One of the most sensitive legal issues in startup relationships arises when a founder leaves the company and decides to establish, invest in or work for a competing business. The problem can be particularly serious for technology startups. A founder may have spent several years learning the startup’s source code, pricing strategy, customer portfolio, product […]
Vesting has become one of the most important concepts in modern startup law. It is commonly encountered in founders’ agreements, shareholders’ agreements, venture capital investment agreements and employee stock option plans. International investors frequently expect startup founders to be subject to vesting before completing an investment round. However, entrepreneurs establishing a startup in Turkey often […]
Disputes between startup founders can become one of the most serious threats to a growing business. Many startups are established by friends, former colleagues, software developers, family members or business partners who initially have a high level of trust in each other. During the early stages, the founders are usually focused on developing the product, […]
One of the most difficult questions that startup founders eventually face is what happens when one of the founders decides to leave the company. A startup may initially be established by two or three people who trust each other completely. Each founder may receive a significant percentage of the company because everyone expects to work […]
Winning a lawsuit is not the same thing as collecting the money. A creditor may have a signed contract, unpaid invoices, written acknowledgements of debt and a commercially strong claim. Yet none of those documents will matter if the debtor spends the next two years transferring every valuable asset out of reach. The warning signs […]
Starting a business with a trusted friend, colleague, developer or investor may seem straightforward at the beginning. The founders agree on a business idea, decide how the shares will be divided and begin developing the product. During the early stages, discussions about future disagreements, founder departures, share transfers or company control may appear unnecessary or […]
Choosing the right legal structure is one of the first and most important decisions for anyone planning to establish a startup in Turkey. Entrepreneurs often focus primarily on the business idea, product development, software, marketing strategy, customer acquisition and investment opportunities. However, the legal structure selected at the beginning can significantly affect the startup’s taxation, […]
Traditional enforcement investigations usually begin with familiar assets: But an increasingly common enforcement problem looks very different. The debtor has: yet regularly trades cryptocurrency. The creditor suspects that the debtor holds substantial amounts of: Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDT or other crypto assets. This raises two separate questions: Can cryptocurrency legally be seized in Türkiye? and Even […]
A creditor obtains a clear claim against a debtor. Before enforcement becomes effective, the debtor begins transferring assets: When enforcement proceedings finally reach the attachment stage, the debtor appears to own almost nothing. The debtor’s position is: “Those assets no longer belong to me. They belong to third parties, so you cannot seize them.” Under […]
Introduction A debtor knows that payment problems are approaching. No enforcement proceeding has yet been commenced. Before the creditor takes legal action, the debtor transfers his apartment, land, commercial property or other valuable real estate to another person. Several months later, the creditor finally starts enforcement proceedings. The debtor then responds: “I transferred that property […]