Launching A Venture: Ten Tips For Entrepreneurs

by Scott Edward Walker on September 15th, 2009

Below are ten tips for entrepreneurs who are launching a startup that will seek venture capital (“VC”) financing.

1.  Protect Yourself from Personal Liability.  The entrepreneur’s first step in connection with launching a startup should be to form an entity that will protect against personal liability.  As discussed below, a Delaware C-corporation is generally the recommended choice; however, in certain rare circumstances, it may be prudent for the entrepreneur to form an S-corporation or a limited liability company to obtain “pass-through” tax treatment (and then convert the entity to a C-corporation down the road, if necessary).  The bottom line is that the entrepreneur should seek the advice of corporate and tax counsel in connection with the formation of any business organization (e.g., shareholders in S-corporations — as opposed to C-corporations — are not eligible for the “qualified small business stock” capital gains tax break; and losses in C-corporations may be deductible up to $50,000/yr. or $100,000/yr. on a joint return with respect to “Section 1244 stock”).

2.  Form a Delaware C-Corporation.  VC funds generally invest in Delaware C-corporations.  From a tax perspective, funds generally avoid (and may be prohibited under their respective fund documents from) investing in pass-through entities.  From a corporate perspective, Delaware is the most common state of incorporation (regardless of where the operations are located) due to its well-developed case law and Court system, its Board of Director and management protections (and flexibility), and its ease of corporate filings and related state-law administrative issues.  If the business has substantial operations and a majority of its shareholders located in California (a so-called “quasi-California corporation”), it may be advisable in certain rare situations to form the corporation in California (i) due to the uncertainty regarding Section 2115 of the California Corporations Code, which purports to apply certain significant statutory provisions to quasi-California corporations (even if they are incorporated in Delaware); and (ii) the state-law requirement that a quasi-California corporation (or a corporation that otherwise has sufficient contacts with California) that is incorporated in Delaware or any other state must qualify to “do business” in California (in effect, a mini-incorporation process).  Again, the entrepreneur should seek the advice of counsel with respect to choosing the state of incorporation.

3.  Incorporate and Issue Stock ASAP.  The venture should be incorporated and stock should be issued to the founders as soon as possible — i.e., before the company has any significant value.  Clearly, as milestones are met by the company subsequent to its incorporation (e.g., the creation of a beta, the signing-up of paying customers, etc.), the value of the company will increase and therefore so will the fair market value of each share of stock (which could trigger significant taxable income to founders who purchase their shares at a nominal price).  Moreover, if a founder intends to transfer assets (e.g., technology) to the corporation in exchange for stock, Section 351 of the Internal Revenue Code (which permits a tax-free exchange under certain conditions) may only be available at the time of incorporation and not later after more stock has been issued.  Indeed, the same principle applies with respect to the issuance of stock options/equity to employees: the goal is to do it as soon as possible when the value of the company is as low as possible.

4.  Impose Reasonable Vesting Restrictions.  As discussed in my earlier post, “Founder Vesting: Five Tips for Entrepreneurs,” the founders should impose a reasonable vesting schedule on the stock issued to them at the time of incorporation for two important reasons: (i) a vesting schedule will be required by the VC investors, and if a reasonable schedule has already been established, it is more likely that the investors will simply keep it in place; and (ii) it makes good business sense because, in most cases, the stock has been issued not only for services or property relating to the conception of the venture, but also for the founders’ continuing commitment and efforts — indeed, it would be inherently unfair for one of the founders to leave the venture after a few weeks/months, but still be permitted to keep all of his/her stock.  The most common schedule for founders vests an equal percentage of options (25%) every year for four years on a monthly basis.  Vesting restrictions are addressed in a Restricted Stock Purchase Agreement, which each founder would be required to execute and which would grant the company the right to repurchase any unvested shares at the initial purchase price at the time of the founder’s departure (subject to certain exceptions).

5.  File 83(b) Elections.   It is generally advisable for any founders receiving shares of stock subject to vesting to make a Section 83(b) election with the Internal Revenue Service, which will prevent the founder from recognizing income at the time the stock vests.  Such an election must be filed within 30 days after the purchase date of the restricted stock.  Section 83(b) of the Internal Revenue Code permits the founders to elect to accelerate the taxation of restricted stock (i.e., stock subject to forfeiture) to the grant date, rather than the vesting date.   Absent an 83(b) election, any subsequent appreciation of the stock would be subject to ordinary income tax rates at the time of the vesting — which could create a situation where the founder has significant tax liability, but no cash to pay it.

6.  Comply with Applicable Federal and State Securities Laws.  A company may not offer or sell its securities unless (i) such securities have been registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and registered/qualified with applicable state commissions; or (ii) there is an applicable exemption from registration.  Fortunately for the start-up there are certain prescribed transaction exemptions which may be applicable, including the so-called “private placement” exemption under Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), and Regulation D promulgated thereunder (as well as Rule 701 discussed in paragraph 9 below).  It is indeed imperative that the entrepreneur seek the advice of experienced counsel prior to the issuance of any securities: non-compliance with applicable securities laws could result in serious adverse consequences, including a right of rescission for the securityholders (i.e., the right to get their money back), injunctive relief, fines and penalties, and possible criminal prosecution.  The rule of thumb in this area is to sell securities only to “accredited investors” (as defined in Rule 501 of Regulation D) in reliance on Rule 506, which preempts state-law registration requirements pursuant to the National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996.  (Note: anti-fraud rules are still applicable under Rule 506.)

