October 26, 2026
New to startup law? Read by stage, not by topic. Find the stage your company is at, start with the Founder Guide where there is one, then read the short pages that answer the questions in front of you now. If you read only one thing first, make it our guide to the 10 rookie legal startup mistakes.
Jump to your stage:1. Forming the company · 2. Founders, equity and IP · 3. First hires · 4. SAFE round · 5. Priced round · 6. Running the company · 7. Selling or winding down
Start here if you have an idea and a co-founder but no company yet, or if you incorporated in the last month.
Go deeper:Founder Guide: How to Avoid 10 Rookie Legal Startup Mistakes covers the errors we see most, from unvested founder stock and missed 83(b) elections to unowned IP.
When Should I Incorporate My Startup? explains the signs it's time to form the company and what waiting puts at risk.
What Legal Structure Is Best for Your Startup? compares the C corp, LLC, S corp election, PBC and nonprofit, and explains why venture-track companies form a Delaware C corp.
How Do I Avoid Trademark Infringement When Choosing a Name for My Startup? explains how to clear a name before you file.
Delaware C Corp Incorporation Documents lists every document you sign at formation and the order to sign them in.
How Many Shares Should a Startup Company Have? explains the 10,000,000-share, $0.00001 par convention and how to divide shares among founders, the pool and a reserve.
What Should I Do in the First 30 Days of My Startup? is the checklist for the month after you incorporate: EIN, 83(b) filings, bank account, home-state registration and cap table.
Building a mission-driven company? Founder Guide: Public Benefit Corporation explains how a Delaware PBC works and how investors view it.
These pages make sure each founder owns their stock and the company owns what the founders built. Many diligence problems start here.
Founder Equity: How To Split Equity Among Co-founders explains how to split based on the work ahead and why every founder needs vesting.
Restricted Stock Purchase Agreement (RSPA) covers the contract each founder signs to buy their shares, including vesting and the buyback of unvested shares.
83(b) Election: What Startup Founders Should Know explains what the election does, how to file it, and why the 30-day deadline can't be extended.
How Do I Assign IP I Built Before Incorporating to My Startup? explains why what you built before forming the company stays yours until you sign a written assignment.
CIIAA: What It Is and How It Works for Startups explains the invention assignment agreement every founder, employee and contractor should sign.
What Happens to a Co-Founder's Equity When They Leave? walks through buying back unvested shares and what a departing founder keeps.
Signing a customer before you hire? Many startups do. How Do I Negotiate Customer Contracts as a Startup? covers the terms worth fighting for, and How to Draft Terms of Service for a Startup explains what your online terms need.
Read these before you bring on anyone who isn't a founder.
Co-Founder, Advisor, Employee or Contractor? helps you pick the right relationship by comparing control, pay, equity, vesting and IP.
Independent Contractor vs Employee: A Startup Guide explains the federal and state classification tests and how to fix a misclassification.
What Agreements Should Startups Have With Their Employees? covers the at-will offer letter and CIIAA every employee signs, and what comes later.
How Much Should I Pay My First Startup Employees? explains legal pay floors, pay transparency rules and typical equity ranges, with a worked offer.
Startup Equity Compensation: Everything Founders Need to Know explains when to grant restricted stock or options, and why ISOs go to US employees and NSOs to everyone else.
409A Valuation: When Startups Need One and How It Works explains when you need an independent valuation before granting options.
Most first rounds are SAFE rounds. These pages take you from choosing terms to closing.
Go deeper:Founder Guide: SAFE explains how the post-money SAFE converts, how stacked SAFEs dilute founders, and why agreed changes belong in side letters.
How Do I Run a SAFE Round? takes you step by step from board consent to closing, including investor accreditation and the SAFE ledger.
Valuation Cap: What It Is and How to Set One on a SAFE explains how a post-money cap fixes each investor's ownership and how to pick the number.
