📈 Free Corporate & Startup Documents
Free corporate and startup documents — operating agreements, shareholder agreements, board consents, equity grants and funding instruments (SAFEs).
LLC Operating / Partnership Agreement
Starting a company with co-owners, taking on a business partner, or setting up your LLC — and you need the agreement that says who owns what and who runs it? An operating agreement — also called an LLC operating agreement, a multi-member (or single-member) operating agreement, a partnership agreement, or a shareholder / buy-sell agreement — is the DEFINITIVE governance contract the owners of a company sign to set out ownership, capital, management, profit / loss sharing, transfers and what happens when someone leaves. It's the internal constitution of the business (distinct from the deal-side LOI or purchase agreement), and it's what a partnership / joint-venture letter of intent matures into. PaperKit builds the right one: pick the entity — MULTI-MEMBER LLC, SINGLE-MEMBER LLC, GENERAL PARTNERSHIP, or LIMITED PARTNERSHIP (this sets the title and whether the owners are Members or Partners) — then pick how it's run, which rewrites the management section: MEMBER-MANAGED (the owners run it), MANAGER-MANAGED (appointed managers run it), or PARTNER-MANAGED. Then just add the owners in a table — each one's name, capital contribution and ownership % — and it does the math: total capital, and if you leave the percentages blank it splits ownership in proportion to what each owner puts in, always totalling up. Every clause an operating agreement expects is laid out and toggleable: formation & name, purpose, principal office & registered agent, term, capital contributions & the ownership table, capital accounts, additional capital / capital calls, allocations & distributions (pro-rata or as agreed), management & the reserved 'major decisions', voting, books, records & tax treatment, transfer restrictions with a right of first refusal & buy-sell, admission & withdrawal of owners, dissolution & winding-up, indemnification & limited liability, an optional owner non-compete & confidentiality, and optional binding arbitration — plus governing law and extra terms. It's self-drafted: the organizing owner reviews and e-signs online, every other owner signs on their printed signature line, and you download the clean PDF, with an optional notary block. (This is a template, not legal advice; LLC and partnership statutes, tax elections, securities rules and fiduciary duties vary by state and by entity — confirm yours before relying on this form.)
Open tool →Shareholder Agreement / Corporate Bylaws
Starting a corporation with co-founders, bringing in an investor, or setting up your Inc. — and you need the agreement that says who owns which shares and who controls the company? A shareholder agreement — also searched as a shareholders agreement, a corporate bylaws / buy-sell agreement, a stock purchase or founders agreement — is the CORPORATION counterpart to an LLC operating agreement: the governing contract the founders and shareholders of a corporation sign to set out share ownership, governance, transfers, a buy-sell and what happens when a shareholder leaves. PaperKit builds the right one: pick the corporation — C CORPORATION, S CORPORATION, CLOSE CORPORATION, or PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION (this sets the title, the terminology and the tax treatment, including the Subchapter S election) — then pick how it's governed, which rewrites the governance section: BOARD-MANAGED (an elected board runs it), SHAREHOLDER-MANAGED (the shareholders run it directly), or SOLE DIRECTOR. Then add the shareholders in a table — each one's name, share count and price per share — and it does the math: total shares, total invested, and each holder's ownership % worked out from their shares, always totalling 100%. Every clause a shareholder agreement expects is laid out and toggleable: incorporation & name, purpose, principal office & registered agent, capital structure & authorized shares, the shareholders & ownership table, issuance & consideration, governance & the reserved matters, voting, dividends, transfer restrictions with a right of first refusal, a buy-sell on death / disability / departure / default, drag-along & tag-along rights, pre-emptive rights, founder share vesting, books, records & tax treatment, an optional shareholder non-compete, and optional binding arbitration — plus governing law and extra terms. It's self-drafted: the organizing shareholder reviews and e-signs online, every other shareholder signs on their printed signature line, and you download the clean PDF, with an optional notary block. (This is a template, not legal advice; corporation statutes, the S-corp election, securities rules and fiduciary duties vary by state and by corporation type — confirm yours before relying on this form.)
Open tool →SAFE / Convertible Note / Stock Purchase
Raising your first outside money — a friends-and-family, angel or seed round — and you need the actual document that turns cash into equity? A SAFE, a convertible note and a priced stock purchase are the three instruments startups use to take early investment, and they're what founders and investors search for by name (SAFE agreement, safe note, convertible note, convertible promissory note, stock purchase agreement, seed round documents). It's the natural next step after you've set up the company: form the corporation, then raise money on it. PaperKit builds the right one: pick the instrument — a SAFE (a valuation cap + discount, no interest or maturity, converts at your next priced round), a CONVERTIBLE NOTE (principal + interest rate + maturity date + cap + discount — a loan that converts), or a PRICED STOCK PURCHASE (investors buy shares now at a set price) — and it reshapes the whole document. Then pick how it converts, which rewrites the conversion-mechanics section: CAP + DISCOUNT (the investor gets the better of the two), CAP ONLY, DISCOUNT ONLY, or MOST-FAVORED-NATION (no cap or discount, matches your best later terms). Add your investors in a table — each name and amount — and it does the money math live: the total you're raising, each investor's share of the round, a SAFE's cap-and-discount conversion illustration, a note's interest accrual to maturity, or a priced round's shares × price. Every clause an early round expects is laid out and toggleable: the round & investment amount, conversion on a qualified financing, valuation cap & discount, liquidity & dissolution (SAFE) or interest, maturity & repayment (note), representations, pro-rata rights, information rights, an optional board-observer seat, transfer restrictions and optional binding arbitration — plus governing law and extra terms. It's self-drafted: the company signatory reviews and e-signs online, every investor signs on their printed signature line, and you download the clean PDF, with an optional notary block. (This is a template, not legal advice; securities laws — registration exemptions, accredited-investor rules — corporation statutes and tax treatment vary by state and by instrument, so confirm yours before relying on this form.)
