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. This is the India-specific playbook for exactly your situation: it names full-time versus part-time commitment as a reason to... EquityList Article · 15 min read Co-Founder Equity Split in India: How to Decide, Document, and Protect It EquityList
  2. This is the concrete clause mechanic your answer needs. Clerky spells out that vesting normally commences on the date shares... Clerky Template · 6 min read What are customary stock vesting terms for startup founders? Clerky
  3. This is the empirical spine for the employee half of your answer, built on Carta data from 50,000 real cap tables, not opinion.... SaaStr Article · 8 min read How Much Equity to Give Your First Employees: The Real Data from 50,000 Startups Jason Lemkin
  4. This is the cleanest answer to why a co-founder should hold shares, not ESOPs, in an Indian Pvt Ltd. It spells out Rule 13 of... Startup Movers Article · 10 min read Can ESOPs Be Issued to Promoters & Founders? Legal Guide Startup Movers
  5. This is the exact CA-firm explainer for the trap in the answer: it walks the two-stage tax on sweat equity, first as a... Treelife Article · 15 min read Sweat Equity in India: Eligibility, Restrictions, Tax Treatment Priya Kapasi Shah
  6. The plain-language, India-specific answer to when you actually owe. It nails the two triggers with worked examples: no tax if... ClearTax Article · 12 min read Getting ESOP as Salary Package? Know about ESOP Taxation ClearTax Team
  7. This is the explainer written for exactly your situation: two founders, 50/50, no tiebreaker. It lays out the full menu you can... SPZ Legal Article · 12 min read How to Resolve Deadlock in 50/50 Co-Founder Situations SPZ Legal
  8. This is the worked mechanics of the buy-sell clause in Indian shareholders-agreement language, not a generic Western template.... Mondaq India Article · 10 min read Deadlock Resolution Mechanism in Joint Venture Agreements Mondaq (Indian corporate counsel)
  9. The cleanest case for the answer's core move: appoint a chairman who holds a casting vote so an even split can still produce a... South Bank Legal Article · 9 min read 50/50 Shareholder Deadlock: Avoiding and Resolving Disputes South Bank Legal
  10. This walks the exact mechanics of moving equity from a 40% founder to a 60% one, and it splits the guidance into two scenarios:... SPZ Legal Article · 12 min read Founder Equity Split: Rebalancing Cap Tables SPZ Legal
  11. This is the government's own sample SHA, published on the official Startup India (DPIIT) templates page alongside term sheets... Startup India Template · 13-page template Shareholder Agreement of Company (Sample SHA Template) Startup India (Invest India, DPIIT)
  12. This is the exact mechanism that stops a co-founder selling to a stranger, explained by an India and SEA cap-table platform... Qapita Article · 10 min read ROFR vs ROFO: A founder's guide to share transfer rights Qapita
  13. ROFR alone does not finish the job: you still need tag-along so a minority founder is not stranded when the majority exits, and... Qapita Article · 9 min read Transfer of Share Rights: Tag-Along and Drag-Along Explained Qapita
  14. This puts the transfer restrictions in their real home: the Indian SHA, alongside the lock-in, board consent and... IncorpX Article · 15 min read Shareholders' Agreement for Startups in India: Key Clauses You Must Include IncorpX
  15. This is the practical checklist for two founders sitting in different cities: it spells out that you need just one registered... IndiaFilings Article · 15 min read Private Limited Company Registration in India IndiaFilings
  16. ClearTax gives the plain-language walkthrough of the four-step process (DSC, DIN, SPICe+ name reservation, incorporation... ClearTax Article · 12 min read Company Registration in India: How to Register, Types, Documents, Fees ClearTax
  17. Dharmesh Shah (HubSpot co-founder) makes the exact separation your question needs: salary pays for work, equity is ownership,... OnStartups Essay · 10 min read Startup Founder Compensation: The Good, The Bad and The Irrelevant Dharmesh Shah
  18. A startup lawyer names the specific trap in your answer: founders who let unpaid salary pile up as owed salary on the books,... Flux Law Article · 9 min read Founder Salary & Compensation: What's Reasonable and What to Watch Out For Ryan Howell
  19. The India-specific piece your set needs. It spells out exactly how a founder-director who defers salary in the early years... IncorpX Article · 12 min read Director Remuneration in Private Company: Rules & Tax IncorpX
  20. This is the trigger checklist, spelled out: it names the exact moments that force incorporation (bringing on a co-founder,... Capbase Article · 10 min read When Should My Startup Incorporate? Capbase
  21. This is the year-one Indian Pvt Ltd number laid out line by line, in rupees, from a working CA firm: statutory audit 10,000 to... Virtual Auditor Article · 10 min read Company Annual Filing Cost: ROC Fees, Audit Fees & Compliance Package Virtual Auditor
  22. The mirror image of the India breakdown, and just as itemized: Delaware filing fee 289 (with 10M authorized shares), registered... SpryTax Article · 12 min read Cost of Delaware C-Corp: Complete Fee Breakdown 2025-2026 SpryTax
  23. The side-by-side an Indian founder actually needs: a compliance matrix and a 5-year cost table for both entities, written from... IncorpX Article · 18 min read US LLC vs India Pvt Ltd for Indian Founders: Tax and Compliance Comparison IncorpX
  24. This is the piece that settles the 'do I really need an auditor from day one' question with a hard yes: it states plainly that... Razorpay Rize Article · 12 min read Auditing Requirements of a Private Limited Company in India Razorpay Rize

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 →