Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (DE)
Filing-ready Delaware A&R charter implementing VC financing economics and governance. Produces Articles I–VI with preferred stock rights, conversion, anti-dilution, liquidation preferences, and protective provisions.
Prerequisites
Before drafting, collect:
- Executed term sheet or SPA exhibits (final economics and governance)
- Current cap table (outstanding, reserved, convertible securities)
- Existing certificate of incorporation and all amendments
- Board/stockholder approval mechanics and thresholds
- Registered agent name and Delaware registered office address
- Series terms and designations for each preferred class
- Side agreements affecting charter terms
Quick Start
- Build intake table — gather all fields below, verify math
- Draft Articles I–VI with consistent defined terms
- Insert preferred stock terms in Article V
- Add optional governance provisions only if negotiated
- Run verification checklist against source documents
Intake Table
| Field |
Source |
Notes |
| Legal name |
Existing charter, DE records |
Must match exactly |
| Registered agent + address |
Agent confirmation |
DE county required |
| DGCL adoption path |
Board/stockholder actions |
242/245 [VERIFY] |
| Authorized Common |
Cap table |
Include reserves |
| Authorized Preferred |
Term sheet |
By series |
| Par value |
Existing charter |
Common + Preferred |
| Series designation(s) |
Term sheet |
e.g., Series A |
| OIP per share |
Term sheet |
For conversion/dividends |
| Liquidation preference |
Term sheet |
Multiple + priority |
| Dividends |
Term sheet |
Cum/non-cum |
| Anti-dilution |
Term sheet |
Broad-based WA typical |
| Protective provisions |
Term sheet |
Thresholds |
| Board composition |
Voting agreement or charter |
If in charter only |
Capitalization Math
Verify before drafting:
- Authorized Common >= outstanding + option pool + conversion reserve + warrants/options + cushion
- Authorized Preferred >= issued + reserved + anti-dilution cushion + blank-check allocation
- Series totals sum exactly to Preferred authorization
- All price/share figures reconcile to valuation and investment amount
Article Structure
| Article |
Content |
| I |
Corporate name (DGCL 102(a)(1) [VERIFY]) |
| II |
Registered office, county, registered agent |
| III |
Broad corporate purpose clause |
| IV |
Authorized capital, classes, par value, series designations |
| V |
Preferred Stock rights and preferences (see below) |
| VI |
Director liability limitation (DGCL 102(b)(7) [VERIFY]) |
Article V Sections
| Section |
Minimum Terms |
| Definitions |
Original Issue Price, Conversion Price, Liquidation Event |
| Dividends |
Rate, cumulative/non-cumulative, priority |
| Liquidation Preference |
Multiple, priority, participation/cap |
| Conversion |
Optional + mandatory triggers |
| Anti-Dilution |
Method, formula, exclusions |
| Voting |
As-converted voting |
| Protective Provisions |
Enumerated actions + approval threshold |
| Optional |
Board designation rights (if in charter) |
Anti-Dilution Formula (Broad-Based Weighted Average)
CP' = CP * (A + B) / (A + C)
CP = Conversion Price before issuance
A = Common outstanding (fully diluted, as-converted)
B = Consideration received / CP
C = Shares issued in the dilutive issuance
Protective Provisions Checklist
Include approval requirements for:
- Amend charter/bylaws adverse to Preferred
- Create/authorize senior or pari passu classes
- Increase/decrease authorized Common or Preferred
- Declare dividends or distributions
- Redeem or repurchase stock
- Liquidation, dissolution, or winding up
- Merge, recapitalize, or sell all/substantially all assets
- Change board size or composition
- Incur debt beyond approved thresholds
- Exclusive license or disposition of material IP
Execution Block
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Corporation has caused this Amended and Restated
Certificate of Incorporation to be executed by a duly authorized officer
on this ___ day of ________, 20.
Name:
Title:
Pitfalls and Checks
- Use DGCL filing statements for amendment/restatement authority (242/245 [VERIFY]).
- Single-source all definitions — no duplicates across sections.
- Match every economic term to the term sheet and SPA exhibits. Never improvise.
- Use precise share counts reconciled to cap table and option pool.
- Include blank-check preferred only if consistent with protective provisions.
- If a term is ambiguous or conflicting, stop and request clarification.
- Optional governance provisions (indemnification, forum selection, written consent, special meetings) only if negotiated and consistent with bylaws.
- Director exculpation must track DGCL 102(b)(7) and 174 carve-outs [VERIFY].
- Delaware-specific — do not apply to other jurisdictions without redlining for local law.
