A piece of advice that we hear being given out a lot in the startup world is that, when your startup is fundraising, you should fine-tune your pitch by approaching less desirable or non-target venture capitalists first.
Downrounds are happening and more as the startup ecosystem is grapples with the aftermath of the 2021 VC bubble and a depressed tech stock market. Here is a practical guide on how to deal with one.
We always encourage revenue visibility to startup founders and it matters for a couple of big reasons, both inside and outside of the company.
There are some pieces of information startups should absolutely track when signing a new customer contract.
It's become more difficult for startups to raise a Series A. Here is data behind what it takes to get a round done in 2024.
As the leading CPA serving venture capital backed startups, Kruze has a wealth of startup statistics from accounting, finance, valuation, spend management, runway and more. We’ll share some of the top startup statistics we’ve produced or seen.
As the leading CPA firm serving VC-backed startups, we are acutely aware of the trends in startup funding - including valuation trends.
Kruze Consulting answers frequently asked question 'What Should my CEO Salary be?' by looking at payroll data from 110s of seed and venture-backed startups.
Kruze Consulting's COO, Scott Orn, identifies the key differences between a startup’s primary and secondary shares and what happens when they are sold.
The rationale for a warrant coverage or a little bit of equity upside for the lender is that they're taking a lot of risk here.
Kruze Consulting's COO, Scott Orn, discusses how a startup should account for its first revenue (and ongoing revenue) before looking for more!
In the rapidly evolving landscape of technology, startups are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to gain a competitive edge.
Off balance sheet items are usually spoken of in hushed tones when public companies crash and burn, usually in the haze of opaque financial disclosures.
Compliance with regulatory requirements is crucial for the success of any business, but startups, with limited resources, need to be particularly careful.
The ultimate tax season guide for startups, by the leading tax CPA to startups. Kruze has filed thousands of tax returns; we answer the top tax questions.
After the booming startup market of the last few years, the valuation of many startups has gotten too high.
With this question, there are different factors at play. There’s what we recommend and there is also what happens in reality when founders are busy and end up resorting to the quickest method.
Insured Cash Sweep (ICS) accounts have been around for a while, but the recent Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) crisis has made a lot of founders look more closely at this banking option for their startups.
The unequivocal answer to this question is yes! Startup founders should absolutely take vacations no matter how much pressure they may feel, and there are multiple reasons for this.
At Kruze Consulting, we get tons of questions about the difference between bookings, ARR and revenue.
Startups change a lot over time and it is important that their finance function adapts with those changes.
As part of post-crisis cash management, venture capitalists are now putting treasury clauses into the term sheets they give their startups.
Vannessa Kruze, CPA, answers the question 'Do bootstrapped startups actually pay taxes?' and discusses different types of taxes you may need to consider.
What does the US Federal Government issuing $1 trillion of debt mean for the startup financing environment?
As a former VC, I focus on helping Kruze clients pitch venture capitalists - and pitching during a downturn (really, a tech/VC recession) requires special finesse.
In the wake of the SVB crisis, startup founders with millions of dollars in VC funding are looking for FDIC coverage over $250,000. Here is how to try to get it.
Hey, it's Scott Orn at Kruze Consulting, and today we're talking about 409A valuation reports and why startups need them.
Scott Orn, Kruze Consulting's COO, shares everything you need to know about your startups' zero cash date and how to calculate it with your burn rate.
Everything you need to about how venture capitalists make decisions and who has the most decision making authority, by Kruze Consulting's COO Scott Orn.
So you are a startup founder who has grown to the point where you want to set up a 401k for your employees. That is awesome! It means that you are moving ahead in the startup journey and are attracting the type of employees who are thoughtful enough to plan for their retirement.
Kruze's COO, Scott Orn's, guide to the cost of fractional startup CFOs and how their billing structure works to ensure you receive the service you pay for.
Paul Graham, the entrepreneur that founded the startup incubator Y Combinator, asks a very famous question when he meets a founder: “Is your startup default alive or default dead?” Let’s look at what that means.
Kruze Consulting's VP of FP&A, Healy Jones, explains the differences between the Brex corporate card and American Express and which one is best for startups.
Everything CEOs and CFOs need to know about why you should have insurance and what for at your startup, by leading CPA firm Kruze Consulting.
