Corporate & Securities Law

If I Launched a Startup

By Ryan Roberts

Here’s what I’d do in the beginning:

Incorporation

(1) Entity Choice: Corporation or Corporation
(2) State of Incorporation: Delaware
(3) Authorized Shares in Charter: 10,000,000 Shares
(4) Type of Shares: Common Stock
(5) Par Value of Common: $0.0001
(6) Initial Founders Issuance: 8,000,000 Shares
(7) Founders Equity Split: Depends on the Team, But Quickly and After the Awkward & Difficult Conversations
(8) Vest Founders Shares?: Hell Yes
(9) Vesting Schedule for Founders Shares: 4 years with a One Year Cliff
(10) Consideration for Founders Shares: Cash & IP
(11) Handling of “Lost Founders”: Lock Down the IP (then Wish Them Well)

Raising Capital

(1) Length of NDA: 0 pages
(2) Fees Paid to Pitch my Startup: $0
(3) Investors: Accredited Investors
(4) Structure of First Capital Raise up to $1MM: Convertible Notes

Full post as published by The Startup Lawyer on March 17, 2010 (boomark / email).