Founder
Definition
Founder: A founder is someone who starts a company, taking on the risk and responsibility of building a new business. Founders typically have significant equity ownership and play key leadership roles. Co-founders share these responsibilities and divide initial equity.
Example Usage
“As technical co-founder, I focus on product and engineering while my co-founder handles sales and fundraising.”
Common Misconceptions
Related Terms
Equity
Equity represents ownership in a company, typically through shares of stock. Founders receive equity at formation, employees through stock options, an...
Vesting
Vesting is the process by which employees earn their equity over time. The standard vesting schedule is 4 years with a 1-year cliff, meaning no equity...
Cap Table
A capitalization table (cap table) is a spreadsheet or database showing the equity ownership of a company, including shares held by founders, employee...
CEO
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is the highest-ranking executive responsible for overall company strategy, operations, and performance. The CEO repo...
Explore More Resources
Browse Tools
Discover 100+ vetted tools for every stage of your startup journey
Explore all toolsBuild Your Stack
Take our personalized quiz to get tool recommendations for your startup
Start the checklistRecommended Reading
Curated books to help you learn, grow, and succeed as a founder
View book recommendationsListen & Learn
Top podcasts covering startups, product, growth, and entrepreneurship
Discover podcastsHelp us improve this definition
See something that could be clearer or more accurate? Let us know.