Non-Disclosure Agreement for Startups
NDAs that move at startup speed.
A founder-friendly NDA for investor meetings, partner conversations, and early hires — drafted to be signed in five minutes, not negotiated for two weeks.
Free to start — No credit card required
Most startup NDAs come from one of three places: a generic template found on the internet, a friend's lawyer, or a 14-page version a corporate partner sent over. None of them fit. This template is built for actual startup conversations — short, mutual, and reasonable enough that the other side will sign without sending it to their counsel for review.
Why startups need a non-disclosure agreement
- Mutual NDAs work for partner and corporate development conversations where both sides share sensitive info.
- A short, reasonable NDA gets signed; a 12-page one gets stalled in legal review.
- Standard 2-year term plus trade-secret carve-out covers the typical startup horizon.
- Defined permitted disclosures (advisors, accountants, counsel) prevent accidental breach.
Common scenarios
Investor due diligence (post first meeting)
Most VCs won't sign before a first meeting, but mutual NDAs are common during deeper diligence — especially when sharing financials or customer lists.
Corporate development conversations
Talking to a potential acquirer, channel partner, or large customer about integrations or roadmaps — both sides want their info protected.
Early-stage hires and contractors
Before a candidate sees product internals, customer data, or the cap table, a one-way NDA covers the conversation.
Clauses to pay attention to
Common questions
- Will VCs actually sign this?
- Most won't sign before a first pitch, and that's an industry norm — pushing for one early can signal naïveté. But for diligence conversations after a partner is interested, or for sharing detailed financials and customer data, mutual NDAs are common and reasonable.
- Mutual or one-way NDA?
- Mutual for investor and partner conversations (both sides share sensitive info). One-way for hires, contractors, and customers who only receive your information. Mutual is also the easier ask — "this protects both of us" is harder to push back on.
- How long should the term be?
- Two years from disclosure is the most common startup term. Shorter (1 year) works for tactical conversations; longer (5+ years) signals overreach for normal business discussions. Trade secrets stay confidential indefinitely regardless of the stated term.
- Should we use the same NDA every time?
- Yes — having one canonical mutual and one canonical one-way NDA dramatically speeds up conversations. When the other side has changes, the answer is usually "we use a standard form, here's why this works for both of us" rather than re-drafting from scratch.
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