At SEED, investors and partners don’t care about who you say is on your team. They care about who’s actually doing the work, what they own, and whether they’re committed enough to bet their time and equity.
This is where the company becomes real: you’ve likely raised some early capital, issued equity, and maybe even run payroll. The test now is whether your founding team is not only formed, but aligned, active, and accountable.
A great team has role clarity, financial discipline, and healthy conflict. A weak team has overlap, confusion, and avoidance.
Purpose
- Show the founding team is credible, complementary, and committed.
- Prove equity, roles, and responsibilities are clear and fair.
- Demonstrate basic financial controls and leadership readiness.
- Surface early cultural habits (good or bad) that will define the company’s DNA.
When to Complete
- After early capital is raised and equity is issued.
- When at least some team members are full-time.
- Before hiring beyond founders, to establish operating norms.
Proof Sections
Founding Team: Roles, Skills & Balance
Do you have the right mix of skills and experience?
- Who are the active founders?
- Are skills complementary vs. overlapping?
- B2B SaaS – “CEO has 10+ years in enterprise sales; CTO is ex-Google ML engineer.”
- B2C CPG – “Founder team = Brand lead + Supply chain operator.”
- Services – “Ops partner + Rainmaker duo.”
Ownership, Equity, and Contributions
Is equity structured clearly and fairly?
- What’s the cap table?
- Who invested capital, IP, or sweat equity?
- Are vesting terms set?
- B2B SaaS – “Co-founders 50/50 with 4-year vesting; CTO contributed $25K pre-seed.”
- B2C CPG – “Founder owns 80%, advisor 5% sweat equity vesting post-launch.”
- Services – “Partners split 70/30 with documented roles in Operating Agreement.”
Commitments & Operating Status
Who’s really in — and how?
- Full-time vs. part-time vs. moonlighting?
- Are roles/responsibilities documented?
- Is there a signed Operating Agreement?
- B2B SaaS – “CEO + CTO full-time, Designer part-time until MVP.”
- B2C CPG – “CEO full-time, COO part-time until first retailer contract.”
- Services – “All partners full-time; ops lead on contractor basis.”
Cash Management & Leadership Readiness
Who holds the financial reins?
- Who manages money?
- Is there a finance function?
- Are runway and burn tracked?
- B2B SaaS – “Fractional CFO tracks burn and investor reporting; CEO owns GTM spend.”
- B2C CPG – “Outsourced accountant + CEO tracks unit economics.”
- Services – “Managing partner runs P&L; monthly cash-flow review.”
Culture, Communication & Red Flags
What early habits define your DNA?
- How often does the team meet?
- How are conflicts resolved?
- Any emerging bad habits?
- B2B SaaS – “Weekly all-hands with status/blockers; monthly role resets.”
- B2C CPG – “Weekly demand/supply sync; direct Slack channel for urgent ops.”
- Services – “Daily huddles; clear escalation between client and ops.”
Execution Requirements
- Documented org chart or role map.
- Cap table with ownership splits + vesting.
- Basic finance ownership (CFO/founder/outsourced).
- Cultural rhythm: meeting cadence, feedback loop, escalation path.
Domain Adaptability: Universal
Every domain requires a credible, aligned, committed team, but emphasis shifts:
- B2B SaaS – Tech + GTM balance, dev vs. sales clarity.
- B2C CPG – Brand + supply chain coverage.
- Services – Rainmaker + operator pairing.
Expected Output
- Narrative of team structure, roles, and contributions.
- Table: names, roles, equity %, FT/PT status.
- Optional: org chart, equity breakdown, advisor roster.
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Optional Enhancements (Pro-Level Execution)
- Equity Fairness Test – Independent advisor sanity-checks splits.
- Conflict Simulation – Run a “what if” on role clashes or bad news.
- Cultural Charter – One-page doc on values, decision rights, and meeting cadence.
- Board/Advisor Oversight – Early structure for accountability.