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Direct Answer
Equal splits (51-49 median in 2024) correlate with better outcomes. Use 4-year vesting with 1-year cliff. Solo founders secure only 17% of VC funding despite being 35% of incorporations.
Quick Facts
- 51-49
- median 2-founder split 2024 — Carta 2025
- 45.9%
- teams with equal splits — Carta 2025
- 17%
- solo founders get VC — Carta 2025
- 4 years
- standard vesting period — YC/Industry
Equity splits should reflect expected future contributions, not just past work. Carta's 2025 data shows equal splits are rising sharply—45.9% of two-founder teams now split equally (up from 31.5% in 2015). The median split has tightened from 60-40 to 51-49. Y Combinator strongly advocates near-equal splits, noting that unequal distributions demotivate minority founders over the 7-10 year startup journey. Always use 4-year vesting with a 1-year cliff—this protects everyone and allows generosity while managing risk.
Key Cofounder Equity Split Takeaways
- 45.9% of 2-founder teams split equally (2024, up from 31.5% in 2015)
- Median split tightened from 60-40 to 51-49 (Carta 2024)
- Solo founders: 35% of incorporations but only 17% of VC-funded startups
- Use 4-year vesting with 1-year cliff (industry standard)
- Post-seed ownership: 56.2% → Series A: 36.1% → Series B: 23%
- Advisor equity: 0.1%-1.0% on 2-year vesting (2025 benchmark)
Related concepts: founder equity, startup equity split, vesting schedule, equity allocation, cofounder agreement, startup ownership, cliff vesting, equity distribution, founder shares, startup cap table.
Sources & Citations
- [1]Carta 2025
- [2]YC/Industry
Cite this page
IdeaProof. (2026). How to Split Equity with Co-founders?. IdeaProof. Retrieved from https://ideaproof.io/questions/cofounder-equity-splitLast verified: