Say 👋 to Capbase

Learn all you need to know about the board of directors, its responsibilities, and how it develops through funding runds.

Learn how to use equity crowdfunding to raise money for your startup.

Learn how startup syndicates work, who creates startup syndicates, and the pros and cons of raising funds through startup syndicates.

We are excited to partner with GroWrk to offer Capbase customers a special 15% discount from their first year of GroWrk fees, plus an extra month free.

Nancy, one of our Project Managers, discusses what it's like to organize all the work that’s being done at Capbase, and why she still prefers to use a paper notebook.

James Hottensen explores the origins of Venture Capital and how VC's make money on each investment. Portfolio construction and logic is also covered with quotes from top-tier venture capitalists from the United States.

Learn how to raise money from accredited investors while sticking to Reg D guidelines, and how crowdfunding equity can help your startup grow.

The SAFE has become more popular as a way of financing early stage startups since its creation in 2013. But convertibles notes are still used by investors around the world. We break down key differences between SAFEs and convertible notes.

We cover some of the important steps founders will need to take after incorporating their startup, like 83(b) elections, getting an EIN, opening a bank account & more.

Most founders have little clue about how cap tables work when they start their first startup. Keeping accurate records of your cap table is essential for startup founders if they plan on raising capital from VCs or selling the company.

Minutes are an official log of decisions taken by a startup’s board of directors at board meetings. Failure to keep accurate minutes of board meetings may cause a company and board members to face legal problems in the future.

409A valuations are independent appraisals of a startup's common stock. Startups should use an independent, outside valuation firm to get a 409A valuation before offering stock options to employees to avoid fines and legal issues with the IRS.

Co-founder exits can be a messy ordeal for startups, but they don't have to be fatal. Learn how to avoid messy co-founder exits and protect your startup.

Most people don't pay much attention to the signature block when a contract is signed. Signature blocks and conventions around signature in legal contracts serve an essential function in determining the validity of a contract such as an investor agreement or stock option award.

Startups typically issue common shares to founders, employees, advisors and consultants; they issue preferred shares to investors as part of venture financing rounds The preferred class of stock in a startup is typically subdivided into series, each representing a different round of financing, like Series A, Series B, and so on.

Avoid these common legal mistakes made by startups and save your company from dealing with fines and lawsuits. As a startup founder, keeping your company compliant is essential to protecting the value of your startup equity and reaping the rewards of your hard work.

Learn about the different US visas for startup founders. Immigration visas such as the E-1, E-2, EB-5, L-1 and O-1 allow founders to live and work in the US while building their startups.

Startup founders inevitably cover some of the costs of getting started out of pocket. Learn how you can stay above board if you reimburse yourself for corporate expenses and invest money into your own company.

Issuing equity to employees in an LLC can be complex and require tax advice. Many startups prefer to incorporate as C Corporations because the process for issuing equity to employees is much simpler.

Registering in the US opens the door to venture funding for overseas startups. Learn about the process for registering your company in the US as a foreign citizen, including incorporation, taxes, visas and more.

Startup investors strongly prefer to invest in C Corporations over LLCs for tax and diligence reasons. The proceeds from selling stock in startups registered as C Corporations can be tax exempt due to Qualified Small Business Stock exemption.

An employer identification number or EIN is essential to doing business and you will need to get an EIN for your startup before opening a bank account, paying taxes or hiring employees.

Is your company doing business in New York? Get an easy-to-follow explanation about what forms you’ll need, information about registration fees, filing deadlines, naming requirements, and more.

Key steps you have to complete before your startup starts issuing shares or stock options to employees. Learn about fair market value, 409a valuations, restricted shares and other key concepts in equity compensation.

A breakdown of the due diligence process for startups, from early stage fundraising to acquisitions. Learn how to breeze through due diligence and close your financing deals quickly.

Learn why you should file your 83 (b) election when purchasing your founders shares in your startup. Topics covered include tax implications, filing deadlines, and the process to complete the 83(b) election filing with the IRS.

Historically great companies have been formed during recessions. The one we're living ican be a unique opportunity for new, amazing companies to be founded

Learn why most startups choose to incorporate in Delaware as Delaware corporations. Investors and founders prefer to incorporate in Delaware for many reasons. Learn about how to do a Delaware name search to check with the Delaware secretary of state to see if your company's name is already registered in Delaware.