SAFE vs. Convertible Note vs. Priced Round explains why a SAFE fits almost every pre-seed round and when a note is better. If you use notes, read Founder Guide: Convertible Notes.
Can My Startup Raise Money From Non-Accredited Investors? explains the accredited investor rules and the limited options for everyone else.
Can I Talk About My Fundraise on LinkedIn or at Demo Day? explains when a post or pitch becomes general solicitation.
When a lead investor sends a term sheet, you move to a full set of financing documents.
Go deeper:Founder Guide: Seed Funding covers SAFE vs priced seed, the document sets and every seed term. Founder Guide: Series A does the same for the Series A, through board seats, diligence and closing.
How Do I Run a Fundraising Process? explains when to start, how to build an investor list, and the legal checkpoints along a realistic timeline.
How Do SAFEs Convert in a Priced Round? walks through the conversion math with a worked cap table.
Option Pool Shuffle explains how a new pool counted in the pre-money valuation lowers your real price, and how to negotiate it.
Liquidation Preference: What It Is and How It Works shows with worked numbers what preferred stockholders take first in a sale.
Protective Provisions explains the standard investor vetoes and which ones to push back on.
Startup Data Room and Startup Due Diligence explain what the lead's counsel will review. The records you keep from formation onward are what investors, and later buyers, read.
Once you have a team and investors, the work is keeping records clean, the board informed, and contracts and data practices sound.
What Does My Delaware C Corp Have to File Every Year? is a month-by-month compliance calendar, from the Delaware annual report and franchise tax due March 1 to federal, payroll and other state filings.
Delaware Franchise Tax: How to Save $80,000+ (Legally) explains why your first notice can look enormous and how the Assumed Par Value Capital Method usually shrinks it.
What Does My Startup's Board of Directors Need to Approve? lists the decisions that need board approval and how to fix a missed one.
How Do I Build an Early-Stage Startup Board? explains who should sit on your board at each stage and how founders keep control.
What Are the 10 Contracts Every Startup Should Have on Hand? covers the core contract set, from the NDA to customer terms.
Does My Startup Need a Privacy Policy? explains which laws require one, and Startup Best Practices for Data Privacy turns that into a seed-stage privacy program.
Read these before you sign a letter of intent or tell your team the company is closing.
Startup Acquisitions: The 3 Types of Deals explains asset sales, stock sales and mergers, and what a letter of intent binds you to.
How Do I Read an Acquisition LOI? walks from the headline price to what each stockholder actually receives.
Escrow, Holdbacks and Indemnification shows how much of the price is held back at closing, and for how long.
What If the Sale Price Is Less Than the Preference Stack? explains how carve-outs and waivers keep a deal workable when common stock would get nothing.
What Happens to Stock Options When a Startup Is Acquired? explains what happens to vested options, unvested options and the unused pool.
How Do I Shut Down My Startup? covers dissolving a Delaware corporation, who gets paid first, and when to hibernate instead.
Am I Personally Liable for My Startup's Debts? explains when founders can be on the hook, from personal guarantees to unpaid payroll taxes.
Agree on the founder split and vesting, form the company, issue founder stock, and decide on 83(b) elections with a tax advisor within the 30-day window. What Should I Do in the First 30 Days of My Startup? has the checklist.
Before you issue stock, sign a SAFE or hire, because mistakes there are expensive to fix. If you're not ready yet, Can't Afford a Startup Lawyer Yet? explains what you can safely do yourself.
In practice, yes. Venture funds, preferred stock and option plans are built around it, and converting later costs time and money. See Why Do VCs Require a Delaware C Corp?.
Can't find your question? Browse the full FAQ library or the Startup Law Glossary. When you're choosing counsel, How Do I Choose a Startup Lawyer? lists the questions to ask, and When Should a Startup Hire a General Counsel? explains when to add in-house or fractional counsel. If you're at one of these stages now and want a lawyer to look at your situation, contact us.
