| name | venture-spin-out-playbook |
| version | 1.0.0 |
| description | Walks the studio operator through the mechanics of spinning out a venture into its own LLC when it matures beyond the studio umbrella — IP assignment, contract migration, team separation, cap table, and accelerated equity for founders. Use when the user asks "spin out", "spin off", "venture independence", "graduate venture", "separate LLC", "spin-out mechanics", "/venture-spin-out-playbook". STRONG LEGAL DISCLAIMER — spin-outs are complex and require legal review.
|
Venture Spin-Out Playbook
Guía al operador del studio a través de la mecánica de separar (spin out) una
venture de la estructura del studio cuando madura lo suficiente para operar como
LLC independiente.
⚠️ DISCLAIMER LEGAL FUERTE
Spin-outs tocan múltiples dominios regulados:
- Corporate law (formación de nueva entidad, shareholder agreements)
- Tax law (tax events al transferir assets)
- IP law (asignación de intellectual property entre entidades)
- Employment law (migración de empleados entre entidades)
- Contract law (asignación o reemplazo de customer contracts)
Esta skill genera un playbook estructural. NO reemplaza:
- Corporate lawyer
- Tax advisor (CPA)
- IP lawyer (especialmente para patents/trademarks)
- Employment lawyer (si hay empleados formales)
Un spin-out mal ejecutado puede resultar en:
- Disputes legales con el studio original
- Pérdida de customer contracts
- IP disputes (quién owns qué)
- Tax liabilities inesperadas
Regla de idioma
Español. Términos legales en "español (English)" primera vez.
Directorio de salida
./portfolio/{studio-name}/spin-outs/
├── {venture-name}-spin-out-plan.md # Plan completo por spin-out
├── ip-assignment-checklist.md # IP assignment per venture
└── contract-migration-tracker.md # Contracts a migrar
Cuándo spin out
Triggers que justifican separar una venture del studio:
Signals positivos (spin out appropriate)
- Venture alcanza revenue threshold (ej. $10k-$20k MRR recurring)
- Equipo dedicado ≥3 personas full-time
- Interest de VC o term sheet recibido
- Customers significativos que preferirían contratar entity dedicada (B2B enterprise)
- Regulatory requirements que exigen entity separada (fintech, healthtech, etc.)
- Founder natural de esa venture emerge (no el studio GPs — alguien que vivirá esto full-time)
Signals negativos (NO spin out todavía)
- Revenue inestable o decreciendo
- Team sigue siendo studio GPs part-time
- Pre-PMF todavía
- Legal/regulatory no lo requiere
Las 7 capas del spin-out
Cada una con su checklist:
Capa 1: Legal Entity Formation
- Formar nueva LLC/Corp en jurisdicción apropiada (ver skill
structure-decision)
- Registered agent + business address
- EIN (Employer Identification Number) si US
- Operating Agreement con governance structure
- Initial shareholders resolutions
Anti-pattern: usar el studio como "parent" sin clear legal separation — parece parent-subsidiary pero no lo es → liability contagion risk.
Capa 2: IP Assignment
Este es CRÍTICO y frecuentemente mal ejecutado.
Inventory del IP a transferir:
- Codebase (Git repos)
- Trademarks (brand name, logo)
- Domain names
- Patents (si aplica)
- Trade secrets (algoritmos propietarios)
- Customer lists / data
- Documentation
- Designs / creative assets
- Content / editorial
IP Assignment Agreement (legal document) entre studio → nueva entity:
- Lista explícita del IP que se transfiere
- Effective date
- Consideration (usualmente nominal $1 o equity swap)
- Warranties (studio warrants it actually OWNS el IP — important if third parties contributed)
Common trap: freelancers o ex-employees pueden haber contribuido IP. Si sus contracts no tenían assignment clauses, they might own part of the IP. Validar antes de spin out.
Capa 3: Contracts Migration
Para cada customer contract:
- Option A — Novation: transferir formally el contract del studio al new entity. Requiere customer consent.
- Option B — New contract: cancelar contract con studio, firmar new contract con new entity. Customer debe estar on board.
