Introduction

Before you can use all the capabilities that Fidelity Private Shares offers, you must set up your account. This process is called Onboarding.

Onboarding is a step-by-step process that involves inputting information from several key documents so that you can use your account and maintain a more accurate record of your business information.

What is Onboarding?
How can Onboarding be useful before a financing?
Who is Involved?
Can I get my lawyer involved in Onboarding?
What else should I know?

What is Onboarding?

For companies that didn't incorporate through Fidelity Private Shares, the self-guided onboarding process allows them to populate their accounts with key data and company documents. This means a company can analyze its full corporate legal history, get organized, and identify issues in its corporate legal documents.

You can upload your company information and documents into the platform during the onboarding process, and the workflows will provide the help you need every step of the way. The process will walk you through inputting details about the company's employees, equity, fundraising, and other key actions so that your company can quickly get up and running on the platform.

How can Onboarding be useful before a financing?

Onboarding can help you identify missing documents. This can be a helpful starting point for a company that is motivated, with a lawyer, to address those gaps (issues with incomplete documentation, cap table inaccuracies, etc.). This is especially helpful if a financing or other key event is on the horizon.

Who is involved?

Depending on what stage your company is at, you may choose to manage this process differently. If you are a three-person company, the founder might complete the entire onboarding workflow. In a 50-person company, the founder might invite the head of HR to fill out the HR-related pieces of onboarding, the CFO to fill out the equity and finance-related pieces of onboarding, etc. 

Can I get my lawyer involved in Onboarding?

You and your lawyer can work together to get your company set up—you decide if you want to run the process or step in to assist your lawyer as needed. 

What Else Should I Know?

• A sample list of documents you'll need to have at the ready for onboarding.
• Basic primer on onboarding your fundraising documents.
• Basic primer on onboarding your grants.
• Basic primer on onboarding your stock incentive plan.
• Tips on inputting your charter details in onboarding.
• How to determine your stock classes for purposes of onboarding.
• How to determine your board for purposes of onboarding.
• Uploading bridge notes in onboarding and determining which notes are converted.
• Uploading and understanding board/shareholder consents/minutes for onboarding.

We're here to help. Your Customer Success Manager will assist you along the way during the onboarding process, and you can always reach out to our Support team for additional assistance. 

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