The Cofounder Equity Talk
Structure the cofounder equity conversation
I am starting this with a cofounder and we have not split equity: [WHO WE ARE, WHAT EACH OF US BRINGS - IDEA, MONEY, FULL-TIME VS SIDE, NETWORK, WHO QUIT WHAT]. Structure the conversation: the split logic that survives the next five years (contributions going forward weigh more than the idea), the vesting both of us need (four years, one-year cliff - and why it protects the one who stays), the salary and full-time-start differences, and the decision-rights split for when we deadlock. Then the three questions that predict whether this partnership survives, and what a lawyer papering this will ask us.
Inputs needed
- ■Who we are, contributions, commitments so far
What good output looks like
Split logic forward-weighted; vesting standard with reasoning; deadlock mechanics addressed; survival questions included; lawyer's checklist anticipated
The stream (0)
Reading the room…