Founders reach for NDAs instinctively, but they help in some situations and actively hurt in others. Here is when to use one and when to skip it.
NDASafe is a document preparation service, not a law firm. Our templates are legally reviewed against applicable UK law at the point of release, but every situation is different. Where significant value, unusual risk or a cross-border element is involved, take independent legal advice before you sign.
When an NDA helps
- Sharing detailed materials with an angel or corporate investor who is willing to sign — use the Investor NDA.
- Bringing on a contractor or agency who will see your roadmap or code — use the Freelancer NDA.
- Early partnership or supplier talks where both sides open up — use a Mutual NDA.
When to skip it
Do not lead a cold VC pitch with an NDA — most will decline, and insisting signals inexperience. Protect the genuinely secret part (a specific algorithm, unit economics) by simply not putting it in the first deck. An idea alone is rarely the moat; execution is.
Beyond the NDA
Once you incorporate and raise, a founders' agreement, shareholders' agreement and proper IP assignment matter more than any NDA. The NDA covers the exploratory phase before those exist.
Pitch-stage Investor NDA with non-circumvention (12-month default) and 12-month no-poach. £29, or £79 for all eight including the Mutual and Freelancer NDAs founders use most.