Agree roles, equity, vesting and exits with your co-founders before the lawyer
A complete prep kit for co-founders: the method, the workbook, the forms and the exact words to agree the hard things, write them down and set up the company properly. Educational, not legal advice.
- A 10-chapter e-book that takes co-founders from the first compatibility conversation to the first board meeting in six weeks, with one composite founding team throughout
- The Founder Alignment Workbook: 15 sheets covering a weighted equity split, vesting with a cliff, decision rights, a set-up checklist, filings calendar, cap table, founder pay, expenses, adviser equity and a dashboard
- An Equity Split and Vesting Simulator, 4 fillable PDF forms and 6 Word templates, including a founders' agreement discussion record, 36 messages and scripts and 26 AI prompts
- A Start Here map, 3 cheat sheets including dated country set-up notes, a 29-event six-week calendar and a 29-task CSV board
The Founder Agreement and Company Set-Up Prep Kit · Bodhih Pro Kits · 194 by Bodhih Training, trainers to 2,000+ companies since 2008.
How should co-founders split equity and what should a founders' agreement cover?
Agree how you will decide before naming numbers, compare equal and contribution-weighted splits, add vesting with a cliff for every founder, and walk through leaver scenarios. Then record roles, decisions, pay, IP and exits in plain words for a lawyer. The Founder Agreement and Company Set-Up Prep Kit from Bodhih Training gives a file for each step.
Want the full free guide first? Read How to Split Equity Between Co-Founders, and Agree the Rest.
You already feel the problem. Here is what it is costing you.
Nobody has said a number out loud
You have been building together for months. Everyone has a split in their head, and nobody wants to be the first to say it. The longer it waits, the harder it gets.
Equal by default, unequal in practice
A third each felt generous on day one. Now one founder is full-time, one is part-time and one has kept a consulting client. Without vesting or a review, resentment is the only mechanism left.
Nobody knows what happens if someone leaves
Good leaver, bad leaver, cliff, acceleration: words you have heard but never discussed. If a co-founder walked away tomorrow, their shares would walk with them.
The company does not own its own work
The prototype sits in a personal repository, a freelancer still owns the designs and the domain is on someone's card. Investors' lawyers will find it; better that you find it first.
Deadlock with nobody to break it
With a near-equal split, nobody can outvote anyone. Without agreed decision rights and deadlock steps, the hardest decisions simply stall.
Expensive lawyer time spent on basics
Walking into a law firm with a chat history and a vague understanding means paying professional rates for a conversation the founders could have had themselves.
Picture the next few weeks with the kit open beside you.
Picture the first founder meeting. Instead of someone floating a number, you open the compatibility worksheet each of you filled in alone. Three differences surface: exit plans, personal runway and who decides what. By the end of the evening each one has become an agreement written in the meeting log.
Now it is week three. As you compare your private scores on the weighted factors, the conversation moves from feelings to reasons. The simulator puts equal, weighted and dynamic splits side by side, and the leaver test shows exactly what a founder would keep at month 8, 18 or 30. The split you agree comes with two sentences of reasoning everyone can read.
Imagine week five. The discussion record is complete in plain words, the IP register lists every piece of work and who made it, and the briefing pack goes to two law firms and an accountant. The first adviser meeting starts with your questions, not with an hour of background.
And then the company exists. The setup checklist shows what is done and what is due, the filings calendar is loaded, and the weekly founder meeting is in everyone's diary. Whether you start with the compatibility worksheet tonight or the workbook tomorrow morning, the six weeks are already planned.
19 files that do the work for you
The e-book shows you how. The tools make it happen. Here is exactly what you download.
The Founder Agreement and Company Set-Up Prep Kit (e-book, PDF)
The guide: methods, worked examples, scripts and exercises
Start here: founder set-up map
The whole founder job as six weekly steps with the file to open at each, your first hour, the set-up checklist at a glance, a 30/60/90 day use plan and links to measure your starting point.
Founder Alignment Workbook
15-sheet workbook: settings, contribution-weighted equity split, split result, founder vesting with cliff and monthly vesting, vesting timeline, decision rights, set-up checklist, filings calendar, starter cap table with option pool, founder pay plan, expenses, adviser equity, founder meeting log and a dashboard with a vesting chart.
