Template · copy-paste template + notes

Startup Advisor Agreement Template (FAST-Style, 2025)

Promise Legal Free Intermediate

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.

  • Standard advisor vesting is 2 years monthly, much shorter than the 4-year employee schedule, so exits come around fast
  • The termination clause is the load-bearing part: at-will notice plus immediate vesting stop is what makes a clean break possible
  • Vested options carry a 90-day exercise window post-exit, a detail worth flagging to the advisor so the parting stays amicable
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The question it answers

  1. How do I know when an advisor or mentor relationship has run its course, and how do I gracefully end it?

Read with it

  1. 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
  2. Tactic 7 is the exact conversation you need: you will outgrow advisors, so anticipate it by several months, tell them plainly... First Round Review Article · 12 min read 7 Tactics to Get the Most Out of Your Startup's Advisors Phin Barnes (First Round Capital)
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