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. A clear, regularly-updated Indian explainer that maps the practical, sector-agnostic registrations most founders hit first,... ClearTax Article · ~12 min read Licenses & Registrations Required to Start a Business in India ClearTax In 3 answers
  2. This is a ready-to-fill IP assignment and confidentiality agreement hosted on the government's own Startup India portal, so it... Startup India (startupindia.gov.in) Template · 6-page fillable template Confidentiality and Intellectual Property Assignment Agreement Template (India) Startup India (Invest India) In 3 answers
  3. Once you have decided a key hire gets an ESOP grant and not co-founder shares, this is the India-specific playbook for actually... Razorpay Rize Article · 15 min read ESOPs / Employee Stock Option Plans: Structuring for Early Startups Razorpay Rize In 3 answers
  4. The official Indian government primer on structuring ESOPs for startups, a primary source on the rules that most blog posts... startupindia.gov.in Article · Official primer Employee Stock Options for Startups (Startup India) Startup India / DPIIT In 2 answers
  5. The attorney-favourite platform for clean, fundable startup paperwork, run by startup lawyers obsessed with avoiding... clerky.com Tool · Legal paperwork platform + founder handbooks Clerky: Startup Legal Paperwork & Delaware Incorporation Clerky In 2 answers
  6. The most grounded, non-lawyerly take on the fear that keeps first-time founders up at night. Two founders who've tracked... Startups.com Podcast · ~35 min Will Somebody Try To Steal My Startup Idea? (Startup Therapy, Ep. 50) Wil Schroter & Ryan Rutan In 2 answers
  7. The definitive founder essay on why raw ideas are worth very little and why secrecy is the wrong instinct. Graham's argument... paulgraham.com Essay · ~15 min read Ideas for Startups Paul Graham In 2 answers
  8. The free, official first step before you commit to any brand name, logo, or domain. Ten minutes here can save you a rebrand, it... Government of India (tmrsearch.ipindia.gov.in) Tool · tool IP India Public Trademark Search Trade Marks Registry, CGPDTM In 2 answers
  9. This is the canonical, industry-standard answer to 'how much equity for an advisor', a free, ready-to-sign template used by... Founder Institute (fi.co) Tool · short The FAST Agreement (Founder / Advisor Standard Template) Founder Institute In 2 answers
  10. Once you have negotiated the pool size, this is the guide that stops the pool from becoming a tax trap for the very employees... Treelife Article · 25 min read ESOP Taxation in India: Complete Guide for Founders and Startups Treelife In 2 answers
  11. Carta administers cap tables for tens of thousands of startups, so this is the canonical reference on how vesting actually... Carta Article · 12 min read Vesting explained: schedules, cliffs, acceleration, and types Carta In 2 answers
  12. Concrete proof that the absence of a written agreement is what turns a friendship into a lawsuit. The Zipcar story (a casual... Vestd Article · 12 min read Startup horror stories: when co-founders fall out Vestd In 2 answers
  13. Written by one of India's top corporate law firms, this is the authoritative read on what your co-founder's current employer... India Corporate Law (Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas) Article · 12 min read Moonlighting: Legal Considerations and Contractual Regulation Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas In 2 answers
  14. The honest India price tag on a Private Limited Company you incorporated too early. It itemizes what a company costs you every... IncorpX Article · 12 min read Annual Compliance Cost for Startups in India: Realistic Breakdown for 2026 IncorpX In 2 answers
  15. 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
  16. 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
  17. 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
  18. 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
  19. 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
  20. 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)
  21. 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
  22. 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)
  23. 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
  24. 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

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? 3 → What is vesting and why do I need a vesting schedule? 3 → Should I use a dynamic equity split like Slicing Pie instead of fixed percentages? 3 → What must go into a co-founder / founders' agreement in India? 3 → How much equity should I set aside for an ESOP pool for employees? 3 → 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 →