- Option C — Sub-licensing: studio retains contract, sublicenses services from new entity. Simpler but not clean separation.
Recomendación: Novation cuando posible. Más clean, customer prefers (same terms continuing), no interruption.
Timing: anunciar spin-out a customers con 30-60 días de anticipación, acompañado por explicación del why y FAQs. Major customers pueden requerir meetings individuales.
Capa 4: Team Migration
Para cada persona trabajando en la venture:
Employees formales:
- Terminate employment en studio
- Hire en new entity
- New employment agreement
- Transfer benefits (health insurance, retirement) if applicable
- Final paycheck + any accrued PTO payout
Freelancers / contratistas:
- Terminate contract con studio
- New contract con new entity
- Transfer IP assignment (re-sign to new entity)
Equity holders:
- If they had sweat equity in studio → negotiate how it transfers
- Usually: cancel studio equity, issue equivalent equity in new entity (with fresh vesting period if appropriate, or grandfathered)
Capa 5: Cap Table
La nueva entity necesita su cap table. Typical structure:
| Shareholder | % | Notes |
|---|
| Founder (natural) | 50-70% | Usually the person who will run it full-time |
| Studio (as founder / investor) | 20-40% | The studio retains meaningful stake |
| Employee pool | 10-15% | For future hires + team |
| Advisors (if any) | 0-5% | Per FAST agreement |
Studio stake:
- If studio contributed capital + IP + team: studio deserves stake
- Typical ranges: 20-40% at spin-out for "studio-built" ventures
- This stake may dilute over future rounds
Founder stake:
- The person leaving studio to run venture full-time gets lion's share
- Reflects ongoing commitment + risk taken (leaving studio salary)
Capa 6: Financials Separation
- Open separate bank accounts (Mercury for US, local bank for LATAM OpCo)
- Transfer cash allocation from studio → new entity (with documentation — is it a loan? investment? service payment?)
- Set up accounting from zero (new books, no mixing historical data with studio)
- Tax registration in relevant jurisdictions
- Pricing/billing under new entity's name
Common trap: commingling funds por meses mientras migration happens. Riesgo legal — makes separation unclean, pierce-the-corporate-veil risk.
Capa 7: Branding / Marketing
- Domain transfer (if shared with studio, acquire own domain)
- Website rebuild or transfer
- Social media accounts (transfer ownership or create new)
- Email accounts (@newventure.com vs @studio.com)
- Stationery, business cards
- Customer communication of rebrand if applicable
Flujo del skill
Paso 1 — Assess readiness
SO-1: "¿La venture cumple los signals positivos de spin-out?
Si marcaste <3 signals: probably NOT ready. Revisar en 3-6 meses."
Paso 2 — Define structure
SO-2: "Invocar structure-decision skill para elegir jurisdicción + forma legal para la nueva entity. Considerar:
- Mercado objetivo de la venture
- Fundraising plans (VC friendly jurisdictions = Delaware or Cayman)
- Founders' tax residency
- Special regulations por sector
Output: jurisdicción + forma (Delaware LLC vs. Delaware C-Corp vs. Cayman Sandwich setup)."
Paso 3 — IP inventory
SO-3: "Listar todo el IP creado para esta venture mientras estaba en el studio:
- [Codebase repos]
- [Trademarks filed]
- [Domains owned]
- [Patents]
- [Trade secrets / algorithms]
- [Customer data]
- [Content / assets]
Identificar quién lo creó (staff studio, freelancers, contratistas). Si hay third parties
sin assignment agreement en file → flag como potential issue."
Paso 4 — Contracts inventory
SO-4: "Listar todos los contracts activos under this venture:
- Customer contracts (con valor > $)
- Vendor contracts (hosting, tools, SaaS)
- Partnership agreements
- Licensing agreements
Per cada uno decidir: novation, new contract, o sub-licensing."
