The document that prevents the most common startup breakdowns covers equity splits, decision-making authority, vesting schedules, and what happens if a co-founder leaves. Most founding teams avoid this conversation until a disagreement forces it.
A co-founder agreement should reflect how you actually plan to work together: roles, capital contributions, IP ownership, and exit scenarios. It is not about distrust. It is about aligning expectations while everyone is still on the same page. Business structuring advisory covers entity selection, co-founder agreements, equity structuring, and the operational frameworks required to support growth.
The best time to put one in place is early, before revenue, before investors, and before the working relationship gets complicated. Waiting until a dispute arises means negotiating from a position of conflict rather than collaboration.
If you are also entering commercial partnerships or vendor relationships as you build, MOUs and commercial agreements can set expectations before larger commitments are made.