Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation

Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation

Drafts a filing-ready Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation for a Delaware corporation in connection with a preferred stock financing round. Delaware-specific — do not apply to other states without modification.

Prerequisites

Collect before drafting:

1. Term sheet — pricing, liquidation preference multiple, anti-dilution method, protective provisions, board composition
2. Prior Certificate — current authorized capital, existing preferred series, unusual provisions
3. Cap table — shares outstanding, option pool, warrants, convertible notes
4. Transaction documents — SPA, IRA, voting agreement, ROFR/co-sale (for cross-reference)
5. Registered agent — name, physical Delaware street address (no P.O. boxes), county

Quick Start

1. Gather all prerequisites above
2. Run pre-draft verification (cross-check term sheet against cap table and SPA)
3. Draft articles I–VII using the document skeleton
4. Verify anti-dilution formula and liquidation waterfall with sample numbers
5. Cross-check all defined terms against transaction documents
6. Confirm filing readiness with Delaware Secretary of State requirements

Pre-Draft Verification

Extract and cross-check — flag discrepancies before drafting:

Document Skeleton

AMENDED AND RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
OF [EXACT LEGAL NAME]

[Corporation] hereby certifies:

1. Original Certificate filed with the Delaware Secretary of State on [DATE].
2. This Amended and Restated Certificate has been duly adopted pursuant to
   Sections 242 and 245 of the DGCL [by board consent under §245 / by board
   and stockholder approval under §242].
3. The text of the Certificate is hereby amended and restated in its entirety
   as follows:

ARTICLE I — NAME
ARTICLE II — REGISTERED OFFICE AND AGENT
ARTICLE III — PURPOSE
ARTICLE IV — AUTHORIZED CAPITAL
ARTICLE V — PREFERRED STOCK RIGHTS
ARTICLE VI — DIRECTOR EXCULPATION
ARTICLE VII — [Additional governance as needed]

IN WITNESS WHEREOF...
[Signature block: name, title, date]

Core Articles

Article I — Name. Must include corporate designator (Corp., Inc., etc.) per DGCL §102(a)(1). Must match across all transaction documents exactly.

Article II — Registered Office. Physical street address in Delaware with county. Named registered agent who has consented to serve.

Article III — Purpose. Standard broad clause: "any lawful act or activity for which corporations may be organized under the DGCL." Narrow only if regulatory/tax reasons require.

Article IV — Authorized Capital.

Total authorized: [X] shares
  Common Stock: [X] shares, $[0.0001] par value
  Preferred Stock: [X] shares, $[0.0001] par value
    Series Seed: [X] shares
    Series A: [X] shares
    Undesignated: [X] shares (blank check authority)

Common must cover: outstanding + option pool + all preferred as-converted + warrants/notes + cushion.

Article V — Preferred Stock Rights. Draft in this order:

See references/DETAILS.md for anti-dilution formula, carve-out checklist, protective provisions checklist, and liquidation waterfalls.

Article VI — Director Exculpation. DGCL §102(b)(7) maximum exculpation with statutory carve-outs (loyalty breach, bad faith, §174, improper personal benefit). Include future-amendment auto-update clause.

Article VII+ — Optional Provisions. Indemnification + mandatory advancement; D&O insurance authority; corporate opportunity waiver; forum selection (Court of Chancery); written consent/special meeting provisions.

Pitfalls and Checks

1. Defined terms — define once, use consistently; cross-check against SPA/IRA/voting agreement definitions
2. Mathematical verification — test liquidation waterfall at multiple exit values; verify anti-dilution formula with sample down-round
3. Cross-references — verify all internal section references and subsection numbering
4. DGCL compliance — cite §§242, 245 in recitals; §102(a)(1) for name; §102(b)(7) for exculpation; §151 for stock rights
5. Blank check preferred — if authorized, ensure protective provisions cover future series designation
6. Par value consistency — match across Common and Preferred unless justified
7. Filing readiness — document must be executable and fileable as-is
8. Never guess share numbers, valuations, or pricing — flag gaps and request clarification