Shareholders' Agreement Template

Founders who agree on everything today rarely agree on everything forever.

Growth changes the maths: new investors, unequal contributions, one founder wanting out early. Without a shareholders' agreement, those moments turn into disputes. This template sets the rules before you need them.

Who this is for

Two or more founders or shareholders in a South African private company, whether you're a two-person founding team, a larger cap table with early employees holding equity, or a company bringing in its first outside investor.

What you get

• A full shareholders' agreement, drafted to South African company law, built to handle any number of shareholders
• The clauses that actually cause fights: board control, reserved matters, share transfers, valuation on exit, deadlock, and what happens if a shareholder dies, leaves, or wants out
• Tag-along and drag-along rights, so a minority shareholder can't be left behind and a majority sale can't be blocked
• A leaver mechanism that treats a good leaver and a bad leaver differently, because they should be
• Two schedules: a shareholding table that extends to as many shareholders as your cap table needs, and a reserved matters list, ready to fill in
• Plain black and white Word document, no watermark, yours to edit and reuse
• Free companion guide included, a clause-by-clause walkthrough that tells you exactly what to fill in, why it matters, and our recommended default for each threshold, so you're not guessing at the numbers that matter most

How it works

• Buy and download instantly, guide included at no extra cost
• Use the companion guide to fill in the brackets: names, percentages, thresholds
• Send to your co-founders or shareholders, agree the numbers, sign

What this is not

This is a self-serve legal document, not a consultation. This template is legal information, not legal advice tailored to your facts, and no attorney-client relationship is created by this purchase. Buying it does not include review, negotiation, or representation in any dispute. If your cap table is complex, includes external investors, or involves cross-border shareholders, get it reviewed before you sign. 

Bottom line: a proper shareholders' agreement, and the guide to fill it in properly, costs less than one bad argument between shareholders.

Get your Shareholders' Agreement Template