Incorporated in Delaware. Founder equity issued. 83(b) filed on time. Franchise tax handled. Your cap table ready for the day your term sheet lands.
US venture capital expects Delaware C-Corps. The Court of Chancery has decades of precedent on corporate disputes, standard fundraising documents (NVCA templates, SAFEs, post-money notes) assume Delaware, and institutional investors' forms are pre-built for it. For founders planning to raise from US VCs, Delaware is the default.
An 83(b) election is a tax filing that asks the IRS to tax your founder stock at its current (usually near-zero) value, rather than later when it has appreciated. It must be postmarked within 30 days of the stock grant. Missing it is one of the most expensive mistakes early founders make. FormBridge's Formation Agent drafts and files the 83(b) election as part of your formation package.
Delaware calculates franchise tax two ways — authorized-shares method (min $175, scales up aggressively with shares authorized) and assumed-par-value method (usually much cheaper for startups with ~10M shares authorized). The Compliance Agent calculates both and files the lower one each year.
Yes. Many founders start with a Wyoming or Delaware LLC and convert to a Delaware C-Corp before raising a seed round. FormBridge will support conversion workflows; today it's a manual partner referral for post-formation conversion.
Standard founder vesting is 4 years with a 1-year cliff. You can add vesting at formation (recommended if you have co-founders) or impose it later as a condition of accepting investment. The Formation Agent drafts Restricted Stock Purchase Agreements with vesting terms you choose; Cap table integration (Carta, Pulley) is on the roadmap.
The C-Corp your investors expect, incorporated in under 48 hours.