7. Protect Your IP.  For many start-ups, intellectual property (or “IP”), such as copyrights, trademarks, domain names or patents, is their most valuable asset.  Accordingly, a number of steps should be taken to protect IP assets, including (i) developing a comprehensive strategy for IP; (ii) establishing and implementing IP policies and procedures — e.g., concerning proper use of third parties’ IP; (iii) if appropriate for the business, filing patent applications and registering copyrights, trademarks and domain names; and (iv) as discussed below, requiring independent contractors and employees to execute confidentiality and IP/invention assignment agreements.  It may be prudent for entrepreneurs to retain separate IP counsel to address some of the foregoing issues, particularly where IP protection is significant to the business model.

8.  Address Employment Issues.  If any employees are hired by the company, they should be required to execute two documents: (i) an offer letter agreement and (ii) a confidentiality and IP/invention assignment agreement.  The offer letter agreement will set forth all of the employee’s respective rights and obligations, including position, compensation (including stock options and/or other incentive compensation), benefits and, most importantly, whether the relationship is “at will.”  The confidentiality and IP/invention assignment agreement is designed to prevent disclosure of the company’s trade secrets and other confidential information and to ensure that any IP developed by the employee is legally owned by the company.  (Note: under California Labor Code Section 2870, an employer may not require an employee to assign rights in an invention that the employee developed entirely on his/her own time without using the employer’s equipment, supplies, facilities or trade secret information except for those inventions that either: (i) relate at the time of conception or reduction to practice of the invention to the employer’s business, or actual or demonstrably anticipated research or development of the employer; or (ii) result from any work performed by the employee for the employer.)  Non-competition provisions may also be appropriate; however, such provisions are unenforceable in California other than in the context of the sale of a business — though California courts may enforce contractual provisions that prohibit employees from soliciting the company’s employees, provided that such provisions are reasonable (i.e., not overbroad) in scope and duration.  Moreover, it would be prudent for the company to create an employment manual setting forth the company’s policies (including with respect to equal opportunity/non-discrimination and sexual harassment) and establishing the parameters of the employer-employee relationship.

9.  Establish a Stock Option/Equity Compensation Plan.  In order to attract and retain key employees (and to conserve cash), it usually makes good business sense for the company to establish a stock option plan or other form of equity compensation plan.  Again, the goal is to do it as soon as possible when the value of the company is as low as possible.  As noted above, any offer or sale of securities must comply with applicable federal and state securities laws.  Rule 701 promulgated under the 1933 Act creates an exemption from registration for any offer or sale of securities pursuant to certain compensatory benefit plans and contracts relating to compensation, provided that it meets certain prescribed conditions.  Most states have similar exemptions, including California, which recently amended the regulations under Section 25102(o) of the California Corporate Securities Law of 1968 to significantly liberalize the requirements under California law to conform with Rule 701.  Moreover, under Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code, the company must ensure that any stock option granted as compensation has an exercise price equal to (or greater than) the fair market value of the underlying stock as of the grant date; otherwise, the grant will be deemed deferred compensation, the recipient will face significant adverse tax consequences and the company will have tax-withholding responsibility.  The company can establish a defensible fair market value by (i) obtaining an independent appraisal or (ii) if the company is an “illiquid start-up corporation,” relying on the valuation of a person with “significant knowledge and experience or training in performing similar valuations” (including a company employee), provided certain other conditions are met.  (Note: restricted stock is not subject to Section 409A.)  Again, the entrepreneur should seek the advice of counsel before issuing stock options or other equity.

10.  Pay To Play.  Based on the foregoing, it is self-evident that now is not the time for the entrepreneur to try to save money by doing legal work on his own or by relying on printed forms from a web service like LegalZoom (see FAQ’s).  Indeed, there are a number of significant legal issues that must be addressed to protect the entrepreneur and his venture.  Moreover, VC firms and other outside investors will be doing extensive due diligence on the company prior to making an investment and, accordingly, it is imperative that the entrepreneur demonstrate a certain level of credibility and sophistication.  Remember: “starting companies is a lot like launching rockets: if you’re a tenth of a degree off at launch, you may be a thousand miles off downrange.”  The Silicon Valley Edge, edited by C-M Lee, et al. (Stanford University Press 2000), p. 328 (quote by C. Johnson, Esq.).

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4 Responses to “Launching A Venture: Ten Tips For Entrepreneurs”

  1. This is really helpful thanks…

    QQ: Whats the best way to divide stocks when all founders can't put in equal time, resources and effort into a venture?

  2. Each situation is different. I am happy to discuss via telephone (310.859.7177). Thanks.

  3. james says:

    Very resourceful blog Scott…thank you!

    I have questions similar to Abiola. Also, when is the right time to hire an attorney to help outline the cap tables, etc? I've been working on a company with a partner and we haven't done much. We're both of the opinion, “Let's see if we have a business first before we dump a $,$$$ into attorney fees.” I filed an LLC, but have no clue what to do next to protect what we're both working on under the shell of the LLC.

    Thanks again!

  4. Thanks James. In my experience, it is prudent to get an attorney involved early on to button-down some of the key issues. For example, as I discuss in the post, you should incorporate and issue stock to the founders ASAP for three important reasons: (i) to ensure that the founders can buy their shares at a nominal purchase price; (ii) to address vesting issues between (or among) the founders; and (iii) to start the capital gains period running. Moreover, if you're seeking venture capital funding, you should form a corporation, not an LLC (see my guest post on my friend Neil Patel's site for a discussion of the different entities: http://bit.ly/c4LrRd). Feel free to give me a call at 310-859-7177 if you have any additional questions. Thanks again, Scott