Prepare a detailed founder agreement for review

Your prep sheet

Replace each [bracketed label] with your own verified details. Open the editor to make it yours, then read it through before sending.

FOUNDER AGREEMENT — DETAILED REVIEW BRIEF
FOR DISCUSSION AND LEGAL REVIEW; NO EXECUTION SIGNATURES

Date: [Document date]
Business / entity: [Business / company details]
Participants and capacities: [Founders and capacities]

1. WHAT WE ARE BUILDING
Purpose, products, customers, territory, intended entity and current stage:
[Purpose]
Record who presently owns the business materials. A proposed company must not be treated as already incorporated.

2. CONTRIBUTIONS AND ROLES
For each founder, record cash actually paid, expenses, assets, prior work, time commitment, delivery responsibilities and evidence:
[Contributions and roles]
Identify whether money was a loan, reimbursement, investment or an unresolved contribution. Do not convert one category into another without review.

3. OWNERSHIP AND VESTING QUESTIONS
Current verified ownership, proposed future allocation, vesting conditions, start date, pauses and departure treatment:
[Ownership and vesting]
Separate issued shares from proposed equity, options or contractual promises. List any expected legal instruments and approvals as outstanding actions.

4. DECISIONS AND AUTHORITY
Day-to-day responsibilities, bank access, spending limits, reserved decisions, quorum, records and a route for resolving deadlock:
[Governance]
No participant gains signing, borrowing or disposal authority from this worksheet.

5. PAY, COSTS AND REPORTING
Proposed remuneration, reimbursements, approved budgets, accounts access, financial reporting and treatment of founder loans:
[Money]
State the supporting document and person responsible for each unsettled amount.

6. WORK, IP AND INFORMATION
Existing IP and owner; work expected from each founder; third-party licences; proposed assignment or permission; confidentiality and lawful reporting exceptions:
[Ip And Information]
Code access, a founder title or delivery of files must not be treated as proof of ownership. Put required assignments or licences on the review list.

7. PERFORMANCE, CONFLICT AND CHANGES
Milestones, feedback process, illness or reduced availability, conflicts of interest, outside work and how changes will be proposed:
[Working Rules]
Use factual language. Record contested performance claims separately.

8. EXIT AND CONTINUITY
Voluntary departure, breach concerns, death or incapacity, valuation questions, payment proposals, customers, staff, assets and access handover:
[Exit Questions]
A discussion of buyback, forfeiture, termination or release is a review question, not an automatic right.

9. DISPUTES, NOTICES AND REVIEW
Communication channels, proposed dispute route, governing-law questions and unresolved legal or tax issues:
[Review Questions]
Do not insert a court, arbitration clause or universal deadline without case-specific review.

DECISION LOG
Agreed in principle / still open / disputed / responsible reviewer / evidence / target review date:
[Decision log]

Prepared by: [Prepared by]
This brief records questions and proposals. It must be converted into complete, reviewed documents before anyone relies on it as an agreement.