Clerky for Startups
SaaS Startup Programs Verified June 2026
Discounted legal docs through 50+ accelerator partnerships
Legal paperwork automation trusted by Y Combinator — discounted access for accelerator-backed founders.
Who qualifies
Every condition below is taken from the vendor’s own published criteria. Read them before you spend an afternoon on the application.
Partner referral needed
There is no self-serve application. You need a referral from an approved VC, accelerator or incubator — start with your lead investor’s portfolio-benefits page.
Startups
The programme is aimed at startups. Vendors read this loosely, but expect to describe the company and what you are building on the application.
Founders at partner accelerators (including Y Combinator, Techstars, and many others) typically receive Clerky's incorporation and fundraising document packages at no cost or a steeply reduced rate. Retail pricing is per-package and varies. Verify current terms at signup.
About Clerky for Startups
Quick answer
Clerky for Startups is the accelerator-partner discount program that gives founders at programs like Y Combinator and Techstars free or heavily reduced access to Clerky's legal paperwork packages — incorporation, 83(b), SAFEs, priced rounds, and hiring docs. The savings are real (often several thousand dollars) but the discount is only available if you are already in a partner accelerator. For everyone else, Clerky is still available at retail pricing.
Most "startup credit programs" hand out cloud hosting dollars. Clerky's offer is different and, for the right founder, more valuable: it replaces thousands of dollars of legal billables for incorporation, founder stock, SAFEs, and priced equity rounds. Here is how the program actually works in 2026, who qualifies, and whether it is worth chasing.
What is Clerky for Startups?
Clerky is a legal-tech company that turns the most common startup legal workflows into structured, self-serve software. Instead of booking time with a startup lawyer to draft incorporation papers, founder stock issuances, 83(b) elections, SAFEs, or priced equity rounds, founders answer a guided Q&A and receive the same documents that a top-tier Silicon Valley law firm would produce — but in days instead of weeks, and at a fraction of the cost.
The "for Startups" framing is less a standalone program and more the way the company onboards accelerator cohorts. Clerky has long-standing partnerships with most major US accelerators (Y Combinator is the highest-profile example) and many international programs. Through these partnerships, founders at participating accelerators get Clerky's packages at no cost or a steeply reduced rate as part of the program's standard benefits stack.
What you get in the program
Clerky's product is structured as a menu of packages, each covering a distinct legal milestone. The accelerator discount typically covers the standard formation stack end-to-end, with some variation by partner.
Incorporation + 83(b)
Automated Delaware C-Corp formation, founder stock issuance, and the 30-day 83(b) election filing with the IRS — the package most founders need on day one.
SAFE financing
YC-style post-money SAFE template that most US angel and seed investors expect to see, with clean signing flow and cap table output.
Priced equity round
Stock Purchase Agreement, Investor Rights Agreement, Voting Agreement, ROFR/Co-Sale, and amended charter — the full priced-round bundle.
Hiring + equity
Offer letters, NDAs, IP assignment, board and stockholder consents, and a stock option plan that integrates with your existing cap table.
Cap table handoff
Output compatible with the major equity admin platforms, so historical accuracy is preserved when you later onboard a tool like Pulley, AngelList, or Carta.
Document storage
Signed documents are stored in the Clerky account and exportable in PDF, so you have a permanent record of every signed instrument.
Clerky pricing and discount tiers
Clerky prices per package rather than as a single bundle, which can make headline comparisons tricky. The accelerator program typically unlocks a combination of packages at no cost; the exact coverage depends on the partner.
| Tier | Who it's for | Typical cost | What's included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard (DIY retail) | Any founder, no accelerator | Per package, varies | Any single package (incorporation, SAFE, priced round, hiring, etc.) at published retail price |
| Accelerator Partner Discount | Founders at partner programs (YC, Techstars, and 50+ others) | Free or steeply discounted per package | Most or all of the standard formation stack; coverage varies by partner |
| Add-on modules | Anyone (including partner founders) | Per add-on | 409A coordination, additional option grants, second SAFE, foreign founder variants — partner coverage varies |
Clerky vs alternatives
The honest comparison set is short, because the well-funded self-serve legal stack for startups is not crowded. Stripe Atlas, Firstbase, and Clerky are the three names founders actually compare in 2026.
| Feature | Clerky | Stripe Atlas | Firstbase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary strength | Legal paperwork for fundraising | Bank + payments stack for new companies | International founder incorporation |
| Discount via accelerator | Yes (50+ partners) | Occasional partner codes | Partner-dependent |
| Best for SAFEs and priced rounds | Yes — the canonical option | Limited | Limited |
| Best for international founders | Limited (US-doc focused) | Moderate | Yes — strongest of the three |
| Self-serve, no lawyer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
What the credit covers
- Automated Delaware C-Corp incorporation filing
- One-click 83(b) tax election generation and mailing
- Founder stock issuance with 83(b) letters
- SAFE and convertible note templates (post-money)
- Series Seed and Series A equity financing document sets
- Stock option plan setup with board and stockholder consents
- HIRE package: offer letters, NDAs, IP assignment, 409A coordination
- Cap table output compatible with Pulley, AngelList, Carta
- Self-serve Q&A interface — no calls with lawyers required
- Document storage and signing flow built in
- Acceleration of post-financing cap table updates
- Trusted by 50+ accelerators worldwide including Y Combinator
Programme tracks
Verified June 2026. What Clerky for Startups publishes for each stage — confirm on the application, since credit programmes are re-cut more often than list pricing.
| Track | Value | Who it is for | What it includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard (DIY) | Varies by package | one-time | Full retail price paid directly to Clerky · Same document quality and automation as partner program · Available to any founder, no accelerator required · Self-serve, no legal review included |
| Accelerator Partner Discount | Free or heavily discounted | per package | Activation through your accelerator's onboarding portal · Covers incorporation, 83(b), founder stock, and SAFE packages at most partner programs · Equity financing docs may require separate co-invest · Discount applied automatically with valid partner code |
How to apply
5 steps. The last one is the part most people skip.
