Founders' Agreements and IP: What Early-Stage Teams Should Know

​Thinking about starting a company, or already at the very beginning of that journey? Some of the most important decisions happen before there's even a product: how you split shares with your co-founders, how a professor or other stakeholders fit into the cap table, and how you keep control of the company as it grows.

These questions are easy to put off, but getting them right early saves you from challenges later on. This session is a chance to ask them directly to two lawyers who work with startups every day.

Claudia Keller and Michael Baier from our partner Wenger Vieli will walk through the basics and share what they've learned from working with founders:

• ​Incorporating your startup: what actually needs to happen, and when

• ​Allocating shares among founders, professors, and other stakeholders

• ​(Reverse) vesting schemes and why they matter for keeping a team together

• ​How to secure and maintain control of your company as you grow and raise

​There will be many opportunities for you to ask your questions directly during the session.

This is for you if you're an ETH or AI Center student, fellow, or early-stage founder who's starting to think about these questions and wants clear answers from a legal perspective.

​Agenda

• ​7:45am - Arrival & Breakfast

• ​8:00am - Workshop begins

• ​9:00am - Q&A and Networking

• ​9:30am - Official End

​Your Hosts

• ​Claudia Keller heads Wenger Vieli's IP, technology and competition law team, advising startups on protecting and managing their intellectual property.

• ​Michael Baier leads Wenger Vieli's Start-up Desk and works with tech founders through spin-offs, financing rounds, and building teams, including many ETH spin-offs.