Founder Series - Top Ten Common Mistakes That Stall a Raise or Exit

Most deals don't fall apart over the business. They run into trouble weeks later, when a lawyer opens the data room and starts asking who owns what, which rights have been granted, and whether any of it was ever documented. In this session, Neil Foster of Brown Rudnick goes through the ten transaction mistakes he sees most often when companies raise or sell — what each one is, why some stop a deal while others get negotiated around, and roughly how long each takes to put right if it's caught early. Neil is a leading VC lawyer and Co-Chair of the Global Technology Group at Brown Rudnick, and has advised founders including SpaceX. His chapter on the ten most common mistakes appears in Masters of Raising Venture Capital, edited by Silicon Valley VC Andrew Romans. Chaired by Paul Morris, former Head of Growth Advisory at BDO. Ollie Austen, Co-Founder of Startup 2 Standup, closes the session. Recorded 11 September 2026 WHAT'S COVERED Share options promised but never documented Share classes that don't carry the rights everyone assumed IP that isn't owned by the company Pre-emption rights that complicate the next round Commercial contracts with change-of-control terms Veto rights nobody realised they'd granted THE CHECKLIST Everyone who attended can run the Top Ten Mistakes checklist against their own company, free, at diligentsia.co.uk THE SERIES This is the first of four sessions for founders, investors and the advisers working alongside them. Session 2 · Friday 16 October — What VCs Really Want: How to Maximise the Chances of Securing a Series A Termsheet Session 3 · Friday 20 November — Leadership: How Stellar Founders manage Growth, Conflicts, Investors, Boards and "Friendly Fire" Session 4 · January — Beyond Equity: Alternative Financing Structures Session 2 is free. Registration opens at the start of October — details at diligentsia.co.uk Hosted by Diligentsia, in collaboration with Brown Rudnick and Startup 2 Standup. diligentsia.co.uk