Before you sign — or after

Know what your term sheet really costs you.

A general chatbot is a decent explainer and a poor reviewer. Upload your term sheet, SAFE, or acquisition draft and Initialed flags the off-market and founder-unfriendly terms — preference, dilution, control — ranked by impact, in about two minutes.

First review free No credit card PDF or Word · ~2 min
series-a-term-sheet.pdf
Reviewed
High2x participating liquidation preference
Suggested redline
2x participating 1x non-participating
HighFull-ratchet anti-dilution
MediumInvestor-controlled board at Series A
LowLow SAFE cap stacked across rounds

Illustrative results with suggested redlines — your review reflects your actual contract.

5 terms

that decide how much you keep and control

~2 min

to spot the off-market, founder-unfriendly terms

Side-aware

we tell you which party each clause favors

What Initialed checks in your deal docs

The terms that decide how much you walk away with, and how much control you keep, are exactly the ones a paste-a-paragraph chatbot is built to miss. Here’s what we check.

Liquidation preference

We flag preferences above the standard 1x non-participating, participating “double-dip” preferred, and stacks that push founders to the back.

We flag: preference above 1x · participating preferred · stacked/senior

Anti-dilution & pro-rata

We flag aggressive full-ratchet anti-dilution and super pro-rata rights that let one investor crowd out the round you want.

We flag: full-ratchet · super pro-rata rights

Board & protective provisions

Control is often worth more than the percentage. We flag investor board control and vetoes over ordinary operating decisions.

We flag: investor-controlled board early · broad veto rights

SAFE / note cap & discount

We flag low valuation caps, large discounts, stacked post-money SAFEs, and MFN clauses that quietly compound your dilution.

We flag: low cap · large discount · stacked post-money SAFEs · MFN

Reps & indemnification (M&A)

We flag large escrows, indemnity caps near the full price, long survival periods, and broad reps you can’t personally verify.

We flag: large escrow/holdback · cap near purchase price · long survival

Beyond what ChatGPT or Claude chat can catch.

A general chat reads what you paste and stays quiet on the off-market clause you didn’t know to name. We run the same checklist every time.

Review your term sheet free
Already signed?

You signed. Now the terms are biting.

You’re raising a new round and prior terms constrain it, an investor is exercising rights you didn’t expect, or an acquisition is putting reps and indemnity in play. Upload the signed docs and Initialed explains — in plain English — exactly what you agreed to and whether this is worth taking to a startup lawyer.

We’re not a law firm and we don’t give legal advice. We’re the fast first step that tells you where you stand — so you use your lawyer’s time on the points that matter, not on finding them.

See what you agreed to

When it’s worth calling a lawyer

  • You’re raising a new round and prior terms are constraining it
  • An investor is exercising rights (veto, anti-dilution, pro-rata) you didn’t expect
  • You’re being acquired and the reps/indemnity terms are in play
  • You received a term sheet you don’t fully understand under time pressure

Initialed helps you recognize these fast and organize the facts — then you decide whether to bring in counsel.

How it works

STEP 1

Upload your contract

Drop in the PDF or Word file — one you’re about to sign, or one you already did. Tell us which side you’re on.

STEP 2

We review it, side-aware

Initialed reads the whole document and checks it against a protection checklist — the same rigorous pass every time.

STEP 3

Get ranked red flags

See the clauses working against you, ranked by impact — with what to ask for, or what to raise with a lawyer.

Frequently asked

Can I just use ChatGPT or Claude to review my term sheet?

A general chatbot can explain what a term means, but it reviews only the text you paste, has no consistent checklist, and will confidently miss cross-references, a defined term buried on page 12, or a market-off provision it wasn’t asked about. Initialed reads the whole document, applies the same checklist every time, and tells you which side each clause favors.

What should a founder check in a term sheet or SAFE?

Liquidation preference, anti-dilution and pro-rata rights, board composition and protective provisions, and — for SAFEs and notes — the valuation cap, discount, and total dilution across all instruments. In an acquisition, focus on reps, warranties, escrow, and indemnification.

Do I still need a startup lawyer?

Yes — for financing and M&A, experienced counsel is essential and pays for itself. Initialed is what you do first: it flags the off-market terms in minutes so you use your lawyer’s time on the points that actually matter.

Before you sign — or after you already did.

Upload your term sheet, SAFE, or acquisition draft and see the off-market terms — preference, dilution, control — in about two minutes. Your first review is free.

Review your term sheet free

This page is general information, not legal advice, and Initialed AI is not a law firm. Financing and M&A terms are highly negotiated and vary by deal and jurisdiction. For any term sheet, SAFE, or acquisition, work with a qualified startup attorney.