>> Delaware corporate law requires companies to issue stock certificates but most rarely do.
I don't think this is actually true. If I recall correctly, it's possible to set your company up in a way in which stock certificates are actually not required. Delaware corporate law explicitly recognizes this possibility (http://delcode.delaware.gov/title8/c001/sc05/#158).
And, as a recovering lawyer who billed far too much time printing out stock certificates and attending to other inane cap table management issues, I'd strongly recommend asking your lawyer to set your company up as uncertificated if it isn't already. There's no real value to the company to issue actual certificates (they don't provide any additional legal "truth" that doesn't already exist in other legal agreements), but there are consequences to screwing up or misplacing a stock certificate.
I don't think this is actually true. If I recall correctly, it's possible to set your company up in a way in which stock certificates are actually not required. Delaware corporate law explicitly recognizes this possibility (http://delcode.delaware.gov/title8/c001/sc05/#158).
And, as a recovering lawyer who billed far too much time printing out stock certificates and attending to other inane cap table management issues, I'd strongly recommend asking your lawyer to set your company up as uncertificated if it isn't already. There's no real value to the company to issue actual certificates (they don't provide any additional legal "truth" that doesn't already exist in other legal agreements), but there are consequences to screwing up or misplacing a stock certificate.