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Incorporating a Startup

A company formed in the right place and shape: jurisdiction and entity chosen with a lawyer, founder shares and IP in the company, a bank account, clean registers and a compliance calendar that keeps it in good standing.

Free · Mac (Apple silicon) and Windows · v1.0.0 · Other platforms

Then open the Marketplace in the app, search for Incorporating a Startup, and click Install. It goes into your own files, and works offline from then on.

What it installs.

1

Pillar

1

Area

50

Projects

201

Starter tasks

🚀 Founding & Startups

Incorporating a Startup

Choosing where and how to incorporate, setting up the company, bank account and founder agreements, and avoiding early structural mistakes.

  1. Deciding when to incorporate the company
  2. Incorporation jurisdiction shortlist and choice
  3. Entity type decision for a venture-scale company
  4. Choosing a startup lawyer or formation service
  5. Formation information pack for every founder
  6. Share structure and articles at formation
  7. Filing the company registration
  8. Founder share issue and purchase agreements
  9. Founder IP assignment into the company
  10. Restricted share tax election on time
  11. Company tax registrations and identifiers
  12. Opening the company bank account
  13. Bookkeeping set-up from the first transaction
  14. Statutory filing and compliance calendar
  15. Monthly company admin hour
  16. Minute book and written resolutions
  17. Cap table as the single source of truth
  18. Statutory registers and beneficial ownership records
  19. Registered agent and official mail routine
  20. Company document vault and signing authority
  21. Founder expenses and loans to the company
  22. Annual accounts and annual return cycle
  23. Business insurance review for a young company
  24. Director duties for first-time founders
  25. Reading your own constitutional documents
  26. Share capital basics for founders
  27. Company tax basics for a new startup
  28. Contractor versus employee rules for early helpers
  29. How investors diligence a company's formation
  30. Founders' agreement on decisions, deadlock and leavers
  31. Shareholders' agreement before the first outside shareholder
  32. Pre-incorporation contracts and work brought into the company
  33. Starter contract templates for a new company
  34. Privacy and data protection registration
  35. Business licences and permits check
  36. Paying the founders through payroll
  37. Equity incentive plan adoption
  38. Holding company and operating subsidiary decision
  39. Converting a sole trader or LLC into a startup company
  40. Flipping the company into an investor-favoured jurisdiction
  41. First board meeting of the new company
  42. Formation-to-funding data room
  43. First-anniversary corporate health check
  44. Solo founder incorporating as sole director
  45. Co-founders resident in different countries
  46. Incorporating abroad from a smaller market
  47. Spouses or family members as co-founders
  48. Clean-up of a hastily formed company
  49. Tax relief eligibility records for founder shares
  50. Intercompany agreements for a multi-entity group

Where it starts.

Each project arrives with its purpose, milestones and first tasks written out. Here is how the first three read.

Deciding when to incorporate the company

Forming a company too late leaves founders personally liable and IP floating between people, while forming it too early can mean a year of filing fees for an idea that dies. Writing down the triggers that make incorporation necessary now, such as taking money, signing a customer, hiring or a co-founder joining, turns a vague worry into a dated decision.

First tasks

  • List every deal, hire or payment expected in the next six months
  • Note which of those would need a company to sign or receive money
  • Look up formation and annual filing fees on the official registry website
  • Record the incorporate-now or incorporate-on-trigger decision with all founders

Incorporation jurisdiction shortlist and choice

Where the company is formed decides which law governs the shares, how easily foreign investors can put money in, which taxes apply and how much a later move would cost. Founders who raise venture money often end up in a well-known investor jurisdiction, such as Delaware, England and Wales or Singapore, but the right answer depends on where the founders live, sell and plan to raise.

First tasks

  • Write down where each founder lives, pays tax and plans to work
  • List the countries your first customers and investors are likely to be in
  • Compare two or three jurisdictions on tax, investor familiarity and annual cost
  • Send the comparison to a lawyer and an accountant with your open questions
  • Record the chosen jurisdiction and the reasons in the company folder

Entity type decision for a venture-scale company

Investors usually expect a company limited by shares or a corporation that can issue different share classes and options, while a partnership or pass-through LLC can suit a profitable small business but complicate fundraising. Choosing the entity with the funding plan in mind avoids a costly conversion just before the first round.

First tasks

  • Summarise the funding plan for the next two years in three sentences
  • List the entity types available in the chosen jurisdiction
  • Check which types can issue preferred shares and an option plan
  • Ask your lawyer to confirm the entity type before anything is filed

Make it yours.

Install Incorporating a Startup, then tell Aurum the date you're aiming for. It checks whether the plan fits the weeks you actually have.

Free · Mac (Apple silicon) and Windows · v1.0.0 · Other platforms

Blueprints are general information to help you organise your own work. They are not medical, financial, legal or other professional advice. See the Terms.