Most founder fights don’t start with ego. They start with paperwork that felt “small” on day one. Founder stock is one of those things. It seems simple: “We’ll split it fairly. We trust each other.” Then six months later, someone leaves, a new co-founder joins, an investor asks for clean cap table docs, or your […]
How to Set Up Founder Stock the Right Way Read More »
Most founders wait too long to set up vesting. They think it is “legal stuff” they can fix later. Investors see it very differently. To them, vesting is not paperwork. It is proof that your team is stable, fair, and serious. It shows you understand how to build a company that can survive hard months,
Vesting Schedules: The Setup Investors Expect Read More »
Most founders worry about equity splits way too late. It usually starts as a friendly talk between two people building something exciting. The split feels like a “relationship” decision, not a business decision. So it becomes a quick handshake, a clean 50/50, and everyone moves on. Then real pressure shows up. One person starts carrying
Founder Equity Splits VCs Actually Respect Read More »
Most founders wait too long to set up a real board. They tell themselves, “I’m early. I’ll do it after traction.” But the truth is simple: if you want to raise a strong Seed or Series A, your board setup is already part of the deal. Investors do not just fund the product. They fund
Board Setup for Seed and Series A Readiness Read More »
A clean cap table is one of those quiet things that decides how easy your next round will be. Most founders only notice it when something breaks. A new investor asks for your ownership file. Your lawyer starts pulling threads. And suddenly you are stuck explaining why five different people “kind of” own the same
How to Keep Your Cap Table Clean for Future Rounds Read More »
If you file patents in more than one country, you will get office actions. Not “maybe.” You will. The good news is: most office actions are normal, predictable, and beatable if you plan ahead. The bad news is: they can drain time, budget, and founder focus if you treat them like random bad luck. At
Office Actions Across Countries: What to Expect Read More »
Patent prosecution feels a lot like negotiating in real life. Some days, you hold your ground because the idea is strong and the examiner is simply missing it. Other days, you choose a smaller step on purpose, because getting something allowed now is worth more than fighting for everything later. Founders get stuck here all
Prosecution Strategy: When to Push vs When to Narrow Read More »
Most seed-stage founders have a “minimum viable product” mindset. Build the smallest thing that works. Ship it. Learn fast. But there is another “minimum” that quietly decides whether your company becomes fundable, defensible, and hard to copy. It is your Minimum Viable Portfolio. Not a pile of patents. Not a fancy legal folder. Not a
The “Minimum Viable Portfolio” for Seed-Stage Startups Read More »
If you are building AI, robotics, or any hard tech, your code is not just code. It is value. It is leverage. It is the reason an investor believes you can win. But there is one quiet way that value leaks out: messy paperwork with employees and contractors. This is not a legal “nice-to-have.” It
Contractor and Employee IP: Global Paperwork Checklist Read More »
Inventorship and assignments can feel simple when your whole team sits in one office, under one set of laws. But the moment you hire across borders—one engineer in India, a co-founder in Germany, a contractor in Brazil, a patent attorney in the U.S.—“Who owns what?” becomes a real risk, not a paperwork detail. And when
Inventorship and Assignments Across Borders Read More »
Tran.vc invests $50,000 at the pre-seed stage to empower AI, software, and robotics startups. We help technical founders build strong IP moats, raise seed funding, and grow without relying on endless capital. Focused on speed, innovation, and ownership, we back the builders shaping the future with AI.