Equity Split and Vesting Simulator
Eight-sheet simulator: equal, contribution-weighted, dynamic (slicing-pie style) and role-based splits side by side, a leaver test for good and bad leaver outcomes at any month, and month-by-month vesting with a chart.
Co-founder compatibility and roles worksheet
Five-page fillable worksheet each founder completes alone, then compares: ambition and exit, money and risk, time and life, working style and conflict, then roles, titles, time commitment and side projects.
Equity, vesting and leaver scenarios discussion sheet
Four-page fillable sheet for the equity conversation: choose a split method, agree factors and weights, set vesting, cliff and acceleration, then walk through six leaver scenarios before you sign off a summary for your lawyer.
Incorporation readiness checklist
Three-page fillable go or no-go checklist before you file: founder agreements, entity and country choice, documents and information, IP and contracts, money and accounts, and a decision with dates.
Founder quarterly review form
Three-page fillable form for a two-hour quarterly founder review: numbers and milestones, roles and commitments, the relationship itself, and the resets you agree.
Founders' agreement discussion record
Plain-words record of everything the founders agree (purpose, roles, time, equity, vesting, leavers, decisions, deadlock, pay, expenses, IP, confidentiality, side projects, exit), with an IP and confidentiality assignment checklist, ready to hand to a lawyer to formalise.
Founder operating agreement one-pager
A one-page operating agreement the founders adopt: meeting rhythm, decision rules, communication norms, money rules, the conflict protocol and a review date.
Founder message library
36 ready-to-edit messages and spoken scripts in 7 groups: inviting co-founders, equity and vesting conversations, roles and pay, conflict and leaving, advisers, lawyers, accountants, banks and registrars, and IP with contractors and first customers.
Lawyer and accountant briefing pack
A briefing pack to send with your discussion record: company facts, founders, what you need drafted, money facts, open questions for each adviser, a first board meeting agenda, and an adviser agreement discussion sheet.
Worked example pack: three founders agree and incorporate
The main forms and decisions shown completed for one composite founding team, from the compatibility conversation to the first board meeting, with the numbers, so you can see what good looks like.
AI prompt pack for founders
26 tool-agnostic prompts grouped by step of the founder job, each with what to paste in and what to check before you use the output.
Equity split decision card
If-this-then-that card for sixteen common equity split moments, plus three checks before you sign off a split.
Founder set-up mistakes to avoid
Fifteen common mistakes in founder agreements and company set-up, what to do instead and the file that prevents each.
Company set-up country notes (October 2026)
Dated quick reference to common early-stage company forms and what to check in India, the US, UK, Singapore, UAE, Nigeria, Kenya, Australia and Europe.
6-week founder alignment and set-up calendar
29 calendar events over six weeks, from the kick-off meeting to the go or no-go decision, each naming the file to open. Evening slots suit founders with day jobs; move them to your dates.
Founder set-up task board import
29 founder and set-up tasks as a CSV ready to import into Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira, with step, week, owner, file to open and due date.
Chapter by chapter
Each chapter opens with a real situation, gives you a method and ends with something to do today, using the tools in your kit.
- Format
- PDF e-book + XLSX + fillable PDF + DOCX + printable PDF + ICS + CSV
- Files
- 19 files plus a one-click ZIP
- E-book
- 63 pages
- Workbooks
- 15-sheet alignment workbook and 8-sheet simulator, with sample data, formulas and dashboards
- Works with
- Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice, Word, Google Docs, Acrobat Reader, GoodNotes, Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar, Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner, Jira
- Best for
- Two to four co-founders at idea, pre-seed or seed stage, in any country and currency
Agree the Hard Things While You Still Like Each Other
Why founders should agree the hard things early, what the kit covers, and the six-week method on one page.
Why Founding Teams Break
The evidence on why founding teams break, the five predictable arguments, and treating alignment as a short project.
Choosing a Co-Founder and Testing the Fit
Whether you need a co-founder, what to look for, and a trial project plus a compatibility questionnaire before any talk of equity.
Roles, Titles and Time
Outcome-based roles, modest titles, choosing the CEO, honest time commitments and side-project rules.
Splitting the Equity
Equal, contribution-weighted, dynamic and role-based splits, how to choose between them, and the option pool.