1---2name: amended-restated-certificate3description: Drafts a Delaware Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation implementing VC term sheet economics and governance into DGCL-compliant charter provisions. Use when drafting or revising a Delaware A&R certificate, preferred stock charter terms, Series Seed/A/B financing charter, blank check preferred authority, or implementing cap structure from a term sheet or SPA.4license: Apache-2.05---67# Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (DE)89Filing-ready Delaware A&R charter implementing VC financing economics and governance. Produces Articles I–VI with preferred stock rights, conversion, anti-dilution, liquidation preferences, and protective provisions.1011## Prerequisites1213Before drafting, collect:14- Executed term sheet or SPA exhibits (final economics and governance)15- Current cap table (outstanding, reserved, convertible securities)16- Existing certificate of incorporation and all amendments17- Board/stockholder approval mechanics and thresholds18- Registered agent name and Delaware registered office address19- Series terms and designations for each preferred class20- Side agreements affecting charter terms2122## Quick Start23241. Build intake table — gather all fields below, verify math252. Draft Articles I–VI with consistent defined terms263. Insert preferred stock terms in Article V274. Add optional governance provisions only if negotiated285. Run verification checklist against source documents2930## Intake Table3132| Field | Source | Notes |33|---|---|---|34| Legal name | Existing charter, DE records | Must match exactly |35| Registered agent + address | Agent confirmation | DE county required |36| DGCL adoption path | Board/stockholder actions | 242/245 [VERIFY] |37| Authorized Common | Cap table | Include reserves |38| Authorized Preferred | Term sheet | By series |39| Par value | Existing charter | Common + Preferred |40| Series designation(s) | Term sheet | e.g., Series A |41| OIP per share | Term sheet | For conversion/dividends |42| Liquidation preference | Term sheet | Multiple + priority |43| Dividends | Term sheet | Cum/non-cum |44| Anti-dilution | Term sheet | Broad-based WA typical |45| Protective provisions | Term sheet | Thresholds |46| Board composition | Voting agreement or charter | If in charter only |4748## Capitalization Math4950Verify before drafting:51- Authorized Common >= outstanding + option pool + conversion reserve + warrants/options + cushion52- Authorized Preferred >= issued + reserved + anti-dilution cushion + blank-check allocation53- Series totals sum exactly to Preferred authorization54- All price/share figures reconcile to valuation and investment amount5556## Article Structure5758| Article | Content |59|---|---|60| I | Corporate name (DGCL 102(a)(1) [VERIFY]) |61| II | Registered office, county, registered agent |62| III | Broad corporate purpose clause |63| IV | Authorized capital, classes, par value, series designations |64| V | Preferred Stock rights and preferences (see below) |65| VI | Director liability limitation (DGCL 102(b)(7) [VERIFY]) |6667## Article V Sections6869| Section | Minimum Terms |70|---|---|71| Definitions | Original Issue Price, Conversion Price, Liquidation Event |72| Dividends | Rate, cumulative/non-cumulative, priority |73| Liquidation Preference | Multiple, priority, participation/cap |74| Conversion | Optional + mandatory triggers |75| Anti-Dilution | Method, formula, exclusions |76| Voting | As-converted voting |77| Protective Provisions | Enumerated actions + approval threshold |78| Optional | Board designation rights (if in charter) |7980### Anti-Dilution Formula (Broad-Based Weighted Average)8182CP' = CP * (A + B) / (A + C)8384CP = Conversion Price before issuance85A = Common outstanding (fully diluted, as-converted)86B = Consideration received / CP87C = Shares issued in the dilutive issuance8889### Protective Provisions Checklist9091Include approval requirements for:92- Amend charter/bylaws adverse to Preferred93- Create/authorize senior or pari passu classes94- Increase/decrease authorized Common or Preferred95- Declare dividends or distributions96- Redeem or repurchase stock97- Liquidation, dissolution, or winding up98- Merge, recapitalize, or sell all/substantially all assets99- Change board size or composition100- Incur debt beyond approved thresholds101- Exclusive license or disposition of material IP102103## Execution Block104105IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Corporation has caused this Amended and Restated106Certificate of Incorporation to be executed by a duly authorized officer107on this ___ day of __________, 20__.108109_________________________________110Name:111Title:112113## Pitfalls and Checks114115- Use DGCL filing statements for amendment/restatement authority (242/245 [VERIFY]).116- Single-source all definitions — no duplicates across sections.117- Match every economic term to the term sheet and SPA exhibits. Never improvise.118- Use precise share counts reconciled to cap table and option pool.119- Include blank-check preferred only if consistent with protective provisions.120- If a term is ambiguous or conflicting, stop and request clarification.121- Optional governance provisions (indemnification, forum selection, written consent, special meetings) only if negotiated and consistent with bylaws.122- Director exculpation must track DGCL 102(b)(7) and 174 carve-outs [VERIFY].123- Delaware-specific — do not apply to other jurisdictions without redlining for local law.
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