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Startup Advisor

Also called Advisor

An experienced person who guides a startup informally, on strategy, introductions, or a domain, usually in exchange for a small equity grant rather than a salary.

Why it matters

The right advisor opens doors and helps founders avoid known mistakes, and their name can lend credibility. But advisors vary widely in value, so it is worth being selective and structuring the relationship and equity clearly.

For example

A startup brings on an advisor who has scaled a similar company, trading a small equity grant for monthly guidance and warm introductions.

Go deeper

Startup Advisor Agreement Template (FAST-Style, 2025) Promise Legal · article Where FAST is the one-pager, this spells out the exit mechanics in plain clause language you can lift: either party terminates at-will on 30 to 60 days written notice, vesting stops immediately on termination, unvested shares are forfeited, and vested options stay exercisable for 90 days. Read this so your advisor agreement actually lets you stop the vesting going forward, which is the specific lever the answer tells you to pull. Open promise.legal →

Related terms

Advisory Shares Board Observer Co-Founder

Also in Starting Up

See how founders actually handle this on Co-founders, team and legal, part of the Starting Up hub.

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