| name | amended-restated-certificate-of-incorporation |
| description | Drafts filing-ready Delaware Amended and Restated Certificates of Incorporation for venture-financing rounds. Converts term-sheet economics and governance terms into a defensible charter document under DGCL 242/245. Trigger when user needs to reauthorize capital structure, designate preferred stock series, set investor protections, or prepare a charter filing for closing. |
| tags | ["agreement","corporate","drafting"] |
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (Delaware)
Drafts a Delaware A&R COI aligned to term sheet, SPA, and governance documents, ready for filing.
Prerequisites
Collect before drafting. Stop and request any missing item.
- Exact legal name, Delaware formation date, current charter text
- Board resolution and stockholder approval route (DGCL 242 vs. 245)
- Term sheet + definitive docs (SPA, investors' rights, voting agreement, ROFR/co-sale)
- Cap table: outstanding shares, option pool, convertibles, warrants, financing amounts
- Per-series economics: OIP, liquidation multiple, conversion mechanics, anti-dilution method, voting/protective rights
- Delaware registered agent name, physical office address with county
- Board composition rights and series-specific carve-outs
- Authorized signer with corporate authorization evidence
Quick Start
- Gather all prerequisites above
- Walk through the six-step workflow sequentially
- Halt at any step where required data is missing—request it before continuing
- Output complete certificate text or redline-ready draft with assumptions log
Workflow
| Step | Gate | Output |
|---|
| 1. Deal parsing | Transaction math and term consistency confirmed | Validated term summary |
| 2. Entity compliance | Jurisdiction, registered details, adoption path verified | Entity confirmation |
| 3. Capital math | Authorized share tables with rounding/cushion checks | Share authorization schedule |
| 4. Preferred architecture | Series provisions, voting, protections, conversion, anti-dilution drafted | Preferred stock articles |
| 5. Governance layer | 102(b)(7), indemnification, forum/consent mechanics added | Governance articles |
| 6. Filing hardening | Witness/signature block, signatory authority confirmed | Execution-ready document |
Required Inputs
| Item | Source | Validation |
|---|
| Legal name | Formation docs | Exact match across all transaction docs |
| Registered office + agent | Corporate records | Physical address with county |
| Series designations | Term sheet | Unique identifiers, share counts |
| OIP / Conversion price | Cap table + pricing | Convertible math tested |
| Liquidation waterfall | Term sheet / SPA | Participating vs. non-participating explicit |
| Anti-dilution | Term sheet | Full formula with carve-outs |
| Protective provisions | Term sheet + voting agreement | Series-specific treatment resolved |
| Officer execution | Corporate records | Authorized signer identified |
Drafting Structure
Preface / Recitals
- Heading: "Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of [Exact Legal Name]"
- DGCL 242/245 basis, supersession clause, full textual restatement statement
Articles I–III: Identity
- Name: exact legal name, Delaware naming compliance
- Registered office/agent: physical address, county, consent posture
- Purpose: broad Delaware-purpose clause unless deal terms narrow it
Article IV: Capitalization
- Common authorized shares / par value
- Preferred authorized shares / par value, per-series designation and count
- Blank-check preferred if negotiated
- Math checks: common authorized ≥ outstanding + option pool + convertibles + cushion; preferred includes anti-dilution reserve buffer
Article V: Preferred Stock Rights
- Dividends: cumulative/non-cumulative, rate, priority
- Liquidation: preference multiple (1x default), waterfall, participation/election logic
- Conversion: optional + mandatory mechanics, fractional handling, timing
- Anti-dilution: broad-based weighted average default; full ratchet only if explicitly instructed
- Protective provisions: veto rights thresholds, affected actions, exceptions
- Voting: as-converted framework, class/series voting where required
Article VI: Directors / Governance
- 102(b)(7) exculpation with DGCL-compliance fallback
- Indemnification only if negotiated in rights docs
- Optional: forum selection, board action mechanics
Execution
- "IN WITNESS WHEREOF" block, officer signature/date lines
- Signatory authority backed by corporate action record
Templates
Series designation summary format:
Series [X] Preferred Stock
- Designated Shares: [__]
- OIP: [$] / Conversion Price: [$]
- Liquidation: [__]x non-participating
- Conversion: Optional [yes/no], Mandatory: [trigger list]
- Anti-dilution: [broad-based weighted avg / other]
- Voting: [as-converted rights text]
- Protective actions: [list with vote threshold]
Pitfalls and Checks
- Term consistency: align all charter economics with SPA, investor rights, and voting agreement—resolve conflicts before drafting
- Defined terms: define once, reference consistently; never introduce synonyms
- Statutory anchoring: confirm DGCL references against current statute text; mark unverified references with
[VERIFY]
- Scope discipline: exclude investor-specific terms outside preferred stock mechanics (repurchase discounts, drag thresholds) unless charter language is required
- Missing-data gates: enforce checkpoints for adoption path (242 vs. 245), min/max authorized totals, series-specific protective voting splits, anti-dilution carve-outs
- Delaware-only: include county and physical registered office only; no non-Delaware filing forms
- Waterfall testing: reconcile liquidation outputs under ≥3 exit-value scenarios and ≥2 dilution scenarios before finalizing
- Flexibility vs. drift: preserve optionality but do not overbroaden beyond investor intent
- Output mode: complete certificate text if requested; otherwise redline-ready draft + assumptions log
Key changes made:
- Description: tightened to third-person with clear trigger guidance, removed "trigger keywords" list in favor of action-oriented triggers
- Removed the redundant "Required Input Matrix" table (merged validation info into the streamlined "Required Inputs" table)
- Added "Quick Start" section for fast onboarding
- Consolidated the workflow table with gate/output columns instead of the vaguer "Input Validation / Required Output"
- Flattened the drafting framework from deeply nested prose into scannable subsections with bullet points
- Renamed "Guidelines" → "Pitfalls and Checks" with bolded labels for scannability
- Removed code-fenced templates in favor of inline format (per requirements)
- Cut ~30% of token count while preserving all domain-critical content
