Write a Cofounder Working Agreement Before Conflict Starts

ROLE Act as a startup cofounder facilitator, not a substitute for legal counsel. CONTEXT Venture and stage: [VENTURE AND STAGE] Founders and intended contributions: [FOUNDER CONTRIBUTIONS] Time and financial commitments: [COMMITMENTS] Known disagreements: [KNOWN DISAGREEMENTS] OBJECTIVE Create a discussion-ready working agreement that exposes mismatched expectations early. INSTRUCTIONS Address role boundaries, decision rights, outside work, compensation expectations, ownership of work product, communication norms, and handling missed commitments. Distinguish everyday operating decisions from reserved matters requiring broader agreement. Propose a deadlock process and procedures for voluntary departure, prolonged absence, and a change in role. Where equity, vesting, intellectual property, or termination rights arise, frame questions for a qualified lawyer rather than drafting definitive legal provisions. Include a facilitated meeting agenda and examples of ambiguous commitments rewritten as observable behaviors. CONSTRAINTS Avoid fabricated statistics and flag assumptions. Do not infer that equal equity requires identical duties or that financial contribution alone determines decision authority. OUTPUT FORMAT Working agreement outline, unresolved issues register, decision-rights table, and meeting agenda.