Kruze clients are twice as likely to get acquired as the average startup. Find out why here

Accounting

Affordable Accounting

Affordable Monthly Bookkeeping for Startups

Accounting for Startups

Accounting 101 for Startups
Key terms, tips and tricks, free financial models, taxes and more

Startup Bookkeeping
Kruze is a leader in bookkeeping services for startups

Strategic Financial and Accounting Advice

VC Due Diligence Preparation
We get your startup ready for the VC process

Part Time CFOs
Outsourced CFOs to help manage your growing startup

Industry Specializations
Industry specific expertise in bookkeeping, tax, FP&A and beyond

Financial Modeling
Projections, budgets and FP&A help for seed venture funded companies

Startup Financial Advisory
Financial advice for fundraising, cash management, board reporting & more
Tax

Tax Return Experts

Startup Tax Returns
Kruze is a leader in startup tax filings, advice and more

C-Corp Tax Deadlines
2025 Tax Deadlines For C-Corp Startups

Tax Calculators

Tax Return Estimator
How Much Does a Startup Tax Return Cost?

R&D Credit Calculator
How much can your startup save in payroll taxes?

Delaware Tax Calculator
Delaware Franchise Tax Calculator

Tax Credit Center - Which of the 700+ Credits Are Best?

Tax Credits for Startups
Did you know even money losing startups can get up to $250,000?

Research & Development Credits
Reduce your startup's burn with Research & Development tax credits

California R&D Tax Credit
Doing R&D or engineering work in CA? You are probably eligible

WOTC
Hiring veterans and felons? You may be eligible

CA Sales Tax Exemption
CA hardware startups doing R&D can pay less sales tax

Health Insurance Credit
Eligibility requirements are challenging for most VC-backed companies
VC + M&A Support

Former VCs Here to Help Your Startup

Venture Capital Finance Experts
Experts in raising capital and working with VCs

Venture Debt Experts
Venture Debt fundraising advice for VC backed startups

Startup M&A Accounting
Experience helping funded startups navigate the M&A diligence process

409A Valuations
High quality 409A's at a discounted price

VC Due Diligence Checklist
Kruze's clients raise $1B+ a year in VC funding; this checklist will help you prepare
Pricing
Careers
Startup Resources

Early-Stage Tax Tips

Do unprofitable companies need to file tax returns? Yes! Read our tips now.

Guide to Seed Stage Tax Returns

Knowledge base

Startup Q&A
Answers to hundreds of startup accounting, finance, HR and tax Q's

Blog
Expert startup accounting advice (and more)

Startup Podcast
Startup Podcast - Founders and Friends

Top Financial Tips and Resources for Startups

Startup Financial Health Tips
Tips for setting up scaleable financial systems

Free Financial Models
Free to download financial models

C-Corp Tax Deadlines
iCals with federal, state and local compliance deadlines

Best VC Pitch Decks
See more of the best pitch decks ever used

CEO Salary Report
Data on what CEOs are paid

Best Startup Credit Cards
After working with hundreds of startups, we picked the best credit cards

Kruze consulting Blog

Startup Accounting, Finance and Tax CPA Expertise Enhanced with AI

Vanessa Kruze — Since 2012, we've blended CPA expertise with cutting-edge technology to revolutionize how startups get their accounting done. Today, our commitment to innovation, AI and high-quality advice helps over 800 VC-backed startups stay ahead of the curve. Follow Kruze Consulting on LinkedIn to keep up with us!

Startup Finance

Financing a Startup

Updated on Fri, 2 August 2024

Financing a Startup - 8 most common sources of startup financing.

Scott Orn

Chief Operating Officer

How Should Startups Structure Their Finance Department?

Updated on Wed, 21 August 2024

Startups change a lot over time and it is important that their finance function adapts with those changes.

Scott Orn

Chief Operating Officer

✨ AI-driven question and answer tool with Kruze's Extensive Startup Accounting And Finance Knowledge Base

Ask Kruze’s AI tool questions on startup bookkeeping, taxes, venture capital and more!

This is an experiential tool. Do not rely on these responses, always consult with your CPA, tax advisor, accountant or lawyer.

Startup Accounting

Reconciling Accounting Software Against Bank Statements

Updated on Wed, 25 September 2024

What should you do if you are unable to reconcile your accounting software against your bank statements? This is far from an ideal position to be in. But don’t panic – it might have an easy fix.

Scott Orn

Chief Operating Officer

How to Pick an Accountant for a Venture-Backed Delaware C-Corp

Updated on Thu, 1 August 2024

Kruze Consulting is 100% focused on helping seed and venture funded Delaware C-Corps with their accounting needs.

