www.thestartupshepherd.com Find out the definition of a non disclosure agreement and when they are used. What is a non disclosure agreement and when are they used? Non Disclosure Agreements or NDA for short are documents that companies use to protect their confidential information. So if my company has some proprietary or confidential info and I want to share it with you, maybe we are thinking of starting a venture together, I may ask you to sign an NDA. In that agreement you say you will only use the information we agreed to. In this case, looking into going into a venture together. You will not use the information for your own commercial advantage and you will not share the information with others. They can be provisional or definite. The main crux of an NDA is what I told you about. I'm giving you some confidential info so don't use it for your own advantage. Now start-ups want to use NDAs with investors. Brett A. Cenkus is The Startup Shepherd™. He has 20+ years of experience in business finance, business law and entrepreneurship. Brett believes that numbers and logic are awesome tools, but understanding human nature and emotions is the first step to business success. The Cenkus Law Firm provides services related to mergers & acquisitions, general business issues and startups, including founders’ agreements and fundraising. Brett also consults with entrepreneurs and invests his own capital as an angel investor. From 2010-2013 he served as Chief Legal Counsel of a publicly-trade international oilfield services company. From 2001 to 2006 he and a partner founded and built Paragon Residential Mortgage. Paragon was sold to Bridge Investments in 2006. Brett holds a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania. Brett lives in Austin with his wife, Cathryn, and daughter, Elle. He enjoys reading, running, classic movies, great food and wine and NFL football. You can also reach me at: www.linkedin.com/in/brettcenkus twitter.com/bcenkus www.cenkus.com www.cenkuslaw.com SS ep 8 NDA