Sorry, but unless it has some traction already and it has been IPO'd the Expected value of those options 4yrs from now is zero.
Unless you are really sure about it, think of it as a bit more than a lottery ticket
Unless you are really sure about it, think of it as a bit more than a lottery ticket
Then, unless they're publicly traded, or there is a legitimate secondary market, you can't even do a sell to cover.
The other way of providing equity is with RSU's, restricted stock units, where the company promises to give you, at each vesting date, a portion of stock. The problem there is that this is taxed as income on the value of the stock at vesting, and once again if there is no secondary market you'll not be able to sell enough to cover your tax liability and be in for a nasty invoice from the IRS that you need to scramble to cover.
I'd recommend having a financial planner walk through the ins and outs with you.