create in the next x years |
| De-Risk an Early Startup | First-check, capital injection, or bridge to pre-seed | % equity in the startup + [2x] cash repayment via capped Income Share Agreement whether they remain a founder or return to the workforce. Perks: clawback, fundraise cap reduction |
| Invest in an Aspiring Creator | Enable them to go full-time and fully monetize their talent | % equity in future creator earnings for x years + 1.5x cash repayment via capped Income Share Agreement if person returns to fallback career |
| Invest in an Ambitious Person | Financial cushion to explore ideas and talents | % equity in any [companies, IP, royalties, career earnings] generated over the next x years + optional baseline Income Share Agreement regardless of career |
Detailed Specifications
De-Risk an Early Startup (SAFEguard)
Like startup equity + capped revenue-share for individuals
Why it works: You get cash yield and downside protection regardless of startup outcome.
Structure: Startup Equity (SAFE) + Income Share Agreement (ISA) tied to the person. The ISA survives regardless of business outcome.
Top use cases:
- Idea-stage to seed founders
- Bridge to VC from angel
- Easier ask from family and friends
| Return Target | Multiple |
|---|---|
| MOIC | 2.8x |
| IRR | 20–25% |
| Upside | 12x |
| Baseline | 3x |
| Downside | 1.7x |
Buy Shares in a Founder (SAFE+plus)
Startup equity + equity in future ideas or IP
Why it works: 60% of founders will start another company. You're betting on the person, giving you potentially more than one path to return.
Structure: Startup Equity (SAFE) + Proprietary Instrument akin to a SAFE in a company that doesn't exist yet.
Top use cases:
- Idea-stage to seed
- First-time founders
- Incentivize lead or angel in pre-seed round
Return target: 10-year analysis shows investing in the founder yields 2x better returns and 2.3x more unicorns than investing in startups alone.
Invest in an Aspiring Creator
Like an upside revenue-share for individuals with insurance
Why it works: You get cash yield and equity upside in creator earnings, while protecting principal with the person's fallback career earnings.
Structure: Creator Holding Co. (Legal Entity) + Income Share Agreement (ISA) tied to the person. Terms define sources (e.g., royalties).
Top use cases:
- Employed part-time creators
- Full-time creators (4x earnings potential)
- Crowdfund from people they know or angels
| Return Target | Multiple |
|---|---|
| Upside | 10x |
| Baseline | 2.9x |
| Downside | 1x |
Invest in an Ambitious Person's Evolving Potential
Investing in the entire career output of an individual
Why it works: Invest in dynamic individuals with various career pursuits as early as desired. They use funds to live, upskill, and build. You get a percentage of future value created from multiple sources.
Structure: Personal Holding Co. (Legal Entity) + Income Share Agreement tied to the person. Terms define sources (e.g., % of W2 salary, companies founded).
Top use cases:
- Founder/creator hybrids
- Corporate engineers building a financial cushion to quit and build
- Grad students, med students
| Return Target | Multiple |
|---|---|
| Median IRR | 25% |
| Upside | 15x+ |
| Baseline | 3x |
| Downside | 1x |
Key Takeaways
- Every Deal is customizable — the person raising sets their terms, but the structures are designed to protect both sides
- Income thresholds protect everyone — payments only flow when the person is earning well
- Caps limit your downside — income share agreements have preset maximums
- Return profiles vary by deal type — founder SAFEguard targets 2.8x MOIC with 1.7x downside protection; creator and ambitious person deals offer 1x downside with 10–15x upside
Related Resources
- Top Deal Structures — detailed breakdown of SAFE+plus, SAFEguard, and SAFEguard Flex
- Deal Structures Reference — every Deal structure and term explained
- Glossary — definitions for every term on the platform