Approval-Matrix-Template.xlsx

	A	B	C	D
1	Startup Approval Matrix (Delegation of Authority)
2	Right-sized for a lean team: two people on everyday spend, founder on sensitive items, board (per your SHA / investment agreement) on big-ticket. Edit the blue thresholds to fit your company. Keep the approval + trail in your accounting tool (or capture email/WhatsApp approvals into it).
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4	A. EVERYDAY SPEND (two people, no long chain)
5	Spend type	Initiated / entered by	Approved by	Notes
6	Operating expense (in budget)	Requester / finance	Finance head + Founder OR Dept head	Two sets of eyes = the control
7	Vendor invoice / payment	Finance	Finance head + one other	Then paid via maker-checker
8	Purchase / new commitment	Requester	Finance head + Dept head	Check against budget first
9	Reimbursement claim	Employee	Manager approves, finance checks	Receipt mandatory; paid monthly
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11	B. SENSITIVE ACTIONS (always Founder, any amount)
12	Action	Initiated by	Approved by	Why founder
13	New vendor onboarding	Finance / dept	Founder	Vendor selection = fraud/kickback risk
14	Salary change / new-hire comp	HR / manager	Founder	Payroll cost + fairness
15	Bank-detail change (vendor or employee)	Finance	Founder + call-back verify	#1 payment-fraud vector
16	New bank account / banking access	Finance	Founder	Controls cash access
17	Non-standard discount / credit terms	Sales	Founder	Protects revenue quality
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19	C. BOARD APPROVAL (per your Investment Agreement / SHA reserved matters)
20	Item	Threshold (set from your SHA)	Approved by	Notes
21	Capex / single spend above limit	[Rs. ____ per SHA]	Board	Fill your SHA reserved-matter limit
22	New borrowing / debt	[Any / above Rs. ____]	Board	Usually a reserved matter
23	Annual budget / material deviation	[Budget / >__% variance]	Board	Approve budget, then delegate within it
24	Related-party transaction	[Any]	Board / Audit committee	Section 188 + auditor
25	ESOP pool creation or top-up	[Any]	Board + shareholders	Special resolution
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27	D. OPTIONAL: your second-approver threshold (edit)
28	Team size	Second approver kicks in above
29	~10 people	[Rs. 25,000]
30	~30 people	[Rs. 50,000]
31	~50 people	[Rs. 1,00,000]
32	Note: many lean startups skip rupee tiers entirely and simply require two people on every spend. Use tiers only if a single approver on small spend is genuinely enough for you.
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