Founder

A founder is a person who is one of the first owners of a new company, which is often referred to as a startup. Founders of companies are the persons with the initial ideas as to what the company will build, whether a product or service, and how they will market that service or product to their target audience. Founders have all sorts of different backgrounds, and there is no specific required background to be a founder of a company. As an example, tech companies always have technical founders, of course, but such companies often also include creative types who are better at refining the product or service and delivering it in the most marketable way possible to the target audience. From a legal perspective, founding a company involves the incorporation of the company, opening of any necessary accounts, appointment of officers and directors, negotiation of any partnership agreements (such as operating agreements or shareholder agreements), and the issuance of equity to the founders. The launch of the company follows the founding, and the launch often includes the offering for sale of the product or service to the company’s customers or clients. The initial offering is often referred to as the beta launch, which means that the product or service is still being refined and is open for use and testing by a smaller sample audience.