Free Tool · For Founders · India and Global
Split startup equity fairly between co-founders based on idea, commitment, experience, capital, network, and risk, with jurisdiction-specific legal guidance for founders in India and worldwide. Instant, free, no signup to see your split.
Every founding team eventually asks the same question: who gets how much? It feels awkward to raise early, so many teams default to an even split, or avoid the conversation entirely until an investor forces it during due diligence. Both are mistakes.
A poorly reasoned equity split is one of the most common reasons startups fail from the inside, not from the market, but from co-founder conflict. An uneven contribution met with an even split breeds resentment. A rushed 50-50 split between two founders can create deadlock the moment they disagree on a real decision. And a split that ignores vesting entirely can leave a company holding equity for a founder who left after three months.
This calculator gives you a structured, defensible starting point, built on six factors that matter (not just “who had the idea”), plus practical warnings and legal notes specific to where you are incorporating. It will not replace a proper conversation with your co-founders or a lawyer-drafted Founders’ Agreement, but it will make that conversation much easier to have.
Split startup equity fairly based on idea, commitment, experience, capital, network, and risk, with jurisdiction-specific legal guidance for India and global founders.
Defaults weight commitment and experience highest, reflecting that consistent execution matters more than the idea alone. Adjust if your situation differs.
Six factors, a transparent formula, and legal notes for your jurisdiction.
Enter 2 to 6 founders, and choose whether you’re incorporating in India or globally.
Rate each founder on idea, full-time commitment, relevant experience, capital contributed, network, and risk taken.
See an instant pie chart and percentage split, calculated from a transparent, adjustable weighting.
Get flagged for deadlock-risk splits, capital-only founders who may be better structured as investors, and a jurisdiction-specific legal note.
Most founders instinctively think the person with the idea deserves the most equity. In practice, ideas are common; disciplined execution over years is rare. That is why this calculator, by default, weights commitment and relevant experience above the idea itself. You can adjust every weight, but the defaults reflect how equity actually gets valued in practice.
Once scored, each founder’s equity percentage is calculated from their weighted total relative to the group. The exact formula and every input are shown in your full breakdown so nothing is a black box.
It avoids an uncomfortable conversation today at the cost of a much more painful one later. An even split between founders with unequal ongoing commitment tends to surface as resentment months in, often right when the company needs alignment most. Consider a deliberate, if slightly uneven, split with a clear tie-break mechanism for real deadlocks.
Never issue 100% of anyone’s equity upfront, including your own. Standard practice is a 4-year vesting schedule with a 1-year cliff: if a founder leaves within the first year, they take nothing; after that, their equity vests gradually. Without this, a founder who leaves after two months keeps a permanent stake in a company they didn’t help build.
If someone’s contribution is mostly capital with little ongoing involvement, full co-founder equity is usually the wrong structure. A SAFE, convertible note, or straightforward investment is often fairer to everyone, and avoids diluting the founders actually running the company.
Equity structuring looks different depending on where you incorporate. In India, for example, non-compete clauses against a departing founder are void under Section 27 of the Contract Act, so protection has to come from confidentiality and IP assignment instead. In the US, a founder’s 83(b) election has a strict 30-day window that, if missed, cannot be undone. These are not details to guess at.
What to put in your founders’ agreement.
What happens to their equity, and vesting in practice.
Understanding fully diluted ownership.
Structuring equity for advisors and partners.
What founders should never agree to.
Early-stage funding instruments.
Our lawyers draft founders’ agreements that lock in your split, vesting schedule, and IP assignment, in India or globally. Fixed fee, clear scope, confirmed upfront.
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This too is reviewed by Prakhar Rai, an advocate enrolled with the Bar Council of India and the founder of My Legal Pal. An alumnus of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore, with a Master of Business Laws, Prakhar and the My Legal Pal team advise founders on founders’ agreements, cap tables, and early-stage equity structuring in India and globally.
This tool is informational only and does not constitute legal, financial, or tax advice. Reviewed by Prakhar Rai, Advocate (Bar Council of India). Last updated: August 2026.
