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2 resources from iPleaders we point founders to, and the questions each answers.

📋 Template
✓ Link checked India Free Beginner

Why we picked it This is the checklist and the template in one, written for Indian Pvt Ltd reality, not a US Delaware copy-paste. It walks all nine load-bearing clauses (equity split, 4-year vest with 1-year cliff, good/bad leaver buy-back, roles, reserved matters and deadlock, IP assignment of pre-incorporation work, exit, dispute resolution) and gives a 16-clause template skeleton. Two India-specific traps it flags will save you a real fight: post-exit non-competes are void under Section 27 of the Contract Act, and any share-related term only binds the company once it is mirrored into your Articles of Association (per V.B. Rangaraj v. V.B. Gopalakrishnan).

Co-Founder Agreement for Indian Startups: Clauses and Template (2026)

From iPleaders by iPleaders 25 min read

  • Nine essential clauses plus a full template skeleton you can adapt: equity, vesting, leaver mechanics, roles, deadlock, IP, confidentiality, exit, arbitration
  • Post-termination non-compete clauses are unenforceable in India under Section 27, so lean on in-term restrictions and non-solicit instead
  • Vesting and buy-back terms bind the company only when written into the Articles of Association, not just the founders' side letter
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Answers What should go in a co-founder agreement, and when do we actually sign it? How do we handle conflict as co-founders before it becomes a breakup? How do I bring on a co-founder who's still at a job or in college without getting burned? One co-founder wrote most of the code before we incorporated. Who owns that IP, and how do we make sure the company does? Do I really need a lawyer and a formal shareholders agreement, or is a signed founders agreement on paper enough for now? What is a founders' agreement and what must it actually cover? How do I structure a startup when I have a non-technical co-founder and a technical one, so the entity and equity reflect real ownership?
📄 Article
✓ Link checked India Free Intermediate

Why we picked it This is the India-context checklist you negotiate from: it lays out exclusive vs sole vs non-exclusive, how royalty and consideration get structured, term limits (a license cannot outlive the IP protection itself), the warranties the licensor must give, and, most usefully, the minimum royalty clause that forces a licensee to actually commercialise instead of sitting on your IP. It ends with a full sample agreement template you can hand to a lawyer as a starting draft.

IP Licensing Agreements (with a sample agreement template)

From iPleaders by iPleaders (Blog) 20 min read

  • Add a minimum royalty or commercialise-within-year-one clause so an exclusive license cannot lock up your IP while the partner does nothing.
  • Define 'improvements', 'enhancements' and 'modifications' up front and who owns them, or you can lose the upgraded IP by default.
  • Cap the term at or below your IP's protection window and name which clauses (confidentiality, indemnity) survive termination.
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Answers How do I license my own IP to someone else (a partner, distributor, or another company) without giving it away?
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