Last Updated January 31, 2024
What is a Joint Venture Agreement?
A Joint Venture Agreement (sometimes called a JV or co-venture agreement) is a contract between two or more parties that agree to combine their resources for a limited time in order to accomplish a project or reach a goal.
This contract establishes:
- The duties and obligations of each party
- Financial contributions, services, and other dedicated resources
- The purpose of the venture
- Business management and operations
- The process for dissolution
Ventures help professionals connect and collaborate so that they can quickly grow their businesses and access new markets. One consistent characteristic of a joint venture is that it typically involves two distinct businesses choosing to co-operate, while a partnership is generally one cohesive business.
How do you structure a joint venture?
LawDepot’s Joint Venture Agreement template works for both contractual business relationships and general partnerships.
Contractual joint ventures
With a contractual joint venture, each member keeps separate accounting records and receives their set portion of profits and losses. The parties may also choose to limit their individual liabilities if a dispute occurs. These ventures often last for a single project or a specific duration of time.
For example, two tech companies may work together to research and develop a new mobile app. The two companies have different skill sets and talent pools to draw from, allowing them each to contribute to the project separately.
When ready, they combine their contributions into a complete package, dissolve their venture, and proceed to market and sell the product independently from one another. So, while the members are collaborators in development, they are competitors in the same marketplace.
General partnership joint ventures
With a general partnership joint venture, each member shares the profits, losses, and liabilities of the business. In this case, the partners are equally responsible for the partnership and actions taken by members on behalf of the partnership. Unlike contractual ventures, general partnership ventures often commit to working for long-term profitability.
For example, a hair salon may partner with a spa service to create a new business entity with a view to profit. Together they rent out a commercial space, create new business signage, and combine their client base. Although the hairstylists and aestheticians have separate skill sets, they work together to represent the same self-care and salon business.
Unlike the two tech companies in the first example, these businesses are not direct competitors but have a mutually beneficial purpose. That being said, any losses in the hair salon would be offset by profits in the spa service and vice versa.
When should I use a Joint Venture Agreement?
Whether you should use a general partnership or a contractual joint venture largely depends on the purpose of the venture, the parties’ conduct, and the circumstances of your business arrangement. Keep in mind that certain tax obligations may apply depending on the type of venture.
Use a contractual joint venture when:
- There is a limited and defined purpose
- The members decide not to form a trust or corporation
- The members agree to distribute costs in portions and not to share profits
Use a general partnership joint venture when:
- There is a broad scope and purpose
- There is a business in common that the partners jointly operate
- The members agree to share both costs and profits
Joint ventures are the choice of established businesses who work together for a fixed term. However, individuals starting a new business together would use a Partnership Agreement instead. This document further establishes the rights and responsibilities of general partners and the rules of a for-profit relationship.
If you’re unsure which document best suits your situation, consider consulting a business lawyer.
How do I negotiate a joint venture proposal?
A joint venture proposal is a formal or written suggestion to work together in order to reach a common goal. Before submitting a proposal, you should research your potential business partner and try to establish a good rapport.
It’s important to do your due diligence before entering into any agreement to determine if the partnership will protect your interests. Plus, establishing a relationship can increase your proposal’s chance of consideration and acceptance.
Use a Confidentiality Agreement to create a safe environment for business negotiations to take place, as exercising due diligence will require an exchange of confidential details.
When you’re ready to express your interest in a partnership, you can send a Letter of Intent to your potential business partner. This document helps you launch the negotiations for a formal Joint Venture Agreement.
To help guide your negotiations, create a draft Joint Venture Agreement with LawDepot’s template. Assessing the agreement in advance will give you an idea of the terms that you’re willing (or unwilling) to compromise on. Working out the terms of a joint venture may involve trade-offs or deal-breakers, so it’s beneficial to know where you stand before starting a discussion.
What are the capital contributions of each member?
When drafting an agreement, members of a joint venture must decide on the total value of their capital contributions (which can include cash, resources, or services). Decisions about capital contributions help to create a framework for initial funding, allocation of resources, and decision-making processes.
Some circumstances may require that parties put important decisions to a vote. The weight of each member’s vote can be proportionate to their capital contributions. For instance, members may structure the venture to be 30/60 so that the member who contributes more capital has more weight in their vote. Alternatively, the members may structure the venture to be 50/50 so that votes are equal for each member regardless of their individual contributions.
Some joint ventures may formalize their agreement further by creating a new legal entity to operate under. In this case, the members may choose to incorporate their new business. Otherwise, the members may agree to operate their venture under an unofficial business name that dissolves once the Joint Venture Agreement ends.
How do I terminate a Joint Venture Agreement?
The parties of a joint venture may end the agreement or take steps to remove (or disassociate) a member when that member:
- Breaches the terms of the contract
- Acts (or fails to act) in a way that harms the venture
- Goes bankrupt
- Is convicted of a crime
- Decides to leave voluntarily
Disassociating a joint venture member may be an option for businesses or individuals who want to protect the interests of the venture. If needed, you can use LawDepot’s Notice of Withdrawal to inform the remaining parties of the change. If the remaining members give consent, you can also transfer the disassociated member’s interest in the venture to someone new with our Assignment of Partnership form.
In some cases, however, dissolution is the only option for a joint venture. This would be the case when:
- The venture achieves its goals
- The venture term expires and isn’t extended
- There is a substantial loss of venture assets (or the assets go out of commission)
- Members vote unanimously
- Only one member remains in the agreement
When dissolving the venture, members liquidate the venture assets and distribute any amounts to the members in proportion to their capital accounts (or as specified in a Termination Agreement).