- 1
Get the referral before anything else
Clerky for Startups has no self-serve application for this programme. Ask your lead investor, accelerator or incubator for their partner link — most Tier 1 funds keep a portfolio-benefits page listing exactly this. Without it the rest of the process is closed to you.
- 2
Open Clerky for Startups through the link on this page
It carries our referral tag. The terms you get are identical either way, and it never changes what this page says about the programme.
- 3
Have the eligibility evidence ready
Applications are checked against 2 conditions — partner referral needed, startups. Incorporation date, cap table and a one-line description of what you are building cover most of it.
- 4
Ask for the expiry window in writing
Clerky for Startups does not publish how long the credit runs, and unused balance is almost always forfeited. Get the activation and expiry dates confirmed before you plan around the grant.
- 5
Know the rate you land on when it runs out
Founders at partner accelerators (including Y Combinator, Techstars, and many others) typically receive Clerky's incorporation and fundraising document packages at no cost or a steeply reduced rate. Retail pricing is per-package and varies. Verify current terms at signup.
Where this programme wins and loses
What works
- The de facto YC standard Clerky has been quietly baked into Y Combinator's onboarding flow for years, which is the strongest possible endorsement for early-stage US startups. If YC trusts it for every batch, it has cleared a high quality bar.
- Saves real legal fees A typical startup lawyer charges several thousand dollars for an incorporation plus 83(b) and another $5K–$15K for a priced equity round. Clerky's flat-fee packages replace a meaningful slice of that spend — and the accelerator discount can make it effectively free.
- Documents investors expect to see Clerky's SAFE is the canonical YC-style post-money SAFE, and its priced round docs are familiar to most US seed and Series A investors. Using them reduces the back-and-forth when a term sheet lands.
- Self-serve, fast turnaround Most packages complete in days, not weeks, and you do not need to schedule a call with an attorney. The Q&A interface is well-designed and walks founders through decisions that would otherwise require outside counsel.
- Clean cap table handoff The cap table output integrates with the major equity management platforms, which is a quiet but meaningful benefit when you later onboard a tool like Pulley or Carta and need historical accuracy.
- Predictable, flat pricing No hourly billing surprises. You know the cost of each package up front, which is rare in the legal world and helpful for cash-conscious founders.
What doesn't
- Discount is gated by accelerator access Clerky does not run a public startup credit program you can apply to with a deck. The savings are effectively only available if you are already affiliated with a partner accelerator — independent founders pay retail.
- Not a substitute for a lawyer in complex situations Clerky is template-driven. International founders, founders with bespoke equity structures, or companies facing litigation, IP disputes, or regulatory issues still need a real attorney.
- US-centric documents The packages assume a Delaware C-Corp and US tax filings. International founders, LLCs, or non-US entities get limited value from the standard offerings.
- Some packages priced separately Even at partner accelerators, certain modules (notably some priced round documents or hiring tools) may not be fully covered. The fine print varies by partner, so confirm what your activation code unlocks before assuming everything is free.
The bottom line
If you are at a partner accelerator, the discount is essentially free money — there is no good reason to pay retail for the same paperwork. Even without the discount, Clerky is the most reliable self-serve legal tool for standard US startup docs, and it consistently saves founders real legal fees.
Clerky for Startups FAQ
The questions we actually get asked about this programme.
Ask us something elseClerky is a legal-tech SaaS that automates startup paperwork — incorporation, founder stock, 83(b) elections, SAFEs, priced equity rounds, and hiring documents. The 'for Startups' framing refers to its accelerator partnership program, which gives founders at partner programs discounted or free access to those packages.
Most accelerator partners provide a unique signup link or activation code during onboarding, typically through a partner portal or a welcome email from your accelerator's platform team. Sign up using that link and the discount is applied automatically. If you cannot find it, ask your accelerator's founder-success contact.
Clerky works with 50+ accelerators globally, including Y Combinator, Techstars, and many regional and sector-specific programs. Clerky does not publish a comprehensive public list, so the fastest way to confirm is to ask your program manager directly.
Yes. Anyone can purchase Clerky packages at standard retail pricing through the website. The accelerator discount is the value-add, but the underlying service is the same and is widely used by independent founders.
For standard, well-trodden situations — forming a Delaware C-Corp, issuing SAFEs, or running a typical priced seed round — Clerky's templates are sufficient and accepted by most investors. For complex cap tables, international structures, IP-heavy companies, or unusual equity arrangements, you should still consult an attorney.
Clerky prices per package and does not publish a single bundled price. Costs vary depending on which modules you need (incorporation, founder stock, SAFE, priced round, hiring, etc.). Visit the Clerky site for current pricing, since packages are updated periodically.
The document templates are built for US entities (primarily Delaware C-Corps) and US tax filings. If you are forming outside the US or want a non-standard entity, the standard packages will not fit and you should look at jurisdiction-specific legal counsel instead.
No. Clerky handles the legal documents that reference a 409A valuation, but the valuation itself must be obtained from a separate provider. Many accelerators have preferred 409A partners, so check with your program before ordering one independently.
