For startup founders

Start it right, so a raise never gets stuck

Form the entity investors expect, get your EIN, file your 83(b) inside the 30-day window, and start a clean cap table. The founding stack done correctly the first time, so diligence is a formality, not a cleanup project.

Start your company Check your readiness
Delaware C-corp, investor-ready 83(b) filed on time Clean cap table
The founding stack behind thousands of startups SOC 2 Type II audited 83(b) flagged before day 30 4.9 from 8,200+ reviews Cap table investors can read
0
83(b) window, flagged so it is never missed
DE C-corp
The entity investors expect on the cap table
0
Jurisdictions as you hire and expand
Day 1
Cap table clean enough for diligence
The founding mistakes that cost a round

The wrong setup shows up in diligence

Founders move fast and the entity work gets improvised: the wrong structure, a missed 83(b) deadline, no IP assignment from an early contractor, a cap table stitched together in a spreadsheet. None of it hurts on day one. All of it surfaces at the worst moment, when an investor's counsel opens the data room.

Getting the founding stack right the first time removes that risk. Form the Delaware C-corp investors expect, file the 83(b) inside its window, put IP assignment in place from the first contributor, and keep a cap table you can hand to counsel. Diligence becomes a checkbox instead of a scramble.

Improvised founding
  • Wrong entity for a venture-track company
  • 83(b) window missed, a costly tax surprise
  • No IP assignment from early contributors
  • A cap table living in a fragile spreadsheet
  • A data room that fails a diligence review
Founded on File.Business
  • Delaware C-corp investors recognize
  • 83(b) flagged and filed inside 30 days
  • IP assignment from the first contributor
  • A clean cap table counsel can read
  • A data room that passes on the first look
Are you fundable yet?

Check off your founding stack, see where you stand

Tick each item you have done. The meter shows how investor-ready you are, and we can handle the rest.

Founder readiness
0%
Tick the boxes above. Whatever is left, we can set up with you. Start your company.
The whole founding stack

Everything a startup needs in one place

Each piece done right, and connected, so nothing falls between tools.

Delaware C-corp

The entity investors expect

EIN

Federal tax ID, fast

83(b) election

Filed inside the 30-day window

Cap table

Equity, grants, and 409A

Founder and IP agreements

Vesting and IP assignment

Business banking

Company money, separate

Foreign qualification

Register where you hire

Compliance calendar

Reports and franchise tax tracked
How you get founded

From idea to investor-ready

Five steps, in the right order. Select one to see the detail.

Step 1

Match the entity to your funding path

If you plan to raise venture capital, investors expect a Delaware C-corp, so that is where a venture-track company starts. If you are bootstrapping, an LLC is simpler and can convert later. We help you pick now and change form if you outgrow it.

Delaware C-corp for a raise, LLC for bootstrapping, convertible later.
Path: VENTURE-TRACK
Entity: Delaware C-corp
Works with foreign co-founders
Step 2

Form the company and get your EIN

We file the Delaware incorporation and get your federal EIN, so you can open banking, sign contracts, and run payroll. State fees are passed through at cost, itemized separately from the service.

Incorporation plus EIN, with state fees passed through at cost.
Incorporated: DELAWARE
EIN issued
Ready to open banking
Step 3

File the 83(b) inside its window

If your founder stock vests, the 83(b) election lets you be taxed at the grant value rather than as shares vest and appreciate. It has a strict 30-day window from the grant date with no extensions, so we flag it and get it filed on time.

30 days from the grant date, no exceptions. Missing it is costly.
83(b) window: DAY 12 OF 30
Election prepared
Filed with time to spare
Step 4

Start the cap table and the bank account

Set founder vesting, record every share and option, and open business banking so company money is separate from day one. The cap table starts organized and stays that way through a SAFE round and a priced round.

A cap table counsel can read, and clean company banking.
Cap table: CLEAN
Vesting and IP in place
Business banking open
Step 5

Keep it in good standing as you grow

Delaware franchise tax, the annual report, and foreign qualification as you hire in new states are all tracked automatically. A startup that stays compliant never has a lapsed entity surface in a financing.

Franchise tax and reports tracked in the Compliance Calendar.
DE franchise tax: TRACKED
Foreign qualification as you hire
Always in good standing
How founding here compares

Investor-ready, without the legal bill

The alternatives are either risky shortcuts or expensive one-offs. Here is the difference.

Capability File.Business DIY templates A lawyer per task Generic filing site
Delaware C-corp investors recognizeIf you get it rightFormation only
83(b) flagged inside the windowNot availableIf you askNot available
Cap table and 409A in one placeNot availableSeparate toolNot available
Ongoing compliance trackedNot availableBilled hourlyAdd-on
Works with foreign co-foundersRiskyVaries
Transparent, published pricingHourlyPer filing

The honest version. A great startup lawyer is worth it, especially at a priced round, and nothing here replaces counsel for the hard calls. What File.Business does is get the routine founding stack right and keep it compliant, so you spend legal budget on the things that need a lawyer, not on incorporating and chasing an 83(b). Compare on the comparison hub.

