Make the founders’ deal explicit
Discuss contributions, roles, ownership expectations and what happens if someone leaves. Receive a structured record of agreed positions and unresolved questions before drafting begins.
HRNFTR / Services
Founder agreements and company governance
Agree founder ownership, decision rights, departures and deadlock procedures before they become obstacles to running or funding the company.
Discuss your project →Who this is for
Founder agreements and company governance
For co-founders building a company together, teams bringing in a new founder, and businesses whose informal arrangements no longer match how decisions are made. This work is also useful before an investment changes ownership or control.
The work and what you receive
Put decisions into workable documents
Prepare or review the relevant founder or shareholder arrangements and supporting corporate documents. Scope can include transfer restrictions, departure provisions, reserved matters and deadlock procedures, adapted to the company and applicable law.
Make governance usable
Receive a practical decision and approval matrix: who proposes, who approves and what must be recorded. Identify inconsistencies between the agreement, company documents and everyday practice.
Illustrative example
How we would approach it
Illustrative scenario: two equal founders disagree about hiring a senior executive. We would examine the existing approval rules, work through an escalation or deadlock process and document the agreed mechanism for future decisions. This is an illustrative situation, not a reported client case.
Working together
From the first conversation to delivery
Map the relationship
Share the company structure, current documents, founder roles and the decisions causing uncertainty.
Resolve the commercial choices
Agree which decisions need consent, how ownership may change and what a departure or disagreement should trigger.
Document and implement
Prepare the agreed documents and approval steps, and explain how the team should use them.
Should we wait until we raise investment?
The discussion is often useful earlier, while the founders can still agree how they intend to work together. If an investment is imminent, we align the founder arrangements with the proposed investor rights rather than treating them as separate projects.
New matter
Tell us what needs solving.
A short note is enough. We will reply with the right next step.