The Federal Reserve has been raising interest rates, and there’s no end in sight right now. And rising interest rates have the potential to affect startups in a big way.
A lot of startups are finding that, with interest rates going up, they have the opportunity to work with a cash management specialist who can then get them into very safe Treasury and corporate bonds, even packages or bundles of bonds.
In the wake of the SVB crisis, founders who work with us are asking about ways to protect the full amount of their venture funding, since the FDIC insurance limit is $250,000 per depositor.
Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) had a liquidity/solvency crisis in the middle of March 2023, and was taken over by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).
Post meta Professional employer organizations (PEOs) can be very helpful to startup companies. But there is one major drawback to using a PEO for payroll and benefits.
Remote companies are becoming more common. Forbes notes a study from Ladder that says by 25% of professional jobs were remote by the end of 2022, and that’s projected to increase.
If you’re a startup, money is often tight – you want to get the most you can out of your venture capital.
Airbase is a leader for expense management tools in the startup world, and provide pre-funded cards for fast growing startups.
The short answer is yes. There are multiple reasons why it is important that your startup has an address.
The current rise in interest rates and decrease in startup fundraising is leading to a deposit squeeze at startup banks. These circumstances haven’t occurred in a while, so let’s take a look at what’s happening and why.
With the rise of remote work and fully / partially remote startups, offsites are becoming an important way for companies to collaborate and build culture.
For startups using venture debt can be a very helpful way to gain additional financing they need, to extend their runways or bridge to the next financing round. In order to strategically utilize venture debt for the best outcome, arranging a forward commitment is a smart move.
Our CPA team compares Brex and Ramp. Which offers the best card for startups? We look at points, expense management features and more.
When you consider hiring a CFO for a startup, you may also want to think about the other people who will help make that decision.
Kruze, the leading CPA serving VC-backed startups, mines payroll data from hundreds of startups to show what CTOs make.
Kruze Consulting’s COO, Scott Orn, breaks down the reasons why startups should not keep their cash in savings accounts and what to do instead.
The term 'cash drag' sounds contradictory, because how could cash be a problem for venture capital funds? But cash drag is actually a negative thing.
Kruze Consulting's overview on the small startup exit trend and the major rise of smaller, but meaningful, startup acquisitions in 2022.
Kruze Consulting's VP of FP&A, Healy Jones, explains everything you need to know about Gross Merchandise Value, how to calculate GMV and what it represents.
Kruze Consulting's COO, Scott Orn, answers the question 'When should a startup make its first ops hire?' and why it is important to do so.
Kruze Consulting named one of the best accounting firms to work for in 2022.
Kruze Consulting's Onboarding Manager, Ian Williams, breakdowns the reasons why entrepreneurs are choosing search funds and what they are.
Kruze Consulting's COO, Scott Orn, present an everything you need to know guide to structured term sheets in late-stage venture capital.
Over the last year, it’s been a ferocious capital market for startups, with great valuations and good access to capital.
POA (power of attorney) notifications are sent out from taxing authorities, like states or the federal government, when they receive POA authorizations.
It’s been a tough stock market and venture market recently for startup tech companies. Since the market has corrected, capital is becoming precious again.
The co-employer relationship occurs when a company uses a professional employer organization or PEO.
The latest scam targeting startups is fraudulent (or misleading) California Statement of Information requests.
There’s a good reason startups pay more in social security taxes, including payroll taxes, earlier in the year than they do later in the year.
Everything you need to know about the 2% and 20% venture capital standard fee structure. Here is a basic breakdown and alternative structures.
Before we jump into why venture capital general partners would invest in other VC funds, let’s break down some basic terminology.
Kruze Consulting's COO, Scott Orn, talks about the risks of Venture Debt and how to make sure you don't end up borrowing your own money!
Kruze Consulting's COO, Scott Orn, discusses the value of having a branded Venture Capital firm lead your startup’s round and its several benefits.
Scott Orn explains how a startup’s taxes change if it changes the state of incorporation and why VC firms want their startups to be incorporated in Delaware.
This is an important question when it comes to Series A and Series B startups.
Refunding customers is a necessary part of doing business for almost every early-stage company, especially for ecommerce or direct-to-consumer startups.
