erictrigo

I totally agree with the above comment, but would also add that most start-ups are really tight and small groups... who also happen to be way more susceptible to turnover. The best thing to do is to be yourself, and make an honest judgment if your culture meshes well with those around you. Meshing together is often a much bigger deal than experience, at least in my experience.

I would suggest doing a test project first. We often work out situations like this with my company, but it's always best to get an idea for the way that you work together first, before you go for the full on marriage.

Plus, building a small project or prototype should give you a better estimate of costs and value, so you should be more able to understand how much equity its worth.