Скачать или смотреть S4E20: Are Founders Overlooking Legal Risks, Equity Dilution & the Long-Term Impact of Exits?

Can you scale fast without falling into legal traps?

In this episode of The BarberShop with Shantanu, we are joined by Archana Rajaram (Managing Partner, River Law) and Anup Agarwal (Co-Founder & CEO, Mintifi) to decode a side of entrepreneurship that’s often left behind and what really happens when capital, compliance, and chaos collide.

From helping founders steer clear of costly mistakes to making sense of India’s tricky legal systems, Archana breaks down how "good lawyering should never come in the way of business". And Anup shares how Mintifi is not just simplifying credit for distributors but doing it while keeping unit economics and risk in check.

This episode is basically a founder survival guide on what to fight for, what to let go, and how to not get distracted by vanity clauses.

Key Takeaways from the episode:
1. Why not hiring a lawyer early could cost you crores.
2. The dos and don’ts of equity dilution, term sheets, and board control.
3. How Mintifi is solving working capital at scale using tech-first lending.
4. When you should fight a clause and when to just move on.

If you're a founder, investor, or just someone trying to make sense of startup chaos, this episode will make you think and maybe double-check your SHA.

Let us know in the comments what’s one legal or financial misstep you wish someone had warned you about.

Navigate your way through these chapters

00:00 Coming Up
01:00 Introduction
01:52 What founders miss about term sheets
07:49 What clauses to fight, and ones to let go
13:00 Should you take money off the table?
15:14 How early deals shaped Archana’s journey
20:32 How River Law came to be
25:42 What it means to be a founder-first lawyer
30:35 How Anup Mintifi was built
34:25 How Mintifi is fixing working capital
38:10 Dilution and control: what founders need to know
45:03 Term sheet clauses no one talks about
50:26 Real stories from the boardroom
56:40 Why templates aren’t enough in legal stuff

1:02:48 What good lawyering really looks like

1:09:43 What’s next for law in fintech?

1:17:00 Lessons from both sides, founder and lawyer

1:22:00 Closing thoughts