What is an MFN Clause?
A Most Favored Nation clause guarantees that if you give better terms to a later investor, the MFN holder automatically gets those same improved terms. It protects early investors from being disadvantaged by subsequent negotiations.
Why MFN Matters
For SAFE investors, MFN is particularly important. If you sign a SAFE with a $10M cap and later sign one with an $8M cap, the MFN holder can adopt the $8M cap. Early investors are not penalized for moving quickly.
For founders, MFN adds complexity to future fundraising since improving terms for new investors automatically improves terms for existing MFN holders.
MFN Scope
MFN typically applies only to economic terms like valuation cap and discount, not governance rights. Understand exactly what is covered before agreeing to MFN provisions.
MFN Mechanism:
If New Investor gets Term X at value Y
And MFN Holder has Term X at value Z
If Y is more favorable than Z
Then MFN Holder automatically gets Y
Your SaaS company raises via SAFEs:
- January: $500K SAFE at $12M cap with MFN
- March: $300K SAFE at $10M cap (no MFN)
- May: $200K SAFE at $8M cap (no MFN)
Because January investor has MFN, they can choose to convert at the $8M cap instead of their original $12M cap. Their $500K buys significantly more equity than originally agreed.