Everything you need to know about the Right of First Refusal when it comes to startup equity. Learn about RoFR in stock purchase agreements in VC fundraising.
The stock market has really punished publicly traded SaaS tech stock, more so than other tech stocks. SaaS companies have been especially hammered recently.
There are many reasons for a company to buy a startup, early-stage, or really any company.
Kruze Consulting's COO, Scott Orn, answers the question 'When should your startup make its first operations hire?' and everything else you need to know.
This is an important task for startups, because they're raising a lot of money, sometimes millions or even tens of millions of dollars.
The Paycheck Protection Program was created to provide startups and other small businesses with funds to support their operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Exploding term sheets are a term used by startup founders for venture capital term sheets that have an expiration date.
Petty cash is a term for a small amount of cash kept on hand at your startup to handle small expenses, like tipping a delivery driver or buying lunch.
Kruze Consulting's COO, Scott Orn, discusses everything you need to know about distributing advisor shares and the different types of advisors at startup.
Kruze Consulting's, COO, Scott Orn answers the question 'how many co-founders should I have in my startup?' and the trade offs you might have to make.
If you have not been paying attention to your stock portfolio, the NASDAQ's gone down a lot. We're recording this in late January 2022.
Kruze Consulting's COO, Scott Orn, answers the question 'What is the best time of year to switch to a Professional Employer Organization ?'.
Kruze Consulting's COO, Scott Orn, explains the term “employer of record” and why it is so important in the startup world during the covid pandemic.
A crucial task when shutting down a startup company is notifying and paying employees for their paid time off (PTO).
Kruze Consulting's COO, Scott Orn, discusses everything you need to know about using bond ladders for good cash management at your startup.
Kruze Consulting's COO, Scott Orn, breaks down how you can manage the accounting complexities when your startup has a distributed workforce.
Kruze Consulting's COO, Scott Orn, presents his guide to closing the deal in your startups final venture capital meeting, as it can be very intimidating.
Scott Orn talks about the integrated credit card and expense management solution that is now available for startups from Airbase and Silicon Valley Bank (SVB).
Kruze Consulting's COO, Scott Orn, answers the question 'For a seed round, are many investors or a small group better?' when considering startup funding.
Kruze Consulting's COO, Scott Orn, gives a helpful guide to shutting down a startup appropriately before moving on to bigger successes.
Kruze Consulting's VP of FP&A, Healy Jones, presents everything you need to know about making a good operating plan for your pitch deck.
Kruze Consulting's COO, Scott Orn, discusses everything you need to know about accounting for startup financing from Pipe.com, a new lending marketplace.
Kruze Consulting's COO, Scott Orn, discusses the process of how early stage Venture Capital firms go about finding the best startups to invest in.
Kruze Consulting's VP of FP&A, Healy Jones, answers the question 'as a startup CEO, when can I give myself a raise?' and how to know what to pay yourself.
Kruze Consulting's COO, Scott Orn, answers the question 'who is the highest paid person at a startup?' and talks about the ways startup employees are payed.
Kruze Consulting answers the frequently asked question about Paid Time Off (PTO) and whether or not your startup should switch to unlimited PTO.
Kruze Consulting's COO, Scott Orn, discusses getting clients power of attorney and the IRS new allowance of firms submitting Power of Attorney requests online!
Kruze Consulting's COO, Scott Orn, explains the eight ways in which employees steal money from startups and how to prevent employee theft.
Kruze Consulting's COO, Scott Orn, discusses the Trump Organization Tax Fraud Case and goes into the lessons that Startups can learn from it.
Kruze Consulting's COO, Scott Orn, gives a quick guide to matching your startup's assets to the right kind of debt including revolvers and term debt.
Kruze Consulting's COO, Scott Orn, explains 5 ways you can collect cash upfront from customers, a crucial factor in the success of a startup.
Kruze Consulting's COO, Scott Orn, answers the question 'what happens if your startup doesn’t make its medical payments?' and why it is a big deal for startups.
Startup founders, are you looking to raise venture capital? Here are 3 tips for startup venture capital funding.
We recently compared revenue trends amongst 400 early-stage startups that took a Payment Protection Program (PPP) loan last year to startups that did not.
