Common Paper

Common Paper launched with open-source contract templates as their MVP—standardized NDAs, DPAs, and sales agreements that startups could use immediately without legal review cycles. ​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌They shipped this core offering within months, deliberately excluding the full contract management software platform they envisioned. This constraint forced early focus on solving the actual bottleneck: deal velocity. By leaving out features like advanced workflow automation and enterprise integrations, they could validate whether companies genuinely wanted standardized contracts before building complex infrastructure. Early signals proved powerful—startups rapidly adopted the templates to accelerate customer negotiations, and the structured data embedded in these contracts created natural demand for their eventual management platform. This phased approach meant Common Paper could iterate on what mattered most while building credibility as a trusted standard-setter, similar to how SAFE became foundational before expanding into broader fundraising infrastructure.