Vesting, Cliffs and Leavers
Vesting and cliffs in plain words, credit for past work, acceleration, and walking through leaver scenarios with real numbers.
Decisions, Deadlock and Founder Money
A decision rights table, a deadlock ladder, founder pay planned around the shortest runway, and expense rules.
IP, Confidentiality and Side Projects
Making sure the company owns its code, designs and data: assignments, former employers, side projects and personal data.
From Conversation to Lawyer
Turning conversations into a plain-words discussion record, briefing a lawyer and accountant, and where AI helps.
Choosing the Entity and Setting Up the Company
Entity types in general terms, where to incorporate, the Delaware and holding-company patterns, and the set-up checklist.
Running the Company and the Founder Relationship
Board meetings, minutes, filings, the cap table, advisers, and the weekly and quarterly rhythm that keeps founders aligned.
A Company Built on Agreements You Can Read
What you now have and what to keep doing.
Founder and Start-Up Terms in Plain Words
Plain definitions of founder, equity and start-up terms, with credits.
Using AI in Founder Set-Up Safely
Six rules for using AI safely in founder agreements and company set-up.
Not just reading. Tools you will actually open again.
E-book
- The Founder Agreement and Company Set-Up Prep Kit: 10 chapters, 2 appendices and 6 figures (PDF)
Start here
- 00-Start-Here-Founder-Set-Up-Map: the job as six weekly steps with the file to open at each, your first hour, the set-up checklist at a glance and a 30/60/90 day use plan
Spreadsheets
- Founder Alignment Workbook (15 sheets): Start here, Settings, Contribution Split, Split Result, Vesting, Vesting Timeline, Decision Rights, Setup Checklist, Filings Calendar, Cap Table, Founder Pay Plan, Expenses, Adviser Equity, Founder Meeting Log and a Dashboard with 27 live measures and a vesting chart
- Equity Split and Vesting Simulator (8 sheets): equal, weighted, dynamic and role-based splits side by side, a leaver test and month-by-month vesting with a chart
Fillable PDF forms
- Co-founder compatibility and roles worksheet: ambition, money, time, conflict, then roles, titles and side projects
- Equity, vesting and leaver scenarios discussion sheet: method, factors, split, pool, vesting terms and six leaver scenarios
- Incorporation readiness checklist: founders, entity, documents, IP, money and a go or no-go decision
- Founder quarterly review form: milestones, roles, money, vesting and the relationship
Word templates
- Founders' agreement discussion record in plain words, with a 12-point IP and confidentiality assignment checklist and a pre-incorporation work register
- Founder operating agreement one-pager: rhythm, decisions, communication, money and a conflict protocol
- Founder message library: 36 messages and scripts, from inviting a co-founder to briefing a lawyer
- Lawyer and accountant briefing pack, with open questions, a first board meeting agenda and an adviser agreement discussion sheet
- Worked example pack: three composite co-founders agree roles, split and vesting, then incorporate
- AI prompt pack for founders: 26 prompts, each with what to paste in and what to check
Cheat sheets
- Equity split decision card: sixteen if-this-then-that moments
- Founder set-up mistakes to avoid: fifteen mistakes and the file that prevents each
- Company set-up country notes, dated October 2026
Calendar and import
- 6-week founder alignment and set-up calendar (ICS): 29 events for Google Calendar, Outlook or Apple Calendar
- Founder set-up task board (CSV): 29 tasks for Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira
When you have worked through it, you will be able to…
Every outcome is practised with a worked example and a tool, not just described.
- Test fit with a potential co-founder through a trial project and a structured questionnaire
- Agree roles, titles, time commitments and side-project rules in writing
- Compare equal, weighted and dynamic equity splits and agree one with reasons everyone can read
- Set vesting, cliffs and acceleration questions, and walk through leaver scenarios with real numbers
- Build a decision rights table and a deadlock ladder, and plan founder pay and expenses
- Register and assign the company's IP from founders and contractors
- Write a plain-words discussion record and brief a lawyer and accountant clearly
- Run an incorporation readiness check and set up the board, filings calendar and cap table
Know your starting point. Prove your progress.
