What a founder agreement is meant to solve
A good founder agreement is not only an equity document. It connects ownership with roles, time commitment, decision-making, intellectual-property ownership, confidentiality and what happens if a founder stops contributing.
Koda helps founders identify and discuss the commercial questions before an appropriately qualified lawyer prepares or reviews the required documents.
You may need this when
- You are starting a company with a friend, colleague or technical co-founder.
- The equity split was agreed informally but responsibilities remain unclear.
- One founder is full-time while another contributes part-time.
- An investor is asking about vesting, departures or intellectual-property ownership.
Questions the work should clarify
- What each founder is responsible for and how performance is addressed.
- How equity is earned, vested or affected by departure.
- Which decisions require one founder, both founders, the board or shareholders.
- How deadlocks, confidentiality, IP ownership and exits are handled.
Example
Two friends split the company equally, but only one becomes full-time. When fundraising begins, they disagree about compensation and decision-making. Earlier documentation of commitment, vesting and approvals could have made the discussion far more manageable.