Latvian Startup Association Startin.LV and law firm Sorainen have released free, open-source model clause templates for parental leave provisions in startup shareholder agreements and VC fund limited partnership agreements. The templates, branded as “The Parental Clause,” were presented at TechChill 2026 by Startin.LV board member Agnese Veckalne-Leščinska and are available on Startin.LV and Sorainen website.
While employee rights are well regulated, parental leave does not exist as a legal concept in Baltic startup and fund agreements. A Startin survey conducted in January 2026 found that not a single founder had parental leave addressed in any formal agreement. A separate study showed that more than half of European VC funds have no parental leave policy, while another 84% of women in VC report concerns about the amount of leave they can take.
“Not one founder we spoke to had a parental leave policy in writing. Neither did fund partners. It has always been a hot potato topic that teams ignore until they can’t. But that approach leaves so much room for miscommunication, assumptions and sometimes plain discrimination. That is a structural problem, and it has a structural fix.” — Madara Kņūtiņa, board member, Startin.LV
The templates address five identified pain points: vesting and carry continuation during leave, protection against leaver clause triggers, safe suspension of service and key man obligations, a framework for decision-making delegation, and a guarantee of full return to role. A protected leave period of up to four months maintains full vesting and carry accrual, with an optional extension of up to a further two months where vesting pauses rather than terminates. All forms of leave are covered — birth, paternity, adoption, and fostering.
“Parental leave is a governance gap that affects every founder and fund partner who wants to build a serious company and have a family. Sorainen’s role is to make the legal infrastructure of the Baltic startup ecosystem stronger, and that means closing the gaps that are costing people equity and opportunity. These templates are a first step toward making that the new standard.” — Ramona Miglāne, partner, Sorainen
The templates are free to use and available in English on the Startin.LV and Sorainen website.