Vannessa Kruze, CPA, explains the difference between compilation, review & audit when it comes to providing your startup's 'Audited GAAP Financials'.
Kruze Consulting’s COO, Scott Orn, was invited to be a guest on Jason Calacanis’ This Week In Startups Podcast where he discusses startup finance basics.
Our CPA team compares Brex and Stripe's card. Which offers the best card for startups? We look at points, expense management features and more.
Kruze Consulting's COO, Scott Orn, answers the question 'how do venture capitalists spend their time?' giving an insight into venture capitalist's day-to-day.
Kruze Consulting's COO, Scott Orn, provides a breakdown of how the COVID stimulus bill (CARES Act) will help seed and venture funded startups.
Kruze Consulting's COO, Scott Orn, presents a guide to adjusting your startups office lease when your startup is in a crisis situation, such as COVID-19.
The first hire for a startup is an exciting time! When a startup goes beyond the founders and has employees, the business can start to feel “real.”
Scott Orn, Kruze COO, recently co-authored two posts on TechCrunch on how startups should approach and negotiate a venture capital investment with CVCs.
Kruze Consulting's VP of FP&A, Healy Jones, explains the meaning of Fintech Equity & Debt Staircase and why Fintech companies raise capital.
Read Kruze Consulting's recent newsletter about the SBA Crisis loans and how they may work for startups, as well as alternative funding sources.
A breakdown of Visa's Plaid acquisition and what this could mean for startup bookkeepers, particularly those who use technology to automate their process.
Read about the top cities that Tech CFOS have named the next top tech hubs in 2020, from a survey conducted by Kruze Consulting involving 30 Bay Area CFOS.
Have a look at some of the most popular posts by Kruze Consulting about accounting, bookkeeping, taxes and more, in our Quora Space from 2019.
Kruze Consulting's VP of FP&A, Healy Jones, presents a guide to company specific tax filing and examples of how they vary based on circumstance.
Kruze Consulting's VP of FP&A, Healy Jones, presents a guide to company specific tax filing and examples of how they vary based on circumstance.
Kruze Consulting's VP of FP&A, Healy Jones, shares an example of an offsite travel policy that will help your startup's team understand the trip's intentions.
Learn about why Kruze Consulting has been recognized as a fast-growing company by several prestigious publications in the US and the Bay Area.
2019 hasn’t been the best year for startup IPOs. Uber, Lyft, and Slack are all tradings below their IPO prices - and let’s not even talk about WeWork.
Kruze Consulting's VP of FP&A, Healy Jones, gives advice on using milestones to gate your startup's burn rate to help you manage your cash-out dates.
1099s are a pain - somewhat mindless paperwork every startup needs to send to their contractors and many vendors like law firms.
Kruze Consulting has launched “The Great August Cardio Challenge” as part of our #wellnesswednesday initiative to encourage employee wellness.
Vanessa Kruze, Kruze Consulting’s Founder and CEO, recently published an article on HR Technologist with 4 tips for managing a remote workforce.
There’s a new rule in town that venture-funded startups need to know about - and consider following if they want to remain GAAP compliant.
There’s a new rule in town that venture-funded startups need to know about - and consider following if they want to remain GAAP compliant.
In the early days of a startup, projecting cash flow is relatively simple, because it’s a one-way street.
Vanessa Kruze, CPA, gives six tips on how to set up startup financial systems, including online service provider recommendations i.e QuickBooks.
Venture debt experts, Kruze Consulting, recently released a study that surveyed venture debt firms and bankers representing over 85% of the venture debt market.
Kruze Consulting and Procurify are pleased to present an event for San Francisco startups, Managing Departmental Budgets for Fast Growth Startups.
Kruze Consulting's VP of FP&A, Healy Jones, answers the question 'Do Startups need a Discounted Cash Flow Valuation (DCF) for a venture capital round?'.
Most of our startup clients are growing fast, raising capital, developing and shipping product and hiring. Lots and lots of hiring!
A list of the top 5 startup law firms and top 10 boutique firms curated by Kruze Consulting, a leading CPA focused 100% on venture-funded startups.
Kruze Consulting has worked with over 1000+ startups and has helped set up numerous HR infrastructure systems.
Kruze Consulting has compiled the ultimate Finance, Tax and HR Due Diligence Checklist, free for Startups to download and use in their fundraising efforts.