People who measure before and after improve faster and can show it. AssessAll, our sister assessment platform, has AI-graded assessments that pair with this kit. Take one now, work through the kit, then re-take it.
Founder to CEO
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentCommercial Terms and Contract Reading Assessment for Freelancers, Managers and Small Business Owners
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentEthical Leadership & Judgment
Take the assessment →JobularyHow a Jobulary development plan works
Make it a growth plan →A taste of Chapter 5
Vesting means founders earn their shares over time. If a founder leaves early, the shares they have not yet earned go back to the company (or are bought back at a nominal price, depending on how your lawyer documents it). It is not a sign of mistrust. It protects the founders who stay from carrying a former partner who owns a large share of a company they no longer build, and it is something investors will usually expect to see. A common starting point is vesting over four years (48 months) with a one-year cliff. The cliff means nothing vests during the first 12 months; at the cliff, the months already served vest together; after it, shares vest monthly. A founder who leaves at month 11 keeps nothing. A founder who leaves at month 18 keeps 18/48 of their shares.
The honest comparison
| Free templates and typical advice | This kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Equity split | A number floated in the first week | Method agreed first, private scores, equal, weighted and dynamic splits side by side, reasons recorded |
| Vesting | Skipped because 'we trust each other' | Vesting and cliff for every founder, credit rules, and a leaver test at any month |
| Leavers | A clause nobody read | Six scenarios walked through with numbers before anything is signed |
| Decisions | Whoever argues longest | A decision rights table, a deadlock ladder and a signed operating one-pager |
| Legal documents | A downloaded template signed as is | A plain-words discussion record and briefing pack for your lawyer and accountant to formalise |
| Countries | Assumes one country | Principles everywhere, specifics in dated notes for India, the US, UK, Singapore, UAE, Nigeria, Kenya, Australia and Europe |
| After incorporation | Nothing | Set-up checklist, filings calendar, cap table, adviser tracker, meeting log and quarterly review |
Made for you if…
- First-time founders about to ask someone to co-found with them
- Co-founders who have been building for months without anything in writing
- Second-time founders who want to do the founder agreement properly this time
- Pre-seed to Series A teams adding a co-founder or tidying up their founding terms
- Accelerator and incubator staff, mentors and fractional CFOs who guide founding teams
- Founders in India, the US, UK, Europe, Singapore, the Gulf, Africa, Australia and beyond
Probably not for you if…
- Anyone looking for legal, tax or accounting advice or ready-to-sign legal documents: the kit prepares a clear record for your lawyer and accountant to formalise
- Founders whose main job right now is raising a round: The Startup Fundraising Kit covers SAFEs, term sheets and dilution in depth
- Solo micro-businesses run from home with no co-founders: Kitchen-Table CEO is the better fit
Built by trainers, tested in real rooms.
Bodhih Training has designed and delivered corporate programmes since 2008. Bodhih Pro Kits package what works in those workshops into a guide plus the exact tools we use, so you can apply it the same day without a facilitator in the room.
From here to using it in three steps
- STEP 1
Tap Get the kit
Name, email and country. UPI, card or netbanking in India; international cards everywhere else. No account to create.
- STEP 2
Download instantly
Your download page opens at once, with every file and a one-click ZIP. A permanent link lands in your inbox too.
- STEP 3
Open the first tool
Start with the quick-start chapter, then the main spreadsheet or planner. Most buyers use something from the kit the same day.
Have the hard conversations while you still like each other
Open the Start Here map, set up the workbook and send your co-founders the compatibility worksheet. Whether you begin with the e-book this evening or the first founder meeting this week, the six weeks are already planned.
Personal licence for the buyer's own use (and use with your own team or clients where the kit says so). Please don't share or resell the files. Team and company licences: solutions@bodhih.com.
What buyers say
No ratings yet. Only people who have bought this kit can rate it - every buyer gets a one-click rating link a couple of days after their purchase.
The Bodhih family, when you are ready for more
The Go-to-Market Launch Plan Kit
Take a new product to its first customers with a plan.
The First Ten Hires Kit
Hire your first ten people without an HR team.
The Startup Fundraising Kit
Raise a pre-seed to Series A round with a system.
AssessAll
250+ AI-graded assessments to measure skills and earn verified credentials.