Open tool →Stock Option / Restricted Stock / Advisor Grant
Hiring your first employees, bringing on an advisor, or giving a co-founder their shares — and you need the actual document that puts equity in their hands? A stock option grant, a restricted stock purchase and an advisor equity agreement are the three instruments startups use to grant equity, and they're what founders and their team search for by name (stock option agreement, incentive stock option, ISO / NSO, restricted stock purchase agreement, 83(b) election, employee equity, stock grant, vesting schedule, advisor agreement template). It's the natural next step after you've set up the company and raised money: form the corporation, raise the round, then give equity to the team. PaperKit builds the right one: pick the grant — a STOCK OPTION (ISO or NSO, a strike price, the right to buy shares later), a RESTRICTED STOCK purchase (shares issued now, subject to vesting, with an 83(b) note), or an ADVISOR grant (FAST-style advisory equity for services) — and it reshapes the whole document. Then pick how it vests, which rewrites the vesting section: the STANDARD 4-YEAR / 1-YEAR CLIFF (25% at the cliff then monthly), MONTHLY with no cliff, MILESTONE-based, or FULLY VESTED on grant. Add your grantees in a table — each name and share count — and it does the math live: total granted, each grantee's share of the pool, the exercise or purchase cost (shares × price), and the vesting-tranche math (the cliff amount, then the monthly installment). Every clause a real grant expects is laid out and toggleable: the grant, the economic & vesting summary, exercise price & method (options) or purchase & 83(b) (restricted stock) or advisory services (advisor), termination & the exercise window, double-trigger acceleration on a change of control, early exercise, a right of first refusal, IP assignment, confidentiality, taxes & withholding and transfer restrictions — plus governing law and extra terms. It's self-drafted: the company signatory reviews and e-signs online, every grantee signs on their printed signature line, and you download the clean PDF, with an optional notary block. (This is a template, not legal or tax advice; securities laws, 409A valuation, ISO qualification, the 83(b) election and its strict 30-day deadline, and tax treatment vary by grant type and by state, so confirm yours before relying on this form.)
Open tool →Board / Stockholder Written Consent (corporate resolution)
You granted the options, closed the round, appointed the officer — but has the board actually AUTHORIZED any of it? Every corporate action a startup takes (issuing equity, raising money, hiring officers, adopting a plan, opening a bank account, amending the charter) has to be approved by the board of directors or the stockholders, and the document that proves it is an Action by Written Consent — a “corporate resolution,” a “unanimous written consent,” a “board resolution,” a “written consent of stockholders.” It's the instrument investors, banks and diligence lawyers ask for, and it's what founders and corporate secretaries search for by name (corporate resolution, board resolution template, board of directors resolution, unanimous written consent, action by written consent, written consent of stockholders, incorporator statement). It's the authorizing layer under everything else PaperKit builds: form the company, raise money, grant equity, onboard the team — and paper the board/stockholder consent that approves it. PaperKit builds the right one: pick who's consenting — the BOARD OF DIRECTORS (directors acting by written consent in lieu of a meeting), the STOCKHOLDERS (shareholders acting by written consent in lieu of a meeting), or the SOLE INCORPORATOR (the first organizational actions: adopt the bylaws, appoint the initial directors) — and it reshapes the whole instrument. Then pick the focus, which rewrites the recitals and the standard “RESOLVED, that…” clauses: APPROVE EQUITY GRANTS / an option pool, approve a FINANCING / issuance of securities, APPOINT OFFICERS / approve hires, or GENERAL ratification. Add your own resolutions in a table — each becomes a numbered “RESOLVED, that…” clause — and list the consenting directors or stockholders, each of whom gets a printed signature line. Every part a real consent expects is here and toggleable: the WHEREAS recitals, the standard resolutions for your action, an omnibus further-action / ratification resolution, the effective-date and counterparts clauses, an optional waiver of notice, and a secretary's certification. It's self-drafted: the corporate secretary reviews and e-signs the certification online, the directors/stockholders sign their printed lines, and you download the clean PDF, with an optional notary block. (This is a template, not legal advice; written-consent requirements — unanimity for board consents, the voting threshold and notice for stockholder consents, and organizational steps for an incorporator — vary by state and by your charter and bylaws, so confirm yours before relying on this form.)
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