Articles of Association
The internal rulebook governing how a company is run and how decisions are made.
The articles set out share classes, voting rights, director powers, share transfers and decision-making procedures. They are filed at Companies House and are often amended at funding rounds to reflect investor rights. Bespoke articles typically replace the default model articles as a company raises.
Examples
A startup amends its articles to create preference shares for new investors. — Default model articles are used at incorporation.
How it relates to The Startup Foundry
Understanding governance documents is part of investment readiness covered in the Foundry’s Learn/Improve resources.