Can I Claw Back an Executive’s Bonus After I Already Paid It? You just found out your financial numbers were wrong. Your company now has to restate its financials, and the CFO’s bonus was calculated using the numbers that turned out to be incorrect. Now comes the uncomfortable question: can you actually get that money
Can I Claw Back an Executive’s Bonus After I Already Paid It? Read More »
Navigate what a San Francisco startup lawyer can do for your business and learn what to expect from legal counsel for founders.
San Francisco Startup Lawyer: What Founders Should Expect Read More »
Will My New Funding Round Kill My QSBS Tax Break? Is your next funding round about to wipe out one of your biggest tax benefits? You built your company with an eventual exit in mind. QSBS, or Qualified Small Business Stock, under Section 1202 can allow eligible founders and early employees to exclude substantial gains
Will My New Funding Round Kill My QSBS Tax Break? Read More »
Will a Foreign Investor on My Cap Table Kill My Next US Funding Round? You took that check two years ago because the money was good. Nobody asked where it came from twice. Now a new lead investor’s counsel is three weeks into diligence, asking about one name on your cap table. Is that what
Will a Foreign Investor on My Cap Table Kill My Next US Funding Round? Read More »
What Happens If My Convertible Note Matures and I Cannot Raise a Priced Round? “My note matures in six weeks and I still do not have a term sheet.” That sentence can turn an ordinary fundraising deadline into a serious problem. A convertible note is debt. It is not simply money sitting on your balance
What Happens If My Convertible Note Matures and I Cannot Raise a Priced Round? Read More »
Should I Wait for the EU’s Digital Omnibus Before Updating My GDPR Compliance? Do I build a full GDPR program now, or wait for Brussels to make it easier? That question matters if you have EU users, EU customers, or an EU expansion plan. On November 19, 2025, the European Commission proposed the Digital Omnibus,
Should I Wait for the EU’s Digital Omnibus Before Updating My GDPR Compliance? Read More »
My Fund Isn’t Based in California. Do I Still Have to Comply With Its New VC Reporting Law? Your fund is not headquartered in California. So why does this law keep showing up in your inbox? Because California suspended the law just days before its compliance deadline, and many fund managers treated that as a
If I Dissolve My Delaware Startup, Can I Still Get Sued Later? “We shut it down. That’s over now.” Is it? Dissolving a Delaware startup does not automatically end your legal exposure. The way you wind down the company can determine whether old claims remain open and whether you receive notice if someone later brings
If I Dissolve My Delaware Startup, Can I Still Get Sued Later? Read More »
Does the GENIUS Act Affect My Startup’s Stablecoin Payments Right Now? Is your stablecoin integration actually fine, or are you sitting on a compliance gap you have not noticed yet? The federal timeline is now specific, and those deadlines matter if your startup issues, accepts, or integrates payment stablecoins. On August 17, 2026, the U.S.
Does the GENIUS Act Affect My Startup’s Stablecoin Payments Right Now? Read More »
Do I Need a Trademark Search Before I Launch My Startup’s Name? You found the name. The domain is available. The logo is finished. Your team likes it. Now comes the question founders often ask too late: Has someone else already claimed this name? Skipping a trademark search can feel harmless until a cease and
Do I Need a Trademark Search Before I Launch My Startup’s Name? Read More »
Do I Need a New 409A Every Time I Close a SAFE? Can I keep granting options at the old price during this bridge? More founders are using SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) bridges in 2026 instead of pricing a new equity round. That can make fundraising simpler. But it does not mean you
Do I Need a New 409A Every Time I Close a SAFE? Read More »
Optimize your startup’s finances with smart tax planning strategies that reduce liability and keep more cash in your business.
Startup tax planning: Smart Moves for Early-Stage Companies Read More »
Do I Have to Post Salary Ranges for My Remote Job Listings in Every State? You posted one remote job listing. You did not think about which states it touched. Turns out, it touches more than your headquarters. If the role could be performed from a state with a pay transparency law, that law may
Do I Have to Post Salary Ranges for My Remote Job Listings in Every State? Read More »
Can My Startup Get Sued If a New Hire Brings Trade Secrets From Their Old Job? You just hired a great engineer from a competitor. Six months later, a subpoena lands on your desk. Your first reaction may be, “We never asked them to bring anything.” That may not be enough. A company can face
Can My Startup Get Sued If a New Hire Brings Trade Secrets From Their Old Job? Read More »
Can I Legally Raise Money With a Token Without Registering With the SEC? Can I actually raise a token round right now without registering it as a securities offering? That question just got a real answer. But it is more complicated than “yes” or “no.” On August 18, 2026, the SEC formally proposed “Regulation Crypto
Can I Legally Raise Money With a Token Without Registering With the SEC? Read More »
Can I Get Sued for Exaggerating AI in My Pitch Deck? Did you oversell what your AI actually does to close your round? Founders often polish their pitch decks to make the business look as strong as possible. But there is a line between presenting your company confidently and making factual claims that your product
Can I Get Sued for Exaggerating AI in My Pitch Deck? Read More »
Can I Get in Trouble for Using ChatGPT to Draft My Startup’s Contracts? “It looked professional, so I used it.” That is how a founder can end up with a contract that looks complete but does not actually protect the company. Using AI to draft a vendor agreement, NDA, SAFE side letter, customer contract, or
Can I Get in Trouble for Using ChatGPT to Draft My Startup’s Contracts? Read More »
Am I Still on the Hook for the New Form PF Deadline This October? You heard the SEC and CFTC proposed rolling back these rules. So why is your compliance team still telling you October 1 is real? Because it is. A proposal is not a rule. Betting your filing on a proposal that has
Am I Still on the Hook for the New Form PF Deadline This October? Read More »
Build a resilient founding team with startup governance best practices that strengthen decision-making and accountability from day one.
Startup Governance Best Practices: Building a Resilient Founding Team Read More »
What Does Cumulative Dividends Mean in My Term Sheet? You are three pages into negotiating your term sheet. Liquidation preference? Redlined. Board seats? Done. Then you reach a short paragraph about dividends and assume it is standard venture boilerplate. That assumption can become expensive. A cumulative dividend starts growing from the day you sign the
What Does Cumulative Dividends Mean in My Term Sheet? Read More »
