How to split cofounder equity in Finland

This is general informational guidance, not legal or tax advice. Trusted Cofounder does not provide an equity calculator, template generator, or legal document service, talk to a Finnish startup-focused lawyer or accountant before signing anything.

What's typical for founding cofounders

Two cofounders joining together at the same time, with comparable full-time commitment, most often split 50/50. Three cofounders often land close to equal thirds. Small adjustments, usually 5-10 percentage points, are normal when one person originated the idea, has already built something, or commits full-time before the other can. Splits more lopsided than that, for otherwise equal contributions, tend to create resentment within the first year rather than reflecting real differences in contribution.

Vesting: the part people skip and regret

All cofounder equity should vest over time rather than being granted immediately. The standard is four years with a one-year cliff: nothing is earned until twelve months in, then the rest accrues monthly over the remaining thirty-six months. Without vesting, a cofounder who leaves in month three keeps their full stake forever; with it, unvested equity returns to the company and can go to whoever replaces them or stays.

How this works in a Finnish osakeyhtiö

Finland's standard startup structure is the osakeyhtiö (private limited company, often abbreviated Oy). Equity split and vesting aren't usually written into the incorporation documents themselves, they live in a separate osakassopimus (shareholder agreement) that the founders sign alongside incorporation. The osakassopimus is where vesting, leaver provisions (what happens to shares if someone leaves), decision rights, and transfer restrictions actually get specified. Skipping this document because incorporation itself felt like the finish line is one of the most common early Finnish startup mistakes.

Late-joining cofounders get less, and that's correct

A cofounder joining after an MVP exists, or after the first customers, is taking on meaningfully less risk than a founding cofounder who joined pre-revenue, pre-product. 5-25% is the typical range, compressing toward the lower end the more de-risked the company already is. Treating a late-joining cofounder's equity the same as a founding cofounder's usually means someone got shortchanged, either the earlier team for the risk they carried alone, or the newcomer for being anchored to a norm that assumed founding-stage risk.

Where equity conversations tend to fail

• Waiting until after a disagreement to have the equity conversation, instead of before any code is written.
• Splitting equity to avoid an uncomfortable conversation (defaulting to equal shares without discussing actual commitment) rather than because it genuinely reflects the arrangement.
• No vesting at all, which is the single most common regret founders report after a cofounder leaves early.

For the broader distinction between a cofounder and an early employee, including why equity and decision rights differ so much between the two, see what a cofounder actually is. If you're still looking for the right person to have this conversation with, browse the public directory.