Co-founders, team & legal

Find a co-founder, split equity, hire your first people, and set up cleanly.

What founders use for co-founders, team & legal, ranked by how many answers lean on it.

  1. Written by PostHog's operations lead, this is the sharpest piece on hiring for judgment over resume. Its core claim, attributes... PostHog Article · 10 min read Making your first startup ops hire: what founders should look for Charles Cook In 2 answers
  2. This is the operating manual behind the answer's core rule: don't run a remote team on vibes. GitLab runs 1,600+ people across... The GitLab Handbook Article · 25 min read Asynchronous communication for remote work GitLab In 2 answers
  3. The answer says over-invest in one in-person offsite early to build the trust Slack can't, and this is the concrete agenda for... First Round Review Article · 18 min read Use This Startup's Playbook for Running Impactful Virtual Offsites First Round Review (with the Sitka team) In 2 answers
  4. This is the legal spine for doing it cleanly under Indian rules. It spells out why parting during probation is the cleanest... India Briefing Article · 15 min read A Guide to Terminating Employment in India Dezan Shira & Associates In 2 answers
  5. Before you shop for a payroll provider, this tells you which compliance obligations that provider has to cover: PF at 20-plus... Razorpay Rize Article · 16 min read Labour Laws in India for Private Companies Razorpay Rize In 2 answers
  6. India-specific advice written by an Indian technical founder, addressing the real competition for engineering talent in the... Inc42 Article · ~10 min read How Can Indian Startups Hire The Right Technical Talent Parminder Singh (Hansel.io)
  7. The official source for DPIIT recognition, the free registration that unlocks tax benefits, self-certification, and scheme... startupindia.gov.in Article · Official portal page DPIIT Startup Recognition & Tax Exemption (Startup India) Startup India / DPIIT
  8. When two cofounders disagree on how big the market is, the fastest way out is to stop arguing opinions and turn the... First Round Review Article · ~12 min read The 6 Decision-Making Frameworks That Help Startup Leaders Tackle Tough Calls First Round Review (featuring Elliot Shmukler)
  9. This lays out the one fact most first-time founders get wrong: under Indian copyright law your freelancer owns the code they... iPleaders (blog.ipleaders.in) Article · ~20 min read Freelancer Agreement in India: IP, Ownership and the Clauses That Actually Bind iPleaders
  10. This essay names the exact trap you are in: delays in launching are usually fear of being judged and excessive perfectionism... paulgraham.com Essay · ~15 min read The 18 Mistakes That Kill Startups Paul Graham
  11. If a US fund pushes you toward a Delaware structure, this is the India-specific legal and tax manual for what you are actually... Treelife Article · 20 min read Flip Structure for Indian Startups: A Complete Guide Treelife
  12. This is the canonical case for splitting close to equal, written by a YC group partner. It arms you with the exact four reasons... Y Combinator Essay · 5 min read How to Split Equity Among Founders Michael Seibel
  13. The first-hand cautionary tale our answer needs. Kwan went 50/50 across two startups over nine years, put in 100k of her own... Melissa Kwan (eWebinar founder) Essay · 10 min read Why cofounders should not split equity 50/50 Melissa Kwan
  14. The India edge on paper. It states plainly that "equal splits are often unfair," then does what the US pieces skip: it turns... Razorpay Rize Article · 12 min read How to Draft a Co-founders Agreement: A Complete Guide Razorpay Rize
  15. This is the plain-English explainer that says the quiet part out loud: the 4-year schedule with a 1-year cliff exists so a... HSBC Innovation Banking Article · 9 min read Founder vesting: what early-stage founders need to know HSBC Innovation Banking
  16. This is the cleanest map of the three ways co-founders actually decide things: consensus, functional expertise (your domain,... edbatista.com Essay · 12 min read On Co-Founder Decision-Making Ed Batista
  17. GitLab runs a fully remote company on exactly the rule your answer prescribes: every area has one named owner who holds the... GitLab Handbook Article · 15 min read Directly Responsible Individuals (DRI) GitLab
  18. A concrete account of co-founders going full-time on a stagger, not in lockstep: Erich left his job in July 2018 to run sales... Indie Hackers Article · 12 min read Quitting Our Jobs to Follow Our Callings Alessandro DiSanto and Erich Kerekes
  19. Two working VCs answer the exact question, and they answer it like operators, not lawyers: run the split through a neutral... BetaKit Article · 9 min read Ask an Investor: How do I fire my co-founder? Katherine Hague and Roger Chabra
  20. This is the India-specific mechanics your answer demands. It lays out both routes: a co-founder who resigns (company files Form... ClearTax Article · 10 min read Change in Directors: Appointment, Resignation and Removal ClearTax editorial team
  21. A VC opens its own portfolio: 35 of 100 companies had a founder leave, most inside two years, so a split is normal, not a... Icehouse Ventures Article · 8 min read 35% of founders break up. Here's what we've learned. Icehouse Ventures
  22. This draws the exact line you are asking about with Indian numbers: a late-joining co-founder lands at 20 to 40 percent, while... EquityList Article · 18 min read ESOP 101: How to Set Up Your ESOP Pool as an Indian Company EquityList
  23. This is the counterweight to the "solo founders get penalized" folklore, built on Carta's cap-table data rather than vibes. It... Solo Founders (citing Carta) Article · 10 min read Fundraising as a Solo Founder: The Data Proves You Won't Pay a "Solo Tax" Ari Dutilh
  24. Most of the solo-vs-team debate is written for US VCs writing US-sized cheques. This one is written for the Indian raise, where... Xartup Article · 9 min read Solo Founder vs Co-Founders: What VCs Really Think Asmita (Spotlight by Xartup)

