Free for founders and angel investors

Startup Engine: incorporate, raise and stay VC-ready

Startup Engine is a free toolkit by BlackBox Startup Law for founders building Delaware C-Corps and for angel investors at pre-seed, seed and Series A. It works without an account.

What you can do

• Cap table and dilution: founders, vesting, option pool, SAFEs and convertible notes; compare pre-money and post-money SAFEs; simulate a priced round with the option pool shuffle; liquidation waterfall; detailed Excel export.
• Startup documents in Word with market terms: Delaware post-incorporation package, founder restricted stock purchase agreements with vesting, IP assignment, 83(b) election, CIIAA, advisor and contractor agreements, offer letters, equity incentive plan and option grants, YC post-money SAFEs and side letters, convertible notes, seed and Series A term sheets, Series Seed documents and board consents. Each in a market, founder-friendly or investor-friendly version.
• Term sheet and SAFE review: upload a document and get clause-by-clause comments from the founder or investor side, with negotiation tips and the US tax view, and download them as Word comments.
• VC data room: the due diligence checklist investors use, linked to your documents, plus a compliance calendar (83(b), Delaware franchise tax, 409A, Form D).
• Ask: practical answers on incorporation, founder equity, SAFEs, priced rounds, QSBS and cross-border founders.

Most-used founder documents

• YC Post-Money SAFE with a valuation cap
• Founder Stock Purchase Agreement with 4-year vesting and a 1-year cliff
• 83(b) Election package, due within 30 days of the stock grant
• CIIAA (confidential information and invention assignment)
• Advisor Agreement with equity and vesting
• Offer Letter for your first employees

Read the Resources library or talk to BlackBox Startup Law.

Startup Engine provides information and draft documents, not legal advice. Review final documents with counsel.