QUESTIONS ANSWERED:
Equity
- What is the difference between incentive stock options and non-qualified stock options?
- What is IR Code Section 409A?
- What is a stock option?
- What is restricted stock?
- What are the different types of equity?
- Should founders take restricted stock?
General Topics
Immigration
- Invest Visa/Entrepreneur Visa Chart (Startup Visa, EB6, X-visa)
- Startup Visa Provisions under Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill 2013!
- Why We Need Start-Up Visa Laws for Immigrant Entrepreneurs
- Entrepreneur in Residence: Entrepreneur Pathways by USCIS
- What is an H-1B visa?
- What visa options are available for working at a start-up company?
- Why is immigration law important for a start-up company?
- What is Start-Up Act 2.0? (Immigration Bill for Entrepreneurs)
Incorporation
- The Exploratory Phase – When should you incorporate?
- Does an LLC that has elected to be taxed as a corporation need articles and bylaws?
- What type of entity should I choose, LLC, C corporation, or S corporation?
- What legal documents are necessary to start a company?
Intellectual Property
- What is the difference between an Employee Proprietary Information Agreement and a Confidentiality and Inventions Assignment Agreement?
- How do I protect IP created by contractors and volunteers before I incorporate?
Raising Capital
- Oregon Crowdfunding Law – A Better Way?
- SCOR Registration — an alternative to 2023 Crowdfunding?
- Washington Crowdfunding – Is it right for your Company?
- What are anti-dilution protective covenants?
- What is dilution? What is a fully-diluted cap table?
- What is pre-money value? How do you calculate it?
- Startup Company Valuation and Dilution Calculator
Tax Issues
- Do S corporations need to pay employment tax?
- Should I create a C-Corporation?
- Should I create a limited liability company (LLC)?
- Should I create a partnership?
- How important is it for the new entrepreneur to pick the right entity structure for tax purposes?
- What type of entity should I choose, LLC, C corporation, or S corporation?
Plain English Documents
Our Next Workshop:
Company Valuation and Dilution — the Minimum You Should Know to Raise Capital and Issue Stock
How should company stock be allocated among founders, employee stock options, and financial investors? What happens to everyone’s share of the company when new stock is issued? How do you know how much of the company should be offered to new financial investors? These are the fundamental … [Read More...]
Previous Workshops
Company Valuation and Dilution — the Minimum You Should Know to Raise Capital and Issue Stock
How should company stock be allocated among founders, employee stock options, and financial investors? What happens to everyone’s share of the company when new stock is issued? How do you know how … [Read More...]
Seed and Angel Round Legal Documents Primer.
What is the difference between common stock, participating preferred stock, non-participating preferred stock, bridge notes, and convertible notes with valuation caps? Next Monday (May 4, 2015) … [Read More...]
Seattle Angel Conference Workshop: Washington’s new crowdfunding law—Is it right for your startup?
WHEN: January 6, 2015 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm WHERE: SURF Incubator, Suite 700 999 3rd Avenue Seattle, WA 98104 USA Hosted by Seattle Angel Conference COST: $10 Register here. ESHB … [Read More...]
Startup Legal Documents Redux
Save the date! Tuesday, July 29, 2014 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM (PDT) Impact Hub, Kirkland Washington If you missed last month's startup legal documents webinar you have a second chance. Carter has … [Read More...]
Startup Up Legal Documentation Webinar
Save the date! June 19, 2014, 5:00-6:00 pm. What legal documentation do you need to start a company? On Thursday, June 19, 2014, Carter will host a webinar reviewing the legal documentation that … [Read More...]
Keiretsu Forum Academy – Top Legal Pitfalls
On May 20, 2014 Carter will be presenting on Top Legal Pitfalls at the Keiretsu Forum Academy in Seattle. The Building a Fundable Company program is four days and covers all the bases of creating a … [Read More...]
Seed and Angel Round Legal Documents Primer – Nov. 11th
What is the difference between common stock, participating preferred stock, non-participating preferred stock, bridge notes, and convertible notes with valuation caps? We will be explaining these … [Read More...]
Collaborating before you incorporate – risks and benefits
At our Startup Law Talk workshop on September 9, 2013 we discussed the issued raised when founders work together on their startup before actually incorporating a legal entity. Before a tech startup … [Read More...]
Hiring Your First Employee – Basics that every founder should know.
Employees are essential to growing a healthy business, but poor human resource management or failure to comply with regulatory requirements can be one of the most significant expenses dragging your … [Read More...]
Invest Visa/Entrepreneur Visa Chart (Startup Visa, EB6, X-visa)
The newly proposed Invest Visa, formerly known as the Startup Visa, creates two new visa categories: X-visa and EB6 visa. Here is a visual aid to understanding it better. In my opinion, this is an … [Read More...]
Stuck on H1b, F1 or Other Visa? Want Your Own Startup? Newly Proposed Startup Act (Invest Visa) May help! Come Learn More!
A bill for Comprehensive Immigration reform “The Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act” was released two weeks ago. The bill specifically addresses provisions for … [Read More...]
Equity Compensation Basics for Startups
Our workshop equity compensation basics was on February 11, 2013 at Eastside Incubator in Redmond, our regular venue. We had a full house with 40 people in attendance. The following topics were … [Read More...]
Startup Legal War Stories Workshop
December's monthly STL Workshop was on Startup "Legal War Stories". STL's four presenters led a lively discussion, each presenting one startup case were painful problems could have been avoided by … [Read More...]
H1B and the Startup
H1b and the Startup Held on January 14, 2013, 5:30-8pm. Tahmina Watson presented on the fundamentals of an H1b visa petition, as well as H1b for the consultancy company and the self-employed … [Read More...]
Startup Law Talk Workshop: The Essential Legal Documents for Startups
Last minute change from H1b and the Startup Save the date! November 12, 2012, 5:30-8pm. Due do unexpected circumstances beyond her control, Tahmina Watson postponed her presentation on the H1b Visa … [Read More...]
Workshop: Top 10 Legal Missteps when forming a Startup
This workshop, held on June 7, was well-attended. If you were there and have follow-up questions, feel free to post in the comments section. This workshop is for entrepreneurs who are thinking about … [Read More...]
The Independent Contractor Agreement: Using it at the early formation stage
Note: This Workshop was held on October 8, 2012 at Eastside Incubator at their workspace in Redmond. We worked through a form Independent Contractor Agreement that you can download here. Deniz … [Read More...]