AI/AIZENME
🤝 RESEARCH · Deep Research Level: Intermediate ⏱ 20 MIN Free & Open Source

Structure Co-Founder Shareholder Agreements (4-Year Vesting, Good/Bad Leaver Buybacks)

Never split startup equity 50/50 without vesting! Structure a founder shareholder agreement covering decision deadlock breakers, 4-year reverse vesting with a 1-year cliff, and Good/Bad Leaver buyback formulas.

CORE TOOLS DeepSeek-R1 / Claude 3.7
BEST FOR Startup co-founders, small business partners, studio owners
REQUIREMENTS Co-founder roles and capital inputs (review final text with corporate counsel)
✦ WHY THIS WORKFLOW

More startups die from co-founder deadlocks and "dead equity" (a quitter holding 30% of the cap table) than from competitors. Setting vesting and buyback rules on Day 1 protects everyone.

✦ Interactive Workflow Animation Preview

Step-by-Step Action Checklist

0 / 4 Completed
READY-TO-USE PROMPT TEMPLATE
Open Official Tool / Repo ↗
You are a Venture Law & Startup Equity Architect.
Our founding team profile: [List each founder's cash contribution, full-time vs. part-time commitment, and role].
Draft a comprehensive **Co-Founder Shareholder Agreement Blueprint**:
1) **Equity Split & Deadlock Prevention**: Critique our proposed split, separate Cash Equity from Sweat Equity, and structure voting control;
2) **4-Year Reverse Vesting Schedule with a 1-Year Cliff**: Exact contractual mechanics so early quitters don't keep unvested equity;
3) **Good Leaver vs. Bad Leaver Mandatory Buyback Matrix**: Define clear triggers and exact buyback pricing formulas (Nominal $1 vs. Original Cost + Interest vs. Net Asset Value) for both unvested and vested shares;
4) **IP Assignment, Full-Time Commitment & Spousal Consent Clauses**.
Use Cases & Tags:
Co-founder equity split & voting deadlock prevention4-year equity vesting with 1-year cliffGood Leaver vs. Bad Leaver buyback pricing formulasSpousal consent & IP assignment clauses