Healy Jones

VP of Financial Strategy

Refund Accounting for Startup

Updated on Thu, 1 August 2024

Refunding customers is a necessary part of doing business for almost every early-stage company, especially for ecommerce or direct-to-consumer startups.

Bryan Long

Content Marketing Manager

How much can your startup save in payroll taxes?

Estimate your R&D tax credit using our free calculator.

r&d tax calculator

The R&D tax credit could save your company thousands of dollars, adding to your runway and maximizing your funds.

Startup Bookkeeping

How Should Bookkeepers Account For Legal Retainers?

Updated on Wed, 17 July 2024

This is a question we are often asked and it is a good one. However, before answering it, let’s first dive into how a legal retainer works.

Scott Orn

Chief Operating Officer

Bad Bookkeeping: The Top 10 Ways your Financials are Messed Up

Updated on Tue, 9 July 2024

Vanessa Kruze, CPA, discusses bad bookkeeping, the top 10 ways your startup's financials are messed up and what you should do to correct them.

Vanessa Kruze

Founder & CEO

Ready to connect for a free consultation?

Specializing in DE C-Corps with Seed and VC Funding

Please note, our expertise is not focused on LLCs or bootstrapped companies.

Kruze Consulting Authors

Vanessa Kruze

Founder & CEO

Scott Orn

Chief Operating Officer

Healy Jones

VP of Financial Strategy

Bryan Long

Content Marketing Manager

Information for Every Startup

Latest Posts

What is par value, and what does it mean for startups?

One question we occasionally receive at Kruze Consulting is about par value and its implications for startups.

Published on Sun, 15 December 2024

For startups, employee compensation costs typically consume over 75% of total operating expenses. As startup accountants who help founders manage their runway and cash flow, we know that making smart pay decisions is one of the most important activities at the earliest-stage.

Published on Wed, 4 December 2024

Why accounting cleanup is crucial for your startup's success

There’s an issue a lot of startups face – accounting cleanup. While it might not sound like the most exciting topic, it’s one of the most important areas that can impact your startup’s future.

Published on Sun, 1 December 2024

Beware of using deal structure to protect your startup’s valuation

A hot topic today with venture capitalists and entrepreneurs is the danger of using deal structure to protect your startup's valuation. We see this happening all too often, so let’s take a look at it.

Published on Sun, 24 November 2024

What does the term default mean in finance?

In the startup world, being in default is not a happy place to be. Being put into default occurs when your startup has borrowed money but can no longer repay the loan.

Published on Sun, 17 November 2024

What is an Acquihire?

‘Acquihire’ is a term used to describe the act of a larger, more successful company buying a startup company that, while it may have developed good technology or has a great team, didn’t quite make it.

Published on Sun, 3 November 2024

What is a credit facility?

When you’re launching a startup company, there’s often points where you realize you need extra capital.

Published on Sun, 27 October 2024

Who pays for directors and officers liability insurance at a startup?

Who pays for the liability insurance of directors and officers at a startup? This question came from someone joining a board of directors who was concerned that they were going to have to pay for it out of their own pocket.

Published on Sun, 20 October 2024

What is a guarantor?

Essentially, a guarantor is someone who guarantees a loan or debt obligation for a company by offering their own assets as collateral.

Published on Sun, 13 October 2024

Outstanding Shares vs. Authorized Shares

Especially when dealing with option pools or understanding the proceeds to common stock from acquisitions, our accounting and advisory team has found that founders can have a lot of questions about the differences between outstanding shares and authorized shares.

Published on Mon, 7 October 2024

What is retained earnings?

Retained earnings are found on your balance sheet. There will actually be a line item called retained earnings and that will be buried in the equity section.

Published on Sun, 6 October 2024

What is capital under management?

Simply put, 'capital under management' in the world of venture capital refers to the total amount of funds that a venture capital firm has raised across all its investment vehicles.

Published on Sun, 29 September 2024

Guy Kawasaki Pitch Deck: The Ultimate Guide

At Kruze Consulting, we've advised startups that have collectively raised over $15 billion in venture capital funding. One tool we've found consistently effective is the Guy Kawasaki Pitch Deck template.

Published on Tue, 24 September 2024

What is your startup’s cash position?

Put simply, your startup’s cash position refers to the amount of cash you have on your company’s balance sheet or in your bank accounts.

Published on Sun, 22 September 2024

Negative Balances On Balance Sheets: A Warning Sign

As accountants, we inevitably get asked questions about finance all the time, and that’s great! However, it’s never fun when we have to explain to someone that their accounting is messed up. Unfortunately, having negative balances is one of the classic tells of accounting problems.

Published on Sun, 15 September 2024