Learn more about how advisors can help your startup. We cover typical advisory agreements, common share grants and how to get the most out of your relationship with your advisors.

If you're focused on growing your business quickly and attracting venture capital, you should incorporate soon.

Trigger accelerations are often a hotly debated topic (especially in companies acquired by VCs) as any outstanding equity will impact the value of shares of the purchase price.

Understanding "Amazon Laws" (aka on-line sales nexus limits) and the tax obligations they may trigger for your startup.

Vlad, our Head of Design walks us through how good design is made and what it's like working at Capbase to redesign the founder experience.

Our co-founder Stefan shares insights about his career from Full Tilt to Capbase and why he's helping founders launch their startups

Startup Foundations Podcast by Capbase. The Startup Foundations is a podcast where we talk to founders and entrepreneurs who have launched startups

Accelerators can play a huge part in your startup's growth. Here's how to choose the right accelerator for your startup.

Startups that allow the early exercise of stock options help minimize their employees’ tax liabilities and increase the return on common stockholder equity.

Learn why you should setup a bank account for your business and what you should think about when choosing the right banking partner for your startup.

Running a remote team? Hiring full-time employees in multiple US states? Chances are your startup will need to register your Delaware corporation to do business as a foreign corporation.

To file or not to file? Learn about Reg D filings and SEC compliance for startups raising funds from investors in priced financing rounds.

What is the right capital source for your startup? Learn about the different types of startup capital, such as venture capital, venture debt and non-dilutive funding.

Just getting your startup incorporated? Find out how to price your company's common shares and learn how the fair market value (FMV) of common shares changes as your company grows.

We talked with Nika about his role at Capbase, remote work and the product we're building for founders

Learn how to choose a great name for your new startup. Good names are easy to spell, easy to remember and avoid confusion with existing brands in your industry.

Meet one of Capbase's superhumans, James Hottensen is our Partnerships Manager and has more than 6 years in the VC community

Should you grant your startup employees their stock options as ISO or NSO? Why do most early stage companies grant their employees equity options in the form of ISO instead of NSO? The answer: ISO have special tax advantages.

Learn how vesting schedules work for founders and employees at startups. Many startup founders have a 4 year vesting schedule with a 1 year cliff.

Twitter is an amazing platform for fundraising outreach when used effectively. Read this article and learn how to connect with investors on Twitter

Co-founder disputes are one of the number one causes for startups to fail. Learn how to fairly allocated startup among you and your co-founders to avoid founder disputes & make good equity decisions.

Learn how to write effective emails to pitch investors. James Hottenson, formerly at Great Oaks VC, shares helpful best practices about reaching out to investors.

No-code development explained. Using no-code tools, you can go from idea to a fully-fledged product in less time than it would take you to find a technical co-founder... and for a fraction of the cost of outsourcing your development work.

Learn about how to build a great remote team at your startup. Transparency, open communication and other important values for collaborating across timezones.

When you are incorporating your startup, you need to decide how many shares to authorize. Most startups authorize 10 million common shares when first setting up their corporation.

Learn how startup stock option pools work and how to use equity compensation to recruit key employees to join your team.

Before you seek VC funding for your startup, you should know what venture capital firms are looking for when deciding to invest in a startup.

How YCombinator SAFEs work for startup fundraising. An in-depth look at key terms, like valuation cap, discount, and most-favored nation (MFN) status.

An in-depth look at convertible notes and how these financing instruments are used by early stage startups.

Serial entrepreneur Greg Miaskiewicz chats about creating a startup to help startups incorporate, issue stocks and manage cap tables.

A step-by-step guide to file for a foreign agent qualification to register your company to do business in California.

A detailed overview of the different types of equity compensations for employees at startups, including restricted shares awards, stock options and RSUs. Each type of equity award has different tax implications for employee shareholders at startups.

Delaware Annual Franchise tax explained for startup founders . Luckily, you won’t have to take a deep dive into accounting to use the alternate method, the Assumed Par Value Capital Method, used by most Delaware corporations.

We are offering Capbase for free to all African American and Latinx founders. Our mission as a company is to democratize entrepreneurship and this is something we believe strongly in.

Picking the right insurance for your startup is crucial to protecting your company from risks and liabilities. Learn about the different types of business insurance, including worker's comp, director & officers insurance, cybersecurity and more.

Is your startup thinking of doing business in California? If so, you must file a Statement of Information 90 days after registering your company.