Startup Central

Comprehensive legal guidance for startup founders — entity formation, fundraising, IP, contracts, AI compliance, and the legal infrastructure that scales with venture-backed and bootstrapped companies.
How Many Shares Should You Authorize in Your Certificate of Incorporation? A Startup’s Complete Guide
Business Formation & Corporate Governance

How Many Shares Should You Authorize in Your Certificate of Incorporation? A Startup’s Complete Guide

Table of contents Loading the Elevenlabs Text to Speech AudioNative Player... 1. Introduction When incorporating, one of the first strategic decisions founders face is setting the number of authorized shares in the certificate of incorporation. Authorized shares define the maximum stock your company can issue, directly affecting fundraising flexibility, employee
3 min read