That part seems really compelling for some startups. But I'll be curious to see if at the end of the day it turns out to be compelling for you all. (FWIW, the few times I tried that approach people weren't used to it. It probably is far enough away from everything else that it also squarely removes you from the usual "we'll hand you a contract for a contractor" situation too. I am guessing you'll have more luck with it than I did.) You might find pushback from folks who don't want to add another row to their cap table. It seems like it shouldn't be a big deal, but different people have the strangest dealbreakers.
I am also curious: do you plan to value options when you accept those at whatever valuation is current and let other investors determine the rate? Or do you plan to try and determine option valuation yourself? How VC-like do you intend to get here? :)
For the most part, we're really just going to exploit every lever we can find for making our payment structure flexible. I wouldn't say we're hoping to become investors.
We spent a few years working with lots of young startups at Matasano and we had the obvious learning experience: none of them, even the ones with traction, can afford the kind of security work that larger companies get. That's a problem we're hoping to address, at least for a small number of clients.
I am also curious: do you plan to value options when you accept those at whatever valuation is current and let other investors determine the rate? Or do you plan to try and determine option valuation yourself? How VC-like do you intend to get here? :)