Jobulary
Individual development plans that start from evidence and stay yours.
Bodhih Training
Run this topic as a live workshop for your team, in person or online.
Pewple
Book a vetted coach for career, leadership or communication. Pay per session.
Bodhih.org pathways
Certification pathways in Applied AI, Workplace English and management.
The Founder Agreement and Company Set-Up Prep Kit: FAQs
Read the free guideAlready bought? Resend my linkHow should co-founders split equity?
Agree how you will decide before anyone names a number. Compare an equal split with a contribution-weighted split based on the next 18 months of work, and consider a dynamic split if commitments are very uncertain. Score alone, discuss the biggest differences, and write down the reasoning. The simulator in the kit puts the methods side by side.
Should co-founders split equity equally?
Often, yes, when time commitments and roles are similar. Equal splits are becoming more common: Carta's data shows two-founder teams splitting equally rose from 31.5% in 2015 to 45.9% in 2024. If commitments differ, compare equal with a weighted split before you decide, and add vesting either way.
What is founder vesting with a cliff?
Founders earn their shares over time, often four years. With a one-year cliff, nothing vests in the first year; at the cliff the months served vest together, then shares vest monthly. If a founder leaves early, unvested shares return to the company. Your lawyer documents how it works in your country.
What happens when a co-founder leaves?
That depends on what you agreed. Typically a good leaver keeps vested shares and unvested shares return; a narrowly defined bad leaver may have vested shares bought back at a low price. The kit walks you through six leaver scenarios with real numbers before you sign anything.
Is this legal advice, and are the templates ready to sign?
No. The kit is educational. It helps founders agree and record their intentions in plain words so a qualified lawyer and accountant in your country can draft binding documents. Country specifics are kept in one cheat sheet dated October 2026; check your lawyer, accountant and local rules.
Where should we incorporate our startup?
Usually where the founders, team, customers and operations are. Delaware or Singapore holding structures can make sense for specific investor or market reasons and add cost and complexity. Answer the questions in Chapter 9 and decide with a lawyer.
How do I measure my starting point as a founder?
AssessAll offers assessments matched to this kit: Founder to CEO, Commercial Terms and Contract Reading Assessment for Freelancers, Managers and Small Business Owners, and Ethical Leadership & Judgment. Take one before you start and again after the six weeks. Links are on the Start Here map; the assessments are separate products and not included.
How do I turn this into a development plan?
Pick the one or two founder skills the kit shows you need most, such as running hard conversations or reading contract terms, and build them into a plan. Jobulary explains how its development plans work, and the link is on the Start Here map.
Can accelerators and mentors use it with their teams?
The personal licence covers your own use and your own team. Accelerators, incubators and advisers who want to use the kit with several founding teams can ask about a team or company licence at solutions@bodhih.com.
Which software do I need?
The workbooks open in Excel, Google Sheets or LibreOffice and use no macros. The forms are fillable in Acrobat Reader and most PDF apps, the templates open in Word or Google Docs, the calendar imports into Google Calendar, Outlook or Apple Calendar, and the CSV imports into Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira.
What is the refund policy?
Digital kits are non-refundable once downloaded. The exceptions are corrupted files that are not fixed within 3 working days, duplicate charges, or failed delivery.
How much does The Founder Agreement and Company Set-Up Prep Kit cost?
₹999 including 18% GST for buyers in India, or $29 for buyers outside India. One-time payment, no subscription, with an automatic invoice.
How do I get the files after paying?
Instantly. Your download page opens the moment payment succeeds, and a permanent download link is emailed to you. Download each file separately or everything in one ZIP.
What software do I need?
Any of the usual tools: Excel or Google Sheets for spreadsheets, Word or Google Docs for templates, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview, Xodo or GoodNotes for the fillable PDFs, and Google, Outlook or Apple Calendar for the calendar plan.
Can I get a refund?
Because it is a digital download, kits are not refundable once downloaded. We always refund a duplicate charge or a failed delivery, and if a file is corrupted and we cannot fix it within 3 working days. Full terms: bodhih.org/refunds.
Can my company buy this for a team?
Yes. Team and company licences, and workshops on this topic run by Bodhih Training, are available. Write to solutions@bodhih.com or call +91 99000 11601.