BosAI for founders

A cofounder who knows the paperwork

Ask in plain English. BosAI knows the founding stack, the deadlines, and what investors will look for.

BosAIFounder workspace, Northwind Labs

We plan to raise a seed round. What entity should we form?

A Delaware C-corporation. Seed investors expect it, the standard financing documents assume it, and it works with your foreign co-founder, which an S-corp would not. I can start the Delaware incorporation and your EIN now.

My stock was granted last week. When is my 83(b) due?

You are on day 7 of the 30-day window, so your 83(b) must be filed within 23 days, and there are no extensions. I have prepared the election and can file it for you today so it is not left to the last minute.

What will an investor want to see in our data room?

A clean cap table with vesting, signed IP assignments from every contributor, your incorporation and EIN, the 83(b) confirmations, and good standing in Delaware. You have all of it except two contractor IP assignments, which I have queued for signature.
From a founder who raised

Diligence took an afternoon

I nearly missed my 83(b) at my last company and it cost me. This time everything was set up right from the start, so when our seed investor's counsel opened the data room, the cap table, the IP assignments, and the 83(b) were all there. Diligence was an afternoon, not a fire drill.
Founder and CEO
Venture-backed startup, seed round closed
Day 1
cap table clean and investor-ready
83(b)
filed with time to spare
1 afternoon
to clear diligence at the raise

Representative composite based on founder outcomes. Nothing here is legal or tax advice; consult your counsel for your situation.

Founder guides and tools

The cap table, the 83(b), and the founding guide

Practical resources for getting the stack right. All free to read.

Live tool

Cap table

Track equity, grants, and 409A from the first share.

Open it Walkthrough

83(b) walkthrough

What it is, why it matters, and how to file inside 30 days.

Read it Guide

Form a corporation

How to incorporate a Delaware C-corp, step by step.

Read the guide Live tool

Compliance calendar

Delaware franchise tax and reports, tracked for you.

Open the calendar
For the questions founders actually ask

Straight answers on entity, equity, and taxes

What entity should a startup founder choose?
It depends on your funding plan. Bootstrapped founders often start with an LLC for its simplicity and pass-through taxes, but if you will raise venture capital, investors expect a Delaware C-corp for its stock structure. We help you match the entity to your path now and convert later if you outgrow the LLC.
Why do investors prefer a Delaware C-corp?
Delaware's corporate law is the most developed and predictable, its Court of Chancery resolves business disputes quickly with expert judges, and standard financing documents assume a Delaware entity, so it removes friction at the term sheet. For a venture-track company it is effectively the default. Form a corporation.
What is an 83(b) election and why does it matter?
It lets founders holding vesting stock elect to be taxed at grant, when the value is low, rather than as the shares vest and appreciate, which can save a large amount of tax. It has a strict 30-day filing window from the grant date with no extensions, and missing it is a costly, common founder mistake, so we flag it so it is filed on time. See the 83(b) walkthrough.
How should I handle founder vesting?
Standard founder vesting, commonly four years with a one-year cliff, protects the company and your co-founders if someone leaves early and is exactly what investors expect on the cap table. We help structure the equity so vesting and the ownership split start clean rather than being renegotiated under pressure at a financing.
Do I need IP assignment agreements?
Yes. Every founder, employee, and contractor should assign their work product to the company, or the startup may not actually own its own code and IP, which investors scrutinize closely in diligence. We flag this so IP assignment is in place from the very first contributor rather than scrambled before a raise.
How do I keep my cap table clean?
Track every share, option, SAFE, and note from the start, because messy early equity is expensive and painful to untangle at a financing. The cap table keeps it organized so it can be handed to investors and counsel without a cleanup project first.
What if I have foreign co-founders?
A C-corporation works with foreign owners, unlike an S-corp which cannot have nonresident shareholders, so international founding teams typically use a Delaware C-corp, with cross-border tax considerations to plan for. We handle the formation and surface the international questions early. See international founders.
What does it cost?
State filing fees are passed through at cost with no markup, and formation and compliance pricing is published on the pricing page. Nothing here is legal or tax advice; for the calls that need a lawyer, we work alongside your counsel. Talk to us.
The founding stack, done right

Build it so a raise never gets stuck

Form your company, get your EIN, and file your 83(b) on time, with a clean cap table from day one. Start now, or talk with our team about your setup.

Start your company Talk to our team
SOC 2 Type II · Not a law firm · State fees passed through at cost