Business & Money · Website
Y Combinator SAFE
Standard open templates for early-stage startup financing agreements
Y Combinator's SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) is an industry-standard legal template created to simplify early-stage startup fundraising. It allows founders and angel investors to close investment checks on rolling terms without negotiating complex priced-round agreements immediately. This lowers legal expenses and shortens the time needed to secure initial capital.
What it's for
- Raise initial angel or seed capital without immediate share pricing
- Close investment checks on a rolling basis without lead investor delays
- Reduce startup legal legal costs before reaching Series A rounds
- Standardize investment terms across multiple early-stage angel backers
Features
- Post-money SAFE legal agreement templates
- Valuation cap and discount rate options
- MFN (Most Favored Nation) provision variations
- Open-access document templates downloadable in standard formats
- Founder guidance explaining dilution and conversion mechanics
Pricing
Free to download and use
Details
- Type
- Website
- Category
- Business & Money
- Topic
- Fundraising
- Open source
- No
- Platforms
- Web
- For
- Early-stage startup founders and angel investors
- Alternative to
- Convertible Note, 500 Startups KISS
- Tags
- startups, fundraising, legal, safe, investing, venture capital
Why it was saved
- @yupyork: Enables founders to close early angel and seed money quickly on rolling notes without negotiating full priced-round terms or paying high legal costs.
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Updated