Free template
One-page founder agreement template
For two people starting a side project. Plain words, filled in over coffee, signed before anyone buys the domain.
Not legal advice. This is a starting point so you talk about the hard stuff early. It is not a substitute for a lawyer, a company agreement, or a shareholder agreement. Laws differ by country. Get professional advice before you rely on it.
Why bother on day one?
Most side-project fights aren't about the idea. They're about who paid for what, who owns the domain and the code, and what happens when one person stops showing up. Writing it down takes 20 minutes. Untangling it later can take months.
The template
Copy the text below into a doc and fill in the blanks.
Project agreement: [PROJECT NAME]
Date: [DATE]
Between: [NAME A] and [NAME B] ("we")
1. What we're building
[One or two sentences about the project.]
2. Shares
We share the project [50/50 or X/Y]. If we form a company, we'll use these shares as the starting point.
3. Who does what
[NAME A]: [e.g. product, code]. [NAME B]: [e.g. marketing, sales].
4. Costs
We split project costs in the same ratio as our shares. We log every cost in a shared ledger the day it's paid and settle up every [month]. Any single cost over [AMOUNT] needs both of us to agree first.
5. Accounts and assets
The domain, code repository, hosting, payment and social accounts belong to the project, not to whoever signed up. Each account uses a project email where possible and has at least two admins. We keep an up-to-date list of who owns, pays for and can recover each account.
6. Ideas and code
Work either of us creates for the project belongs to the project. [Optional: work created before [DATE] stays with its creator, who gives the project a free licence to use it.]
7. If someone leaves
If one of us leaves within [6 months], they [keep no share / keep X%]. After that, they keep [their share / a share in proportion to time spent]. The person leaving transfers every account they control within [14 days], following the handover checklist.
8. If we stop the project
We decide together whether to [archive it / open source it / let one person continue]. Whoever continues takes over the costs from that date.
9. Money in
Until we form a company, we split any income in the same ratio as our shares, after costs.
10. Disagreements
We talk first. If we can't agree within [14 days], we ask [a named mentor or mediator] to help.
Signed: ____________ [NAME A] ____________ [NAME B]
Pair it with
- The free project ledger sheet for costs and ownership.
- The handover checklist for clause 7.
- The cost split calculator to settle up.