01The departure asks
01 / 04What exactly did you agree when you started?
Handshake founders
"Fifty-fifty. It was a WhatsApp message."
With the file signed
"It is in the founder agreement, signed by all three of us."
Founder & equity agreements · Singapore
Equity splits feel easy on day one.Paper them before they are not.
Founder agreements, vesting and ESOPs drafted by a senior Singapore lawyer who has seen where handshakes end up. Fixed scope, fixed price, usually inside the capped 10 hour contract bundle.
Every clause above is cheap to write now and brutal to litigate later.
What you are actually signing
What a founder agreement actually is.
A founder agreement is the contract between co-founders that decides who owns what, and what happens when things change. Its heart is : equity earned over time, with a at the start. Around it sit , an and a plan for .
Tap a highlighted term for the plain-English version.
Declassified
vesting
Shares are earned over time, usually four years, instead of owned outright on day one. It is the single clause that most reliably saves startups from their own history.
In plain terms: it is the prenup for your company, and the beginning is the only time everyone signs it happily.
The problem we remove
The most expensive disputes are between co-founders.
Put both versions of your company in front of a founder departure and read the difference. Same four questions, asked the way they get asked when someone is already halfway out the door.
02The departure asks
02 / 04Who owns the code your co-founder wrote?
Handshake founders
"The company... probably?"
With the file signed
"The company. The IP assignment was executed on day one."
03The departure asks
03 / 04They are leaving in month six. What happens to their shares?
Handshake founders
"That is turning into a fight."
With the file signed
"Unvested shares return under the cliff. It is a paragraph, not a negotiation."
04The departure asks
04 / 04Two of you disagree and neither will move. Now what?
Handshake founders
"We stop shipping and start emailing."
With the file signed
"The deadlock clause runs. We chose the mechanism while we were still friends."
05Who papers it now
The stakes
Daniel KungDrafting lawyer Halfof a company, gone with a departed founder
Without vesting, the co-founder who leaves in month six keeps every share. That dead equity then blocks every round that follows.
The awkward conversation run once, on paper, by a senior lawyer, so a departure is a mechanism instead of a year of lawyers.
The second voice is not optimism. It is what a signed founder file sounds like, and the beginning is the only cheap time to write it.
How the engagement runs
A week of drafting, a decade of cover.
One capped bundle, one week, and the awkward conversations had on paper instead of in court. Scroll the ledger.
Continuously updated
- Day 0Call
A free call with every founder on the line. The questions are simple to ask now and impossible later: splits, roles, and what happens if someone leaves.
- Day 1Term sheet
A one-page founders' term sheet in plain English. Everyone agrees the substance before any legal drafting starts.
- Day 2Drafting
The founder agreement drafted: vesting, leaver terms, IP assignment, decision rights and the deadlock plan.
- Day 3ESOP
The option pool sized and papered, so the next hire's offer is a template away instead of a project.
- Day 4Review
A joint walkthrough, clause by clause, in founder language. Everyone hears the same explanation at the same time; nothing gets signed misunderstood.
- Day 5Signature
Signed by every founder, executed properly, and filed with the registers updated to match.
- AfterChanges
New founder? Changed split? The file is amended by agreement, not renegotiated from memory.
Fixed price inside the capped bundle, agreed before we start. The hard part is the conversation, and we run that for you.
Everything this covers
Everything between founders, on paper.
Each of these is a template plus judgment. The judgment is what you are buying.
Daniel KungDrafting lawyerDuty 01 of 06
Founder agreements
The core contract between co-founders: the split, the roles, decision rights, and what happens when any of it changes.
- Vesting
- Roles
- Decision rights
Hover a duty to open it, or tap it on mobile.
- Singapore licensed
- Fundraising & SAFEs
- M&A and exits
- Regulators & MAS
The senior judgment behind LDU
Meet Daniel, the lawyer behind every approval.
Fifteen years getting founders through setup, growth and the raise, across the table from investors, regulators and acquirers. He is the senior judgment LDU is built on.
- Years in practice
- 0+
- Matters signed off
- 0+
Years in practice
Matters signed off
Why founders trust us with the split
Drafted by someone who has seen the fallout.
A named senior lawyer who has papered splits and unwound handshakes, and a capped price that keeps the risk on us.
