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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