--- title: "Founder Agreements" id: "167" type: "products" slug: "founder-agreements" published_at: "2019-10-08T21:52:59+00:00" modified_at: "2026-09-15T15:19:25+00:00" url: "https://seedlegals.com/start/founder-agreements/" markdown_url: "https://seedlegals.com/start/founder-agreements.md" --- - [Start](https://seedlegals.com/start/) Founder Agreements [Start](https://seedlegals.com/start/) # Founder Agreements ## Create your founder agreements Use SeedLegals to create agreements that protect you and your co founders and distribute equity from the start. [Start Free](https://app.seedlegals.com/signup) [Sign up with Google](https://app.seedlegals.com/signup) [Trustpilot](https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.seedlegals.com) [Trustpilot](https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.seedlegals.com) ###### Founder Agreement ## Create a Founder Agreement Our Founder Agreement is designed to protect the founders and the company if things go wrong between the founders, which happens more often than you think. ###### Founder Service Agreement ## Create a Founder Service Agreement Investors are going to be looking for this as part of their due diligence, so if you and your co-founders don’t have a signed Founder Service Agreement in place, now’s the time to do it. ###### IP Assignment ## Protect your idea from the start Avoid disputes over IP ownership down the line. Make sure you have a signed IP Assignment with everyone who’s contributed to your product or idea. [https://seedlegals.com/resources/free-founders-agreement-for-uk-startups/](https://seedlegals.com/resources/free-founders-agreement-for-uk-startups/) [Free founders agreements for UK startups](https://seedlegals.com/resources/free-founders-agreement-for-uk-startups/) [https://seedlegals.com/resources/seedlegals-membership-contracts/](https://seedlegals.com/resources/seedlegals-membership-contracts/) [SeedLegals membership: the contracts, policies and agreements included](https://seedlegals.com/resources/seedlegals-membership-contracts/) [https://seedlegals.com/resources/7-statistics-on-uk-founder-salaries-and-share-vesting/](https://seedlegals.com/resources/7-statistics-on-uk-founder-salaries-and-share-vesting/) [7 Statistics on UK Founder Salaries and Share Vesting](https://seedlegals.com/resources/7-statistics-on-uk-founder-salaries-and-share-vesting/) ## Frequently asked questions Still have questions? [Get in touch](/contact) - What is a Founder Service Agreement? This is the employment agreement for founders. Each founder should sign one ahead of the funding round. It sets out their obligations, director duties, equity vesting schedule and more. - What’s the difference between a Founder Agreement and Founder Service Agreement? The Founder Agreement is a lightweight version of the Founder Service Agreement, used for founders who aren't being paid a salary. You should then migrate to a Founder Service Agreement when you start being paid a salary, which is often around the time of your first funding round. - I’m not planning to raise funding. Do I still need to sign a Founder Service Agreement? Yes! Many of the clauses present in the agreement are applicable to companies not taking in external investment e.g. roles and responsibilities, protection of the companies interests, confidentiality clauses, and founder restrictions. - I’m a solo founder, do I need a Founder Service Agreement? Yes! The Founder Service Agreement is there to protect the company as well as the founding team. Investors will expect to see the warranties, IP assignment, and confidentiality clauses present in the Founder Service Agreement. If you need to protect confidential information before an agreement is signed, find out [what an NDA is and when to use one](https://seedlegals.com/resources/non-disclosure-agreement/) . - Should I create a Shareholders Agreement instead of a Founder Service Agreement? At SeedLegals, we use the term Shareholders Agreement to mean the agreement between the company and the shareholders and the investors that you create as part of a funding round. That is separate to the agreement that each founder signs between themselves and the company (often when the company is incorporated) that defines their role, the amount of equity they get, and their vesting of their equity, etc. Some people use the term Shareholders Agreement to refer to that early agreement with the founders and the company, but we think that's confusing, so we use the term Founder Agreement for the agreement between the founders and the company, and Shareholders Agreement for funding rounds. - Do all founders need to sign a Founder Service Agreement? Yes! Founder Service Agreements are individual documents and each member of the founding team will need to sign one. - Should all founders vest their equity? Yes! Having the founders equity vested will protect the company, and the rest of the founding team, in the event that a founder leaves. It can be the difference between the company failing and surviving if this happens! And most investors will insist on founder share vesting anyway. [Get in touch](/contact) ## You’re in safe hands Our team of legal and funding experts have helped thousands of entrepreneurs raise money and grow their businesses. - ##### Beautifully organised Your company's core agreements, all in one place - ##### Secure signatures Share and collect signatures online via SeedLegals - ##### Backed by real lawyers Create the exact documents you need at every stage of growth - ##### Serious about security Your information stays safe and confidential in our secure system - ##### Helpful humans Talk to one of our friendly team anytime on live chat - ##### Extra protection Don't worry, our insurance covers claims related to our platform ## We’ve helped over 60,000 companies From food to FinTech and beyond, join thousands of startups who use SeedLegals to start, raise and grow faster. - - - - - - [More customer stories](/customers/) - The reality is you’re on a journey; fundraising is so much about the narrative. SeedLegals allows you to tell the right story at the right time with the right legal documents for different types of investors. ##### Louise Doherty Founder & CEO, Yoller - SeedLegals held our hand through complex investor negotiations and even picked up on some errors produced by our previous lawyers which were a well-known City law firm! ##### Alex Templeton Founder & CEO, Qured - One of the great things about SeedLegals is that it is designed to be appropriate for the round and the stage of the business. They keep it simple. It feels like they really understand that. ##### Alex Rainey Co-founder & CEO, Pluto - How do I get all the businesses I invest in to use SeedLegals? ##### Alexander Wyndham Angel Investor , The Family - It's easy to forget about the legal side of things but SeedLegals make things really easy to understand. The team at SeedLegals are truly amazing. ##### Darren Tenkorang Founder, TRIM-IT - There’s an opportunity to reach a specialist advisor via chat, phone and email to check in on anything. The SeedLegals team were extremely responsive – really amazing. ##### Emilie Vanpoperinghe Co-Founder, OddBox - - - - - -