Companies and growth
Build the company record before growth tests it.
Company structuring, founder arrangements, investment readiness and commercial contracts for Kenyan businesses.
Triage · about 2 minutes
Company readiness check
Three practical questions. The result is indicative guidance, not legal advice, and nothing is submitted.
- The founders are still relying on trustRoles, equity, vesting, decisions, exits or intellectual property are not fully documented.
- A customer or investor is readyThe company needs clearer contracts, records and ownership before diligence or negotiation.
- The company is changing shapeNew shareholders, capital, products, staff or markets are creating decisions the original structure did not anticipate.
Your indicative route
Scope & deliverables
What we take responsibility for.
Starting points, not packages forced onto every matter. The final scope is confirmed in writing.
Founder and shareholder structure
- Decision and ownership review
- Founder or shareholder documents
- Implementation and records guidance
TimingResolve key commercial decisions before drafting
Investment readiness
- Corporate and IP record review
- Priority diligence clean-up
- Transaction support within scope
TimingSequenced around the investor or transaction timetable
Commercial contracts
- Business-model and risk review
- Drafting or negotiation
- Reusable execution guidance
TimingCounterpart negotiations may affect completion
Founder equity
What a vesting schedule actually does.
A common structure: four years, a one-year cliff, then monthly vesting. A founder who leaves in month eleven keeps nothing; one who leaves in month thirteen keeps just over a quarter.
- Valuation cap
- The highest valuation at which a SAFE converts into shares.
- Discount
- A percentage off the next round’s price for early investors.
- Most favoured nation
- The right to take better terms given to a later SAFE holder.
- Pro rata
- The right to invest again to keep the same percentage.
Process timeline
Know what happens on both sides.
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Map the company reality
YouShare the cap table, agreements, product and next commercial milestone.
HTLAWe compare the operating reality with the legal record.
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Prioritise by consequence
YouConfirm the decisions that cannot wait and the available budget.
HTLAWe sequence founder, ownership, governance and contract work around the business.
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Create a usable record
YouMake the agreed commercial decisions and execute the documents.
HTLAWe prepare the legal pack and explain how to maintain it as the company grows.
Fee range
Fees set within the Advocates Remuneration Order.
Professional fees exclude VAT and official or third-party disbursements unless the written quote says otherwise.
| Instruction | Fee guidance | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Founder and shareholder structure | Fixed quote after founder and cap-table review | Resolve key commercial decisions before drafting |
| Investment readiness | Staged quote according to deal readiness | Sequenced around the investor or transaction timetable |
| Commercial contracts | Fixed or staged quote according to contract scope | Counterpart negotiations may affect completion |
Documents are shared through a private, encrypted intake link, never by email.
Before you instruct
Practical questions.
Clear answers help you decide whether to share documents, book advice or keep researching.
Information on this page is general guidance and does not create an advocate–client relationship. Formal advice begins after conflict checks and written engagement.
When should founders sign an agreement?
As early as practical, before assumptions about roles, equity, decisions, vesting or exits become expensive disagreements.
Can you prepare the company for investor due diligence?
Yes. We can review the corporate, ownership, IP, employment and material-contract record and prioritise gaps.
Do you offer fixed-fee startup work?
Where the scope is sufficiently clear. Complex transactions and negotiations may be divided into priced stages.
Can you act as ongoing outside counsel?
Yes, where the expected work, response model and monthly or staged scope can be defined clearly.