Show the next 24

The questions

Finding a co-founder 18

Pick a partner as carefully as a spouse.

Do I actually need a co-founder, or can I go solo? 3 → Where do I actually find a co-founder if I don't already know one? 2 → What should I look for in a co-founder, and what are red flags? 3 → Should I co-found with a friend or family member? 2 → How do I 'date' a potential co-founder before committing? 3 → All 18 questions in Finding a co-founder →
Co-founder agreements & equity 18

Split fairly, vest always, write it down.

How should co-founders split equity fairly? 2 → What is vesting and why do I need a vesting schedule? 2 → Should I use a dynamic equity split like Slicing Pie instead of fixed percentages? 2 → What must go into a co-founder / founders' agreement in India? 2 → How much equity should I set aside for an ESOP pool for employees? 2 → All 18 questions in Co-founder agreements & equity →
Hiring your first employees 18

Your first ten hires are your culture.

When should I make my first hire? 2 → How do I hire my first engineer when nobody's heard of my startup? 2 → What kind of people should my first ten hires be? 3 → Should I hire full-time employees, contractors, or an agency first? 2 → How do I compensate early employees with salary and equity in India? 3 → All 18 questions in Hiring your first employees →
Culture, remote & operations 18

Build how you work before it breaks.

How do I build company culture intentionally from day one? 3 → Should my startup be remote, hybrid, or in-office? 2 → How do I run a remote team without endless meetings and burnout? 3 → What operating cadence and rituals should an early team have? 3 → How do I avoid burning out my small team while still moving fast? 3 → All 18 questions in Culture, remote & operations →
Incorporation & legal setup 18

Set up the entity right (US & India).

When should I actually incorporate my startup? 3 → Should I incorporate as a Delaware C-corp or an Indian Pvt Ltd? 3 → How do I incorporate a Delaware C-corp as a non-US or first-time founder? 2 → How do I register a Private Limited Company in India? 2 → What is DPIIT / Startup India recognition and is it worth getting? 2 → All 18 questions in Incorporation & legal setup →
IP, licenses & regulatory 22

Protect your idea, stay legal to sell.

How do I protect my idea when I have to share it to get it built? 3 → Can I protect my idea with a patent or an NDA before I launch? 3 → When is an NDA actually worth it, and when is it just theatre? 2 → Trademark vs patent vs copyright, which one do I actually need? 3 → How do I check if my brand name is free, and how do I trademark it in India? 2 → All 22 questions in IP, licenses & regulatory →
eChai Partner Brands The partnership →