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Founder Vesting Calculator: Schedule, Cliff & Acceleration

Design and test founder vesting. Set the equity, period, cliff and frequency, pick a start date and a departure date, and see exactly how much has vested, how much returns to the company and the full schedule.

QUICK ANSWERStandard founder vesting is 4 years with a 1-year cliff: nothing vests in the first 12 months, 25% vests at the cliff, and the rest vests monthly over the next 36 months. In India it is implemented as reverse vesting in the shareholders’ agreement because founders already hold their shares.

Vested % = 0 before the cliff
Vested % = (months elapsed, rounded down to the vesting step) ÷ total months, after the cliff

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⚠️ Not legal advice.

What the Founder Vesting Calculator does

✅ Any period, cliff and frequency
✅ Vested equity on any date
✅ Full vesting schedule table
✅ Single vs double trigger acceleration
✅ India reverse-vesting note

How to use the Founder Vesting Calculator

STEP 1
Enter your numbers
Type the figures you know. Every field starts with a realistic example so you can see how it works.
STEP 2
Read the result instantly
Results, tables and the plain-English explanation update as you type. No submit button, no login.
STEP 3
Test scenarios
Change one assumption at a time (valuation, growth, dilution, exit) to see what really moves the outcome.
STEP 4
Share or save
Copy the summary, send it on WhatsApp or print to PDF for your co-founders, board or investment committee.

Why founders should vest

Vesting protects co-founders from each other. If one founder leaves after six months with 30% of the company, the remaining team does all the work while carrying dead equity, and new investors will be reluctant to fund that cap table.

Investors often ask founders to reset vesting at a priced round, usually with credit for time already served. Double-trigger acceleration (unvested shares vest only if the company is sold and the founder is let go) is the common compromise.

Worked example

30% equity vesting over 4 years with a 12-month cliff from 1 April 2025: on 1 April 2026, 7.5% vests; after that, 0.625% vests each month until 1 April 2029.

Frequently asked questions

What is a vesting cliff?

The period before any equity vests, typically 12 months. If a founder leaves before the cliff, they keep nothing from the vesting grant.

How does vesting work for founders in India?

Founders usually hold shares from incorporation, so vesting is done as reverse vesting: unvested shares can be bought back at a nominal price, or transferred, if a founder leaves, under terms in the founders’ agreement or SHA.

What is double-trigger acceleration?

Unvested equity accelerates only when two events happen: the company is acquired and the founder is terminated without cause (or resigns for good reason) within a set period.

Is this tool free? Do I need to sign up?

Yes. It is completely free, needs no login and has no usage limit. FastFee builds payment collection software; these startup and investor tools are free resources for founders, angels and fund managers.

Is my data private?

Yes. Everything you type stays in your own browser on this device (local storage). Nothing is uploaded to FastFee. Export or print a copy if you need to keep it.

Use it together with

Co-founder Risk Analyzer & Conflict Checklist →Score co-founder risk from equity imbalance, vesting, IP, leaver terms and dead equity.Cap Table Calculator →Founders, investors and ESOP ownership breakdown with value per holder and risk flags.

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