So, you’ve decided to act on your million dollar idea and formed a company. You’ve got an exciting product, momentum, and your workload is at the point where you need to bring in additional employees to help carry out your vision. What’s that you say? Not enough cashflow to pay […]
We’ve updated our compilation of startup incubators in Ohio. One notable addition, specifically for Cleveland-based startups, is Dan Gilbert’s Bizdom U, which launched in May 2011. Our goal is to have this resource be as complete and accurate as possible, so if you have any recommended additions or changes, please […]
Last year, in conjunction with the Obama Administration’s efforts to spur economic growth and job creation, it announced the launching of the Startup America Partnership, an independent nonprofit NGO whose goal is to help young companies with high growth potential. A year into the project, we looked to see what it offers […]
Gillespie Law Group head honcho Dave Gillespie gave a presentation this past week at the Startup Weekend event in Columbus, OH. The presentation was entitled “Bootstrapper’s Guide to Not Screwing Up–Too Badly”, and his slideshow can be viewed below. Questions? Post them in the comment section and we’ll try […]
TechColumbus recently released its annual Central Ohio Innovation Capital Report which provides a comprehensive overview of funding trends within Central Ohio for 2010. The full 2010 Central Ohio Innovation Capital Report is available here. TechColumbus research indicates that over the past year (2009-2010), innovation capital increased nearly 73% to over […]
Wikipedia defines a “social enterprise” as “any for-profit or non-profit organization that applies capitalistic strategies to achieving philanthropic goals.” The concept has been getting quite a bit of attention recently–without a doubt, for good reasons. Within the past few years, the Low Profit Limited Liability Company (“L3C”) and the Benefit […]
Startup and growing companies often use deferred compensation as an effective way to attract and retain important employees. Unfortunately, this process has been complicated by a recent tax change that significantly penalizes a broad range of “non-qualified” deferred compensation plans. Under Section 409A, deferred compensation which does not meet certain […]
Many online retailers do not collect state or local sales tax on customer purchases—a significant advantage that may be in jeopardy. Large online retailers, such as Amazon.com, have defended their decision not to collect sales tax by citing a 1992 U.S. Supreme Court decision. In that decision, the Supreme Court […]
I’ve updated our compilation of sources of capital available to startup companies in Ohio. The list includes angel groups, venture capital funds, innovation funds and some incubators offering financing alternatives. Our goal is to have this resource be as complete and accurate as possible, so if you have any recommended […]
Startup companies often seek to retain their founders and critical employees through the use of equity compensation. To ensure that these top people are committed to the company for the long-term, it is often a good idea to issue stock subject to buy-back provisions (founder’s restricted stock). However, shareholders must […]