Equity agreements commonly contain the following components: Equity program. This section outlines the details of the investment plan, including its purpose, conditions, and objectives. It also serves as a statement of intention to create a legal relationship between both parties.
Equity agreements allow entrepreneurs to secure funding for their start-up by giving up a portion of ownership of their company to investors. In short, these arrangements typically involve investors providing capital in exchange for shares of stock which they will hold and potentially sell in the future for a profit.
A good benchmark to consider is that your advisors should be receiving between 0.1% to 0.25% of the company because more often than not, advisors will only devote a small portion of their time to your company and may have conflicting commitments.
When you draft an employment contract that includes equity incentives, you need to ensure you do the following: Define the equity package. Outline the type of equity, and the number of the shares or options (if relevant). Set out the vesting conditions. Clarify rights, responsibilities, and buyout clauses.
Contracts Define Your Independent Status This could be helpful if you need to prove consultant status for tax or other financial purposes. This also protects your client. If a company misclassifies an employee as an independent contractor, it can be held liable for fines, penalties, and even class-action lawsuits.
While employment contracts establish a traditional employer-employee relationship with greater control and benefits, consulting agreements offer flexibility, independence, and project-based arrangements.
Write the contract in six steps Start with a contract template. Open with the basic information. Describe in detail what you have agreed to. Include a description of how the contract will be ended. Write into the contract which laws apply and how disputes will be resolved. Include space for signatures.