/03 · Service specification
Put it on paper
The costliest disputes in a startup's life are almost always about something nobody wrote down. Good documentation isn't bureaucracy. It's the record of what everyone actually agreed to, before anyone had a reason to disagree.
The blueprints.
Most founders postpone paperwork because trust feels like enough in the early days. It is, right up until a co-founder leaves, an investor asks for the cap table, or a contractor claims they own the code they wrote.
The documents on this page aren't there to prepare for conflict. They're there to make sure conflict never has room to start.
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Data protection
Getting ready for the DPDP Act before its obligations start in May 2027.
Contracts and policies
The agreements a company signs, and the policies it has to hold.
Scope
Equity split, vesting, roles, and what happens if a co-founder leaves, all signed at or before incorporation.
IP assignment, confidentiality, and offer terms, built into every hire from day one.
Clear scope, payment terms, and IP ownership for anything a third party builds or delivers for you.
Signed before pitching investors, briefing contractors, or sharing anything sensitive.
Resolutions and registers: the internal records that keep your company's governance on the record.
Government fees, stamp duty, DSC and certification are billed at actuals, separately from these figures. We give you a written scope before you pay.
Specifics
Two facts drive everything on this page. First: under Indian copyright law, whoever personally creates a piece of work owns it by default, including code, designs, or content a co-founder builds before the company even exists. Second: courts and institutional investors both expect a written record of who owns what, who agreed to what, and what happens if someone leaves. Without that record, ownership defaults to whoever created something individually. It doesn't default to the company, and due diligence for your first funding round will surface every gap.
| Stage | Documents you need |
|---|---|
| Before/at incorporation | Founders' Agreement, IP Assignment Agreement |
| Right after incorporation | Employment agreements/offer letters, NDA template, Privacy Policy & Terms of Service (if you have a website or app) |
| Early operations | Vendor/service agreements, contractor agreements with IP assignment built in |
| Fundraising stage | Shareholders' Agreement, Term Sheet review, updated cap table documentation |
| Scaling stage | ESOP documentation, updated employment templates, data processing agreements |
| Founders' Agreement | Shareholders' Agreement | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it covers | Only the co-founders | All shareholders, including investors |
| When it's signed | At or before incorporation | Typically at the first funding round |
| What it governs | Equity split, vesting, roles, founder IP, founder exits | Board composition, investor rights, anti-dilution, exit mechanics |
| Most common mistake | Skipped entirely, or signed after shares are already issued | Signed without understanding what a reserved matter actually restricts |
Timing matters: sign this at or before incorporation, and always before shares are issued. Adding vesting after shares are already out requires every founder's fresh consent. In practice, this becomes expensive and sometimes impossible to negotiate cleanly.
Your core product is usually built before the company legally exists. Indian law does not automatically transfer that code, design, or content to the company once it's incorporated. The person who wrote it still owns it personally, unless a signed agreement says otherwise. This is one of the most common gaps discovered during investor due diligence, and it's simple to close: every founder, employee, contractor, and advisor should sign an agreement assigning IP created for the company to the company, covering work done both before and after incorporation.
Process
Step 1 of 4
We understand your arrangement
Who's involved, what you've agreed, and what could go wrong.
Common mistakes founders make
Clarifications
Not mandated by the Companies Act or Contract Act, but it's the document that makes equity, IP ownership, and exit terms enforceable and clear. Investors expect to see one during due diligence.
At or before incorporation, and always before any shares are issued.
The founders' agreement governs the relationship between co-founders. The shareholders' agreement governs the relationship between all shareholders, including investors, once you raise funding.
Only while someone is still actively a founder or employee. Once they exit, a non-compete restricting their next job or venture is generally unenforceable under Section 27 of the Indian Contract Act. Confidentiality, non-solicitation, and IP assignment clauses remain enforceable after exit and do most of the real protective work.
Nothing automatically. But if confidential information is later misused, you have no enforceable contract to point to. A signed NDA also simply deters casual sharing.
Not urgently, but plan for it before your first non-founder hire who'll receive equity. ESOP grants need their own scheme document, separate from founder vesting.
Tell us about your business and we'll take it from there.