Startup & corporate
Legal foundations for a company built to last
Advice for founders and growing businesses, from choosing an entity and papering the founder relationship to ESOPs, term sheets, funding rounds and the commercial contracts that carry the business.
Free 15-minute consultation. Your idea is confidential from the very first hello, protected whether or not you go on to instruct us.
What's included
Everything your startup & corporate advisory needs
Most of the disputes that damage young companies trace back to something that was never written down. We help founders get the foundational documents right early, when it is cheap to do, and stay with the company as it raises and grows.
Founding structure & agreements
We advise on entity choice between a private limited company, LLP and other forms, and prepare the founder documents: equity split, vesting, roles, decision-making, IP assignment from founders to the company, and what happens when someone leaves.
ESOPs & equity planning
We design and document ESOP schemes and other equity incentives, including the pool size, grant and vesting mechanics, exercise terms and the treatment of options on exit, and explain the trade-offs to founders and employees alike.
Term sheets & funding rounds
We review and negotiate term sheets and take funding rounds through to closing: shareholders' and subscription agreements, liquidation preference, anti-dilution, board composition, reserved matters, information rights and the due diligence process.
Commercial contracts & recognition
We draft and negotiate the day-to-day commercial contracts, customer and vendor terms, SaaS and platform agreements, NDAs, consultancy and employment documents, and assist with DPIIT startup recognition and the eligibility questions around it.
Simple, transparent, fast
How it works
- 01
Understand the venture
A free, confidential conversation about the founders, the product, the ownership split and where you expect the company to be in two years.
- 02
Get the foundation right
We put the entity, founder agreements, IP assignments and standard contracts in place, so the company owns what it thinks it owns.
- 03
Prepare to raise
We tidy the cap table and records, set up the ESOP pool, and get the company into a state that survives investor due diligence.
- 04
Negotiate & close
We work through the term sheet and definitive documents with you, explain what each clause will mean in practice, and take the round to closing.
Why Soni & Soni
Authority you can rely on, a process you can see.
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IP-aware corporate advice
A boutique practice in intellectual property and corporate law, so the brand, code and inventions end up owned by the company, properly assigned and recorded.
Founders explained the trade-offs
We tell you what a clause will cost you later, not just what it says. Term sheet negotiation is easier when you understand what you are trading.
Documents that survive diligence
Clean records and consistent paperwork save weeks in a funding round and avoid awkward disclosures.
Practising since 2008
Offices in Ahmedabad and Jodhpur, with a first response to new enquiries within ten minutes.
Talk to an attorney
Building something, or about to raise?
Tell us where the company is and what's coming next, and we'll come back with a clear view of what needs papering first, confidentially, at no cost for the first conversation.
Free 15-minute consultation. Your idea is confidential from the very first hello, protected whether or not you go on to instruct us.
Startup & Corporate Advisory, your questions, answered
When should founders sign a founders' agreement?
Before there is anything to argue about. A founders' agreement records the equity split, vesting, roles, decision-making and what happens if a founder leaves, and it assigns to the company the intellectual property the founders create. It is far easier to agree these terms while everyone is aligned.
How do ESOPs usually work in an Indian company?
A company sets aside a pool of shares, grants options to employees under a scheme document and board and shareholder approvals, and those options vest over time before the employee can exercise them. The scheme's terms on vesting, exercise windows and what happens on exit or termination matter a great deal, and we draft them deliberately rather than by default.
What should I look at most carefully in a term sheet?
Beyond valuation, pay close attention to liquidation preference, anti-dilution protection, board composition and reserved matters, founder vesting, transfer restrictions and exit rights. These determine control and what each shareholder actually receives in an exit. We go through the sheet with you clause by clause.
What is DPIIT startup recognition, and is it worth applying for?
It is recognition of an eligible entity as a startup by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, which opens access to certain benefits and schemes. Eligibility turns on the entity's age, turnover and whether it is working towards innovation or improvement in products, processes or services. We assess whether you qualify and handle the application.
Do we need a shareholders' agreement if we already have articles of association?
Usually yes, and the two need to be read together. The shareholders' agreement records the commercial bargain between the shareholders, while the articles bind the company. Where they conflict, problems follow, so we make sure the articles are amended to reflect the agreement.
Can you help with our standard customer and vendor contracts?
Yes. We prepare a set of templates the team can use without calling a lawyer each time, covering scope, payment, liability, confidentiality, data protection and intellectual property, and we step in for the negotiations that fall outside the template.
Let's protect what you've built.
Book your free, confidential consultation and talk through your company's legal foundations.