Founder Shareholders Agreement

Start your Irish startup on solid legal ground

Most co-founder fallouts are not caused by bad intentions. They are caused by two founders who never wrote down what they actually agreed. The Founder Shareholders Agreement locks in the commercial reality of your startup — equity splits, vesting, decision rights, IP ownership, and exit rules — in a document Irish investors will recognise and respect.

Add to cart — €249 fixed fee

What is included

• Bespoke shareholders agreement drafted to your founding team’s specifics
• Founder vesting schedule (standard 4-year vest, 1-year cliff — or custom)
• Good-leaver / bad-leaver provisions and reverse vesting on early departure
• Full founder IP assignment clause (code, brand, designs, know-how)
• Decision-rights matrix for board and shareholder-level decisions
• Pre-emption rights, tag-along and drag-along protection
• Anti-dilution and investor-readiness drafting so it survives your seed round
• One round of revisions included
• E-signing for all founders

Who this is for

Irish limited companies with two or more co-founders, typically pre-seed through seed stage. Works for tech startups, consumer brands, consultancies, and any multi-founder venture where equity, IP, and commitment need to be formally recorded.

Process and turnaround

1. Purchase — secure checkout, fixed €249 fee.
2. Founder information form — short online questionnaire, takes ~20 minutes.
3. Drafting — our firm drafts the agreement within 5 working days.
4. Review call — 30-minute video call to walk through the draft with the founders.
5. Revisions + signing — one round of revisions, then e-sign for all founders.

Why Online Legal Services Ireland

• Law Society of Ireland regulated firm
• Fixed transparent fees — no hourly creep
• 48-hour response commitment during business days
• Online-first: purchase, review and sign entirely online
• Investor-ready drafting — written to survive your first funding round

Related services

Also consider: Standard Shareholder Agreement, Small Business Incorporation Pack, Partnership Agreement.

Frequently asked questions

What is a founder shareholders agreement and do I really need one in Ireland?

A founder shareholders agreement is a private contract between co-founders that sits alongside your company constitution. It covers equity splits, vesting, decision rights, what happens if a founder leaves, IP ownership, and investor protection clauses. It is strongly recommended for any Irish startup with more than one founder — without it, Irish company law defaults kick in and rarely produce the outcome founders actually want.

How is this different from your standard Shareholder Agreement product?

Our standard Shareholder Agreement is designed for established SMEs with existing shareholders. The Founder Shareholders Agreement is tailored to pre-revenue or early-stage startups where all shareholders are also founders working in the business. It includes founder vesting, good-leaver / bad-leaver provisions, reverse vesting, IP assignment from each founder, and investor-friendly drafting so you are not rewriting it before your first funding round.

What is founder vesting and why does it matter?

Founder vesting means each founder earns their shares over time (typically four years with a one-year cliff) rather than owning them outright from day one. If a co-founder walks away after six months, the company keeps the unvested shares. Without vesting, a departing founder can hold 25%+ of your company forever — which is a near-automatic red flag for investors and a common cause of startup failure in Ireland.

Is this compliant with Irish company law and ready for investors?

Yes. The agreement is drafted to sit neatly with the Companies Act 2014, compatible with typical Irish company constitutions, and structured in the format Irish and UK angel investors and VCs expect to see during due diligence. We draft it so that when your seed round arrives, the agreement needs minor updates rather than a full rewrite.

How long does it take and how does the process work?

Turnaround is typically 5 to 7 working days from receipt of your information form. You complete a short online questionnaire covering founders, equity splits, vesting preferences, and decision-making rules. We draft the agreement, send it for your review, incorporate one round of revisions, and then issue the final version for e-signing by all founders.

Does this include IP assignment from each founder to the company?

Yes. A founder IP assignment clause is included as standard. Any intellectual property each founder has created relating to the business — code, designs, brand, know-how — is cleanly assigned to the company. This is non-negotiable for investor due diligence and is one of the most common legal gaps we see in Irish startups.

What if my co-founder and I disagree on the terms?

That is exactly what this document is for — to surface the disagreements now, when the cost is a conversation, rather than later when the cost is the company. We include founder-friendly default positions and explain the trade-offs for each clause. If you cannot reach agreement on a specific point, we can flag it for a fixed-fee mediation call.

Is this only for tech startups or can non-tech founders use it?

The agreement works for any multi-founder Irish limited company — tech, e-commerce, services, product, or professional practices. The vesting, IP assignment, and decision-right clauses are just as important for a co-founded consultancy or DTC brand as they are for a SaaS startup.

Add to cart — €249 fixed fee