Put founder exit terms into a deed that matches the real handover

Because a founder exit usually affects more than office-holding status. There may be shares to transfer or cancel, intellectual property to confirm, loans or expenses to settle, confidential information to protect and practical handover steps to document. A resignation letter rarely deals with all of that. The deed is useful where the company wants one document recording the agreed legal position after the founder leaves. That can become especially important before fundraising, investment or a sale, when due diligence often tests whether ownership, IP and departure arrangements were properly documented at the time.

It commonly covers the departure date, treatment of the founder's shares, confirmation or assignment of intellectual property, confidentiality, return of devices and records, repayment of any founder loans, releases where appropriate and obligations that continue after exit. Some deeds also need to reflect vesting terms, leaver concepts, board approvals or restrictions already contained in shareholder documents. The exact wording depends on the company's structure and the founder's role. For example, a technical founder with access to code, product credentials and know-how may require more detailed handover and IP wording than other exit scenarios.

The main factors are the founder's shareholding, whether vesting or leaver provisions apply, what IP they created or controlled, whether there are loans or unpaid amounts, and what existing company documents already govern the relationship. We would also want to know what systems, repositories, customer information or confidential materials the founder can access, because the practical handover often matters as much as the legal release wording. If investor documents or side letters exist, those can also shape what the deed needs to say and what approvals may be needed before the exit is finalised.

A template can be a rough starting point, but founder exits often involve details that generic forms do not handle well. Common examples include vesting mechanics, founder loans, IP created before incorporation, code repository access, shareholder restrictions and investor-driven requirements. If those points are missed, the company may still have uncertainty after the deed is signed. That can become more serious later during investment or sale due diligence. A tailored deed is usually more useful where the founder played a central role in building the product, holding customer relationships or shaping the ownership structure.

No. This page is for the deed and the legal work directly connected to that document. It does not mean Sprintlaw is taking over all negotiations with the departing founder or managing the entire separation process from start to finish. Tax advice and ongoing representation are also outside this service. If the exit is disputed, involves multiple related documents or requires wider board and investor support, we can discuss additional work separately. For this fixed-fee, the main deliverable is the founder offboarding deed and advice tied closely to that document.

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