I think (still looking for opportunity in a startup) if I had to choose, I choose a startup based on
(1) the missions
(2) the investors
(3) founder(s) history and attitudes
equity is always a nice thing honestly there are startups that will never go IPO and there are the ones that will fail in a year or two, and there are ones that will go on for a very long time and held privately by founders and there are ones that will be acquired within a few years. The chances are, before your company is sold, you might be looking for another job already.
Also, read the equity/stock agreement CAREFULLY before you sign one and understand what you are signing up for.
(1) the missions
(2) the investors
(3) founder(s) history and attitudes
equity is always a nice thing honestly there are startups that will never go IPO and there are the ones that will fail in a year or two, and there are ones that will go on for a very long time and held privately by founders and there are ones that will be acquired within a few years. The chances are, before your company is sold, you might be looking for another job already.
Also, read the equity/stock agreement CAREFULLY before you sign one and understand what you are signing up for.