Shareholders' agreement template — draft one in minutes

What your shareholders' agreement covers

• Shareholders and share classesFounders, investors and others, with one class of shares or several.
• The boardWho may appoint and remove directors, how many must attend a meeting, how decisions pass, and whether the chair has a casting vote.
• Shareholder meetingsWho must attend for a meeting to go ahead and what happens if too few do.
• Key decisionsMatters that need the agreement of a set majority of shareholders before the company acts.
• New shares and transfersRights to take up new shares first, to be offered shares before outsiders, and tag-along and drag-along on a sale.
• Founders and leaversFounder vesting, and what happens to shares when someone leaves on good or bad terms.
• Exits and defaultsHow shareholders can exit, and what happens if one breaks the agreement.

When you need one

• When two or more people start a company together
• Before taking in an investor
• When a new shareholder joins or one is about to leave
• When the company has grown and the original handshake deal no longer covers how decisions are made

How it works

1. 1Answer a few questionsPlain English, one at a time. Skip anything you are unsure of.
2. 2FD AI drafts your shareholders' agreementFrom Founders Doc's own lawyer-written wording, shaped around your answers.
3. 3Check, edit and downloadChange any wording, ask FD AI to explain a clause, then download it as Word.

Common questions