Business & Corporate
Business & Corporate
Founder Law provides corporate legal support for startups and growing companies, including company formation, equity and cap table structuring, fundraising, and commercial agreements. We also provide strategic legal support for growing companies to help founders navigate their ongoing legal needs as their businesses grow.
Company Formation
We establish your Delaware C-Corp with absolute precision, signaling immediate status and competence to elite venture capitalists and ensuring your structural foundation is flawless from day one.
Equity & Cap Tables
We manage the deep complexities of vesting schedules, 83(b) elections, and equity distribution, ensuring your cap table remains perfectly aligned and impenetrable as you scale.
Fundraising & Venture Capital
From seed rounds to Series A, we navigate hostile term sheets, manage data rooms, and systemize the venture financing process so you can secure capital without compromising your leverage.
Commercial Agreements
We draft and negotiate the foundational agreements that govern your operations, ensuring your business relationships are legally sound and aligned with your long-term dynastic goals.
Standard Formation Documents Included
This is necessary to create your Delaware Corporation.
- Certificate of Incorporation: Creates the legal entity in Delaware.
- Action of Sole Incorporator: Resigns the incorporator, adopts bylaws, and elects initial directors.
- Bylaws: Standard startup corporate governance rules.
- Initial Board Consents: Approves officer appointments, bank authorizations, and stock issuance.
- Founder Stock Purchase Agreements: Issues shares with standard vesting and repurchase schedules.
- Proprietary Information & Inventions Agreements (PIIA / CIIAA): Assigns all founder IP to the company.
- IRS Form 83(b) Election Packet: Filing forms and cover letters to protect against future tax liabilities.
- IRS Form SS-4: Documentation used to obtain the company’s EIN.
California Foreign Qualification Costs
Required if your Delaware C Corp operates, employs staff, or is headquartered in California: $750 plus taxes with annual extension.
Stripe Atlas (Self-Service / Third-Party)
- Atlas does not handle foreign qualification. You must file directly or use an outside agent.
- California State Filing Fee: $100
- Delaware Certificate of Good Standing: ~$50 to $175
- Initial Statement of Information (Form SI-550 within 90 days): $20
- California Registered Agent: ~$100 to $125/year (if no physical commercial address).
- Taxes: California's $800 annual minimum franchise tax is generally waived for a corporation's first taxable year.
Clerky (Turnkey Service)
- Clerky Service Fee: $125
- State & Partner Pass-Through Fees: ~$250 to $350 (covers CA state filing, DE Good Standing, and 1 year of CA registered agent).
- Total estimated cost: ~$375 to $475.
Municipal Business License Costs
These must be completed directly with the respective city. Our services are $250 per year. Examples include:
San Francisco:
- Requires a Business Registration Certificate via the SF Treasurer & Tax Collector.
- Cost: $55/year for startups with $0 to $100,000 in local gross receipts (scales upward with revenue).
Palo Alto:
- Requires registration via the City of Palo Alto Business Registry.
- Standard fee: $54/year ($50 base fee + $4 state CASp fee).
- Exemption: Home-based, remote, or businesses with fewer than 1 full-time equivalent employee qualify for a $0 fee (annual registration is still required).
Your Next Move Deserves More Attention.
Want to understand the costs before getting started? View our legal service pricing to explore the available options.
The wrong immigration strategy can cost you years of progress and mounting legal fees. Founder Law has spent over two decades guiding the tech industry’s top talent and the companies building around them.
We review where you are, map the realistic pathways, and tell you which ones actually fit your timeline, your goals, and your risk tolerance. You leave with a plan, whether you hire us or not.
If your career or your company depends on getting this right, let’s talk.
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