Mediation in a partner dispute in a Kraków startup
The situation threatened to paralyze the company. Within 3 meetings, we developed a new company statute and a clear division of competences, which allowed us to avoid legal action.
We helped a Kraków startup from the greentech industry exit a decision-making impasse. A conflict between the three founders had blocked key operations for nearly 4 months.
The challenge
The partners of EcoVibe Tech disagreed on how to settle 14.5% of the shares after a business angel entered. The dispute led to a situation where the board was unable to sign a lease for a production hall with an area of 420 m2. For 17 weeks, the company stood still. Personal relationships between the founders had practically ceased to exist, which made normal email communication impossible.
Our approach
We started our actions with separate talks with each of the three partners. We used the method of hard facts to show the real financial losses resulting from the lack of decisions. Next, we organized three working sessions at our office at ul. Chorzowska 50. We focused on creating a tight share structure that prevents mutual blocking in the future. Our IP protection specialist, Marek Grzegorczyk, participated in the process.
The solution
We developed a new company statute and a detailed founders' agreement. We introduced a clear division of competences: one partner is responsible for technology, the second for sales, and the third for finance. We added a dispute resolution mechanism that allows a decision to be made within 48 hours without involving external lawyers. Money likes silence, so we covered all arrangements with a strict confidentiality clause.
Results
We managed to avoid a multi-year court process and the total breakup of the company. The partners returned to working together on the product within 22 days of our first working meeting.
Timeline
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September 12, 2024Analysis of existing contracts and preliminary talks with founders
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September 19, 2024First mediation session and confrontation of positions in Katowice
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October 3, 2024Finalization of the new statute and signing of documents at a notary
"I was afraid it was another talk about communication. ADB approached us with a calculator in hand. They showed that our stubbornness costs real money and we were convinced to change the statute."