Kruze Consulting's VP of FP&A, Healy Jones, gives a breakdown on startup Corporate Tax Returns (required by the IRS) and the options employees have.
As part of our company’s “Wellness Wednesday,” our fearless wellness leader Hannah placed thank you cards on everyone’s desks.
An overview of Kruze Consulting's featured service Bolt Venture Capital, which specializes in helping hardware startups build foundations.
DocSend is a great content management tool designed for sales and finance professionals.
HubHaus is solving the housing problem for working professionals through Coliving.
Vanessa Kruze, CEO of Kruze Consulting, gives an overview of Kruze Consulting Firm where we do accounting, finance, tax, and HR specifically for startups.
A Look At The Ridesharing Choices Made By Today’s Preeminent Startups.
Kruze Consulting's COO, Scott Orn, discusses five things your startup should do after raising venture capital: banking, recruiting and accounting advice.
Kruze Consulting's COO, Scott Orn, gives a breakdown of the four important reasons that you should raise venture debt if you’re a startup.
The IRS wants you to have a 409A valuation so they can make sure that your common stock options have the appropriate strike price.
Trucks Venture Capital funds the entrepreneurs building the future of transportation.
Growing companies is what they do. From early stage to IPO and beyond.
Sequoia is the service partner for people-first companies.
For the first time in history, now the majority of the US population can invest in tech startups.
Kruze Consulting's COO, Scott Orn, gives an overview of Featured Service The Ranchod Law Group, an immigration law firm in Sacramento California.
Hitch Partners is a retained search consulting firm that partners with technology companies on mission-critical leadership roles focused on security.
Issue stock today and manage all your equity in one place without getting bogged down in spreadsheets and paperwork.
Bridge Bank was founded in the highly competitive climate of Silicon Valley in 2001, and still provides a full suite of professional business banking services.
They are building the future of employee recognition, rewards, and reviews. Bonusly integrates seamlessly with your organization's HR and communication tools.
Creating Magically Simple Business Payments.
Tax Season is upon us! Instead of using a local CPA firm (way too expensive & no Startup expertise), check out KruzeTax.com.
I’m going to expand this question a bit…Why does a startup need to have a Registered Agent in Delaware?
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
UrbanSitter helps you find Babysitters, Nannies, and Child-Care.
Kruze Consulting Feature Service Hugo is the smartest place for your team’s meeting notes, something we guarantee from personal experience with great results.
Fleetsmith is the new Cloud Based Mac Management Software that will change the way you work.
Emburse's virtual cards and expense management system is truly amazing for keeping expenses within your company well organized and controlled.
The punch line here is that every single account on the balance sheet needs to be reconciled, not just the bank and the credit cards.
The first thing they're going to ask for is your historical financials.
What can I do to make sure that I am prepared for an IRS audit? Ultimately, how can I make sure that I don't get it to an IRS audit situation?
We typically recommend Bill.com, but they don't do the international.
At Kruze Consulting, we get tons of questions about venture debt. Should a startup take it? Is it good for the startup?
We're mainly referring to investor abandonment and venture debt term sheets.
Learn how Startups can track and calculate customer acquisition costs in Quickbooks Online.
Vanessa Kruze, Kruze Consulting's CEO, discusses the vital online systems and programmes that startups should set up when they first start the company.
It's 2017 and time to start Tax Planning for your Startup! Don't worry, we've done all the work for you by creating customized 2017 Startup Tax Compliance Calendars for Startups based in San Francisco, New York, Palo Alto and Santa Monica.
Kruze Consulting's COO, Scott Orn, gives a 3 step, simple guide so that you can ensure your startup has what it takes to raise a Series A.
Startup CEO Salary Calculator
US Based Companies that have raised under $100M
Top Articles
Pre-Seed Funding + Top 20 Funds
eCommerce Accounting
Accounts Receivable Loans
What is the 2% and 20% VC fee structure?
How much does a 409A valuation cost?
What are Your VC’s Return Expectations Depending on the Stage of Investment?
Fractional CFOS
How much can your startup save in payroll taxes?
Estimate your R&D tax credit using our free calculator.
r&d tax calculatorSignup for our newsletter
Popular pages
Important Tax Dates for Startups