Paso 5 — Team plan
SO-5: "Listar personas involucradas + action plan:
| Person | Current role | Action post spin-out | Equity in new entity |
|---|
| [Natural founder] | Lead | Full-time new entity | 50-70% |
| [Team member] | Role | Transfer to new entity | 0-5% + vesting |
| [Studio GP] | PM part-time | Remain in studio; advisor to new entity | 0-3% (advisor) |
| [Freelancer] | Dev contract | Transfer contract | 0 (contractor) |
Paso 6 — Cap table design
SO-6: "Cap table inicial de la new entity. Considerar:
- Studio stake (20-40% typical)
- Founder stake (50-70%)
- Employee pool (10-15%)
- Advisors (0-5%)
Generate via skill cap-table-per-venture."
Paso 7 — Timeline
SO-7: "Spin-out timeline realista:
- Week 1-2: legal entity formation, accountants engaged
- Week 3-4: IP inventory + assignment agreement drafted
- Week 5-6: team communication + employment changes
- Week 7-8: customer communication + contract migrations begin
- Week 9-10: bank accounts + financial separation
- Week 11-12: branding, website, announcement
Total: ~3 meses para spin-out clean. Quick-and-dirty en 4-6 semanas = likely issues."
Output
Generar ./portfolio/{studio}/spin-outs/{venture}-spin-out-plan.md:
# Spin-Out Plan — [Venture Name]
**⚠️ DRAFT ONLY — NOT legal advice. Validate with corporate + tax + IP lawyers.**
## Readiness assessment
| Signal | Status |
|---|---|
| Revenue ≥ $10k MRR 6+ months | ✅/❌ |
| Dedicated team ≥3 FT | ✅/❌ |
| PMF validated | ✅/❌ |
| VC interest | ✅/❌ |
| Customer signals | ✅/❌ |
| Natural founder | ✅/❌ |
**Decision**: [GO / WAIT / NO]
## Proposed structure
- Jurisdicción: [e.g., Delaware LLC]
- Legal form: [e.g., LLC with potential C-Corp flip]
- Banking: [e.g., Mercury]
## IP inventory + assignment
[Lista completa + ownership status]
## Contracts to migrate
| Contract | Type | Migration method | Target date |
|---|---|---|---|
| [name] | Customer | Novation | [date] |
| [name] | Vendor | New contract | [date] |
## Team migration plan
[Table completa]
## Cap table (new entity)
| Shareholder | % | Shares | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Founder] | 60% | X | 4yr/1yr cliff |
| Studio | 25% | Y | Fully vested |
| Employee pool | 10% | Z | Per hire vesting |
| Advisor | 5% | W | Per FAST |
## 12-week timeline
[Detailed week-by-week plan]
## Risks + mitigations
- [Risk 1]: [Mitigation]
- [Risk 2]: [Mitigation]
## Legal + advisors engaged
- [ ] Corporate lawyer: [name]
- [ ] Tax advisor: [name]
- [ ] IP lawyer: [name]
- [ ] Employment lawyer: [name] (if applicable)
Principios clave
- Clean separation > shortcut: 3 meses clean spin-out > 6 semanas messy spin-out
- IP assignment first: sin IP ownership, el spin-out puede ser unwound
- Customer communication early: major customers prefer knowing 60 días ahead
- Studio retains stake: 20-40% stake es fair para studio's contribution
- Accounting separation desde día 1: evitar commingling
Anti-patterns
- Spin-out antes de PMF (usually kills the venture — timing wrong)
- Olvidar IP de freelancers sin assignment clauses
- Transfer de cash sin documentation (loan? investment? unclear)
- Customer communication last-minute (damages relationships)
- No retirar accounting hasta que esté separado (creates mess)
- Studio retains too much (60%+) — kills founder motivation
- Studio retains too little (<15%) — no worth it for studio
Integración con otras skills
structure-decision: prerequisite — jurisdicción + forma legalcap-table-per-venture: para estructurar el cap table de new entitysweat-equity-agreement: para equity del founder + team en new entityliability-contagion-analysis: si la venture era 🔴 y operaba en studio single-LLC, el spin-out reduces contagion riskstructure-evolution-roadmap: el spin-out es una de las rutas (Single-LLC → Multi-LLC)
Recursos
