SAFE: Valuation Cap, No Discount (US) by Y Combinator

Open Legal LibraryUpdated 6 Oct 2025

Other names:SAFE NoteSimple Agreement for Future EquityConvertible InstrumentSeed Investment Agreement

THIS INSTRUMENT AND ANY SECURITIES ISSUABLE PURSUANT HERETO HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”), OR UNDER THE SECURITIES LAWS OF CERTAIN STATES. THESE SECURITIES MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED OR HYPOTHECATED EXCEPT AS PERMITTED IN THIS SAFE AND UNDER THE ACT AND APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS PURSUANT TO AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT OR AN EXEMPTION THEREFROM.

SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity)

THIS CERTIFIES THAT in exchange for the payment by [investor name] (the “Investor”) of [purchase amount] (the “Purchase Amount”) on or about [effective date], a [company state of incorporation] corporation (the “Company”), issues to the Investor the right to certain shares of the Company’s Capital Stock, subject to the terms described below.

This Safe is one of the forms available at ycombinator.com/documents and the Company and the Investor agree that neither one has modified the form, except to fill in blanks and bracketed terms.

The “Post-Money Valuation Cap” is [post-money valuation cap]. See Section 2 for certain additional defined terms.

Events

(a) Equity Financing. If there is an Equity Financing before the termination of this Safe, on the initial closing of such Equity Financing, this Safe will automatically convert into the greater of: (1) the number of shares of Standard Preferred Stock equal to the Purchase Amount divided by the lowest price per share of the Standard Preferred Stock; or (2) the number of shares of Safe Preferred Stock equal to the Purchase Amount divided by the Safe Price.

In connection with the automatic conversion of this Safe into shares of Standard Preferred Stock or Safe Preferred Stock, the Investor will execute and deliver to the Company all of the transaction documents related to the Equity Financing; provided, that such documents (i) are the same documents to be entered into with the purchasers of Standard Preferred Stock, with appropriate variations for the Safe Preferred Stock if applicable, and (ii) have customary exceptions to any drag-along applicable to the Investor, including (without limitation) limited representations, warranties, liability and indemnification obligations for the Investor.

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United States note

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Jurisdiction
United States of America
Source
SAFE: Valuation Cap, no Discount (US) by Y Combinator
from Y Combinator
Document info
HTML document. Document created on Fri Sep 26th, 2025. Last updated on Mon Oct 6th, 2025.
This document is public
Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (Attribution).
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SAFE: Discount, no Valuation Cap (US) by Y Combinator
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Safe: Valuation Cap, No Discount (Canada) by Y Combinator
The Y Combinator SAFE: Valuation Cap, No Discount (Canada) governs how investor funds convert into equity based on a pre-set post-money valuation cap, without applying a discount. It ensures that the investor receives shares at a price reflecting the valuation cap if a future financing, liquidity event, or dissolution occurs. This SAFE is part of Y Combinator’s library of open, lawyer-vetted standard financing documents adapted for Canadian securities law.
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The SAFE: Post-Money Valuation Cap (Singapore) is a Simple Agreement for Future Equity tailored for Singapore-incorporated companies. It allows investors to convert their investment into equity at the lower of the future financing price or a price based on a set valuation cap, protecting them from dilution. This is Y Combinator’s standard Singapore law version, widely used in early-stage startup financing.
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The Y Combinator SAFE: Valuation Cap, No Discount (Caymans) governs how investor funds convert into equity by setting a post-money valuation cap without applying a discount. It gives investors the right to receive shares at a price based on the valuation cap in the next equity financing, or to receive a comparable return in the event of a liquidity or dissolution event. This SAFE is structured for Cayman Islands companies and is part of Y Combinator’s library of open, lawyer-vetted standard financing documents widely used in international startup funding.
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The Pro Rata Agreement gives investors the right to purchase their proportional share of preferred stock in a company’s future equity financing, protecting them from dilution when a post-money SAFE converts. It sets out how pro rata rights are calculated, when they terminate, and rules for assignment and amendments. This agreement is part of Y Combinator’s publicly available library of standard financing documents, widely trusted and used by startups and investors.
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