Next week Helsinki will be buzzling with start-ups, investors and other interested parties. Here is my eight-point list of legal and contractual topics for start-ups in the Slush spirit.
1) Protect your competitive advantage with intellectual property rights and confidentiality when possible.
2) Do not reveal your secrets without proper confidentiality agreements and even then be careful in what you disclose.
3) Agree your goals, roles, funding, decision-making and other important topics in a shareholder’s agreement.
4) Sign proper employment agreements.
5) Consultancy services need to be documented and rights to work results need to be clearly agreed.
6) Read your agreements and get professional help when required. Do not sign documents you do not understand.
7) Plan and document your personal data collection, storage and processing early.
8) Store your agreements and other important documents in a safe place so that you can find and share them when needed, e.g. when investors come in.
See you next Tuesday and Wednesday in the different Slush events. Jorma