4.8/ 5
Google reviews60+ founder reviews
- 0+
- Founder files papered
- 0 days
- Call to signatures, typically
- 0%
- Signed off by a licensed lawyer
- Singapore licensed
- Founder agreements
- ESOP design
- Dispute prevention
Our promise
One capped price, agreed in writing before we start. The clause-by-clause walkthrough is included, not billed.
Bundle slots are capped each month so turnarounds stay in days.
Customer stories
Why founders choose LDU.
Veljko Vasic
CEO, HolyWally
“As a client of LDU, I was impressed by how they consistently focused on our needs, showing patience and a deep understanding of our core requirements. It felt like having an in-house counsel that always had our best interests at heart. If you're looking for a dedicated team that prioritizes client satisfaction, LDU is the right choice.”
- Less time setting up contracts
- 0%
- Faster to close than competitors
- 0X
- Faster issue resolution
- 0%
- Reviewed by a licensed lawyer
- 0%
Less time setting up contracts
Faster to close than competitors
Faster issue resolution
Reviewed by a licensed lawyer
“Daniel is a consummate professional who was very helpful in our consultation. He assuaged my fears and walked me through how to possibly handle my situation. Did not ask for unnecessary charges or quotes. Highly recommended, especially if you're a small business or startup.”
Leung Wai-Leng“Thanks to LDU and Daniel support, my business which was not well structure for couple months and having some issues is now good to operate. Extremely recommended for anyone not familiar with how Singaporean laws and banks work, it is much better to get great assistance at the beginning and start smoothly. Highly recommended.”
Simon Giraldo“LDU was able to listen to my situation in detail and quickly provide me with effective advice to move forward. Daniel was very professional and clear-headed. A very good experience.”
Benjamin Fossati“LDU have been fantastic in providing legal consulting and services. They have in depth knowledge across various domains and they work quick at a fraction of the cost of what you'd pay at standard market rate.”
Dindo De La Cruz“I had an excellent experience working with LDU Asia. Daniel, in particular, was incredibly helpful, he was responsive, knowledgeable, and guided me through the situation with clarity and professionalism. I highly recommend their services for anyone in need of reliable legal support.”
Josh Decker“Highly qualified, knowledgeable, with a great team. Expert opinions and advice. Would highly recommend for multiple types of legal services. I've used LDUAsia multiple times for a myriad of tasks and they've always been top notch.”
Zach“As an expat in Singapore the firm really helped me with all the clarity on the matter and were very honest during the process.”
Hasan Syed“Excellent experience working with Daniel and his team. We first got into contact almost 2 years ago in the earliest stages of our company. Daniel's team's arrangement was startup friendly and sincere.”
Rishab Patwari“LDU Asia is truly a game-changer for any Singaporean startup. Their team is incredibly tech-savvy, highly responsive, and genuinely values both your time and theirs.”
Sunny Saurabh“Best legal team you can really trust.”
Veljko Vasic“LDU Asia is amazing. Solving my issue within a few day. They are prompt is replying my text and giving advice on what I should do.”
Roy Loi“Easy to work with, thorough, and diligent. A wonderful team that helped meet needs quickly and efficiently.”
Meagan Ranson“Daniel was wonderful in guiding us through the compliance process.”
Kanak Chaudhari“Probably the fastest, most efficient and affordable lawyers in Singapore!”
Mahir Sahin“Super helpful. Professional and knowledgable.”
Daniel Hestevold“I had the pleasure of a professional and highly informative discussion with LDU which brought clarity to my situation and openly shared options and paths forward in a simplistic and grounded way. I am very grateful and highly recommend.”
Robert Kiely
Trusted across Singapore
FAQ
What founders ask about founder terms.
Awkward to bring up?
That is normal, and it only gets harder. Book the free call and let us raise it for you.
No. Founders routinely sign reverse vesting on shares they already hold, and most institutional investors will require exactly that at the next round. Doing it now, on your own terms, beats doing it under a term sheet's deadline.
Your move
Paper the handshake.
Book a free call with your co-founders on the line. Leave with a straight read on what your split needs, whether we work together or not.
- 15 minutes
- Fixed price
- A straight answer
12 founders booked a call this month4.8 Rated by 60+ founders
Bundle slots are capped each month so turnarounds stay in days.