Your Startup Code Might Belong to a Guy Paid in Pizza: The Missing IP Assignment Trap

A founder nearly lost her seed round over three weekends of coding that were paid for in pizza. Forty-eight hours before closing, investor diligence asked who wrote the first version of her AI startup's code. The answer was Viktor, who never signed an IP assignment and now teaches surfing in Lisbon. - Without a written assignment, code from a non-employee generally stays with whoever wrote it - Informal payment like pizza doesn't transfer ownership - The fix was a retroactive IP assignment, one very polite email, and a stressful weekend Before your next raise, check who touched your early code and whether they signed anything. LEGALDIGM flags gaps like this across IP, DPAs and SaaS agreements, so book a demo and then text your Viktor. #startuplegal #ipassignment #founderlesson #duediligence #seedround #saascontracts #dataprivacy #legaltech #investorready #contractreview