This is made even worse by jurisdictions where employers can claim rights over side projects.

Their salary from a $DAYJOB?

This is made even worse by jurisdictions where employers can claim rights over side projects.

Pay the couple of hundred bucks to have a lawyer review your current employment agreements vis-a-vis "Intellectual Property" and let you know where you stand. If your employer has grounds to claim your independent work, negotiate a new agreement. If they won't negotiate, find a new job. Or quit and consult part time, or work as a short-order cook or barista while doing your startup... I doubt O'Malley's Irish Pub is interested in your startup's IP.

And, about side projects: work on them on your own time, on your own equipment, and don't compete with your employer. (And most importantly, don't brag to your coworkers about your moonlighting ventures.)

You work a dayjob, or consult part-time, and build the startup in the rest of your time. It's what I'm doing, and while it's tough, I think anybody who's really committed to their startup would be willing to make that kind of sacrifice.

Or maybe you have a spouse that works full-time, while you work on the startup fulltime. Or maybe you raise a FFF round. There's more than one way to skin a cat.