Work through equity, vesting, IP ownership, roles, and what happens if someone leaves — before those conversations become awkward or costly.
Created by the Groundwork team
A real document, built from everything you worked through — then critiqued the way a tough reviewer would and polished round by round. Plus a project summary that shows your work.
25 steps in the full journey.
Two or more people who have started building together and haven't written anything down. The right time is before it feels necessary — by the time it feels necessary, the conversation is already expensive.
The splits and the terms around them: who owns what, over what vesting schedule, who decides what, how IP created before and after today is assigned, and what happens to equity if someone leaves in month seven.
Splitting 50/50 to avoid a difficult conversation, then discovering the difficult conversation was the point. Close behind: no vesting and no cliff, which means a cofounder who leaves after two months keeps half the company forever — the single most common unfixable mistake at this stage.
This is where the conversation starts. Each answer shapes what gets asked next.
+ 13 more questions across discovery, validation, and the creative brief — each one adapting to what you've already said.
The first five questions of any project are free — no card required.
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